iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Two years after Chelsey Cardinal first cautioned women against joking about pregnancy on April Fools' Day, the schoolteacher is now a mom, but said she still doesn't find such humor funny. When Cardinal posted the warning to Instagram two years ago, she had been struggling for 18 months with trying to conceive with now-husband, Jamie. The two had suffered a miscarriage and were about to start another round of in vitro fertilization. "I've known people for a long time who joke that they're pregnant, and this year it hit me that it does hurt," Kimmel told ABC News back in 2016. That second round of in vitro proved successful, and the Cardinals welcomed their first child, a daughter named Remy, on Jan. 11, 2017. "It's been a whirlwind since then," Cardinal, 26, said. "We're actually expecting our second child. We're 12 weeks today. We were going to tell everybody tomorrow." The mom and dad are expecting a baby boy on Oct. 13. This time, they were able to conceive without treatment. "This one was actually a little surprise," said Cardinal, of Burrillville, Rhode Island. And although she is past her own infertility struggles, Cardinal said she still doesn't find pregnancy jokes funny. "People don't understand that the pain of infertility doesn't disappear just because you have children," Cardinal said. "Looking back on it now, I used to hold so much anger at those posts. Now I look at it as an opportunity to educate people." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 12 percent of women, ages 15 to 44, have had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. "When we were trying to conceive, you'd see pregnancy posts -- real or fake -- and it's kind of like a stab in your gut," Cardinal said. "It catches you off guard." Sonya Frazier, a licensed mental health counselor based in Tampa, Florida, told ABC News that it's important to "be mindful of the implications" of jokes and pranks on April Fools' Day. "Words do hurt," she said. "And infertility is still much of a personal and private experience for many women and men. To joke about such a topic could potentially trigger a stream of negative emotions in those who are trying to conceive." Cardinal has one suggestion on April Fools' Day for women who are finding it hard to deal with infertility. "Just stay off social media," she said. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Villagers in Waluwebue, examine the damage to their village, caused by the flash flood. Photo supplied by: Clifford Tarisimbi Bragging rights: Old-timers at Aurelio's flagship restaurant in Homewood will ask for their pizza to be baked in the "old ovens," which date back to just a few years after Aurelio's founding in 1959, rather than the "new" conveyor-style ovens installed in the 1980s. "The average person wouldn't know the difference,'' says Joseph Aurelio, chief executive officer of the chain, which has 42 locations in six states. "The regular regulars coming in 25 to 30 years would know." We asked for pizzas baked in both ovens and found the sausage and cheese pie from the old oven had a crispier crust and was more golden. But it also had fewer toppings than the other pizza and that could have made a difference, too. The gas-powered Montague Hearthbake deck ovens have fire-tile floors, walls and ceilings that Aurelio says provides a "nice even heat." The pizza bakers will, depending on the type of pie ordered, take the pizza from its pan and let it sit on the oven floor for a few seconds to ensure a crispier bottom. Aurelio's in Homewood has five double-deck pizza ovens from Montague Co., a Hayward, Calif.-based maker of commercial cooking equipment. "Ham vs. lamb" may not rise to the level of theological debate, but when it comes to Easter dinner, the issue can divide celebrants into zealous partisan camps. Whose meat reigns supreme? We put the question to two passionate chefs. "You know ham kicks lamb's butt," said Leisa Dent, co-owner and chef of L.L. Dent, the Southern-style restaurant in Carle Place, N,Y. "And I don't care how much mint jelly you put on that thing." Dent regularly cooks fresh ham (i.e., pork) and smoked ham. "Both are better than lamb," she declared. For Easter lunch, Dent traditionally prepares a smoked ham that she glazes with, among other ingredients, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey. A whole ham (that is, the entire hind leg of the pig) easily feeds 20 to 30 people. For a smaller gathering, Dent cooks the "shank" half, which serves 10 to 12. Because a smoked ham has already been cooked, "cooking" it at home involves little more than putting it in the oven, brushing on the glaze and getting it hot. Dent makes it fancy by scoring the top and inserting cloves into the resulting diamond pattern. Ninety minutes later, the ham comes out of the oven fragrant, succulent of flesh and crisp of skin. And ham is the Easter gift that keeps on giving. "The leftovers are good, hot or cold," she said. "Ham and eggs for breakfast the next morning, ham sandwiches for lunch. And then I use the bone for pea soup." "For Greeks there is no question," said Peter Spyropoulos, executive chef of Limani, the Greek seafood restaurant in Roslyn. "Lamb is all we eat. Lamb. Lamb. Lamb." In fact the traditional Easter meal, consumed at midnight after Easter Mass, starts with magiritsa, a soup made from lamb innards. Next up: kokoretsi, skewered lamb innards wrapped with fat and grilled. Finally, spit-roasted baby lamb. For American homes, roast leg of lamb is easier to handle, and Spyropoulos recommends a boneless leg, which is a cinch to carve. He seasons his lamb with the Greek trinity of garlic, oregano and lemon -- 2 cups of lemon juice to cut the richness of the lamb -- but he also adds rosemary and thyme (if his mother isn't around). As for leftovers, Spyropoulos insists that "anything you can do with ham you can do with lamb." He loves a sandwich made with thinly sliced lamb and Gulden's mustard on white bread. Finally, Lamb has a profound connection to the Easter story that ham just can't touch. "At Mass," Spyropoulos said, "the Greek Orthodox priest is always talking about lamb as a symbol of Jesus' sacrifice." No one ever talks about "the ham of God." Ham with Jack Daniel's glaze The ham will cook quicker and more evenly if it's at room temperature. Take it out of the refrigerator up to 2 hours before cooking. You also can use this glaze on a spiral-cut ham: Just follow the cooking instructions on the package. Ingredients: 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 1/4 cups Jack Daniel's (or other bourbon) 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate 1 shank-end cooked ham (7 to 9 pounds) Whole cloves 1. Combine sugar, Jack Daniel's, vinegar and orange juice concentrate in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; set aside. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Score the top of the ham in a diamond pattern, making cuts 1/2 inch deep and an inch apart. In the middle of each diamond, insert a clove. Place ham in a roasting pan and cook until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, about 11/2 hours. During the last half hour of cooking, baste the ham with the glaze every 10 minutes or so, reserving some of the glaze. 3. Let ham rest at least 30 minutes before serving. Brush with reserved glaze, then slice. Makes 10 to 12 servings. Roast boneless leg of lamb A boneless leg of lamb will come rolled and tied by the butcher. You'll need to untie and unroll it to season the interior, and you'll need some butcher's twine (ask the butcher for some) to tie it back up. Ingredients: 1 boneless leg of lamb, 6 to 8 pounds 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon pepper 1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Greek) 1 tablespoon dried rosemary 1 tablespoon dried thyme 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (10 to 12 lemons) 3 cups dry white wine 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Untie lamb, and spread it out on a work surface and note how it was rolled, i.e., which edge was inside, which was outside. Smear garlic into surface, then sprinkle on salt, pepper and dried herbs. Roll lamb back up and tie with butcher's twine. Roll does not have to be tight or neat. 2. Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour the lemon juice, wine, 2 cups water and, finally, the olive oil over the lamb. Cover loosely with foil and cook for 21/2 hours, basting occasionally with pan juices. Remove foil and cook 30 minutes longer. Let rest at least 30 minutes, then slice and serve with pan juices. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Here is a side dish to go with each Braised cabbage (for the ham) The trick to this simple side dish is to not overcook the cabbage. Ingredients: 1 large onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 medium head cabbage, diced 1 (8-ounce) can stewed tomatoes 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper Salt and pepper 1. In a large, wide saucepan (with a tight-fitting lid) over medium heat, saute onion and pepper in oil until they are translucent; they should not brown. 2. Add cabbage, tomatoes and red pepper. If there isn't enough liquid in the pan so that about half the contents are submerged, add a few spoonfuls of water. Turn up heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When liquid boils, cover pan and set aside for at least 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Lemon potatoes (for the lamb) Ingredients: 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (10-12 lemons) 3 cups extra-virgin olive oil 2 plum tomatoes, chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Greek) 1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried) 2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried) 10 baking potatoes 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a roasting pan, combine all ingredients except potatoes with 1 cup water. Whisk to combine. 3. Add potatoes and cook for 1 hour, until potatoes are just tender. 4. Drain off liquid and roast potatoes for 45 minutes longer, until they are brown in spots. 5. Place potatoes on a serving dish. Heat drained-off liquid and pour over potatoes. Makes 8 to 10 servings. ----------------------------------------------------- Visit Newsday at http://www.newsday.com/ Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. About 10 minutes later, witnesses said Ortiz suddenly appeared on the street near the group and began shooting at them. Two 27-year-old women, and two men, ages 27 and 28, were all struck by gunfire, according to Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Lauren Maniatis. The most seriously injured was hit on the right side of his chest, though everyone survived, Maniatis said. British officials, meanwhile, said Saturday the government is considering Russia's request for access to the daughter of the former Russian double agent. Russian officials insist they have a legal right to see 33-year-old Yulia Skripal, who lived in Moscow and was visiting her father, Sergei Skripal, in Salisbury when they were attacked with a nerve agent that apparently came through his front door. On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., while assisting striking sanitation workers. That was 50 years ago. Back then, the wholesale racial integration required by the 1964 Civil Rights Act was just beginning to chip away at discrimination in education, jobs and public facilities. Black voters had only obtained legal protections four years earlier, and the 1968 Fair Housing Act was about to become law. African-Americans were only beginning to move into neighborhoods, colleges and careers once reserved for whites only. "The fact that we are here today is a testament to the living faith we have," he said during the service. "You could've been anywhere else today, and there are many people who are everywhere but here." A man was taken by ambulance to Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin with non-life-threatening burn injuries, fire officials said. Two other occupants of the home who were there at the time of the fire were unhurt, officials said. "It's my pleasure to celebrate John Crane's centennial anniversary," Oakton President Joianne Smith said in the release. "The company has been an important part of the history of the college and was Oakton's first official business partner. We are tremendously grateful for John Crane's donations over the years to support student scholarships, capital improvements and programs that support Oakton's academics, particularly math, science and technology programs." Peter Pilafas, deputy chief of the Oak Park Fire Department, said he had no further information about the man, other than he is believed to have been a resident of the second-floor unit in which the fire started. He said the fire was reported at 9:23 a.m. Sunday, and officials were told of a man trapped in the unit at 327 S. Wisconsin Ave. For Subscribers Beulah United Methodist Church celebrates 150 years of history The Beulah United Methodist Church is celebrating its 150-year-history with a service on Sept. 26. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. French street artist Julien Seth Malland mixes nostalgic Chinese scenes of hopscotch, swings, birdcages, old-fashioned bicycles and colorful buildings into his murals in Shanghai's old laneways. Since Friday, photos of his murals and sculptures have been on display at MoCA Shanghai as part of a solo exhibition that pays tribute to the Shanghai of the 1980s and 1990s. A lion-headed man plays ball in one scene, which is situated at the entrance of an old lane set among Shanghai's historic "shikumen" alley houses. "This reminds me of my childhood. I was running and jumping in the shabby old lanes. It really surprised me to learn that the artist is from France," said visitor Zhu Yihua, who was born in the 1970s. Born in Paris in 1972, the artist is better known by the name Seth Globepainter. He has been touring the world and working with local street artists since 2003, making art in more than 50 countries and regions. "While wandering in Shanghai, I noticed that many old neighborhoods are making way for skyscrapers, and the city is busy transforming itself into a modern one. But, as an artist, I would like to remind my audience to pause in their steps and search for beautiful memories instead," Seth told a Xinhua reporter. Seth became popular in Shanghai in the winter of 2014, when he worked with Chinese artist Shi Zheng on the painting "Sleeping Chinese Beauties," inspired by a classic Tang Dynasty (618-907) poem. Photos of the painting, located on the wall of a partially demolished house in Shanghai, spread quickly via Chinese social media app WeChat. "When you gaze at Seth's work, you can imagine the narrow streets becoming the playground for neighborhood kids again. By exploring local culture, Seth invites people to escape reality and rediscover the place through the eyes of a child," said Cao Bin, curator of the exhibition. Most of the figures in Seth's paintings are children drawn in a hybrid style that combines modern and traditional forms. In recent years, Seth has continued to create art in Shanghai, including a painting on a farm house in the village of Qingpu. In 2017, he painted a 46-meter-high mural in Yangpu District of Shanghai, the tallest mural in Asia. It depicts a girl playing the piano on a tree. Seth said he plans to bring the Shanghai-themed art to his future exhibitions, and he also plans to visit more inland Chinese regions, such as Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwest China and northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to create his art. "I feel like racing against time to capture the culture of rural China, which is undergoing unprecedented urbanization," he said. He said street art can bring local people amusement and confidence in their own culture. Chiye, a Chinese glass manufacturer, has long hoped to build an overseas factory to expand output. But the executives have been hesitant about where to go. "We worried about a number of things that are important to glass makers, such as traffic and infrastructure," said Liu Wenjie, chairman of the company based in Hebei Province. Progress was made earlier this year after an intermediary helped the company find a position in an industrial park in Malaysia. Chiye intends to move in. Attractions of the Kulim industrial park include that it offers natural gas at half the price in China and that it has stable supplies of water and electricity and good security services, Liu said. "If we set up a plant ourselves, there would be many uncertainties." Overseas industrial parks, many backed by the government of the host country, have attracted Chinese manufacturers aimed at going global, with quality infrastructure and services, as well as preferential policies in financing and taxation, said He Zhenwei, secretary-general of China Overseas Development Association. "For Chinese companies, the parks reduce the risks and costs of operating abroad. For the host country, the parks create jobs, expand exports, and help with industrialization," He said at a forum on globalization of Chinese companies held earlier this month in Guangdong Province. An industrial park in Egypt has attracted more than 70 companies that have invested a total of 1 billion U.S. dollars and created 3,300 jobs during the past nine years, according to TEDA, a Chinese builder. An additional zone in the park, covering 6 square km, is ready to open. It is expected to attract investment of 2 billion U.S. dollars and create 40,000 jobs, said Wei Jianqing with TEDA. A China-Belarus industrial park in Minsk has attracted 28 companies from China, Belarus, the United States, and European countries since it opened last year. The park, welcoming high-end industries such as big data and e-commerce, offers generous tax discounts. "For example, companies are exempted from a corporate income tax for 10 years starting from the day when they make a profit," said Zhan Wang with China CAMC Engineering Co., Ltd. that built the park. By the end of 2017, Chinese companies built 99 industrial parks in 44 countries and regions. Among them, 75 parks are in 24 countries along the Belt and Road, attracting 3,879 enterprises with total investments of over 25 billion U.S. dollars and creating 219,000 jobs, according to China's commerce ministry. Overseas industrial parks are a path to realize the Belt and Road Initiative and a platform to boost international industrial operation, according to Ren Hao, head of Tongji University Development Institute. Intermediaries have emerged to match the parks and companies. UTOU, an online intermediary based in Guangdong Province, has 6,000 registered members, including governmental organs, embassies, industrial parks, and investment organizations. "We have noticed that foreign embassies are increasingly interested in advertising the parks through our website," said Xiang Jing with UTOU. You are here: China Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Saturday called for unremitting efforts to smoothly advance institutional reform of the State Council. Han, also member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a State Council meeting on advancing the reform. The fundamental aim of the reform is to transform government functions and optimize functions of its institutions, said Han, noting that government performance should be improved in all aspects. "The government's functions of economic regulation and market supervision should be strengthened and improved, while micromanagement and direct intervention should be reduced," he said. "The government's roles in public service and social management should be strengthened to ensure and improve people's living standards," he said. Han also called for a smooth transition in the reform with no "unfulfilled responsibilities and undone jobs." "The State Council's work and its institutional reform should facilitate each other," he said. China announced a massive cabinet reshuffle plan earlier this month, which proposed the formation, merging and restructuring of multiple organs. With the aim to build a more fair and transparent regulation process for technology exports and foreign investment, China has issued a guideline tightly reviewing the transfer of intellectual property rights to overseas buyers. "To establish and perfect the review mechanism for IP transfers overseas is not a move to upset foreign investors. The guideline has rather formulated concrete measures to secure a better business environment," said Zhang Zhicheng, director of the Protection and Coordination Department at the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO). "The government will only review two categories of IP transfers: technology restricted for exports and international acquisitions of Chinese enterprises," Zhang said. The proposed IP transfers will be reviewed if they involve patent rights, exclusive rights to layout designs of integrated semiconductors, software copyrights, or rights to new plant varieties. According to the guideline released Thursday, Chinese companies and individuals have the right to transfer their IP to overseas enterprises, individuals or groups. IP transfers will be reviewed if they appear to affect national security or the country's core technology in key fields. When China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, it entered into the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to bring its IP laws to an international level. Meanwhile, the government has gradually transformed its manufacturing-based economy to an innovation-based economy. Over the past decades, China has become a major producer of innovative technology and the second biggest source of international patent applications, according to an UN announcement. "China has mastered a series of key technology and developed some high-quality intellectual property. If we fail to strictly review core IP transfers related to national security, we may put the country at the risk of losing control of key technology in important fields and suffering major financial losses," said Zhang. In 2017, China's intellectual property royalties earned abroad surpassed 4 billion U.S. dollars, according to SIPO. "Besides the financial influences, improper review of core IP transfers could restrain China's self-developed innovation abilities and competitive advantages internationally," Zhang said. Regulating IP transfers involving national security complies with international rule and practices, he said, citing the WTO's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, which gives recognition to all members to protect legitimate interests according to their own regulatory autonomy. He noted that the developed economies like the United States, EU, and Japan have similar review systems. Flash The Palestinians on Saturday accused the United States of blocking a United Nations Security Council statement on the situation in the Gaza Strip and said the U.S. objections encourage Israel to continue its aggressive actions against the Palestinian people. The Palestinian National Authority Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Malki said in an official statement that "Washington would block any effort in the Security Council related to the massacre committed and to be committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip." He added that "without the absolute U.S. protection in the Security Council, Israel won't dare to commit terrible crimes against the Palestinians." In a closed-door session held at a request of Kuwait to discuss the bloody incidents in the Gaza Strip on Friday evening, the UN Security Council failed to agree on a statement condemning Israel's repression of the Palestinian popular protests on the anniversary of the Land Day. "The decision was to go for an official open session, but the U.S. side opposed the idea that the Security Council issues a statement to condemn Israel's repression of demonstrators," said Representative of the state of Palestine in the UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour. He also said "the efforts are continuing ... we will see in the next few hours and days whether we will succeed in this, or what are the other steps if they remain insistent on not allowing the council to assume its responsibilities in condemning the crime and prosecuting those responsible." Mansour unveiled that "several European countries, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, demanded an investigation into events in the Gaza Strip, pointing out that the Palestinian side is pushing in this direction." He also said the Palestinian side "won't accept a probe conducted by the Israelis themselves, but we want to investigate by impartial and fair bodies to brief the world in on this crime," stressing on the need to start the probe as soon as possible. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Saturday that the objections of the United States at the UN Security Council have led to thwarting the issuance of a resolution denouncing the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people and the killing of 16 Palestinians. He added that this provides a cover for Israel to continue its aggression against the Palestinian people and encourage it to defy international legitimacy resolutions that aim at ending the occupation. Abu Rudeinah said in a statement published by WAFA Saturday that it will only increase Palestinian resilience with the continuation of the U.S. approach to protect the occupation and obstruct all international attempts to pressure Netanyahu's government to stop its aggressiveness. "The Palestinian side can go to the General Assembly of the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the Commission on Human Rights and we will not stop in our quest to condemn the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people," said Nabil Shaath, an aide to President Abbas for foreign affairs. Disabling a Security Council statement on Gaza "asserts that the United States is a partner in the crime with its strategic ally," said Hanan Ashrawi, the official in Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee. "We are looking for a unified international position to act to provide urgent protection to the Palestinians, and to hold Israel accountable for these crimes," she said. Mahmoud al-Aloul, deputy chairman in President Abbas Fatah Party, considered the U.S. position "a new development in the U.S. bias towards Israel." President Abbas held Israel totally responsible for the events on Friday and declared Saturday as a national mourning day. A coordination committee composed of Palestinian political factions, civil society organizations and youth groups called weeks ago for a large popular rally at nearly 700 meters away from the Israeli border fence under the title of the "Great March of Return" starting Friday. The Friday rally was the start of a six-week long protest that is expected to reach a peak on May 15, the day Israel celebrates its establishment and Palestinians mark the forcible transfer of two thirds of the Palestinian people and the ethnic cleansing of 418 Palestinian villages. Demonstrators demand that Palestinian refugees should be allowed the right of return to the towns and villages from which their families fled or were forcibly driven out of when the State of Israel was created in 1948. Flash Morocco said on Saturday it will consolidate efforts to promote peace and security in Africa, as the country is about to start a two-year term at the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU). The pledge was made by the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in a statement, stressing many complex security challenges that Africa faces, which require joint and concerted action as well as an unwavering commitment by African countries. This goal will only be achieved through political stability, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, as well as the consolidation of the rule of law in Africa, said the ministry. It added that the common African agenda should focus on urgent and priority conflict and crisis situations, which constitute a real threat to peace and security in Africa, promoting a comprehensive and inclusive approach. Morocco will, during its mandate in the PSC, give priority to the issues of prevention and the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, as well as post-conflict reconstruction, the ministry stressed. Last year, Morocco rejoined the AU after three decades of absence from the pan-African organization. Flash The U.S. and British Departments of Defense on Saturday released names of the two soldiers killed in a bomb attack on Thursday in Syria. The Pentagon said in an announcement that the soldier, who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, is Master Sgt. Johnathan J. Dunbar, 36, of Austin, the state of Texas. Dunbar died on Friday in Manbij, that is not far from the Syrian border with Turkey, "as a result of injuries when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his patrol," the Pentagon said. It added that the incident is under investigation. Also on Saturday, the British Ministry of Defense confirmed that Sergeant Matt Tonroe from the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment was also killed in the Syria action "whilst on duty in the Middle East on the 29th March 2018." The U.S. military said on Friday that two personnel of the U.S.-led coalition were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Syria. Five others were wounded in the attack that occurred on Thursday night. Turkey has threatened to expand its military operation in Syria to Manbij, where 2,000 American troops are stationed. The town has seen a number of small explosions in recent weeks. U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that his country would "be coming out of Syria like very soon." However, Pentagon spokesperson Dana White told reporters later that "important work remains to guarantee the lasting defeat of these violent extremists" in the Arab country. Jonas Cullwick, a former General Manager of VBTC is now a Senior Journalist with the Daily Post. Contact: [email protected]. Cell # 678 5460922 Yes, they are now reduced to bullying children Real manly men these guys. What will be really hilarious is when all of these Fox pukes are long forgotten, and David Hogg graduates with a journalist degree, and ends up with a higher rated show. 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 Eerie audio: Pilots report UFO above Arizona The pilots of two commercial planes flying over the Arizona desert reported seeing a UFO overhead in February, according to communications released by the Federal Aviation Administration. The sightings occurred within minutes of each other on the afternoon of February 24. A Learjet pilot was the first to ask if anybody was flying above the plane. Someone jokingly responded that it could be a unidentified flying object. Air traffic control told the crew of another plane flying a similar path to keep on the lookout, and a few minutes later, the American Airlines pilot radios back that something did pass over his aircraft.... Great cockpit/tower audio.More: Eerie audio: Pilots report UFO above Arizona - Story | KSAZ The magic returns; the strains of our music will once more ring forth. Consortium Aurora Borealis is back in action after the silence imposed on so many arts organizations by COVID-19. Exports China was the United States' 3rd largest goods export market in 2016. U.S. goods exports to China in 2016 were $115.6 billion, down 0.3% ($330 million) from 2015 but up 115.4% from 2006. U.S. exports to China are up 503% from 2001 (pre-WTO accession). U.S. exports to China account for 8.0% of overall U.S. exports in 2016. The top export categories (2-digit HS) in 2016 were: miscellaneous grain, seeds, fruit (i.e., soybeans) ($15 billion), aircraft ($15 billion), electrical machinery ($12 billion), machinery ($11 billion) and vehicles ($11 billion). U.S. exports of agricultural products to China totaled $21 billion in 2016, our 2nd largest agricultural export market. Leading export categories include: soybeans ($1 billion), coarse grains (ex. corn) ($1.0 billion), hides and skins ($949 million), pork and pork products ($713 million) and cotton ($553 million). U.S. exports of services to China were an estimated $54.2 billion in 2016, 11.6% ($5.6 billion) more than 2015 and 412% greater than 2006 levels. It was up roughly 908% from 2001 (pre-WTO accession). Leading services exports from the U.S. to China in 2015 were in the travel, intellectual property (trademark, computer software) and transport sectors. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Power plant company FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.and its subsidiaries, along with the FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co., filed for bankruptcy protection late Saturday night. The filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio indicates that the top unsecured creditor is the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co. which is owed more than $1 billion. The company also owes the BNSF Railway Co. $72 million. The company and its creditors, estimated at several hundreds in the filing, have been negotiating a settlement, the company said. Other documents including a summary of the company's assets and liabilities are due April 16. FirstEnergy Solutions and its subsidiaries have over $550 million in cash, enough money to pay employees and suppliers and continue operations, the company said in a statement. The FirstEnergy Corp., parent of FirstEnergy Solutions and the FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co., is not part of the filing. In a separate statement, Charles Jones, CEO of FirstEnergy, said the company will focus on its regulated local and long distance transmission companies, which has been the goal of the company for at least 18 months. FirstEnergy is planning on investing up to $10 billion upgrading its delivery systems over the next three years. The Easter Weekend Chapter 11 filing was made over the internet and is an effort to restructure at least $2.8 billion of debt FirstEnergy Solutions faces. It follows years of efforts by the parent company to persuade Ohio regulators and lawmakers to approve multiple plans to wring more money out of customers to subsidize the power plant operations. The bankruptcy filing caps a five-day media blitz that began with the announcement Wednesday evening that FirstEnergy Solutions had informed grid manager PJM Interconnection that it would close its three nuclear power plants within three years. The company also informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its shutdown decision on Wednesday, though only orally, which the NRC does not recognize as an official declaration. On Thursday, the company filed a 44-page formal appeal to the U.S. Department of Energy to declare an emergency, under extraordinary power reserved for use during cataclysmic threats to the national electric grid such as war. The company requested that Energy Secretary Rick Perry order PJM Interconnection, the manager of the high-voltage transmission grid in Ohio, 12 other states and the District of Columbia, to begin developing special provisions for owners of old nuclear and coal-fired power plants to help them survive PJM's competitive wholesale markets. PJM responded Friday in a letter directly to Perry, saying there is no imminent threat to the stability of the grid, and that it would do another analysis of the grid's ability to remain stable despite the closing of old coal and nuclear power plants. PJM also noted that it would use federally approved analytical methods to complete the assessment in 30 days. FirstEnergy has complained bitterly for several years that PJM has created competitive market rules that favor new, ultra-efficient gas turbine plants and wind turbine farms. PJM's competitive market rules in fact favor the cheapest source of power needed at any given second to guarantee the stability of the thousands of miles of transmission lines under its control. FirstEnergy wants PJM's market rules changed to reflect what it argues is the importance of its very large coal-fired and nuclear plants to the stability of the grid. In other words, it wants PJM's competitive market to provide a way for its power plants to succeed against the newer, more efficient technologies offering power at lower prices. That has galvanized consumer, business and environmental groups that see the company's problems as its own fault, beginning with its $4.7 billion purchase of Pennsylvania-based, coal-heavy Allegheny Energy in 2010. Though the the deal was a stock transaction, FirstEnergy also absorbed $3.8 billion of Allegheny's debt. FirstEnergy has since closed many of Allegheny's coal plants. FirstEnergy is not the only utility to consider closing or to have already closed nuclear reactors. Five have closed since 2013. Another dozen nuclear plants were to have closed by 2022 or sooner, but new funding measures created in New York, Illinois and Michigan persuaded operators to remain open. Saturday's late night bankruptcy petition prompted an immediate response from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Chairman Asim Haque issued a statement just after midnight pointing out that the the bankruptcy reorganization had been widely anticipated and that the development would not affect electric service. "There is no reason for customers of FES - or anyone else in Ohio - to be concerned about whether or not they will have electricity. They will," he wrote. Plain Dealer reporter John Caniglia contributed to this story MEDINA, Ohio -- On a chilly, overcast March 30 morning, 75 hardy souls gathered at Rustic Hills Country Club before 7 a.m. to attend the Medina Area Service Clubs' Good Friday prayer breakfast. Medina Evening Rotary hosted the annual event for 10 service groups and community guests. Soloist Kimberly States performs at this year's Medina Good Friday prayer breakfast. (Mary Jane Brewer, special to cleveland.com) Clubs in attendance included Medina Evening Rotary, Brunswick Rotary, Medina Noon Kiwanis, Medina Lions, Medina Sunrise Rotary, Seville Kiwanis, Medina Evening Kiwanis, Medina Breakfast Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus and the Odd Fellows Lodge. Medina Rotary Club President Bob Baisch welcomed the guests, thanked Brian Feron for organizing the event, then introduced Mayor Dennis Hanwell, who led the Pledge of Allegiance and offered an invocation. The Opening Hymn, "Were You There," was led by Kimberly States, accompanied by pianist John Burke, whose day job is Medina County treasurer John. After a buffet breakfast, States sang an African Spiritual, "Give Me Jesus." The Rev. David Ambrose of Heartland Community Church began his presentation by retelling the Biblical story of the Crucifixion of Jesus. He then quoted the famous 1741 Jonathan Edwards sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." "God holds you over the pit of Hell, much as one holds a spider over the fire," the sermon goes. But Ambrose went on to disagree with Edwards. The pastor's main message was that "God loves us and is not angry with us." CLEVELAND, Ohio - A man was found shot to death late Saturday inside a car on the city's West Side, police say. Officers received a call at 11:45 p.m. about shots fired near the intersection of Valley Road and West 20th Street, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. Police spotted a vehicle in the parking lot of the Brookview Commons apartment complex on West 20th Street and found a man in the driver's seat suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, Ciaccia said. He died at the scene. The man has not yet been publicly identified. His identity will be released by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office once his family is notified. Investigators learned that an unidentified shooter fired several rounds into the victim's car and then ran, Ciaccia said. No suspects have been identified, and no arrests have been made. This post will be updated if additional details about the fatal shooting are released Sunday afternoon. If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. Guest Columnist Melissa Martin, Ph.D, is an author, columnist, educator and therapist. She resides in Scioto County, Ohio. www.melissamartinchildrensauthor.com. Melissa Martin, Ph.D., author Common sense says that putting smoke, aerosol, vehicle exhaust, asbestos, coal dust, silica or any inhaled chemicals into your lungs (deliberately or not) is going against self-preservation and a healthy body. But humans demand study results before they'll say what common sense says. And what's common sense to one person may be nonsense to another. We have one heart, one liver, one stomach, one bladder -- two lungs. We have two lungs for a reason: Breathing is synonymous with life. The respiratory system includes the nose, throat, voice box, windpipe and lungs. According to the American Lung Association: "To keep you alive and breathing, your lungs are on the clock 24/7, 365 days a year. Breathing 12 to 15 times a minute, translating to 17,000 breaths a day, or more than 6 million breaths a year." Wow! Our lungs are mind-blowing. Does smoking marijuana cause lung cancer? Studies show conflicting results, so it depends on what data you peruse. Not all studies are created equal. While some have found evidence that links marijuana to lung cancer, other studies have found no connection. Why is it thorny to study the effects of Cannabis sativa, also called marijuana? People who smoke both marijuana and tobacco make study outcomes difficult. Which one caused what? It's also hard for researchers to set standards to measure the effects of illegal marijuana because people use different amounts and different qualities. Furthermore, it's tricky to gather information about behavior that's against the law. Pot proponents are partying and toasting the following study results: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine examined around 10,000 academic abstracts (a paragraph about the conclusion) from studies published since 1999. They revealed the subsequent findings in a 2017 report. "Regarding the link between marijuana and cancer, the committee found evidence that suggests smoking cannabis does not increase the risk for cancers often associated with tobacco use -- such as lung and head and neck cancers." But hold on for the rest of the story from this same study: "The evidence reviewed by the committee suggests that smoking cannabis on a regular basis is associated with more frequent chronic bronchitis episodes and worse respiratory symptoms, such as chronic cough and phlegm production, but quitting cannabis smoking is likely to reduce these conditions. The committee stated that it is unclear whether cannabis use is associated with certain respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma or worsened lung function." Recreational marijuana vs. medicinal marijuana is another topic. Nonetheless, if a direct link to marijuana smoking and lung cancer is found, like the well-founded link to tobacco smoke and lung cancer, will individuals with chronic health conditions stop using weed? The American Lung Association states, "We caution the public against smoking marijuana because of the risks it poses to lung health." However, they advocate for continued research on medicinal effects. The conclusion from the scientific community is that more research is needed to know the cancer risks from smoking marijuana, if any. But what does common sense say? Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using Notification Settings (in blue) just below. Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today's topics are also welcome. NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio -- Disorderly conduct, Columbia Road: Police were called to an apartment building about 3 a.m. March 25 regarding people fighting in a courtyard. Police arrived to hear yelling coming from inside the building. A dispatcher directed police to an apartment. The female resident said one of her sons had come home intoxicated and started a fight with his brother. One of the men admitted to drinking. Police arrested him for disorderly conduct while intoxicated. Shoplifting, Lorain Road: Police responded about 4 p.m. March 21 to Discount Drug Mart on a report of a shoplifter. A loss prevention officer said he witnessed a suspect with a backpack place a washcloth, a toothbrush, bottles of wine and other items in his bag and jacket pockets. The suspect bought two cans of beer, but left the store without paying for the concealed items. Police arrested the suspect, who said he was homeless, on a petty theft charge. Shoplifting, Great Northern Mall: A Macy's loss prevention officer called police about 4:30 p.m. March 22 about a male shoplifter. The store employee watching surveillance video saw the suspect conceal men's clothing in a bag he brought with him. The items were Adidas-brand clothing, including fleece hoodies, joggers, sweatpants and a track jacket. The value of the items exceeded $217. Police arrested the man for petty theft and possession of criminal tools. To comment on this post, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments page. 100% Website mavenofsavin.com uses latest and advanced technologies. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of . This CoolSocial report was updated on 2020-11-04, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. 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. But Star Wars has never met a plot that it couldn't overtell, so an official short story called "The Luckless Rodian" gives Greedo all the backstory you never wanted. In it, we learn that Greedo was obsessed with a woman named Uncelta, who was everything he "cherished" in a partner. But she was into Han Solo, and they hooked up before Han eventually broke her heart. So Greedo wanted to kill Han to avenge the feelings of a woman who never liked him, which is a pathetic love triangle more befitting a rambling Reddit post than a space opera. Oh, and Greedo got drunk before he confronted Han, just to add an extra layer of sadness to the scene. Lucasfilm "Look at the shape of my mouth. I give insane oral. What can you offer her?" Continue Reading Below Advertisement Now, we know what you're thinking: Was Uncelta a human woman, or a member of Greedo's species? We do not know, and the matter is probably best not dwelt on. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. 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of duty and bravery Last week saw one of the noblest acts of human courage in modern times. Yet it has been given far less attention than it should have been. We often hear it said of soldiers and others that they gave their lives in battle. This is true in a way, though many actual soldiers will smile at the expression and mutter that they probably did not have much choice in the matter. But the French police officer, Arnaud Beltrame, consciously and deliberately did give his life to save another. When the drug abuser, petty crook and jailbird Redouane Lakdim burst into the Super U supermarket at Trebes, in southern France, he wasted no time in showing that he was capable of murder. He shot dead two people, and was said to have laughed as he killed them. Then he took several hostages. He was persuaded to release all but one, a terrified woman. Arnaud Beltrame calmly offered to change places with her. I believe that he knew as he did so that this might well cost him his life, and that by stepping forward he faced the strong possibility of a horrible and lonely death. Nobody ordered or asked him to do it. It would have been perfectly normal and acceptable for the police to have surrounded the mad killer and waited for him to give in, or kill himself, with the strong possibility that he would also kill his hostage. Arnaud Beltrame went miles further than he was required to go by the normal rules of life, or even the normal rules of duty and bravery. The daily bargain, under which we behave decently to others and hope for the same in return, wasnt enough for him. Most of us couldnt have done what he did. Most of us will never be asked to. But I very much doubt whether our civilisation would have reached the heights that it has reached if nobody had ever been ready to make such a sacrifice. I believe very deeply that Christian societies are different from non-Christian ones, precisely because all of us know that such selfless courage is the ideal of what we all should be. And I think that Lieutenant Colonel Beltrame did what he did because of the specifically Christian saying Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. This Eastertide it is worth noting that these words are recorded as having been spoken by Christ, shortly before he (knowing what was coming) was dragged off to face a mocking show-trial, torture, beatings and a savage public death. For Arnaud Beltrame had come, quite recently, to embrace Christianity. French Republican guards carry the flag-draped coffin of hero officer Arnaud Beltrame in Paris In aggressively secular, hard-boiled France, this must have been difficult to do. Those of us who try to cling to the shreds of religion in the modern world feel increasingly besieged and hopelessly unfashionable. My late brother Christopher was a militant atheist (but a good deal more thoughtful than most). He used to delight crowds of his supporters by demanding: Name me an ethical statement made or an action performed by a believer that could not have been made or performed by a non-believer. In the end he tired of his own question and told me that he had found an answer. He thought that Lech Walesa, the lone and indomitable leader of Polish resistance to the might of communism, would never have dared take on such a huge and merciless enemy without his faith to sustain him. I suspect he would have felt the same about Arnaud Beltrame. And if this is true, and I think it is, is it time the rest of us wondered whether the Wests long mockery and dismissal of religion as childish and outmoded should now come to an end? We need to know the difference between how things are, and how they ought to be, or what do we live and die for? Muddled May is dragging us into a 'backwards Brexit' As someone who long wanted an independent Britain, I never cared all that much about the Single Market or the customs union. I see no signs that we will suddenly become a great exporting nation again if we launch out on our own what have we got to sell after the massacre of industry in the 1980s? Well just import more stuff from different places. But I think the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) is an outrage. I dont care if it takes longer to extradite terror suspects from other countries. British police officers should not be forced to arrest anyone here on the say-so of some foreign magistrate. Continental law is totally different from ours, and much less fair and more repressive. Nobody should be sent to face a foreign court without a full extradition hearing. This is particularly important now, as Spains government outrageously pursues (and locks up) Catalan nationalist leaders for daring to call for independence. In our tradition that is political persecution, and the police and courts should have nothing to do with it. Yet in Scotland now, a former Catalan minister, Clara Ponsati, is being sought by the Spanish authorities on charges of violent rebellion and misappropriation of public funds. Tt looks to me as if Theresa May is hoping to keep us in the EAW. In her recent speech in Munich, she praised this nasty arrangement Without the EAW, could this even come to court? With the EAW, it has to. Yet it looks to me as if Theresa May is hoping to keep us in the EAW. In her recent speech in Munich, she praised this nasty arrangement. She boasted that she had successfully made the case for the UK to opt back in to the EAW and other measures, after we had been given a unique chance to escape from them. She claimed this was clearly in our national interest. I dont agree. And if we end up still subject to the EAW, or something like it, and outside the Single Market, then we will have got our departure from the EU the wrong way round. It was the loss of our ancient liberties that was always the most important disadvantage of belonging to Brussels. If we cannot get them back, why leave? The BBC has (of course) given great prominence to yet another anti-grammar school report by academics. As usual it is based only on the tiny rump of surviving grammars almost all in well-off areas because spiteful, dogmatic Labour councils closed most of the grammars in poor districts. But the BBC and other Left-wing media never seem to notice the many reports from the Sutton Trust, which show that the better comprehensive schools are savagely biased against children from poor homes. The Trust found that 91 of the 100 most socially selective schools in England and Wales were officially comprehensive. In theory, they are open to all, but in fact they are most open to the well-off through catchment areas and other more complex factors that also favour the rich and pushy. The only solution the Sutton Trust can come up with is allocating places by lottery, a mad idea. They should look at how well grammars once worked, when we had enough of them. In 1954, the Gurney-Dixon Report found that roughly 65 per cent of pupils at grammar schools in England and Wales came from working-class homes. How many modern good comprehensives can claim anything like the same? The one undoubtedly good thing about the new and gruelling film Unsane is that one of its villains is the ever-growing power of psychiatry and the pill industry that has taken it over. Claire Foy plays an unhappy young woman who unwisely tells her woes to a counsellor and suddenly finds herself locked up in a mental institution, being dosed with pills which are clearly making her genuinely ill. On a much smaller scale, this is a terribly common story all over the Western world. I do wish people were more alert to it. If you want to comment on Peter Hitchens click here Can we get one thing straight about the hard-Left, whose takeover of the Labour Party is now almost complete? They are not hateful only because of their rank odour of anti-Semitism. The anti-Semitism is just one manifestation of their all-embracing hatefulness. Or, to put it another way: even if we hadnt become aware of the way so many of Jeremy Corbyns most ardent supporters use the word Jew as a form of abuse, there was already ample evidence that they are filled with an almost murderous hatred of their political opponents, and of any group in society they regard as an enemy. The Labour party has moved to distance itself from a series of pro-Corbyn social media groups after an investigation found they contained hundreds of anti-Semitic slurs This mural, pictured, has sparked another row about Jeremy Corbyn's Labour leadership after it was removed over anti-Semitism I am not attempting to diminish the revelations in this and other newspapers about the disgusting emanations of anti-Semitism with which the Labour leader has contentedly co-operated (whether Middle Eastern terrorist organisations or so-called street art redolent of the Nazi publication Der Sturmer). My mothers Jewish family prominent as the owners of the J. Lyons catering empire was on a list of those the Gestapo had identified for immediate arrest following Adolf Hitlers planned invasion of the UK, so I owe my existence to the successful fight against the most lethal of all manifestations of anti-Semitism the German government of 1933-1945. Quarrel But World War II was not fought to save the Jewish people that had nothing whatever to do with the heroic British decision to challenge the military might of Nazi Germany. Im under no illusion that the vast majority of British voters cared much about anti-Semitism then, or do now. The rally last week in Parliament Square organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews in protest against Corbyns indulgence of Jew-haters will have been regarded as an obscure internecine Labour quarrel of no great significance by most voters. A probe into 20 of the biggest pro-Corbyn Facebook groups uncovered routine attacks on Jewish people, including Holocaust denial and comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany. Pictured: Corbyn meeting with Rabbi Pinter But such voters should be aware that, even though they might not be Jewish themselves, they have reason to be afraid of the pathologically intolerant forces that support and nourish Corbynism; or what used to be called the hard-Left. If you are a woman, you should certainly be aware of it. Misogyny as much as anti-Semitism characterises their attacks on those within the Labour Party they perceive as enemies. Those such as Yvette Cooper or Liz Kendall (both of whom stood against Corbyn in his first campaign for the Labour leadership) received appalling abuse of a sexualised nature. Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger - who is a regular target for abuse - said she and her staff had gone to the police over the abuse they had suffered from left-wingers, including one email urging her to kill herself And when it seemed likely that she might later challenge that leadership, the lesbian Labour MP Angela Eagle experienced homophobic abuse (as well as a brick thrown through the window of her office.) A glimpse of the wide river of filth that is showered over Corbyns critics, real or imagined, was revealed by the Daily Mails Guy Adams last week as he uncovered (an unpleasant job, but someone had to do it) filthy anti-Semitic comments from Facebook groups favoured by the Labour leader. And yesterday the Sunday Times reproduced foul postings from Facebook sites such as We Support Jeremy Corbyn, Jeremy Corbyn Leads Us To Victory and Lets Help Make Jeremy Corbyn Prime Minister. A selection follows. On the BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg: Give her a body bag; Id love to slap that stupid Tory b****; Shut your neck and jump off a cliff (No wonder the BBC felt it necessary to hire bodyguards to protect Ms Kuenssberg when she attended the last Labour Party conference). On Theresa May: What she needs is a .45 bullet in the back of the head; Id just f****** shoot her; How much for a paid assassin? On Esther McVey, the Work and Pensions Secretary: This f****** cow needs lynching; Hit her with a brick to shut her up; Should be publicly whipped. And, of course, the Jewish critics of Jeremy Corbyn got the usual treatment. So, to Jonathan Arkush, the President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews: I am not anti-Semitic but tell the Jews go and get f***ed; F*** off and take your Zionist holier than thou fake attitude back to where you were spawned. Given that Corbyn claimed to stand for a kinder, gentler politics, this foam-flecked abuse masquerading as political argument would, you might think, cause their beloved leader deep embarrassment. But he shows no sign of being discomfited. Perhaps because he laps up the almost mindless adoration he receives (Oh, Jeremy Corbyn) it is hard for him to disown the flip side of that idolatrous support: feral attacks on the doubters. Violent Never forget, also, that Corbyns favourite newspaper and the one for which he wrote a column for many years is the Communist daily, the Morning Star. For decades it followed the Stalinist practice (and, indeed, of Lenin before that) of using grotesquely violent language against all opponents. They were to be crushed, annihilated, ground into dust. Lenin and Stalin did just that to their enemies within what is laughably called the Socialist family. This is the message which greets Facebook users when they try to click on Jeremy Corbyn's personal account And when on the Andrew Marr Show on the BBC in January, Corbyn praised Mao Zedongs so-called Great Leap Forward the forced collectivisation of Chinese agriculture which caused the death of an estimated 50 million by starvation or state-directed killing it should have become clear to the British people as a whole that the Labour leader can accept almost any outrage if it is conducted in the name of Socialism. He and his most viperous fan club feel able to do so because they have convinced themselves it is all being done in the name of the poor, who, in their deluded doctrine, are poor only because the rich are rich. What this means, in turn, is that the rich are inherently wicked. Which is where the Jews come in. The anti-Semitism of the hard-Left is not based on religious intolerance (the ancient and now nearly extinct Christian enmity towards Jews which Hitler cunningly exploited, while being an atheist himself). No, it is based on the idea that Jews are the black heart of the global capitalist conspiracy against the masses. Karl Marx himself (who was baptised after his Jewish father converted to Lutheranism) took this line. Tract In his 1844 essay On The Jewish Question, he wrote: What is the worldly religion of the Jew? Huckstering. What is his worldly God? Money. Money is the jealous God of Israel. The Bill of Exchange is the real God of the Jew. And in an article for the New York Daily Tribune in 1856, Marx pronounced: The real work is done by the Jews, and can only be done with them, as they monopolise the machinery of the loan-mongering mysteries . . . In fairness to the father of Communism, such language was commonplace then: it is impossible to imagine a prominent newspaper publishing a tract like that nowadays. Which makes it all the more depressing and bizarre that such views have been springing from the lips of Labour Party members. Yesterday, the comedian and novelist David Baddiel recalled being told by someone identifying himself as progressive that while it was vile to use the n word to describe African-Americans, it was perfectly OK to mock Jewish people as Yids. And when Baddiel asked this progressive friend why he drew that distinction, he responded: Because Jews are rich. I suspect something like that lies behind Corbynite Labours reluctance to discipline party representatives who post articles on Facebook asserting that the Holocaust is a hoax and the Nazis gas chambers never existed (a calumny which once would have been associated only with the far-Right). They seem to think that as Britains small Jewish population is white and, in the main, comfortably off, they do not deserve any protection. But the millions of people not part of that community should be worried, too. Because the intolerance of the Corbynite shock troops will extend to anyone who seeks to challenge their divisive and, frankly, conspiracy-obsessed doctrine. Their hate extends way beyond those who demonstrated against them last week in Parliament Square. The only good news is that, as has happened before, the hate-filled and fanatical far-Left will end up devouring itself. Mike Pence's hometown of Columbus, Indiana, will host its first ever LGBTQ Pride festival thanks to high school senior Erin Bailey. The 18-year-old who is a student at Columbus Signature Academy-New Tech High School is planning the April 14 event as part of a school project but also because she feels passionately about making all residents of the town feel included. 'I am organizing Columbus Pride Festival because I feel it is important for members of the LGBTQ community to know that Columbus is a welcoming and diverse community,' she told HuffPost. Proud: Erin Bailey, 18, from Columbus, Indiana, a student at Columbus Signature Academy-New Tech High School is organizing the town's first ever LGBTQ Pride festival Project: She is planning the April 14 event as part of a school project because she wants local members of the LGBTQ community to feel 'welcome' Outspoken: The teen has also revealed that she wants people to know Columbus is 'diverse' despite Mike Pence's 'openly anti-gay' stance (pictured at the March for Our Lives) 'Even though Mike Pence is openly anti-gay, that doesn't mean that all of us in his hometown are,' she added. 'We are so much more than just a small town that he grew up in. It is important for this event to be happening now so that others know that even in this time of hatred that is going on in the White House, we don't all agree with it,' Erin added. 'We want to show our support as an all-inclusive community.' Home to 50,000 people, the Columbus festival will feature information booths, food and drinks and the teen has the full support of Jill Tasker, the president of Pride Alliance Columbus (PAC). 'We are proud to support Erin with her project, and we will continue to be an active and visible presence in Columbus,' she stated, adding that PAC has been working for 20 years towards a more inclusive society for all. The vice president who was governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017 has been openly disparaging towards the LGBTQ community throughout his career. In 2006 he warned that same-sex marriage would lead to the 'deterioration of the family' and 'societal collapse.' Opposition: Pence was governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017 and has been openly disparaging towards the LGBTQ community throughout his political career Praise: Despite his previous stance, a White House spokesperson contacted Erin to say the VP commends her leadership skills He is also against banning discrimination against LGBTQ people in the workplace because he believes it will lead to a ban on employees having Bibles in the workplace and infringe on the rights of Christians. And in 2000 he wrote on his campaign website that congress should not assign 'federal dollars' to 'organizations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus.' However, despite his previous actions and statements, spokesperson Alyssa Farah has issued a statement on behalf of the vice president, praising Erin for her leadership. 'Vice President Pence commends Erin Bailey for her activism and engagement in the civic process,' she said. 'As a proud Hoosier and Columbus native, he's heartened to see young people from his hometown getting involved in the political process.' Lebanons al-Manar television network reported that the unmanned Israeli spy plane had went down between the villages of Beit Yahoun and Baraachit overnight between Friday and Saturday. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - An Israeli spy drone has reportedly crashed in southern Lebanon as the Tel Aviv regime defies calls to end its violations of the Lebanese airspace. Lebanons al-Manar television network reported that the unmanned Israeli spy plane had went down between the villages of Beit Yahoun and Baraachit overnight between Friday and Saturday. The Israeli army also confirmed the incident, with its spokesperson saying in a statement that the drone had crashed in an open field in southern Lebanon as result of a technical malfunction. The incident is currently being reviewed. There is no risk of leaked information, the statement read. Meanwhile, a security source said the Lebanese Army Engineering Corps had found four rockets inside the wreckage of the Israeli plane and would proceed to detonate them. The Israeli regime has been violating Lebanese airspace on an almost daily basis, carrying out what it calls routine reconnaissance missions. The latest incident comes amid rising Israeli threats of a new war against Lebanon. The regime launched two wars on Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, in both of which the Hezbollah resistance movement inflicted heavy losses on the regimes military. Beirut has filed several complaints with the UN against Israeli violations of Lebanons sovereignty by land, sea and air in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in Israels 2006 war and calls on Tel Aviv to respect Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity. Over the past years, the regime has carried out frequent airstrikes on Syria from the Lebanese airspace. In the latest such strikes, Syrias air defense systems in February downed at least one Israeli F-16 fighter jet, in what Hezbollah called the start of a new strategic phase which would limit Israeli violations of the Syrian airspace. /257 Thanks to its pioneering beauty creations, we often look to Korea for inspiration when it comes to make up and skincare. And from BB creams to ten-step cleansing regimes, sheet masks and more, there is plenty that has been adopted by the Western world. But what are the K-beauty skincare steps you should be making on the daily, and how can they benefit your skin? FEMAIL spoke to the Melbourne-based founder of Korean beauty brand, Nudie Glow, Ruby Wang. From the cleansers she swears by to the one product that's at the heart of every Korean beauty regime and how you can get the fashionable 'glass skin' look, here FEMAIL takes a look at Ruby's top tips. FEMAIL spoke to the Melbourne-based founder of Korean beauty brand, Nudie Glow, Ruby Wang (pictured) for the Korean beauty tips every woman needs to know From sheet masks two or three times a week to using two cleansers and an essence, there are many useful steps to incorporate into your regime (pictured: Ruby Wang) Speaking to FEMAIL, Ruby (pictured), 30, revealed that while they might be famous for their ten-step cleansing routine , in fact most Koreans often condense this down to five or six steps Speaking to FEMAIL, Ruby, 30, revealed that while they might be famous for their ten-step cleansing routine, in fact most Koreans often condense this down to five or six steps: The five beauty products Korean women swear by 1. Oil-based cleanser 2. Second cleanser 3. Sheet masks 4. Sunscreen 5. Essence Advertisement 'A good oil-based cleanser to remove make up is a must, a second cleanser for double cleansing, a stack of sheet masks and sunscreen are definitely must-have products in every Korean woman's bathroom,' she revealed. 'At the heart of every Korean skincare routine is also essence. If you ask any Korean woman the secret to their flawless skin, they'll probably tell you it's because of their essence.' The 30-year-old from Melbourne added that if you want to adopt one single K-beauty step into your skincare regime, it should be an essence: 'You'll see more results from an essence than any other products you use on a daily basis,' she said. 'This is because essences have a concentrated formula that specifically targets problems such as wrinkles, dull and uneven skin tones.' In this regard, Ruby recommends the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, which retails for $25. According to Ruby (left and right), the most important product you can use is an essnece - which is because they have a 'concentrated formula that specifically targets wrinkles' 'A good oil-based cleanser to remove make up is a must, a second cleanser for double cleansing, a stack of sheet masks and sunscreen are definitely must-have products in every Korean woman's bathroom,' Ruby said Ruby recommends the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, which retails for $25 (pictured) When it comes to her skincare secrets and the things that keep her complexion looking radiant, Ruby explained that it can be a good idea to invest in multi-tasking products like the J.One Jelly pack - which contains moisturiser, a hydrating mask, anti-ageing treatment and primer. She also said you'll see results if you make time for sheet masks: 'Apart from my daily regular routine, I always make time for 2-3 sheet masks per week to give my skin an extra shot of hydration,' she said. 'It's worth loading up on antioxidants such as Vitamin C in your skincare, too as antioxidants are great for fighting and neutralising free radicals in our body that can cause premature ageing.' Ruby (left and right) said you'll also see results if you make time for sheet masks, which she does two or three times per week Right now, there is one K-beauty look in particular that's proving popular - and that is the trend for 'glass skin' - or a clear, luminous, seemingly transparent complexion. Ruby said that in order to achieve this, you need to follow five simple steps: 'After double cleansing (a non negotiable in the K-beauty world), it's important to begin with a smooth canvas,' she said. Exfoliate your skin, either with a physical exfoliator or a chemical option, and slough away the dead skin cells clogging up your pores. Lastly, Ruby (pictured) shared her tips for how you can get the on-trend 'glassy skin' look which is popular right now, by following five simple steps Then, Ruby said, 'the next step is to prep and hydrate your skin with a toner': 'To achieve the "glassy look", reach for a hydrating toner... to balance your skin's pH and prevent any dryness or flakiness after cleansing,' she said. The third step is to incorporate the 'signature step of every Korean woman's beauty ritual', the essence. This should be followed by a lightweight sunscreen that 'can double as a moisturiser and sinks right in to impart that glow-from-within look that glass skin requires'. Finally, to get 'glass skin', Ruby recommends adding a primer to make sure your skin stays dewy and grips on to make up all day. You can, of course, add highlighter to get an especially glossy look. To follow Ruby Wang or Nudie Glow, you can visit the website here. You can also find her on Instagram here. I had a baby when I was 45 and, by the laws of nature, there should probably have been a national inquiry. I was very grateful when it all worked out. So do I think its right for women to be attempting to have babies when they should be having HRT patches instead? Not if they can help it. In fact, the news last week from the Office for National Statistics that the only increase in birth rates is among women over 40 fills me with dread. My daughter is the greatest gift I could have wished for, but the liberal belief that it is OK for women to delay having children until they are middle aged is misguided. 'Having a child in middle age is hard work. They take the kind of energy that I wasted in my 20s going out to parties, thinking I too could have it all.' As is the fantasy that pregnancy will continue to happen naturally when your eggs are past their sell-by date. Nothing about me getting pregnant was natural. I threw money at it and sheer determination. I flew to New York and saw an IVF specialist who could have got a Ford Cortina pregnant. I had every test known to science, including PGD Pre-Genetic Diagnosis which can reveal a whole raft of genetic problems before the embryo is placed back in. As my first child had been born seven years earlier with profound disabilities, I knew the increased risks of having a baby with a congenital abnormality when you are over 40 and I wasnt prepared to take that chance. Ive never hidden the fact that I needed so much help, yet I have lost count of the number of women who had their babies at the same age as me but who insist it just happened for them. They mirror an endless parade of celebrities who also claim to have not seen the inside of a fertility clinic despite the fact the chances of falling pregnant unaided over 42 are around two per cent . These vain pretences are damaging because they give younger women false hope, encouraging them to ignore sound medical advice from the Royal College of Obstetricians that says the best time to have a baby is before you are 35. Its not just the conception thats a struggle. Having a child in middle age is hard work. They take the kind of energy that I wasted in my 20s going out to parties, thinking I too could have it all. Those of my friends who had their children then are the people I envy the most. Theyll be grandparents soon, which is not likely to happen if you delay having children until you are almost the age of a grandmother yourself. So why have a whole generation of 40-somethings blithely ignored the loud bells of the ticking clock and are now rushing to have an 11th hour baby? And why are their younger sisters repeating the same mistakes? For the first in time in a decade, pregnancy rates among women in their late 20s and early 30s have fallen and show no sign of picking up. There is the excuse that they are working on their careers or trying to get themselves on to the property ladder. But actually what I think it really comes down to is that they are just too picky. No man has been quite good enough. I have known girlfriends who have had perfectly nice, reliable, hard-working boyfriends who have loved them but who they eventually dumped as they didnt want them to be the father of their children. One of them dumped her fiance because he didnt share her love of poetry, and she is now in such a panic that she is trying to have a sperm donor baby. There is also an arrogance that comes with the naive belief it is possible to buck nature researchers at Yale University revealed last year that over 90 per cent of women who had frozen their eggs did so because they were buying time until they found the right man. But who is the right man? And isnt it just possible he could just be the nice guy in accounts? Having a baby with someone is about commitment to child-rearing, and even the most gilded God will look ropey after a year with no sleep. No woman who wants to be a mother should settle for second best. But even though it is Easter, I would say stop believing in miracles. They dont happen that often. Naked courage of Victoria and the Full Monty gang Eight women bared their souls and their breasts in an all-female Full Monty-style charity performance last week in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness and prevent mothers, sisters, grandmothers and daughters dying needlessly because they havent checked themselves. Victoria Derbyshire was prepared to brave being filmed in front of a live audience and watched at home by over five million people From Ruth Madoc and Coleen Nolan to TV presenter Victoria Derbyshire who recently underwent a mastectomy, all of the plucky participants in ITVs The Real Full Monty: Ladies Night had been personally affected by cancer. Filmed in front of a live audience and watched at home by over five million people, the show included plenty of tears but absolutely no tantrums. We salute you, girls. According to Dr Mary Bousted, president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, school playgrounds are being plagued by upskirting and downblousing, where photographs are snatched by boys with smartphones. Teachers and children are being targeted and schoolgirls are being forced to wear shorts under their skirts to protect themselves. As someone who can (just about) remember her schooldays, it comes as no surprise that schoolboys are egging each other on to sneak a peek I suspect thats why my mother insisted that I wear two pairs of gym knickers. What is shocking is that theyre allowed to take these devices in to school and nobody seems to have taken their parents to task. After all, who else is paying the phone bills? Growing up in Malaysia, Sasha Sabapathy's family had always relied on herbal remedies and plant-based tonics whenever someone was unwell. However, little did the 28-year-old know that she too would come to use and love Ayurvedic herbs, for her own personal reasons. Here, speaking to FEMAIL, Sasha revealed how her chronic anxiety and adrenal failure in her early 20s led her to found Glow Bar - a wellness company centred around alleviating stress through natural remedies. She also explained how her various elixir blends can help stressed-out women from all walks of life. Sasha Sabapathy (pictured) was just 22 years old when she started struggling with anxiety and adrenal failure - she used to rely on anti-anxiety medications However, when the 28-year-old (pictured) discovered Ashwagandha and other adaptogenic herbs, she realised what they could do for her health and stress levels Sasha's business, Glow Bar (Super Happy, pictured), was borne from this - and aims to provide adaptogenic blends for women who struggle with stress and anxiety For Sasha, her stress levels peaked when she moved from Malaysia to New York at the age of 22 and found herself immediately thrust into a frenetic pace of life: What is cortisol? * Cortisol is a hormone, which is mainly released at times of stress and has many important functions in your body. Having the right cortisol balance is essential for human health and you can have problems if your adrenal gland releases too much or too little cortisol. * Cortisol is also needed for the fight or flight response which is a healthy, natural response to perceived threats. The amount of cortisol produced is highly regulated by your body to ensure the balance is correct. * Cortisol production by the adrenal glands is regulated by the pituitary glands. When you wake up, exercise or you're facing a stressful event, your pituitary gland reacts. It sends a signal to the adrenal glands to produce just the right quantity of cortisol. Source: Health Direct Advertisement 'I was working extremely hard during the day, and going out every night,' Sasha told FEMAIL. 'I was burning the candle at both ends, but I didn't realise that I was pushing my body to the limits and my body was becoming flooded with cortisol - a hormone produced when our body is experiencing stress. 'My anxiety manifested itself in quite a physical way - shakes, a heavy chest and tight throat. This was due to something called adrenal failure, which happens when your cortisol levels get too high.' Not understanding the correlation between stress and cortisol at the time, rather than looking into holistic approaches to manage her situation, instead Sasha relied on anti-anxiety medications and continued to work - and play - too hard. At the same time, her skin, energy levels and happiness all took a serious hit. Sasha's (pictured) anxiety came about when she was 'burning the candle at both ends' and living and working in New York - she flooded her body with cortisol and struggled as a result However, when a friend recommended she try Ashwagandha (pictured), Sasha said she noticed an improvement within weeks; her mind was clearer and she felt happier It wasn't until the 28-year-old was discussing her symptoms with a friend, Izzy, that Sasha was awakened to the potential of Ashwagandha - a herb to relax and calm the mind, encourage better sleep and uplift your mood. What is Ashwaganda? * Ashwagandha is a plant. The root and berry are used to make medicine. * It is classified as an 'adaptogen', meaning that it can help your body manage stress. * Aswhagandha also provides all sorts of other benefits for your body and brain, from lowering blood sugar levels to reducing cortisol, boosting brain function and helping to fight symptoms of anxiety and depression. Source: HealthLine Advertisement 'Thanks to my childhood in Malaysia, where we would always use herbal remedies, it didn't sound too strange to me to try an Ayurvedic herb for my anxiety,' Sasha explained. The rest is history. While Sasha admits now she expected instant results, she said that when she first tried the ancient herb, she didn't 'feel a thing': 'I was expecting it to be a magic cure, where all I had to do was take a pill and feel instantly better,' she said. 'But adaptogenic herbs like Ashwaganda do not work like that and I soon learned I had to be consistent and patient.' 'The smaller things were no longer worrying me, the physical effects were starting to subside and my mood was on the whole better,' Sasha said All of this led the 28-year-old to start mixing up her own elixir blends in her kitchen, and eventually led to Sasha founding Glow Bar (products pictured), which launched this year After about two weeks of taking the herb each and every day religiously, Sasha said she realised 'I was coping with my stress in a better way. 'The smaller things were no longer worrying me, the physical effects were starting to subside and my mood was on the whole better.' She decided to take matters into her own hands and read more about the miracle herb, taking it with other adaptogenic herbs including Cordyceps and Reishi. Before she knew it, Sasha also saw huge improvements in her energy levels and skin. Glow Bar now comprises three herb blends - Super Glowy, Super Happy and Super Sexy - as well as the three separate products, Ashwagandha (left), Cordyceps (right) and He Shou Wu Each blend features different ingredients and is good for different things - Super Happy's (pictured) mix of Ashwagandha and Mucuna Pruriens helps with balancing hormones out When she moved to London several years ago, Sasha realised she wasn't alone in dealing with stress on a daily basis - and that was where the idea for Glow Bar was born. Adaptogenic herbs and what they can help with * Ashwagandha - has a calming influence on body and mind during times of stress. * Cordyceps - great for inflammation and fights free radicals, immune harming germs and signs of ageing. * He Shou Wu - useful for lacklustre skin and thinning hair. Advertisement 'I quickly discovered that a whole bunch of my friends were dealing with similar issues around stress and there was something I could do about it,' she said. She started concocting her own elixir blends in her kitchen, and spent her days 'refining the blends and sourcing as many organic ingredients as possible - in the hope of creating a brand which would connect with like-minded women'. Glow Bar now comprises three separate herb blends - Super Glowy, Super Happy and Super Sexy - as well as the three separate products, Ashwagandha, Cordyceps and He Shou Wu. 'Super Glowy is amazing for your skin, because it's filled with incredible ingredients like pearl powder, schisandra berry and amla berry which help to boost cell turnover and collagen production,' Sasha explained. 'Meanwhile Super Happy is great for mood improvement - it's got Ashwagandha which is really calming, as well as Mucuna Pruriens which helps you to naturally produce more dopamine - a natural endorphin and Tulsi, which is great for balancing hormones. 'Super Sexy is amazing if stress leaves you with low energy and an affected libido. So many women just don't feel sexy or have any desire to be intimate when they're under a lot of stress and I find ingredients in things like Maca and Shatavari can help to get you more energised.' At present, Sasha's blends are available online - with plans to open an official store this year: 'We also have a few new products which we will launch soon,' she said. 'Taking herbs every day has helped me to find a new element of calm and happiness. I hope it does for other people.' To find out more about Glow Bar, you can visit the website here. You can also follow the brand on Instagram here. Popping down to the local store to pick up the basics is a godsend - but imagine if you could not only dash in for milk and bread, but also get a bikini wax? A corner shop in New Zealand not only sells customers the basics but a back room has been set up to cater for those in need of a quick beauty treatment. The Pohutukawa Superette in Tokoroa operates a small beauty salon from a spare room behind the main shop front. The mastermind behind the venture, Vaishali Patel, said its services are a hit with customers who like coming to the store because they can buy their milk and bread, and get an eyebrow tidy - all at the same time. Vaishali Patel (pictured) runs a small beauty salon from a room behind her corner store which she and her husband both run 'Customers like coming to the store because they can buy their milk and bread, and get an eyebrow tidy - all at the same time,' said Mrs Patel (stock image) She told Stuff.co.nz that she and her husband moved to the rural town 18 months ago and after they bought the business and she has been running her beauty salon from spare room behind the store since. Mrs Patel is a beautician by trade, and has seven years experience working in the industry under her belt. Services on offer include eyebrow threading, facials, full body waxes, henna and eyelash tinting. The corner shop (pictured left of the hairdresser) is located in Tokoroa, New Zealand 'It only takes two or three minutes to do. Customers like to come because it's a very quick service,' she said. The tiny rural town is situated 200 kilometres from New Zealand's largest city Auckland. Tokoroa might only have a population of 13,600 but despite this, Mrs Patel said business is booming especially after her services were recommended on a private community Facebook page. 'I've got customers from Hamilton, Taupo and Rotorua who come to visit family and have a treatment done while they're here,' she explained. Mrs Patel said business is booming especially after her services were recommended on a private community Facebook page (stock image) The professional plucker said people also come to her from the neighbouring hair salon although they were often a bit 'shocked' at it being in the back of the store. Dennice Edwards-Keith, a stylist from Trend Salon, which is next door to the corner shop said the businesses made a point of supporting each other. 'I think it's great because we haven't got that [beauty services] here, but we can recommend Vaishali and support the local neighbourhood business.' The Spanish queen rarely puts a fashion foot wrong, and she continued to showcase her immaculate style as she stepped out on Easter Sunday for her family's annual celebrations. Letizia, 44, who shares children Leonor, 12, and Sofia, 10, with King Felipe VI, 49, are currently on the island of Mallorca when the Spanish royals spend their annual Easter break. The family were joined outside Mallorca's imposing cathedral by former King Juan Carlos and his wife Sofia ahead of the traditional Easter Sunday Mass of Resurrection in Palma de Mallorca. Scroll down for video King Felipe VI of Spain (second from left), his wife Queen Letizia (far left), their daughters Princess Sofia (front left) and Leonor (front right), former King Juan Carlos I (second from right) and his wife former Queen Sofia (far right) posed for pictures on Easter Sunday before attending church in Palma de Mallorca Former journalist Letizia put on a stylish display, slipping her slender physique into a monochrome polka dot blouse and teaming it with a pair of high waist trousers. The elegant bottoms were embellished with gold buttons and made the most of her pins which were elongated by a pair of black killer heels. Completing the ensemble, the mother-of-two injected a splash of colour with a pink chain bag, wearing her brunette hair in a sleek centre parting. Former journalist Letizia put on a stylish display, slipping her slender waist into a monochrome polka dot blouse and teaming it with a pair of high waist trousers They posed before attending the traditional Easter Sunday Mass of Resurrection in Palma de Mallorca Finishing the look with a pair of pearl drop earrings, she posed alongside husband Felipe, who looked dapper in a well-fitted pinstripe suit and blue paisley tie. Meanwhile Princess Sofia looked adorable in a turquoise pinafore dress teamed with a crisp white shirt, while Leonor wore a flower-embellished shirt dress. They were joined by former King Juan Carlos, who put on a smart display in a navy suit. The elegant bottoms were embellished with gold buttons and made the most of her pins which were elongated by a pair of black killer heels Princess Sofia looked adorable in a turquoise pinafore dress teamed with a crisp white shirt, while Leonor wore a flower-embellished shirt dress Meanwhile former Queen Sofia looked stylish in a coordinating cream blouse and skirt. The royal family recently gave a rare glimpse into their family life with the release a set of photos taken inside their home in correlating with the recent celebrations for the king's 50th birthday. The images displayed the normal side to the monarch's life with him holding his daughter's hand while clutching her schoolbag in one photograph, as he takes her to school. Finishing the look with a pair of pearl drop earrings, she posed alongside husband Felipe, who looked dapper in a well-fitted pinstripe suit and blue paisley tie The elegant bottoms were embellished with gold buttons and made the most of her pins which were elongated by a pair of black killer heels In another, his former television presenter wife Queen Letizia sits on an albeit grand settee alongside daughters Princesses Leonor, 12, and Sofia, 10. The trio turn their heads with beaming smiles towards the camera as a wheeled-in television set in the background shows the King mid-speech. The casual photographs highlight the King's humorous side with him sharing a joke with youngest daughter Sofia in between filming his annual Christmas message at their residence at the Royal Palace of Madrid. Completing the ensemble, the mother-of-two injected a splash of colour with a pink chain bag, wearing her brunette hair in a sleek centre parting The two families posed for pictures before joining the pope for the Easter Sunday church service Misty Copeland has doubled down on her response to those who criticized her performance in Swan Lake after she failed to perform the ballet's famously tricky 32 fouette turnssuggesting that in ballet, too, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The ballerina, 35, performed in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet earlier this month in Singapore. She danced the part of Odile, which includes a famous sequence that sees Odile completes 32 fouette turns. Those 32 fouette turns, during which with one of the dancer's legs never touches the ground and propels her as she spins around on pointe, are considered to be one of the hardest, most challenging sequences in ballet. Scroll down for video Message: Misty Copeland has doubled down on her response to those who criticized her performance in Swan Lake after she failed to perform the ballet's famously tricky 32 fouette turns. She is pictured as Odette in an archive shot Part: The ballerina (pictured in an archive image), 35, performed in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet earlier this month in Singapore. Instead of completing the 32 turns, Misty did 12, before filling up the rest of the allotted time with an alternative choreography. Some proceeded to slam her performance, branding it 'terrible', with one person declaring it reflects reflects 'very poorly' on the American Ballet Theatre, for which Misty is a principal dancer. Misty responded to her critics on social media, sharing a link to a video of her performance on Instagram and explaining she was 'a work in progress' and 'by no means the best in ballet'. She has now addressed the issue once more, telling Cosmopolitan some viewers are bound to focus on technical prowess, rather than on the artistry of a performance. 'I just try not to get caught up in reviews and reading things on the internet because they don't know you and people don't know your journey and I think that especially in America, especially in New York, when people come to see ballet, I think everyone kind of feels like they're a critic,' she told the magazine. Technique: Misty danced the part of Odile (she is pictured in a file photo as the character), which includes 32 famously tricky fouette turns Moves: When time came for Misty to complete the 32 turns, she did 12, before performing an alternative choreography to fill up the allotted time. Misty is pictured in a YouTube video of the moment Misty insisted that imperfection, in her view, plays an important part in shaping the beauty of balleteven if some viewers might not see it that way. 'They're not just walking in to enjoy the beauty that we're trying to bring to them but caught up in whether or not you're going to be perfect, and I think that's what's so beautiful about what we do, is that we're not [perfect]!' she added. 'You're coming to see live theater, it's not edited! Anything can happen in those moments.' As a professional, Misty said she finds it 'exciting' to learn how to bounce back from 'things that may go wrong in the moment'. After someone posted a video of her performance on YouTube, Misty chose to discuss the moment openly on social media, because she thought it was important to her to set a positive example when it comes to handling criticism. You're coming to see live theater, it's not edited! Anything can happen in those moments 'I felt like it was really important for me to be an example of how to respond to the negativity that I know every young person experiences, especially with social media these days,' she added. 'As an artist, you have to be sensitive and you have to be vulnerable, but at the same time, you can't let those things affect your performance, so I wanted to show that you can learn from these things, whether they're negative or positive and I wanted to show there's a positive way if you want to address these people, your critics, whoever is saying things about you who doesn't even know you.' Some of the most famous ballerinas in history, including Anna Pavlova, chose to perform alternative moves in order to avoid the dreaded choreography, much like Misty did when performing in Singapore. The 32 fouette turns 'aren't the hardest assignment in ballet, but they're the most exposed example of virtuoso technique,' New York Times chief dance critic Alastair Macaulay wrote previously. 'If something goes wrong, the audience will see.' While the moves Misty performed in lieu of the expected 32 fouettes remained graceful and might have be undetectable by untrained eyes, some viewers blasted her performance after viewing a YouTube clip of the moment. 'Her inability to execute the choreography reflects very poorly on the company,' one person wrote in reference to the American Ballet Theatre, for which Misty is a principal dancer. Another person branded the incident 'terrible and embarrassing', while one viewer called it 'a disgrace'. Comments: Some viewers blasted her performance, and Misty later shared a screenshot of an inflammatory tweet on her Instagram account Statement: Misty shared a post on Instagram explaining that she doesn't think she is 'the best in ballet' and remains 'a work in progress'. She also added the link to the YouTube video of the moment to her profile However, several people said they couldn't pinpoint the mishap, and thought the performance was admirable regardless of whether Misty performed the 32 fouettes or not. 'To the naked, untrained eye this looks magnificent, I'm not even sure what the issue is. Maybe people should stop being so hyper critical,' one viewer wrote. 'Keep dancing beautifully!' Another person added: 'Just because she's one of the best in the business does not mean that she has to be perfect. Everybody makes mistakes, and I think to see someone as influential as Misty Copeland slip up is actually beautiful. Imperfection is beautiful.' As for Misty herself, she took to Instagram to acknowledge what happened, and posted a screenshot of an incendiary tweet along with her response. The tweet she screen-grabbed states: 'THIS is why @mistyonpointe is the WORST and why it's an embarrassment to @ABTBallet to even have her on the roster, much less as a principal dancer. No wonder the rest of the world thinks American ballet is a joke.' I will always reiterate that I am by no means the best in ballet Misty posted the same screenshot of the tweet twice, each time attaching a different statement and pointing out she had posted the link to the YouTube video of the moment in her Instagram profile. The link still appears at the top of her page, and Misty made it clear she is not embarrassed to spread the word about her 12 fouettes. 'I'm happy to share this because I will forever be a work in progress and will never stop learning. I learn from seeing myself on film and rarely get to. So thank you,' she wrote. 'I will always reiterate that I am by no means the best in ballet. I understand my position and what I represent. I know that I'm in a very unique position and have been given a rare platform. All I've ever wanted is to bring ballet to more people and to help to diversify it. 'I've worked extremely hard to be where I am and I believe that what I bring to the table is authentic artistry with a unique point of view through my life experiences, and my unusual path and upbringing. Also as a black woman and black ballerina. I would love to see all of the incredible deserving black dancers get the opportunities that I have.' Opening up: 'I've worked extremely hard to be where I am and I believe that what I bring to the table is authentic artistry with a unique point of view,' Misty wrote Artistry: In her second Instagram post, Misty emphasized the artistic component of ballet, as opposed to pure technique Chiming in: Misty also shared a similar comment below the YouTube video of her performance. It has since received more than 300 upvotes Misty said she will always remained 'humbled and extremely grateful' for getting to dance for a living and dance 'incredible roles', such as that of the Swan Queen. 'There are so many ballerinas that never get to experience dancing the most iconic and demanding role in a ballerinas repertoire,' she added. 'I have so so so much respect for what I do and for the ballerinas I stand on the shoulders of. I'm in awe every day that I am a part of such an incredible art form that has changed and enriched my life in so many ways and that I get to do it all with ABT. 'I don't decide who's promoted or what roles I dance. I never envisioned myself as the Swan Queen after being in the company for almost 15 years before i was given the opportunity. I have such deep and conflicting feelings connected to Swan Lake. As a black woman and as a ballerina given the chance to take on this role. I often question if I deserve to perform this role. My conclusion, I do. Some of the most memorable Swan Queens in history have brought so much more to this role without having to present the incredible and evolved technique of today by doing insane tricks that bring some to see Swan Lake. For the anticipated 32 fouettes. But it is so much more than that.' A ballerina's career is not, nor should be defined by how many fouettes she executes In her second Instagram post, Misty emphasized the artistic component of ballet, as opposed to pure technique. 'People come to see ballet for the escape. For the experience of being moved through our movement and artistry, not to score us on the technicality of what we do. This is why ballet is not a sport,' she wrote. 'A ballerina's career is not, nor should be defined by how many fouettes she executes. 'They are a part of the choreography to tell a story of pulling off the entrancement she holds over prince Siegfried. The point is to finish the 3rd act with a whirlwind movement that sucks him in just one last time before it's revealed that Odile is not Odette. 'This is the incredible beauty of ballet. To move people. 'I'm happy to have this dialogue because it's something I believe in wholeheartedly. The history of ballet and it's origin of pure freedom and expression is what we need to hold onto. Not to come into the theater as a critic armed with judgement. 'I do appreciate the changes in the ballet technique, focused on evolving our technical abilities, but the point is to move people and for them to understand the stories we tell through dance. And that is an incredible responsibility and opportunity I will never take for granted.' Misty also shared a similar comment below the YouTube video of her performance. It received more than 300 upvotes. This is not the first time Misty has modified the choreography to perform this very passage of Swan Lake. In April 2015, a report by Bachtrack stated that she 'completed about half of the whipping turns then transitioned seamlessly to a series of very fast single pirouettes', a choice deemed 'intelligent' because it is 'perfectly in keeping with the character'. Before I met Rosalind Hibbins, I had heard about her. I was buying an attic flat in North-West London and I had just exchanged contracts with its former owner, Holly, when she mentioned the woman who lived downstairs. She spoke of Rosalind with such strained diplomacy. Shes a character! she said with a nervous laugh. Every streets got one. I was moving from a large Thirties block where my neighbours had been too many and too fluid to get to know beyond the briefest of hellos in the lift. It suited me that way. I had grown up on a housing estate in Primrose Hill, after my parents returned to London from Pakistan, and as the only non-white family in our council block, we tried to live as quietly as we could amid the curiosity and occasional hostility. As the post-war generation died off, our neighbours became far more unknown and indifferent to us, and we to them. Rosalind introduced herself the day I arrived. She was a strapping woman with tidy red hair cut short, and a way of speaking that quickly travelled the scale from genial to spiky. The furniture was still being hauled up when she emerged with a box of organic tea. Im so pleased to finally meet you, she said. I looked up your name. I didnt know if youd come veiled. Arifa Akbar (pictured) first heard about neighbour Rosalind Hibbins on buying a flat in north-west London. The former owner described Rosalind as a 'character' Oh god, I thought, but she was full of neighbourly spirit after that. She asked me what else I needed, and when I spoke of a housewarming party, she saw my bare room and said shed lend me her corner tables. She was in her early 60s, with no husband or children. She had been a librarian at the British Library but found, after retirement, that her true passion was stone-carving. I also discovered she had a knack for friendship, but for fall-outs too. She received floods of birthday cards and had friends forever doing her favours. Yet the other two flat-owners in the house spoke of her in the same nervous way as Holly when they took me out to the pub. A few drinks in, they spoke in plainer language: she had fallen out with them dramatically over the years. Rosalind called on me for small tasks watering her plants while she was away, buying milk, vacuuming the hallway. Then, one day, she caught me on the stairs when I was in a troubled mood about work, and over tea she listened in such a way that I felt the possibility of a solution, even though she hadnt given any outright advice. Rosalind (pictured) was in her early 60s, with no husband or children. Arifa found herself doing small tasks for her neighbour, and developing a friendship of sorts Wed bump into each other along the stairs and talk about life over tea her joy at finally renting a studio and becoming a bona fide artist at my age!, her dislike of the new pope and, ultimately, of all organised religion. She held equally outspoken views on Islam, which she had volubly expressed to me in the past, knowing I was a Muslim. Now I figured it was nothing personal. She caught me exhausted one time and craving escape from the city. You should go and see the bluebells, she said, giving me a map to a copse on the outskirts of London. As a British Asian urbanite, I hadnt even known bluebell season existed. I trekked there and the bobbing sea of flowers were so joyful that they breathed new life into me. It became a friendship of sorts, with its confidences, rows and appeasements. Or perhaps a kinship in which she saw something of herself in me, and I, for my part, recognised my inability to compromise in her, and imagined it leading me to the same future a woman without family, alone in older age. Yet her life offered reassurance, too, because it showed me how I could live fruitfully this way. I never felt sorry for her because she emanated great strength of will. Arifa was left surprised when Rosalind put her in her will, leaving her a percentage of her 1million flat So, when she sent us a house email three years ago to announce that she had ovarian cancer, she made it clear shed be fighting it all the way. She got herself on a drugs trial, and a year later she was just as alive, even though she wore scarves now where her hair had been. A stark email arrived last spring: the drugs had stopped working and they had given her a few weeks, maybe more. A few weeks earlier, my sister had died suddenly and it had left me poleaxed. Now, here was death again on my doorstep. It took all my strength to go two floors down, and then I was uncontrollably tearful at how vulnerable Rosalind looked. Her hair had grown back in tufts of white and shed lost so much weight that she looked frail. She moved slowly and gasped for breath. We sat in awkward silence until she looked around the room in shock and said: What will happen to all my things? I saw her at the house once more after that, with a cluster of women around her who must have helped her down the stairs. She was leaning on her walking frame and she told me in a whispering voice that she was going to visit her studio. What struck me was how free and happy she looked in that moment. I knew it was because she loved the studio and the things she had made with her own hands inside it. Arifa said the gift had been a sign of love, with Rosalind knowing she had recently lost her sister and that a job of 15 years was coming to an end We heard that shed been taken to a hospice. I wanted to say goodbye, but felt too shy to visit. Facing death, I had observed through my sister, was such an intimate thing and I didnt want to intrude on hers. So I texted her, saying I would remember our conversations, particularly the first one when Id been thinking of finding an alternative career to writing. Rosalind had talked about learning to navigate two things, and conjured an image of the woman who rides two horses at the circus. She has learned to slip from one horse to another and be in control of the manoeuvre so that it is not frightening for her, she had said suggesting I might try being her, metaphorically. The image had stayed with me, and I spoke of the woman, perhaps because I saw Rosalind was poised for the ultimate transition from life to death, and I wanted to remind her of the sliding manoeuvre. I got a voicemail inviting me to visit her. She had a big, bright room at the hospice, one wall covered with cards. She asked after my sister, the details of how she died, and how I felt. Dont hold on to her too tightly shell come back to you in other people you meet, she said, which wasnt exactly a comfort, but like the circus lady on two horses, it stayed with me as a possibility. Did she die alone? Rosalind asked quietly, and when I said yes, she grew grave. She was not afraid of death, but she was afraid of dying alone. The hospice didnt have enough staff to allocate her a nurse overnight. What would happen if she found herself heading towards the end in the dark with no one beside her? Her gift calmed me, and it also reminded me of how small acts of kindness leave such great, life-affirming marks on the world I knew the answer to that. My fathers care home in Kentish Town had plenty of nurses, who I knew would do extra night shifts if Rosalind wanted it. I asked my fathers favourite nurse, Bobby, to stay with her over several nights. Rosalind was comforted by his presence and they had interesting conversations, he told me afterwards, but he had booked a trip to his family in the Philippines. I couldnt find another replacement that Rosalind liked, and finally she left me a message to say that friends were staying with her overnight in rotation so I shouldnt worry. Her sister emailed the house in early September to tell us Rosalind had died and invited us to the funeral. I knew I couldnt go. One funeral that summer had been enough. In the months afterwards, a certain hardness set in within me, or perhaps it was grief disguised as disappointment. She hadnt properly thanked me for the jobs I had done for her, I said petulantly to my mother, who didnt indulge me for a minute and reminded me to give and then to forget about it. That was too Buddhist for me, I told her. I was always giving, but the world never noticed. A year passed and I got a letter Rosalinds solicitors. Inside was her death certificate, her will and a list of legal charges. They must have accidentally sent me them. I re-read the covering letter. Rosalinds estate was being settled and her flat had sold for not much short of 1 million. And I was entitled to a percentage, because Rosalind had put me in her will. I read the letter again in disbelief. Other feelings came afterwards guilt for having judged her harshly, and gratitude, too. The sum I got in the end wasnt life changing, but I had left a job without another one to go to, and I was now filled with an irrational fear about money and running out of it. Her gift calmed me, and it also reminded me of how small acts of kindness leave such great, life-affirming marks on the world. Rosalind, I thought: a neighbour who lived two floors beneath me. A cancer sufferer whose medicine I collected from Boots. An adversary with whom I occasionally butted heads. A friend, who gave me solace and whose grave I still hadnt sat beside. And she had, a month before dying, considered my future and perhaps worried about it, knowing that Id lost my sister and that a job of 15 years had also come to an end. And then she had put me in her will and a year later, on a day when I felt especially grumpy, she had reminded me of the cups of teas and the bluebells. This wasnt the thank you that I had so craved. It was a show of love. Extracted from Tales Of Two Londons: Stories From A Fractured City (OR Books) Hot cross buns are the quintessential Easter treat and are traditionally served warm with butter. But a chef has revealed there are other, much more creative, ways to use up any leftover buns you have at home. From using the spiced raisin-filled treat as a crumb for gammon to using slices as a burger bun, Neil Nugent, who worked in Michelin-star kitchens before becoming head chef at Iceland, has revealed the most unusual ways to eat up hot cross buns. They may sound odd, but Neil claims that his recipes are a delicious twist on a seasonal classic. 1. HOT CRUST GAMMON Neil Nugent, head chef at Iceland, has shared his unusual hot cross bun recipes including using the buns as a crust for gammon (pictured) Serves four Ingredients: 1 1.6k whole gammon joint 230g luxury Seville orange marmalade 2 tbsp honey tsp of cinnamon and 1 tbsp corn flour 2 luxury hot cross buns (whizzed in a food processor to breadcrumbs) Method: 1. Place the gammon into a large roasting tin and pour in 500ml of water. 2. Cover the tray with a large sheet of tin foil and seal around the edges of the tray. Place into a preheated oven at 160c for 2 hours. 3. Mix the marmalade with the honey, cinnamon and corn flour in a bowl until well combined. 4. After 2 hours, remove the gammon from the oven. Carefully, remove the tin foil and drain off any excess water. 5. Remove any excess skin on the gammon but leave a thin layer of fat and score. Spoon and spread the marmalade glaze over the top. 6. Turn the oven up to 180c and cook for 15 minutes, basting in between. 7. Coat the gammon with the hot cross bun breadcrumbs and cook for a further 5-10 mins. 8. Remove the gammon from the oven and serve, hot or cold. 2. BLT Burger Neil also recommends swapping a normal bun for slices of hot cross bun when making homemade burgers Serves four Ingredients: 4 luxury hot cross buns (halved and toasted) 2 steak burgers (cooked to pack instructions) Torn iceberg lettuce leaves 2 tomatoes (sliced) 4 tsp Mustard 4 tbsp Mayonnaise 1. Place the torn lettuce on the base of each toasted bun, add the sliced tomato on top. 2. Place a cooked burger on top of the tomato and spoon 1tsp of mustard and 1tbsp of mayonnaise on top of each burger. 3. Top with the hot cross bun lid, serve and enjoy! 3. Hot Cross Breakfast Bun Bored of your usual breakfast? Neil suggests topping toasted hot cross buns with marmalade and bacon Serves four Ingredients: 4 luxury hot cross buns (halved and toasted) 4 tbsp Seville orange marmalade 240g smoked streaky bacon (grilled until crispy) Method: 1. Spread the marmalade on the base of all the buns, top with lots of crispy bacon. 2. Add the bun lid and serve. 4. 'Elvis' Hot Cross Bun A fan of peanut butter and jam? Try sandwich the classic American combination in between two slices of hot cross bun Serves four Ingredients: 4 luxury hot cross buns (halved) 4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter 4 tbsp strawberry conserve 2 bananas (halved, then cut lengthways) 3 large eggs (whisked) 2 tbsp vegetable oil Method: 1. Spread all the bases of the hot cross buns with peanut butter, top with strawberry conserve and 2 slices of banana. 2. Place the bun lid on top of the banana and put the filled buns into the whisked eggs. Leave for a few minutes then, turn upside down and leave for a further few minutes. 3. Remove the buns from the egg mixture. 4. Heat the oil in a frying pan on a high heat. Fry each bun on both sides until browned and crispy. 5. Hot Cross Buns with Manchego and Prosciutto Another winning combination of flavours for hot cross buns include Manchego cheese with prosciutto Serves four Ingredients: 4 luxury hot cross buns (halved and toasted) 150g luxury Spanish Manchego cheese 150g prosciutto Method: 1. Take the bases of the hot cross buns and top with slices of Manchego and prosciutto. 2. Top with a couple more slices of Manchego, place under a hot grill until the cheese bubbles and browns. 3. Place the hot cross buns on top of the melted cheese and serve. Head to iceland.co.uk for more products and recipes. Few of us escape experiences big and small, short- and long-term that leave us feeling life has kicked us in the teeth. How we deal with them can affect the course of our lives. The supermodel Lauren Hutton once told me the only way she had been able to shift her negative attitude at a very dark time in her life was to face the demons that threatened to overwhelm her. It enabled her to move forward and take risks, from exploring new career paths to riding powerful motorbikes. Confronting lifes challenges and carrying on when the going gets tough demands courage, grit and resilience, qualities combined in the Finnish concept of sisu (say it sis-uh). Although it originated at least 500 years ago sisu is still relevant, according to Joanna Nylund, author of Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage, a pocket-sized book that everyone could benefit from reading in this age of uncertainty. We all have inner reserves of strength, but we may not be aware of them, partly because of the constant din of everyday living Although sisu is about a mental attitude, it literally means the guts inside our bodies, stemming from the ancient belief that that is where your strength resides the fire in ones belly, Joanna explains. (This is especially fascinating given new research on the vital two-way communication between our guts and our brains, which I wrote about last week.) Sisu came to the fore in autumn 1939 when Finland was invaded by the Soviet Union. The outlook was grim, but it became known as Finlands finest hour. Although vastly outnumbered in soldiers, tanks and aircraft, the tiny nation repelled the invaders, a triumph that was largely put down to sisu. But it wasnt just guts, guile and determination that prevailed; sisu also needs teamwork. The healing power of nature Spend time outdoors every day, alone or with friends. Walk, cycle or take a picnic. Pick a peaceful place and practise mindfulness. Use all your senses: notice clouds and trees, birds, butterflies and bees and drops of water on a flower or leaf. Inhale the smells, listen to sounds. Children love foraging for simple treasures such as different-coloured leaves, stones with holes in them or, since its Easter Sunday, chocolate eggs. Advertisement Sisu comes into its own when we are under pressure, writes Joanna. In difficult times, we need to be able to lean on each other. Confiding in someone when you feel vulnerable will not only make you feel better, it will strengthen your bond to that person. Using that principle in any community family, friends, neighbourhoods or workplaces creates a positive circle where everyone can tap into support when they need it. This gem of a book gives lots of practical suggestions for discovering and nurturing the qualities that will help you to bounce back and fight when life knocks you down or when your stomach is churning because youre anxious about a challenge such as a job interview. We all have inner reserves of strength, but we may not be aware of them, partly because of the constant din of everyday living, says Joanna. Clear and calm your mind through meditation, prayer, deep-breathing or spending time in nature, which serves as a natural antidepressant [see box, above]. Joannas book Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage is published by Gaia Books, price 10. To order a copy for 8 until 15 April, visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640; p&p is free on orders over 15 Always consult your doctor if you have a medical problem Teams of ploggers worldwide are battling the plague of plastic in the ocean by collecting rubbish from beaches, while inlanders plog around streets and parks Scandinavia seems to be leading the way in wellbeing at the moment. Now the Swedes are popularising the genius notion of plogging, where people go jogging and pick up litter at the same time. It tones your legs, increases your core strength from squatting to pick up rubbish and offers a feel-good boost for your soul. Teams of ploggers worldwide are battling the plague of plastic in the ocean by collecting rubbish from beaches, while inlanders plog around streets and parks. All you need to get fit and save the planet is running gear, a litter bag and a pair of gloves in case the rubbish is less than savoury. Trad gets a twist and battered is beautiful in party-girl-turned-designer Pearl Lowes Somerset pile I love faded glamour, says Pearl, sitting on her favourite sofa with its scuffed gilt paintwork and gold-threaded fabric thats been patched in places. Pearl with Angie, her cavalier king charles spaniel, by the gallery wall in the kitchen, which includes Im Not Sorry artwork by Zoe Grace (lawrencealkingallery.com) To me, an object that was once the height of elegance but is now a bit battered has far more allure than something brand new. Thats why Ive always been drawn to vintage clothes why would you want to look the same as everyone else? Pearl, a fashion and interior designer, has the knack for spotting pieces with character, whether thats an original 1940s dress or a quirky, slightly skewwhiff chandelier. Just as importantly, she also knows how to put her finds together and this rambling home is the perfect setting for her style. Pearl and Dannys Somerset home Pearl, her musician husband Danny Goffey (of the 90s band Supergrass) and their children Alfie, 21, Frankie, 18, and Betty, 11 moved to this 11-bedroom Georgian pile in Somerset just over a year ago but her love affair with the property goes back far longer. Six years ago, a friend tipped me off about an amazing house that wasnt even on the market yet. She said it was just so me. My reaction was, Gorgeous, but ridiculously big and so we dismissed it as a crazy idea. The kitchen is where we all congregate, says Pearl, pictured here with her daughter Betty. Danny is an amazing chef who loves nothing better than cooking for everyone, so hell be working away while Im just hanging out, chatting. The kitchen is by DeVol (devolkitchens.co.uk). The photograph on the wall is by Sam Taylor-Johnson (samtaylorjohnson.com) Pearl and Danny had long since left their London partying days behind and moved to the country, but this house with its tall windows, worn-in floorboards and elegant plasterwork seemed to be waiting for them. When Pearl bumped into the owner again she was about to reduce the price and the couple couldnt resist. In Pearls bedroom, wallpaper by Nicholas Herbert (nicholasherbert.com) provides a calm backdrop for statement touches such as the bed from The French Depot (thefrenchdepot.com) and vintage painting. I found the chandelier as a tangle in an antiques shop, says Pearl, and Ive added to it over the years its nutty but I love it Pearls take on country house style is woven through its spaces, with traditional wallpapers used as a backdrop to more eclectic contrasts. Lotus wallpaper by Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com) and a leopard-print chair an auction find Pearl had reupholstered add a Biba-esque air to the bathroom Daisy uses when she stays. Below In Daisys bedroom, wallpaper by Little Greene (littlegreene.com) is a foil for dramatic Victoriana touches, such as the brass bed. For a similar one, try lookingforantiques.co.uk In the bedroom for Pearls eldest daughter, model Daisy Lowe, Victorian Gothic furniture creates a louche, decadent mood. In Daisys bedroom, wallpaper by Little Greene (littlegreene.com) is a foil for dramatic Victoriana touches, such as the brass bed. For a similar one, try lookingforantiques.co.uk Meanwhile, stripes and powder pinks in Bettys room feel as if a circus troupe has just blown into town. Betty chose her bedroom scheme herself, with monochrome stripes and checks softened by soft pink curtains. There was no way I was getting a say, so I just went with it, laughs Pearl. The wallpaper is Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com) and Pearl made the curtains in velvet from Pongees (pongees.co.uk). The bed is vintage; for a single four-poster bed try Maisons du Monde (maisonsdumonde.com) The living room sets chipped-gilt glamour against Babington House-style comfort and the kitchen mixes vintage finds with luxe marble and old-school cabinets. Ive always been drawn to a thrown-together look rather than anything too perfect, says Pearl. I love furniture that says, Once upon a time I was so glamorous, but now Im older The same could be said of me! Pearl jokes. In the living room, her finds include a mirror from Les Couilles du Chien (lescouillesduchien.com), a vintage chest of drawers and a table lamp by Anna Hayman Designs (annahayman designs.com) Living in the West Country means Pearl is well placed for seeking out the treasures she regularly trawls out-of-the-way shops, flea markets and fairs. Ill tell you a secret, she says. Lots of the granny chic furniture that ends up in Londons vintage shops is bought down here by dealers. Thats if Pearl doesnt beat them to it, of course For Pearls fashion and interior designs, visit pearllowe.co.uk Styling: Charlotte Page. Hair: Abigail Constanza (abigailconstanza.com). Make-Up: Lisa Caldognetto (lisacaldognetto.com). Flowers, saintfloral.co.uk Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. Ms P. R. writes: In October last year we went to Barcelona. I had topped up my ICE cashcard to 1,000 (about 900) and on arrival I withdrew 250. The next day my handbag was stolen and with it the card and the money. By the time we had been to the police and cancelled the card, thieves had drawn cash and spent the rest in a store. This was sorted out after five weeks and I was given a new card, credited with 750. In January we went to Tenerife where I drew 250 in cash, but then the card was declined. Double hit: The prepay card was reported stolen in Barcelona, above, yet crooks used it again two months later After spending 30 on phone calls, I found that the old stolen card had been used again, but ICE had debited it to my new card and we were left with almost no money. ICE stands for International Currency Exchange. It works with the long-established Raphaels Bank to issue a prepaid Mastercard. Travellers can deposit as much as they like on to the card which saves them from carrying all their holiday money in cash. It also means that if the card is lost or stolen it cannot be used to run up huge bills as on a credit card. It can only be used up to the amount you deposited. All this should mean that it is close to being safe as any piece of plastic in your purse can be. As you found in Barcelona, when your card was stolen and the thieves went on a speedy shopping spree, ICE issued you a new card and credited it with the 750 you had lost. The company told me: In the unlikely event that one of our customers has funds stolen from their account we will refund them promptly. This is in line with the regulations in place which is what we have done in this instance. So what went wrong with your replacement card? It was not stolen, but it was drained of cash by whoever still had the original card. ICE has investigated and found that a forced transaction was made in December for 447. A forced transaction is one that bypasses the normal authorisation process and sidesteps checks that would show whether the card was valid or had been reported stolen. It even avoids checks that would show whether the card has any money left on it. This process can have a legitimate reason. For example, a car hire firm could use it when a customer returns a car that has been damaged. But ICE has confirmed the forced transaction involving your card was a clear case of organised fraud, involving a merchant who pushed the spending through the system without checks. ICE has found this was a sophisticated scheme used by an organised gang. It added: We are working with the relevant parties and authorities to prevent further fraud on our prepaid card products. Meanwhile, ICE has refunded all your 447 losses from the second stage of the scam and the company has added a further 100 as a gesture of goodwill. Confusion: Three refused to accept M.R.'s daughter was the customer Were in a two and eight over Three M.R. writes: My daughter has a problem with mobile phone company Three. When she set up her contract, unknown to her, Three entered a wrong name but with her correct address and bank details. Three wrote to the wrongly named person about a problem, but the letter went to my daughters address. She visited the Three shop in Nottingham twice and staff were sympathetic but said she did not have an account with Three. Your daughter got the worst of both worlds. Three was collecting its charges from her bank account by direct debit and she could use the phone. At the same time Three refused to accept she was the customer and said the phone was registered to a Miss Fatima. You have told me that when Three accepted there had been a mistake, it cut off the phone number, disrupting your daughters work. Worse still, it wrote to Miss Fatima at your daughters address, demanding 73 in outstanding charges. It refused to discuss this with your daughter because, of course, she was not Miss Fatima. Three does not appear to have caused the error in the first place. When I enquired, staff told me your daughters account was set up by a dealer. On the same day the business also set up an account for Miss Fatima, but reversed the names and numbers when notifying Three. The bottom line is that Three is cancelling the demand for 73, refunding 41 it had already collected and adding a further 120 to make up for the inconvenience. The British owner of Birminghams Bullring shopping centre and Londons Brent Cross will give a crucial trading update this week as it fights off a French predator. Analysts are expecting Hammerson to underline the strength of its business after it rejected a 5 billion advance from Paris-based Klepierre, branding it unsolicited and entirely opportunistic. At the same time, it is trying to prop up flagging shareholder support for its own 3.4 billion bid for rival Intu, which owns the Metro Centre in Gateshead and Trafford Centre in Manchester. Popular: Hammerson owns Birminghams Bullring shopping centre (pictured) and Londons Brent Cross Retail landlord Hammerson says the deal to buy Intu will make it the undisputed market leader in the UK, but the deal has not proved popular with investors, with shares tumbling by more than 17 per cent in the months after it was announced. In contrast, the 4.9 billion proposal from Klepierre sent them soaring 25 per cent. It has left Hammerson fighting a rear-guard action against its would-be foreign suitor. Sources close to Klepierre have said it is not going away and it is understood to be lobbying shareholders behind the scenes. Hargreaves Lansdown analyst George Salmon said the City will be expecting an explanation for Hammersons thinking on Thursday, when it publishes its first-quarter trading update. He added: Its been a rollercoaster few months at Hammerson. In rejecting the offer from Klepierre, Hammersons board described it as entirely opportunistic the update will give the group a platform to show exactly why. Hammersons update will come at a tough time for the company, which has been relegated to the FTSE 250 after seeing its share price slide. Hammerson's shares sunk after it revealed a plan to buy rival Intu but then soared on the approach from French firm Klepierre That is partly due to growing concerns about the tough conditions gripping High Street retailers, with some of Hammersons fashion and department store tenants in trouble as they struggle to fend off competition from nimbler online rivals. Last month, fashion chain Next said it had been through its worst year in a quarter of a century, while rival New Look is poised to close stores. Hammerson announced a 7 per cent rise in rental income for the year to December 31 to 370.4 million, up from 346.5 million the previous year. Graham Spooner, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, said: It has been an eventful past few months for the commercial property developer. All of this has occurred against a difficult background for property developers focused on the retail sector, with signs of weaker sales on the High Street. The former finance chief of British tech star Autonomy will be questioned this week in the long-running US fraud trial over claims he tried to silence critics who said the firm was overvalued. Autonomy, whose bosses included billionaire Mike Lynch, was sold to US giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for 7.4bn, but it had to write off much of its value just a year later. Pricey: Autonomy was sold to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for 7.4bn, but it had to write off much of its value just a year later HP has since claimed the companys financial performance was fraudulently overstated. Court documents submitted by prosecutors in San Francisco allege Sushovan Hussain intimidated, pressured or paid off people who raised concerns about Autonomys accounting practices. The 54-year-old denies any wrongdoing. In court he is expected to face Daud Khan, a City technology analyst who claims to have had multiple run-ins with Autonomy after questioning its accounts. Khan has said he was eventually banned from analyst meetings and the firm tried to obstruct publication of his research. Lynch has dismissed allegations against himself and Hussain as a personal smear. Confidential reports have revealed for the first time the private concerns about Brexit of some of Britains leading companies. Pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca, Amazon, store chain John Lewis, British Gas owner Centrica and fast food chain McDonalds are among the businesses to have laid bare their fears about being left short of workers after Brexit if there is a draconian clampdown on immigration. Protest: John Lewis, headed by Paula Nickolds, wants its file removed from the dossier Ministers have been warned that: Head offices will be moved out of the country and thousands of jobs will be lost; The supply of life-saving drugs will be hindered; Care services for the elderly will be shut down; Major infrastructure projects including the nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset will face severe delays; Amazon deliveries will be put at risk. The frank revelations are contained in documents submitted to the Home Office as part of a major consultation about immigration policy after Brexit. Many of the remarks are much more hard-hitting than previous public statements from big businesses, which have tended to be bland and non-committal. Some firms were under the impression that their views would be kept secret. A number of the submitted files were marked confidential and one company made clear it did not want its response to be divulged even if there was a Freedom of Information request. Nonetheless, the Home Office went ahead and published the documents. The John Lewis Partnership whose managing director is Paula Nickolds has since demanded that its file be removed, but other firms do not yet appear to have protested. The companies complained of the potential for skills and labour shortages at every level. AstraZeneca warned that any restriction of access to foreign workers could damage its ability to discover and deliver life-changing medicines to patients around the world. Four Seasons Health Care, which operates 260 care homes for the elderly across the UK, said it has experienced difficulties recruiting nurses since the Brexit referendum. It warned it may have to shut services if it cannot hire EU staff. Johnson & Johnson, the US consumer goods and drugs giant behind Johnsons Baby Oil and mouthwash Listerine, said it would be forced to move jobs and work overseas if workers from the EU are prevented from coming to Britain. Amazon said it was reviewing contingency plans for a hard stop to the freedom of movement between the UK and the EU. It raised question marks over its ability to remain operational and successful here, particularly during peak periods suggesting it may struggle to make deliveries. The company described the scenario as a very high concern. Jacobs, a US engineering contractor with 7,000 employees in Britain, said it could be forced to reduce the size of its UK operations or move its head office overseas. It said difficulty recruiting could force prices up. French energy giant EDF, which is building two nuclear power plants at Hinkley Point, raised the spectre of an energy crunch. The firm estimates it will need 7,500 non-British workers to complete the project and if they are not available, the 20 billion cost of building Hinkley Point C could soar and the 2027 completion date be pushed back. The John Lewis Partnership urged the Government to stick to a flexible immigration policy, saying EU workers play an integral role in the company. Fast-food giant McDonalds said a reduction in EU migrants would have a significant detrimental impact on the hospitality sector. Tech firm IBM said the UK could risk losing its status as a leader in areas such as artificial intelligence and cyber-security. And financial data provider Bloomberg, which has more than 4,000 employees in London, said there are not enough competent candidates from the UK to meet our needs at present, adding: Therefore any unduly inhibitive immigration controls would stunt our growth and wider success. The Home Offices Migration Advisory Committee, which ran the consultation, said last night that firms had been aware their submissions would be made public. The papers will be used to compile a report due to be released in September as the Government seeks to put in place a new immigration system by 2021. Simon Peckham, the chief executive of Melrose, last night hit back at accusations that his 8 billion takeover of engineering giant GKN could jeopardise national security. We are all British, he said, referring to himself and his three directors. We live here and our families live here. We are a British company taking over another British company. We are as concerned about national security as anyone else. 'Nothing is more important than that, certainly not profit. Last Thursday, Melrose won a three-month battle after more than half of GKNs shareholders supported the deal. But the Government has faced calls to block it. Exclusive: How we revealed the potential bonus for Melrose bosses if GKN bid went through Peckham said: We are here to protect national security, not damage it and we will give any undertakings the Government requires on that. No UK-owned firm has previously been referred on national security grounds. Several foreign ones have been asked to make undertakings. Peckham insisted it is highly unlikely his board will receive the full 285 million bonus first revealed by The Mail on Sunday. We would have to create more value in two years than [GKN] have in 250, he said. We have to add a billion before we get a bean. The most skeptical day of the year has arrived again with Australians across the country tricking one another with outlandish and implausible pranks. Daily Mail Australia looked at the best and worst pranks celebrated on the day, from the most believed to the most ridiculous and everything in between. Australia's love for April Fool's pranks can be traced to 1978 when a barge appearing to tow a giant iceberg in Sydney Harbour led Sydneysiders to believe it had travelled all the way from Antarctica. In 1978 a barge appearing to tow a giant iceberg in Sydney Harbour led Sydneysiders to believe it had travelled all the way from Antarctica Electronics businessman Dick Smith organised the elaborate prank, saying he would moor the iceberg near the Sydney Opera House and sell the public small cubes, or 'Dicksicles', of the iceberg for ten cents each. Smith named the fake iceberg 'Dickenberg': a barge he had transformed with plastic sheets, cans of shaving cream, and fire-fighting foam. The hoax was revealed when rain washed away the foam, revealing the barge beneath. The Chocolate Whopper Hungry Jacks tried to set our taste buds into a frenzy with the launch of their anticipated Chocolate Whopper. The uniquely flavoured burger was said to be made entirely from chocolate and candied ingredients, featuring a chocolate cake bun, a flame-grilled chocolate patty and vanilla frosting. Disappointingly, the burger was nothing more than a whopping lie and an elaborate hoax. Hungry Jacks tried to our taste buds into a frenzy with the launch of their anticipated Chocolate Whopper 50 Shades of Wax Madame Tussauds revealed it would be opening a risque, adult-only room featuring famous wax figures without their clothes on. The after-hours experience was billed as 50 Shades of Wax and was made as a result of suggestive questions from guests, Studios and Operations Manager Dan Porter said. 'We lose count of how many people ask us if the wax figures are made to scale and if all the measurements were correct. 'We thought it was time to remove the mystery by showcasing exactly what the celebrities look like for our inquisitive guests,' Mr Porter said. The famous wax figures were set to be switched each week to ensure curious guests had ample opportunities to see their favourite celebrities in all their glory. Madame Tussauds revealed it would be opening a risque, adult-only room featuring famous wax figures without their clothes on The after hours experience was billed as 50 Shades of Wax and was made as a result of suggestive questions from guests, Studios and Operations Manager Dan Porter said Rise & Sizzle Bacon Alarm Clock Travelodge launched a bacon-scented anti-snooze service for sleepy guests needing a wake-up call at airport hotels. The pleasant 'Whiff & Wake Service' promised to wake guests with the motivating sizzling smell of frying bacon. The hotel chain said the unique bacon-scented alarm would stop guests hitting snooze and missing flights. Guests were told they could programme the clock with the time they wanted to wake up and the smell of bacon would automatically be released, gently wafting over the guests to rouse them from sleep. Travelodge launched a bacon-scented anti-snooze service for sleepy guests needing a wake-up call at airport hotels SodaSoak: Sparkling water for the bath SodaStream introduced SodaSoak, sparkling water for the bath, giving bathers a whole new way to enjoy sparkling water. Game of Thrones star Thor Bjornsson and reality star Reza Farahan featured in the launch the SodaSoak which told viewers the SodaSoak 'didn't just stop at tickling your tongue'. Game of Thrones star Thor Bjornsson described the SodaSoak sparkling water bath as 'life changing' in this promotional campaign The bubbled bath could be adjusted depending on bubble intensity: sparkling, dazzling or ohmygosh. 'The thing about SodaStream's campaigns is that they address important themes health and wellness or the global plastic bottle pollution problem in a lighthearted and funny way that keeps a finger on the pulse of pop culture,' Bjornsson said. Daniel Birnbaum, CEO of SodaStream says 'SodaStream is always looking for disruptive ways to create moments of joy and April Fools' Day is the perfect time to do so'. Spotlight gives shoppers a helping paw Spotlight announced that furry four legged employees will be stationed at selected stores to lend a helping paw to shoppers. The new new canine companions will be assisting at the registers, handing out baskets and helping shoppers sniff out a good bargain. 'My mates down at the dog park think I'm barking mad for working a long weekend, but doing a shift at Spotlight ain't that ruff,' said new Spotlight team member Eileen the Labrador. Spotlight announced that furry four legged employees will be stationed at selected stores to lend a helping paw to shoppers 'We've attended some of Australia's finest puppy academies and our new team members have undergone extensive training so that we can offer the best service to Spotlight customers.' 'We think our furry friends will bring a sense of surprise and delight to our stores,' Spotlight Content and Communications Manager Nick Casey said. 'The in-store trials have proved to be a huge success with each of the pooches sniffing out the perfect products for our customers'. The new new canine companions will be assisting at the registers, handing out baskets and helping shoppers sniff out a good bargain Ikea's low-cost airline Flikea Ikea 'launched' its low-cost airline Flikea, promising the world's first non-stop flight from Sweden to Australia by 2019. The airline would utilise Ikea's five dimensions of democratic design - exceptional form, quality, sustainability, function, and price. '[This will] reduce aircraft weight and fuel requirements, resulting in a dramatically reduced transit time, lower ticket price, and cutting out the need for any stopovers,' it said. Last year Ikea 'launched its' low-cost airline Flikea, promising the world's first non-stop flight from Sweden to Australia by 2019 Krispy Kreme World: Doughnut theme park Krispy Kreme promised Western Australia a world first doughnut theme park, Krispy Kreme World. The park promised rides based on its most popular flavours like Glazetopia Gravitron, a slide covered in original glaze, the Choc Ice Custard Coaster, and the Mixed Box Ferris Wheel. Opening in 2022, the company hoped the 25-hectare park would be the first of many around the world, leading up to one built in space. Krispy Kreme only launched in WA in 2014, and rewarded the state for its patience and loyalty with the world's first doughnut theme park, Krispy Kreme World Magnetic Dating Dating site eHarmony hoped to bring its compatibility algorithm to the offline world with an app that literally dragged matches together by making their phones magnetic. 'Bump into someone that is made for you,' the company said, spruiking its Instant Magnetism program. Dating site eHarmony hoped to bring its compatibility algorithm to the offline world with an app that literally dragged matches together by making their phones magnetic 'Bump into someone that is made for you,' the company said, spruiking its Instant Magnetism program Canine crew members Virgin Australia promised new canine crew members. The dog flight attendants promised to give passengers a warm welcome, play with them on long-haul flights, go for walks down the aisle, and even wait in toilet lines. The airline said hundreds of dogs were trained in a special facility for its Boeing 737, Airbus A330, and Boeing 777 aircraft. The most heartwarming new service announced on the traditional joke day was Virgin Australia's new canine crew members The airline said hundreds of dogs were trained in a special facility for its Boeing 737, Airbus A330, and Boeing 777 aircraft The dog flight attendants promised to give passengers a warm welcome, play with them on long-haul flights, go for walks down the aisle, and even wait in toilet lines Other notable mentions from last year's pranks included fake parking tickets, a fictional university degree and a phone that printed money. Epic Pizza in Sydney's Darlinghurst dropped 2,000 fake parking tickets under the windscreen wipers of cars in the area which were revealed to be free pizza vouchers. 'The cops rung up to say we're being fined for littering and obstruction,' Epic Pizza said on their website. 'At the end of the conversation he says 'APRIL FOOLS, gotcha back!' Epic Pizza in Sydney's Darlinghurst dropped 2,000 fake parking tickets under the windscreen wipers of cars in the area which were revealed to be free pizza vouchers The University of Melbourne announced their launch of the Melbourne School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including a degree in Dark Arts. The University of Melbourne announced the launch of the Melbourne School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including a degree in Dark Arts ING launched a banking application which promised to print money straight from the customer's mobile phone. A former chieftain of New Zealand's most feared gang has revealed its inner workings, including 'mega bucks' drug deals, how members barked at each other like dogs and cried out the Nazi slogan 'sieg heil'. Toko Kopu, 57, was a head honcho in the country's notorious Mongrel Mob for several years. In an exclusive interview, Kopu revealed how he climbed the ranks of the underworld group. He joined the gang as an impressionable 15-year-old - abused by his father, who even beat him over the head with a hammer - and rose to become president of an influential Mob chapter. But in recent years the one-time bank robber and cop basher has turned his heavily-tattooed back on the gang for a better, more peaceful life. 'I used to bark in my sleep,' he said, growling at a Daily Mail Australia reporter like a canine. 'Heel dog, heel!' his sleepy wife would say. Former Mongrel Mob bigwig: Toko Kopu, 57, has seen it all over his criminal career - but after decades spent behind bars he is now reformed and is calling on wannabe bikies to 'man up' The Mob (stock photo) was founded in New Zealand in the 1960s, purportedly after a magistrate slammed a group of young men as 'mongrels' and they took it as a badge of honour A life story written in ink: Kopu's back (above) features Mongrel Mob's signature bulldog, while his front features his wife Freda's first name The Mongrel Mob was formed in the 1960s, about a decade before Kopu signed up as a prospect. The group's name was purportedly born from the remarks of an angry magistrate, who purportedly branded a rebellious group of young men 'mongrels' in court. But they apparently took it as a badge of honour. And over the years, the street gang has evolved into a much-feared unit infamous for its violent clashes with rival operations, including local group Black Power and the Hells Angels, and its organised crime activities. 'The mission (of the gang) is to be the meanest mongrel, or dog,' Kopu said. Pointing to the tattoo on his back, he said: 'We're representing a bulldog, we bark! 'Whenever we had a meeting there was all that barking going on. 'It was who had the best bark, and the best bite, ruled the nest.' Kopu himself ruled the roost at one point. But after spending much of his life behind bars, in recent years Kopu has transformed himself from a gang boss to a Bible worshipping campaigner. Kopu is on a new mission - to get young men to 'man up' and become better fathers, brothers and sons. He claimed men like himself only turn to crime and bikie groups because they had absent fathers or were victims of abuse. Kopu's own father beat him from age eight. '(It all goes back) to my dad, that's where the root of the problem started, no doubt,' he said. He recalled how his dad smacked his 12-year-old self over the head with a hammer for back-chatting him. 'Once I answered back, BOOM,' he said. 'I could see blood dropping on the ground.' Kopu followed his older brother into the mob in 1976, finding a sense of brotherhood and family in the gang. 'It was (all about) replacing my family It was replacing my father,' he said. Kopu said most bikies joined criminal gangs because of they had absent or abusive fathers, as his was. But he made peace with his father before he died 'Happy wife, happy life': Kopu is seen with his partner Freda, who is reportedly pleased with the considerable effort has put in to change his life Kopu said he would not be anywhere without the support of the Destiny Church and its Man Up program He adopted some of the group's strange rituals, including barking and their 'sieg heil' salute. The Nazi phrase was adopted as what Kopu called a 'sign of disrespect' or defiance to the rest of the world, rather than a white supremacist message. (The swastika is sometimes used as a Mob symbol as well. A gang lawyer told a court in 2012 that many gang members were 'oblivious to its Nazi connections'). Kopu was an established chapter leader when he served time behind bars and devoted himself to 'keeping the peace' in the mob. Infamous: A patched-up Mongrel Mob member He earned his followers' respect when they realised his efforts to keep them well behaved were so their families would be allowed to visit them in prison. Over the years, Kopu recalled, the Mob began to get into drugs. Members became devoted to dealing in 'P', the local name for methamphetamine. The drug trade earned Kopu 'mega bucks', he said, with big bags filled with cash being exchanged. 'I was heavily into methamphetamine and selling it. And pretty well had all the fellas selling it. 'We had all these bags of money coming in from the proceeds, you know. 'They would top a bank robbery easily. 'People called me Donald Trump - now I'm Donald Duck,' he joked. Kopu became a club leader when he was behind bars serving time for violent offences In recent years, the Mongrel Mob has touted its plans to expand deeper into Australia Kopu said members' drugs problems - and resulting anger and paranoia - got so bad he couldn't host a meeting without a fight breaking out. Friends died. When Kopu finally got out of prison for good a few years ago, he was ready for a new life trying to do good. He has some regrets - including the beating of a police officer - but acknowledges he cannot go back in time. The former gang leader said he could only move forward because he was ready to make changes. 'If I didn't want to change I wouldn't have stood up.' He has thrown his lot in with an organisation known as Man Up, a community arm of Auckland's Destiny Church. The organisation is devoted to 'strengthen men to become better fathers, husbands and leaders'. Kopu is one of several ex-gang members who signed up. Kopu said he only changed because he wanted change. Meanwhile, young gangsters 'don't see the hurt they inflict on other people' Kopu said getting out of the Mob has meant he and his daughter - who was born while he was in jail - have a much better relationship. His long-suffering wife is reportedly pleased. He is certain she had 'had enough' of his criminal world. 'Happy wife, happy life,' he joked. Kopu had a simple message for any young person considering a gangster life. Young people think 'gangsterism is where it's at,' he said. 'They want to see the glitter and all the rings and everything'. 'They don't see the hurt they inflict on other people. 'Everyone in the gangs are wearing a mask, they're not their real self. 'It's the mask that covers all the hurt that's going down inside of them. All the deeper hurt.' Former Smallville actress Kristin Kreuk has broken her silence on her involvement in the sex cult that co-star Allison Mack rose to the top of. Kreuk has denied that she helped recruit women to be 'sex slaves' in the secretive New York-based group called NXIVM after cult leader Keith Raniere was arrested this week for sex trafficking. Following Raniere's arrest in the Mexican resort village of Puerto Vallarta, reports emerged that Kreuk had allegedly lured women into the organization. Raniere, 57, ran NXIVM as a self-help organization for years but later created a secret society within it called DOS, which former members have described as a 'sex cult'. Scroll down for video Former Smallville actress Kristin Kreuk (left) has denied that she helped recruit women to be 'sex slaves' in the NXIVM cult that her co-star Allison Mack (right) rose to the top of Cult leader Keith Raniere was arrested (pictured above) in Mexican resort village of Puerto Vallarta this week and extradited to Texas to face sex trafficking charges Kreuk said in a Twitter statement on Thursday that she had taken a course at NXIVM when she was 23 that she understood to be a 'self-help/personal growth course that helped me with my previous shyness'. 'I left about five years ago and have had minimal contact with those who were still involved. The accusations that I was in the 'inner circle' or recruiting women as 'sex slaves' are blatantly false,' she said. 'During my time, I never experienced an illegal or nefarious activity. 'I am horrified and disgusted by what has come out about DOS. Thank you to all the brave women who have come forward to share their stories and expose DOS; I cant imagine how difficult this has been for you. 'I am deeply disturbed and embarrassed to have been associated with NXIVM. I hope that the investigation leads to justice for all of those affected.' Her former Smallville co-star Allison Mack is said to be Raniere's right-hand woman at NXIVM, sources told DailyMail.com. Mack was among those filmed chased down Mexican police officers after they arrested Raniere over the weekend - four months after he crossed the border following the launch of a federal probe into his cult. Video that was first obtained by Art Voice shows Mack in a state of disbelief as officials arrest Raniere. The women can then be heard saying that they are going to get into a car and follow the officers. On the run: A group of women that includes Smallville actress Allison Mack (above) chases after the police car after it leaves the $10,000-a-week property South of the border: Mack posted a photo of herself at a coffee shop in Mexico earlier this month A local authority tells DailyMail.com that the women then engaged in a high-speed car chase with police. Mexican authorities found Raniere surrounded by a group of women at a $10,000-a-week luxury villa on Sunday. He was extradited to Fort Worth, Texas on Monday and charged with sex trafficking and forced labor conspiracy. An individual with former ties to NXIVM told DailyMail.com that Mack was joined in the video by a group of women including actress Nicki Clyne and high-profile members Lauren Salzman and Loreta Garza. Mack is believed to have only recently traveled down to Mexico with her social media showing her in the area for just the past month. The group, which has been described by former members as a 'sex cult', claims to be a self-help organization that operates centers in US, Mexico, Canada and South America. It emerged last year that the Dalai Lama was paid $1 million to speak to 3,000 NXIVM followers and place a khata - a traditional ceremonial Tibetan scarf - around Raniere's neck. Raniere left the US last year after the New York Times reported that some women who joined a group in his organization had been branded with a symbol that included his initials. The women told investigators they were subjected to 'master-slave' conditions that involved physical punishments for disobeying orders. 'As alleged in the complaint, Keith Raniere created a secret society of women whom he had sex with and branded with his initials, coercing them with the threat of releasing their highly personal information and taking their assets,' US attorney Richard P. Donoghue said. Sex cult leader Keith Raniere, 57, was taken into custody by Mexican authorities and deported back to the US after he was found at a luxury villa in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday Many DOS slaves were branded on their pelvic areas using a cauterizing pen with a symbol which, unbeknownst to them, incorporated Raniere's initials, according to past members The complaint said Raniere founded NXIVM about 20 years ago and held a series of purported self-help workshops. Since NXIVM's creation, Raniere has maintained poly-amorous relationships with its members, according to the complaint. Courses associated with the group costs thousands of dollars each and participants are encouraged to pay for additional classes and to recruit others in order to rise within the ranks of NXIVM. According to the complaint, Raniere created a secret society within Nxivm called DOS in 2015, which loosely translated to 'Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions', or 'The Vow'. DOS operated with levels of women slaves headed by masters and most were recruited from within NXIVM's ranks. When new DOS slaves were recruited, they were required to provide collateral, which included highly damaging information about friends and family members, nude photographs and/or rights to the recruit's assets. The complaint says DOS slaves feared that their collateral could be released by the group if they left. Many DOS slaves were branded on their pelvic areas using a cauterizing pen with a symbol which, unbeknownst to them, incorporated Raniere's initials, according to the court documents. During the branding ceremonies, slaves were required to be fully naked and a master would order one slave to film the branding while the others restrained the slave being branded. Mack was considered a high-ranking member of the cult and was believed to have been second in charge to Raniere. Former Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg had previously met with prosecutors in New York to detail her daughter India's experience in the group Former Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg had previously met with prosecutors in New York to detail her daughter's experience in the group. Oxenberg, through her lawyers at Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss, said she hoped Raniere's arrest would go as far as reuniting her with her daughter. 'I want to help all the young women affected by this cult. They are the victims of human trafficking, which is slavery,' she said. 'For months, I have worked to expose Keith Raniere and Nxivm and today's arrest vindicates my efforts. 'I want my daughter to know I love her and that I want her back in my life.' If convicted, Raniere could be sentenced to life in prison. 'As alleged, Keith Raniere displayed a disgusting abuse of power in his efforts to denigrate and manipulate women he considered his sex slaves,' FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney said. 'He allegedly participated in horrifying acts of branding and burning them, with the cooperation of other women operating within this unorthodox pyramid scheme. 'These serious crimes against humanity are not only shocking, but disconcerting to say the least, and we are putting an end to this torture today.' A Detroit federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Facebook, Google and Twitter by families of patrons killed in the 2016 Orlando, Florida, nightclub massacre. On Friday, US District Judge David Lawson dismissed the case filed in December 2016 by the families of Tevin Crosby, Juan Ramon Guerrero Jr and Javier Jorge-Reyes. The families claimed in the lawsuit that the gunman Omar Mateen was radicalized by propaganda found through social media, including the three platforms. On Friday, a Detroit federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed in December 2016 against Facebook, Google and Twitter by the families of Tevin Crosby (left), Juan Ramon Guerrero Jr (right) and Javier Jorge-Reyes - patrons killed in the June 2016 Orlando, Florida, nightclub massacre The families claimed in the lawsuit that the gunman Omar Mateen was radicalized by propaganda found through social media, including the three platforms (Pictured, victim Javier Jorge-Reyes) The families of the victims were seeking an undisclosed amount of money under a federal law allowing the estates of terrorist attack victims to sue anybody who provided 'material support' to the terrorists, reported The Detroit News. 'Most technology experts agree that defendants could and should be doing more to stop ISIS from using its social network,' the lawsuit said. On June 12, 2016, Mateen walked into Pulse nightclub around 2am and opened fire, killing 49 people and wounding 58 others. In telephone conversations with a 911 operator and a police negotiator, Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. After a three-hour standoff with a SWAT team, he was killed. In his ruling, Lawson found no legal claim that the companies were liable and should have done more to stop the Islamic State from using their platforms. Lawson dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the plaintiff cannot bring action on the same claim in the future. In telephone conversations with a 911 operator and a police negotiator, Mateen (left and right)) pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. After a three-hour standoff with a SWAT team, he was killed On June 12, 2016, Mateen walked into Pulse nightclub (pictured) around 2am and opened fire, killing 49 people and wounding 58 others In his ruling, US District Judge David Lawson found no legal claim that the companies were liable and should have done more to stop the Islamic State from using their platforms (Pictured, security video showing Mateen entering Pulse nightclub) 'There are many conclusions that can be drawn from the facts alleged in the amended complaint about the ethics and moral responsibility of those maintaining social media sites, including the defendants,' the ruling reads. 'But because the plaintiffs have not pleaded facts that plausibly establish legal claims for which relief can be granted, the Court will grant the motion and dismiss the case.' A similar lawsuit against Twitter was dismissed in 2016. In that case, a San Francisco federal judge agreed with Twitter that the social media site could not be held accountable because federal law protects service-providers that merely offer platforms for speech, without creating the speech itself, reported The Canoe. Some of the biggest firms operating in Britain have delivered stark secret warnings to the Government over the dire consequences they fear from Brexit. The firms, which include Amazon and John Lewis, expressed their concerns in documents submitted to the Home Office in response to a consultation over future immigration policy. The documents were posted on a government website despite the fact some were marked confidential. John Lewiss document was taken down after it complained but not before it was seen by The Mail on Sunday. John Lewis urged the Government not to take a hard line on immigration because workers from the EU play an integral role The stores chain urged the Government not to take a hard line on immigration because workers from the EU play an integral role. Four Seasons Health Care, which operates 260 care homes, said it was already finding it difficult to hire enough nurses, and may be forced to shut services. Amazon queried its ability to remain operational and successful in the UK if it does not have enough EU workers to process deliveries. French energy company EDF warned that if it is not able to recruit 7,500 non-British workers to construct nuclear power plant Hinkley Point C in Somerset, there could be delays and extra costs added to the 20 billion project. A Queensland woman who was questioned by police after reports a driver had side-swiped multiple cars, said she was just 'a little bit' drunk, despite allegedly driving at more than four times the legal limit. The woman was pulled over by police in the car park of a pizza shop after responding to calls that a number of cars had been side-swiped by an out-of-control car. The driver behind the wheel was allegedly caught drink driving more than four times over the legal alcohol limit in Cairns. Scroll down for video A Queensland woman was pulled over by police in the car park of a pizza shop after responding to calls that a number of cars had been side-swiped by an out-of-control car The driver behind the wheel was allegedly caught drink driving more than four times over the legal alcohol limit in Cairns but insisted she was 'not a bad person' In a video recorded by the Cairns Road Policing Unit, the woman is approached by police but denies she had been involved in an accident. 'Nothing's happened tonight,' the woman says. When officers ask where the woman has driven she tells them: 'Just down the corner.' However, police are not convinced and the unidentified woman becomes more distressed. In a video recorded by the Cairns Road Policing Unit, the woman is approached by police but denies she had been involved in an accident 'Oh God, what?!' she exclaims before realising, 'this is not good.' The driver concedes she will 'probably be over' the legal limit. Cairns police confirm the woman is well above the legal alcohol driving limit, detaining her for further tests. However, the woman insists she is 'not a bad person' and is just 'a little bit' drunk. The driver (right) concedes she will 'probably be over' the legal limit but insists she is 'not a bad person' and just 'a little bit' drunk 'You are very over,' the police officer informs her. 'You are now detained.' The video was posted to the Queensland Police Service Facebook page where users were not sympathetic. One woman asked if the driver would still consider herself 'not a bad person' had she hit someone in her intoxicated state. This is the bizarre moment a brawl erupted during a Passion of the Christ performance when a spectator jumped on stage to attack an actor in a bizarre bid to save Jesus from crucifixion. He used a motorcycle helmet to hit an actor playing a Roman soldier around the head and kicked him seconds after the performer pretended to thrust the spear into the Messiah's side. Video shows the moment the unnamed man leaped on stage in Nova Hartz, Brazil, on Friday to attack and chase the stunned actor. More than 1,000 people were in the town square watching the show and at first no one could believe what was happening, according to city planning director William da Silva. '(The man) leapt up from the middle of the audience and no one guessed what he was about to do,' he said. 'Witnesses reported the attacker was shouting "he was not going to let Jesus die" before he barged on stage.' The outraged man allegedly suffers from mental health problems and drug abuse and is known to police. The actor - playing a Roman soldier - pretends to pierce Jesus Christ's side with a spear in the retelling of the Passion Many watching the Easter spectacle looked on in disbelief while questioning whether this was part of the drama. Actors on stage ploughed into the aggressor as they tried to restrain him, but he continued to lash out as fists flew. The shocked director, Adriano Ferreira, who manages a company of 80 actors, said: 'There are some things that are just inexplicable. 'We halted the play for a few moments, but as no one had been injured, we decided to continue with the staging. The 'soldier' was attacked as an audience member jumped on stage stating he was determined not to let Jesus die He said Samir Rodrigues, the actor who was beaten with the helmet was scared but unharmed. 'This week, a city businessman gave the Roman soldiers new helmets and that probably ended up protecting Samir,' he said. During the mayhem, the actor playing Jesus remains calm and in character, even when the cross nearly tips over as his colleagues join in the rush to contain the situation. Many in the audience filmed the dramatic intervention, posting their incredulity and disappointment in comments on social media. The man storms on stage armed with a motorcycle helmet, which he used to beat the actor mid-performance On woman said: 'People spend months rehearsing something meaningful then along comes someone to ruin everything. 'The show was in the middle of an amazing and beautiful staging of the Passion of Christ, when a man from the audience suddenly jumped on stage and whacked the actor who was playing a soldier on the back of the head with a motorcycle helmet. 'I was devastated to see the event disrupted in such an awful way.' The audience member also kicked and chased the actor, with fellow cast members forced to intervene during the attack Another spectator, who was there with her family, said: 'We had to do a double-take because we werent sure whether this was meant to happen or not. 'When I realised it was truly an unprovoked attack, I started to tremble and cried with disappointment at how the theatrical performance had been messed up by this violence.' Performers waded in to help the actor as he was attacked during a retelling of the crucifixion of Jesus One of the actors who helped to restrain the man, but didnt want to be identified, revealed: 'He said he didnt know what he was doing and that he couldnt remember what he was doing there. He kept shouting at people to get away from him.' The assailants brother who came to the aid of his sibling, claimed he was taking controlled medication and had been suffering from a psychotic episode. Police have launched an investigation into the incident after a formal complaint of assault was lodged by the victim. The family of a mentally ill black man who was fatally shot 14 times by Sacramento cops in 2016 have said the recent death of Stephon Clark under a hail of gunfire in his grandmother's backyard shows nothing has changed. Joseph C. Mann, 50, died on July 11, 2016, just 20 months before unarmed father-of-two Clark was hit by eight bullets, including seven in the back, in a killing that has sparked nationwide protests. Joseph Mann's brother, Robert, 54, said his first thought at seeing footage of two policemen standing over the prone body of a black man was, 'Here we go again'. Robert Mann, the brother of Joseph Mann, who was killed by Sacramento police in July 2016, says the recent shooting of Stephon Clark shows not enough has changed since his sibling's death. He is shown with his sister, Deborah. His other sister, Veronica, is not pictured For his sister, Veronica Murphy-Mann, who runs a child's care centre, it felt like 'an old wound, that hadn't entirely healed, opened up again'. 'The only surprise was that it happened so shortly after what happened to my brother,' she told NBC News. 'You would think, OK, you have one high-profile case already and you are talking about transparency and reform and all that you are doing and fixing. But what are you really doing?' Protests over Clark's shooting have been continuing in Sacramento for four consecutive nights, with activists demanding cops face charges. On Friday, some 250 activists gathered at City Hall and chanted for about half an hour before beginning a march through the streets of the California state capital. They denounced the citys police department, chanting F*** Sac PD! and The whole damn system is guilty as hell'. Police insist they have made efforts to improve their performance, including by forming a police Racial Profiling Commission in 2014. The department has also set up a transparently section on its website where the public can see information about its procedures. Joseph C. Mann, 50, (left) died on July 11, 2016, just 20 months before unarmed father-of-two Clark (right) was hit by eight bullets, including seven in the back, in a killing that has sparked nationwide protests Robert Mann (right) discusses the shooting of his brother during a news conference in Sacramento. His sister, Deborah, is pictured middle Anger over Clark's death has focused on the results of a recent autopsy which contradicted officers' claims that he appeared to be pointing a gun at them when he was shot - although the only item in his possession was a cellphone. Dr Bennet Omalu, a medical examiner hired by Clark's family, used a body diagram to show where each bullet hit the father-of-two, 22, breaking bones and piercing his lung. 'You could reasonably conclude that he received seven gunshot wounds from his back,' he said. 'He was shot from the back. 'The proposition that he was facing the officers is inconsistent with the prevailing forensic evidence.' The results have been seized upon by protesters who insist Clark posed no immediate risk to the police when they shot him. Mann's siblings are similarly insistent that police had many other options beyond using a gun when they found their brother 'unstable and ranting' on a city street. Police approached Mann after receiving a 911 call warning he had a gun and a knife. Dashcam footage showed Mann doing karate moves in the direction of the officers and zigzagging as he walked. Dashcam footage showed Mann doing karate moves in the direction of the officers and zigzagging as he walked From another police car, Mann is seen running at officers in a deranged manner One of the officers tried to ram him and then moments later, following an encounter that was not clear on dashcam, he and his partner got out and began shooting. A knife with a 3 inch blade was recovered from his body. Robert Mann, who works for a truck manufacturing company, said: 'They could have tased him, or bean-bagged him, but none of that was brought into the picture. All they did was murder my brother.' Mann was remembered by family as a college graduate who was smart, loved politics and economics, and succeeded in several careers before deteriorating into mental illness about five years ago. They said he had been living on the streets before his death. Robert and Veronica have filed a federal court compensation claim over their brothers death, which Sacramento officials are trying to have thrown out. Manns father, William Mann Sn., received $719,000 in an out-of-court settlement agreed in February last year, according to the Sacramento Bee. The Clark family, meanwhile, have been vocal in calling for reforms after Stephon's death. Stevante Clark, his distraught older brother, took over the mic from Alice Huffman of the California NAACP during the funeral at Bayside of South Sacramento church. Clark, meanwhile, was chased by two police officers into his grandparent's backyard where he was riddled with bullets. He is seen lying on the ground after being shot The 25-year-old led the crowd of around 500 to chant his dead sibling's name, while vowing that the 'Clark family will not be forgotten'. On Tuesday, Stevante interrupted a council meeting and lambasted CNN host Don Lemon during a tense interview a day later. Clark's name has been a rallying cry at protests and calls for police reform in California and beyond. In Sacramento, protests have been concentrated on the office of district attorney Anne Schubert. Clark was chased by two police officers into his grandparent's backyard where he was riddled with bullets as officers yelled at him to put his hands up. Clark's funeral was held on Thursday, with Rev. Al Sharpton giving the eulogy. He is pictured with Clark's older brother Stevante Clark's name has been a rallying cry at protests and calls for police reform in California and beyond The horrific incident was caught on the officers' bodycam footage after police received a call about a man breaking car windows in the area. Police say Clark 'turned and advanced towards the officers while holding an object which was extended in front of him,' and which they mistook for a firearm being pointed at them. But Clark was found with just an iPhone beside him. Five minutes after the shooting, backup arrived and Clark was placed in handcuffs before officers began life-saving efforts. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later identified at least three vehicles in the area with damage that is believed to have been caused by Clark. A nearby home also had had a sliding door shattered. A militant trade union has been accused of blocking Government plans for more firefighters to respond to terrorist attacks. The Fire Brigades Union is demanding more money for its members before it agrees they should be called upon to rescue casualties from the scene of a massacre. Deadlock in the long-running dispute means fire brigades are having to rely on volunteers and senior officers to man the specialist teams that are on standby to tackle Marauding Terrorist Firearms Attacks (MTFA). It comes after last weeks critical report into the Manchester Arena atrocity found that risk-averse chiefs kept specialist fire crews away from the scene for two hours. Last night a Whitehall source said the FBU was dragging its feet on the vital issue, adding: Its disappointing they have chosen to use this as a bargaining tool. And a new briefing by the National Fire Chiefs Council admitted: The overall operating environment in terms of the national FBU position on the undertaking of the MTFA role continues to provide a challenge to a small number of fire and rescue services. The Fire Brigades Union is demanding more money for its members before it agrees they should be called upon to rescue casualties from the scene of a massacre. Pictured: The FBU's Andy Dark Fire brigades were first asked to set up specialist teams to help respond to terror attacks in 2011 and there are currently 15 around England. They are on call round the clock and equipped with stretchers so they can carry the injured out of the warm zone where a terror attack has taken place and into safety, where paramedics can treat them. But because there has been no agreement with the FBU to make it a contractual requirement, all those who take part are volunteers and in some brigades only senior officers or non-union members are on the teams. Last year, the FBU advised its members there was no obligation for them to take part in any training exercises for terror attack response. Assistant General Secretary Andy Dark has said it is only fair for the Home Office to provide more money when firefighters were being asked to do work which is more skilled and more dangerous, insisting: We havent used it as a bargaining chip. Lord Harris of Haringey, who investigated Londons preparedness for a terror attack, urged the Home Office and the FBU to resolve the issue. The Home Office said: The Government is clear that responding to this type of attack falls within the duty of firefighters. This position has been strongly supported by fire and rescue services which have an MTFA capability and the National Fire Chiefs Council. Two people are reported dead after a plane crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in Southern Florida. The single engine aircraft fell into the ocean approximately 20 nautical miles east of Port St. Lucie on Saturday, according to WPTV. Alarm was raised around 11:45am when the Miami Air Traffic Control Center notified the US Coast Guard of the suspected downed plane. Two people died in a single engine plane crash on Saturday when the craft suddenly fell into the Atlantic Ocean The horrific crash saw the plane land 20 nautical miles east of Port St. Lucie in south Florida Rescue Mission: The Coast Guard worked with local authorities to retrieve the wreckage of the crash that killed the two people on board, pictured The Coast Guard reported that the pilot told air control he was changing course to avoid bad weather. Shortly after, they lost communication with the plane. The Coast Guard launched air and water searches alongside local authorities. They found debris floating 20 miles east of Port St. Lucie. It is unclear where the plan was originally travelling from. The craft wreckage, including the dead passengers, was found east of Port St. Lucie Helicopters and boats scoured the Atlantic Ocean along the Florida coast for signs of the fallen plane's wreckage Pictures of the rescue reveal the wreckage found floating in the ocean. One part retrieved from the water bears the beginning of the registration number on the craft. There were only two people in the aircraft. Their remains were found among the debris, according to NBC. Their names have not yet been released. A furious row over the right of men who identify as women to use female-only train compartments has pitted Sir Winston Churchills grandson against the might of Mumsnet. The dispute erupted after the operator of the Caledonian Sleeper, which runs overnight between London and Scotland, said that passengers who were born male but self-identify as female could sleep in cabins reserved for women. The move caused uproar on the Mumsnet internet forum, where users complained that their safety could be endangered. Mumsnet argued that the safety of women could be compromised if passengers who were born male but self-identify as female sleep in cabins reserved for females Mumsnet argues that they do not share the same faith as Mr Soames when it comes to 'male train passengers' behaving themselves in women-only berths Mr Soames argued on Twitter that people would not say that they are a woman when in fact they are a man - because Caledonian train passengers are not that deceitful An attempt to defuse the row by Rupert Soames, the chief executive of Serco which took over the running of the sleeper service three years ago led to claims that he had been patronising. Mr Soames, whose grandfather was the great wartime Prime Minister, was reduced to pleading that the cabins had emergency buttons. It is the latest controversy over transgender rights and follows the decision by a female-only swimming pond on Hampstead Heath, North London, to welcome men transitioning to women. Proposals to make it easier for people to change gender also prompted two feminists to protest by attending a men-only swimming session at a leisure centre in South London. The Caledonian is one of only two railway sleeper services left in the UK - it shuttles between London and stations in Scotland including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen Serco took over the franchise of the Caledonian service from ScotRail - a 150 million revamp is due in October which will introduce en suite cabins and double beds Mr Soames argued that if a single woman was uncomfortable with the other person with whom they shared a cabin, they would be entitled to move The sleeper service row began after a Mumsnet user posted Sercos response to an enquiry about whether women could be forced to share cabins with men who define themselves as female. It said: Guests travel with the Caledonian Sleeper in shared accommodation for men-only or women-only; the service is provided on the basis of the gender that the individual self-identifies with. The Mumsnet user wrote: I dont think Id feel comfortable with this at all and its yet another example of womens spaces being erased. Mr Soames responded on Twitter, writing: I think you are referring to the possibility that people may say that they are a woman when in fact they are a man sigh. He said his passengers would not do that, because they were not deceitful. A user called Helen Wheels then asked: You know them all personally? Otherwise, thats a statement for which you have zero evidence. You might as well say, No rapist has ever travelled on a train. A group called the Caithness Purported Feminists told Mr Soames: We do not share the same faith you do in male train passengers. And another Twitter user wrote: Many predatory men have identified as women to gain access to female spaces. I suggest you educate yourself properly before dismissing valid concerns with a patronising sigh. Mr Soames tweeted that his staff were v attentive and watchful; all cabins have call buttons; if a single woman was uncomfortable with the other person they would be moved to another cabin. The Caledonian, one of only two railway sleeper services left in the UK, shuttles between the capital and stations in Scotland including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Serco took over the franchise from ScotRail. A 150 million revamp in October will introduce en suite cabins and double beds. A Serco spokesman said: 'Everyone is greeted personally and shown to their cabin on the Caledonian Sleeper by our excellent and highly attentive staff. Anyone travelling can choose to book a cabin alone and the option to share with another person of the same sex is being phased out in autumn with the arrival of the new carriages.' Mr Soames, whose eldest brother Nicholas is a Tory MP, is the son of the late Sir Christopher Soames, an ambassador to France; his mother, Mary, the youngest of Sir Winstons five children, died in 2014 South Korea and the United States have kicked off their annual joint military exercises. This year's exercises were delayed by about a month for the Winter Olympics and to help create conditions for a resumption of talks between North and South Korea. A number of South Korean protesters held up signs denouncing the military exercises on Sunday. South Korea and the United States have kicked off their annual joint military exercises after a month-long delay for the Olympics (pictured is last year's exercise) The two joint drills would involve about 23,700 US troops and 300,000 South Korean forces. (pictured are US and South Korean marines during last year's exercise) Many of the anti-war activists held up bright pink peace signs during a rally near the US embassy in Seoul. The Foal Eagle field exercise, which usually involves combined ground, air, naval, and special operations troops, will continue for a month. The computer-simulated Key Resolve will be held for two weeks starting in mid-April. A Pentagon spokesman said in March that the two joint drills would involve about 23,700 US troops and 300,000 South Korean forces. The exercises are usually held every year around March but they were postponed this year until after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Pictured are marines from last year's exercise Military officials in Seoul have said the scale of the exercises would not go beyond those seen in previous years. The Foal Eagle and Key Resolve exercises are usually held every year around March, but were postponed this year until after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which started in February and ended last month. North Korea, which has traditionally accused both South Korea and the United States of practicing invading the North during joint military drills, has remained quiet on the issue. In March, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told a visiting South Korean delegation in Pyongyang that he 'understands' the situation regarding the joint drills, according to South Korea's National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong, who had led the delegation. The joint exercises come roughly a month ahead of an April 27 summit between the two Koreas, their first in more than a decade. A number of South Korean protesters held up signs denouncing the military exercises during a rally on Saturday The anti-war protesters marched and held up banners near the US embassy in Seoul And the Foal Eagle drill started the same day as a historic concert by South Korean pop stars in Pyongyang, which will be staged late Sunday as a peace gesture ahead of the summit. Eleven South Korean acts are set perform in the North Korean capital - the first such concert for more than a decade. The flurry of reconciliatory moves comes after the Pyeongchang Winter Games, which the North used to mount a charm offensive, sending athletes, cheerleaders and even leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister as a delegate. Kim, who last week met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on his first overseas trip as leader, also met Olympics chief Thomas Bach in Pyongyang on Saturday, thanking him for helping to bring about a 'dramatic thawing' of tensions on the peninsula. The North Korean leader is set to hold a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27 at the border truce village of Panmunjom - the third time ever that any leaders of the two rivals have met. They are widely expected to discuss denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and improvement of inter-Korean relations at the summit. Telling classmates about your weekend has been a traditional start to the school week for generations. But the innocent activity is set to be barred by a council which says it risks stigmatising underprivileged children who might not have done anything during their two days off. The idea, dismissed as political correctness in overdrive, is being adopted by Brighton and Hove Council as part of a programme called Poverty Proofing The School Day. Aiming to minimise the barriers to learning, the 150,000 two-year scheme is run by Children North East, a charity that works with local authorities across the country. Along with measures to ensure pupils have access to cheap uniforms, the scheme focuses on issues that could be seen to negatively impact on young people living in poverty. Aiming to minimise the barriers to learning, the 150,000 two-year scheme is run by Children North East, a charity that works with local authorities across the country (stock image) These include Circle Time about what you did at the weekend and other activities that risk some pupils having to admit: I havent done anything. Educationalists and politicians criticised the scheme, saying schools that tried to shield pupils from reality were failing to teach them valuable life lessons. Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said: Schools need to be sensitive towards those of more limited means when it comes to organising trips and activities that may be out of the reach of some families. They shouldnt assume that everyone will be able to afford them. But it is a fact of life that some families are better off than others, and children cannot and should not be shielded from that. It is all part of learning that we live in a world of diversity. Former Childrens Minister Tim Loughton, Tory MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, said: Yet again, Brighton and Hove is trying to micro-manage childrens lives and take the nanny state to new heights. Its part of their obsession with political correctness. Children need to be allowed to be children. The scheme also warns schools that bringing in used cartons/packets for craft projects could have a negative impact on poorer pupils, who may face jibes if they use own-brand items rather than premium labels. And, it claims, children who bring in birthday presents to show their peers could make disadvantaged classmates feel uncomfortable, while pupils who give teachers gifts could make them feel pressure. Children North Easts Luke Bramhall last night defended the scheme, saying it stemmed from the direct feedback of children. The process is about thinking what this is like for the poorest child in your class, your school, he said. How does it feel if youre the child that never goes anywhere at the weekend? The clear message from children is that it can be very difficult, and awkward. It is one of many areas we look at within poverty proofing, alongside not having the money for trips or music tuition, and being identified as eligible for free school meals. Brighton and Hove has been dubbed Britains most politically correct council. In 2011, it tried to ban bin crews from eating bacon sandwiches on meat-free Mondays and last month it encouraged staff to wear badges stating their preferred gender pronoun. The council did not respond to requests for comment. Limb was reattached after 10 hour operation but the man is in an induced coma The teenager chopped off his uncle's left hand with a machete Timothy Atwell, 19, charged with attempted murder after incident in Frankston A teenager has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly chopping off his uncles left hand with a machete. Timothy Atwell, 19, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on March 24 charged over the incident which began when his uncle confronted him over a family dispute. The uncle, Mark Atwell, 44, went to the Frankston North residence where Timothy allegedly used the machete in the attack. Timothy Atwell (left) is charged with attempted murder after chopping off his uncle, Mark Atwell's hand with a machete The incident occurred at a Frankston residence and the uncle was taken to Frankston Hospital Surgeons at Frankston Hospital were able to reattach the limb in a lengthy 10 hour operation. The uncle also suffered injuries to his head and back and was placed in an induced coma on March 27. Timothy Atwell, who reportedly does not have a previous history of incarceration, will face court on again this week and is being held in custody. The limb was reattached after a lengthy 10 hour operation however the uncle suffered head and back wounds and is in an induced coma An 11-foot alligator was pulled from a swimming pool in Nokomis, Florida, on Friday night. The Sarasota Sheriff's Office arrived at a residence on the 2000 block of Tocobaga Lane after receiving reports of an 'animal problem' and discovered the large reptile taking a dip. Video shows the creature swimming laps around the pool and thrashing as a trapper works to secure the gator. The alligator was captured and is seen on the lawn of the home where it is struggling against the ropes that bind it. An 11-foot alligator was pulled from a swimming pool in Nokomis, Florida, on Friday night The Sarasota Sheriff's Office arrived at a residence on the 2000 block of Tocobaga Lane after receiving reports of an 'animal problem' and discovered the large reptile taking a dip Video shows the creature swimming in laps around the pool and thrashing as an animal trapper works to secure the gator Homeowner Patricia Carver told WFLA that the alligator broke through her screened-in porch to enter the pool. She said her husband woke up when he heard a loud noise coming from the porch and found the scaly creature. 'He opened the curtain and saw the head of a gator and said: "Call 911, call 911!"' Carver told the station. 'I felt a little apprehensive but we could see he really wasn't moving.' After arriving at the home, Sarasota County deputies called an animal trapper to remove the alligator from the pool. The incident was documented on the official Twitter page of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office in 'Tweet from the Beat' - a series of live social media updates officers post while on patrol. Homeowner Patricia Carver told WFLA that the alligator broke through her screened-in porch to enter the pool After arriving at the home, Sarasota County deputies called an animal trapper to remove the alligator from the pool The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission issued a warning a residents earlier this week to be more aware of surroundings because gators will become a more common sighting as temperatures rise Near midnight, deputies posted a picture of the alligator swimming in the pool with the text: 'Just when you think your #TweetFromTheBeat is off to a slow start... you get a call for a #Gator in a swimming pool.' The Sheriff's Office then posted photos and a video on Facebook of the reptile being pulled from the swimming pool with the hashtags #NeveraDullMoment and #OnlyinFlorida. Carver said she believes that low water levels in local lagoons may have played a role in how the alligator ended up in her pool. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission issued a warning a residents earlier this week to be more aware of surroundings because gators will become a more common sighting as temperatures rise. Bruce Springsteen's guitarist Nils Lofgren has been left devastated after four of his beloved guitars were stolen from his touring van. Lofgren, a member of Springsteen's E Street Band, was in Dallas for a sold out solo show on Friday when he discovered the van had been broken into overnight. The van was parked at a Holiday Inn Express where Lofgren, 66, was staying when the thief ran off with three Takamine acoustic guitars and a Fender Stratocaster. Bruce Springsteen's guitarist Nils Lofgren has been left devastated after four of his beloved guitars were stolen from his touring van Lofgren, a member of Springsteen's E Street Band, was in Dallas for a sold out solo show on Friday when he discovered the van had been broken into overnight Lofgren tweeted about the theft on Friday, saying it had left him 'devastated' after an already 'very difficult year' An electric level harp and a toolbox belonging to Lofgren's guitar tech was also missing, according to CBS DFW. 'My whole life I've been a fairly gullible, positive person,' Lofgren told the station. 'It gets a little impractical when you're doing one-nighters at the end of a long night to drag in half a ton of gear.' Lofgren's tour manager has estimated that the guitars were worth $10,000. But it's the priceless memories each guitar holds that has made the robbery especially hard for Lofgren. The thief (pictured) was caught on surveillance camera stealing the guitars around 10.30pm on Thursday The van was parked at a Holiday Inn Express (pictured) where Lofgren, 66, was staying The thief ran off with three Takamine acoustic guitars and a Fender Stratocaster as well as a harp, which had all been stored inside the van (pictured) 'I am devastated by this robbery,' Lofgren tweeted on Friday. 'These are my first shows out after a very difficult year. Alas, the show must go on. 'Kessler Theater, it won't be the show I was planning on. However I do plan on taking the roof off.' Lofgren had nicknamed one of the Takamine instruments his 'Willie Nelson guitar'. 'I've played it for so many years and traveled the world with it, so I'm wearing a hole in it,' he said. Pictured is the broken lock on the van's trunk 'I don't have quite the hole through it, but it's about to break. That was a dear guitar for me.' The thief was caught on surveillance camera stealing the guitars around 10.30pm on Thursday night. Lofgren's wife Amy tweeted images from the camera on Friday, writing: 'This pig of a man stole @nilslofgren guitars. Touring is hard enough, and now this.' With no instruments and a gig within hours, Lofgren called on his longtime friend Howard Kweller for help. With no instruments and a gig within hours, Lofgren called on Howard Kweller to borrow a guitar (pictured) he had picked out for his friend's son's bar mitzvah two decades ago The pair had played in a band together in middle school in the 1960s and Kweller still had the guitar Lofgren had bought for his son's bar mitzvah two decades ago. 'Nils knows this guitar and he's played it before,' Kweller said. 'He's the ultimate performer. I have no doubt he'll have an amazing show.' As Lofgren moves on to Austin, he hopes the thief will have a change of heart. 'Man, why'd you steal my equipment? I came here to sing for Dallas,' he said in a direct message to the thief. 'What's wrong with you? Give it back, would you?' Primary school scripture classes teach children as young as six to mime being choked in what a church group describes as 'age-appropriate play-acting'. Sydney Anglican Church Youthworks teaches Kindergarten and Grade 1 children to mime choking themselves to understand the consequences if they turn away from God. The teaching was modelled from Bible chapter Luke 8:4-15 which says: '[people who do not listen to God] are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life'. Primary school scripture classes teach children as young as six to mime being choked in what a church group describes as 'age-appropriate play-acting' The bible scripture goes on to say 'A sower went out to sow his seed. Some fell among thorns and the thorns grew up with it and choked it'. Youthworks CEO Craig Roberts told The Daily Telegraph the lesson 'incorporates supervised, age-appropriate play-acting as a teaching tool where students mime the response of the plants'. Mr Roberts said the teaching was expected when parents enrolled their children in Christian schools. He said parents needed to expect the children would be taught the traditional Christian faith from the Bible. He assured scripture teachers were trained to handle the classes with sensitivity. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Roberts for further information. Graeme Macpherson from Fairness in Religions in School, a parents group, slammed the lesson for being too explicit for young students. 'The kids have already been segregated, but this parable explicitly gets children to envisage that separation in terms that denigrate non-believers,' he said. 'These are strong metaphors for little kids. They encourage them to run rather than walk towards the desired faith on offer and to not identify with other groups and to see them as undesirable.' Youthworks CEO Craig Roberts (pictured) said the lesson 'incorporates supervised, age-appropriate play-acting as a teaching tool where students mime the response of the plants' Youthworks CEO Mr Roberts said the teaching was expected when parents enrolled their children in Christian schools Christian activist Chuck Stetson said Bible study should be a requirement for every Australian child in school, regardless of their religious upbringing. 'If you don't have knowledge of the Bible you can't understand the English language, literature, history, art, music or culture fully,' he told The Australian in February. 'If you're not, you're not getting a full education. And that's unacceptable.' His view was not shared by a number of Australian parents who joined social media groups including 'Stop Scripture in Australian Public Schools' and 'Fairness in Religions in School'. 'Public schools should be secular to not favour any particular religion and to respect those with no religion,' Stop Scripture in Australian Public Schools said. More than 50,000 Toyota vehicles with defective Takata airbags have been recalled again after replacement parts were installed incorrectly. The Takata airbags have caused about 23 deaths and 230 injuries worldwide. More than 48,000 Corolla and Rukus cars which have already had the passenger front air bag inflator replaced will be recalled. Another 7,000 Toyota Corolla, Yaris and Rukus cars made in 2013 will be recalled due to humidity and high temperatures impacting older airbags. Scroll down for videos Toyota will recall more than 50,000 cars in Australia with defective Takata airbags, including airbags installed incorrectly for a second time. One person was seriously injured in Darwin as a result of one of the airbags (pictured) In Australia, one person was seriously injured in a car crash involving a Toyota car with a Takata airbag. One person in Sydney died as a result of a Takata airbag with a non-Toyota car. In a statement, the Toyota said car owners impacted would be notified by mail and can take their car to a dealer for repair 'free of charge'. Replacing the airbags will take up to two hours, or 15 minutes for an inspection to determine if the airbags have been installed incorrectly. Another 7,000 Toyota Corolla, Yaris and Rukus cars made in 2013 were recalled on Thursday due to humidity and high temperatures impacting older airbags. A 2013 Corolla is pictured. 'Replacement of the front passenger airbag inflator assembly will take approximately one or two hours,' the company stated. 'Toyota takes the safety of our guests seriously and we are working hard to rectify all vehicles affected by the faulty Takata airbag inflators.' The 48,172 Toyotas which may have a faulty airbag includes Corolla's and Rukus' produced between March 2007 and December 2012. The cars involved in the latest 7,039 recall announced Thursday include Corolla, Yaris and Rukus cars produced in 2013. The 48,172 Toyotas which may have a faulty airbag includes Corolla's and Rukus' produced between March 2007 and December 2012. The interior of a 2010 Rukus is pictured The recall action follows an extensive Australian Competition and Consumer Commission investigation. An earlier voluntary recall process was deemed ineffective. ACT Consumer Affairs and Road Safety Minister Shane Rattenbury warned people to check their car before 'hitting the road' on the Easter long weekend. 'Airbags are not something we often think about before they get deployed in a crash,' he said. 'Unfortunately in the case of a vehicle fitted with faulty Takata airbags, the outcomes of the crash can be catastrophic.' Victims include Stephanie Erdman (pictured) of Florida who said her life 'changed forever' when she lost part of her vision after a minor accident in her 2002 model Honda This compulsory recall affects 1.3 million vehicles that are actively being recalled now. That leaves another 2.7 million cars that may need to be recalled later, with the problem likely to take years to fix. Motorists can check if their car is affected by visiting the ACCC website, which lists affected models. It's also worth knowing your vehicle's unique 17-character Vehicle Identification Number and see if this VIN features on the government list. The recall action follows an extensive Australian Competition and Consumer Commission investigation WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? High levels of moisture penetrating the airbag can trigger the propelling mechanism too quickly, causing metal fragments to explode outwards. There has been one death and one case of serious injury in Australia as a result of the faulty airbag deployment. Worldwide, there have been at least 23 deaths and more than 230 serious injuries reported associated with the airbags. Victims include Stephanie Erdman of Florida who said her life 'changed forever' when she lost part of her vision after a minor accident in her 2002 model Honda. In Minnesota in 2013 Shashi Chopra was left completely blind when the passenger-side airbag in her 2002 BMW deployed. In 2017 a Sydney man, 58, was the first Australian killed by the airbags after he collided with another car in Cabramatta, in Sydney's south-west. Takata alpha airbags are an immediate and critical safety risk with people advised not to drive cars containing them. WHO PAYS? Vehicle manufacturers will be required to cover the full cost of replacement. WHO WILL BE AFFECTED? The compulsory recall affects about 2.3 million vehicles with a defective airbag. The long list includes Ford, General Motors Holden, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, GMC, Honda, Jeep, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo and Hino Trucks. Staff at Victoria Beckhams fashion business are furious after being told that a third of them are being axed. About 60 workers are to be made redundant after new investors ordered a root-and-branch review of the company, which lost 8.5 million last year. Management consultants acting for backers Neo Investment Partners dismissed Victoria Beckham Ltds business model as unfeasible and recommended that the star slash her workforce. Victoria Beckham has been criticised for not telling staff in person about the redundancies Beckham has shops in London and Hong Kong - but investors say root-and-branch reforms are needed if they are to make money David and Victoria Beckham are in the process of moving to the Cotswolds - renovation work they have done on their new home is reported to have irked their soon-to-be neighbours But there is growing anger that the 43-year-old was absent when the bombshell news was delivered and over the amount of money earned by Victoria. The former Spice Girl was paid 700,000 by the company last year, despite its disastrous financial performance. Mrs Beckhams label, VB Ltd, is based in Battersea, South London with shops in London and Hong Kong. A source close to the company said: She hasnt handled this well, and the staff are raging. She is blaming the consultants, rather than thinking it is her fault. 'The fact is, she doesnt know what shes doing and thats why the backers have decided to act. The anger is mounting also because the staff know how much she pays herself. A spokesman confirmed the redundancies, saying: The board has been focusing on returning the company to profitability. 'The structure is being reviewed to the right size, in line with its financial targets, in consultation with its staff. The Tory leadership rift between Michael Gove and Boris Johnson was dramatically reignited last night by fresh claims about an alleged plot to fix Brexit. A whistleblower claimed that work had started on Mr Goves leadership campaign in June 2016 before the Cabinet Ministers shock decision to knife Mr Johnson and run for leader himself. The new allegations are made by Christopher Wylie, who has been at the centre of the global storm over claimed links between Facebook, secret data firms and the Brexit vote. Electoral chiefs are investigating allegations that Mr Goves Vote Leave tried to dodge spending limits by paying money to a linked pro-Brexit group, which was then channelled to a Canadian company called AggregateIQ (AIQ). The Tory leadership rift between Michael Gove and Boris Johnson (pictured the morning after the EU referendum) was reignited last night by fresh claims about an alleged plot to fix Brexit Mr Wylie claims: AIQ had started to build Mr Goves campaign website in June 2016 while he was still publicly backing Mr Johnson; Mr Gove must have been aware of the controversial 625,000 donation to BeLeave, a supposedly separate wing of the campaign. Last night Mr Gove categorically denied that any work had been carried out on the website before he made his leadership announcement or that he had any knowledge of the donation to BeLeave. The suggestion that Mr Gove was already at work on his campaign before his announcement on June 30 will shock Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson, who only found out about Mr Goves betrayal two hours before he launched his own bid. Mr Gove said he had come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead. Mr Johnsons allies described Mr Goves behaviour as utter treachery, and said they suspected he had intended all along to use the popular Mr Johnson to win the referendum vote before ambushing him at the last moment described as the cuckoo nest plot. One said at the time: Gove is a **** who set this up from the start. Tory MP Nick Boles played a key role in the U-turn, switching his support from Mr Johnson to Mr Gove in the hours before Mr Goves bombshell announcement. It was Mr Boles, as Mr Goves campaign manager, who put through a payment of 2,720 to AIQ to pay for the website. Electoral chiefs are investigating allegations that Vote Leave tried to dodge spending limits by paying money to a linked pro-Brexit group, which was then channelled to a Canadian company called AggregateIQ (AIQ) AIQ was paid almost 4 million by Vote Leave to run their social media campaign before also building Mr Goves website. The Electoral Commission is investigating whether the donation to BeLeave, run by 23-year-old fashion student Darren Grimes, was an attempt to dodge limits on campaign spending. Mr Wylie, who exposed the data firm Cambridge Analyticas plundering of private details from Facebook and has also alleged close links between AIQ and Cambridge Analytica told The Mail on Sunday last night that the Gove campaign website, which launched on July 1, would have needed several more days work on it in advance. He said: Michael Goves website was being worked on by an AIQ employee on June 30, but it would take a couple of days [before then] to set up a website like this. Mr Wylie said: Michael Gove was co-convenor of the Vote Leave Campaign Committee which ran everything and met daily, and this was the single largest expenditure of the campaign. So do you think that committee would not discuss the largest single expenditure? Gove saw Darren in the office all the time, so it looks suspicious to me. Mr Wylie added: The donation to BeLeave went to the same company [AIQ] which then built Goves campaign website. Last night a source in Mr Johnsons camp said: We always thought that Michael was much more heavily involved in the inner workings of the Vote Leave operation. Mr Gove, now Environment Secretary, has since spoken of his regret at the way he treated Mr Johnson. They have cautiously reformed their political alliance including writing a joint letter to Prime Minister Theresa May last year urging her to back a hard Brexit. Mr Wylies claims were echoed by fellow whistleblower Mr Shahmir Sanni, who worked on the BeLeave campaign. Mr Sanni was last week embroiled in a sex smear row with one of Mrs Mays aides over the alleged Brexit plot, after Mr Sanni tried to implicate Mrs Mays chief of staff, Vote Leave campaigner Stephen Parkinson, in the alleged breach of spending limits. Mr Parkinson, denying all wrongdoing, revealed that he used to be in a gay relationship with Mr Sanni which Mr Sanni said amounted to an outing which had placed his relatives in Pakistan in danger. A whistleblower claimed that work had started on Mr Goves leadership campaign in June 2016 before the Cabinet Ministers shock decision to knife Mr Johnson and run for leader himself Mr Sanni said: Michael Gove sat on the campaign committee which made the decision about this donation and received regular reports from the finance committee. Added to which he used AIQ for his leadership bid to make the website. Michael Gove knew who Darren was and congratulated him after the result on the work that BeLeave had done. Gove was fully aware that BeLeave was an outreach group of Vote Leave. Every time I was in the [Vote Leave] office I would see him there. The row came as a new poll showed a majority of voters would back a second Brexit vote if evidence emerged of cheating. The YouGov survey for the pro-remain Best For Britain campaign found that 49 per cent would support a new vote, with 30 per cent against. A spokesman for Mr Gove said: Anyone who claims you cant build a holding page for a website in 24 hours hasnt got a clue what theyre talking about. The start of Michaels leadership campaign has been widely documented everyone knows his decision was made after Andrea Leadsom withdrew her support late on June 29. It is false to claim the campaign committee discussed donations this claim is made by two people who never attended a campaign committee and have no evidence whatsoever for their allegations. This is nothing more than smear and innuendo. Brexit data gurus 'faked voters' email accounts' By Nick Craven for The Mail on Sunday The secretive Canadian IT firm at the centre of the Vote Leave spending and donation controversy was also involved in an election scandal in its home town last month. There was uproar when it emerged that AggregateIQ (AIQ) created more than 1,300 fake email accounts in the contest for the Liberal Party leadership in the province of British Columbia. The data firm, hired to work for candidate Todd Stone, created email addresses in bulk attached to a domain name they set up to be given to 1.349 new party members the Stone campaign had signed up, mainly non-English speaking Chinese who had no email accounts of their own. Party officials stepped in when they realised that if Stones campaign controlled the email accounts, rather than the members, they could theoretically also rig the votes in the online poll. The vacant headquarters for Aggregate IQ in downtown Victoria, British Columbia, Canada A source in the Liberal Party whose leader Justin Trudeau is Canadian Prime Minister told the Mail on Sunday: It was ham-fisted and looked bad, certainly creating the impression that something was underhand, even if it wasnt. The row broke out days before the vote and rivals called for Stone to be disqualified. He lost anyway. Since AIQ was set up in 2014 it has been based in British Columbias capital Victoria, but there was little sign of the firm last week. Its headquarters was deserted. The landlord said it suddenly left two months ago. Its website had carried a quote from Vote Leaves Dominic Cummings saying: We couldnt have done it without them [AIQ]. That has disappeared. Now it says: AggregateIQ works in full compliance within all legal and regulatory requirements in all jurisdictions where it operates. The Archbishop of Wales, John Davies, has been accused of sowing confusion One of Britains leading Anglican clerics has sparked controversy by casting doubts over the Resurrection of Jesus just days before Easter. The Archbishop of Wales, John Davies, has been accused of sowing confusion over the biblical story that will be celebrated by millions around the world today. Asked in an interview about the New Testament account of Jesus rising from the tomb, the Archbishop said: I dont think any of us actually knows, quite frankly. He told online magazine Christian Today that it was terribly hard for people to grasp the idea of a bodily resurrection. The 65-year-old Archbishop, who was elected in September to head the Church in Wales the Welsh equivalent of the Church of England said something radical had happened that had changed peoples lives. But he then referred to one of the Churchs most contentious theologians, the late Bishop of Durham, David Jenkins, who was accused of blasphemy for questioning the physical nature of the Resurrection when he described it as a conjuring trick with bones. Three days after Dr Jenkins was consecrated as a bishop in York Minister in 1984, the cathedral was hit by lightning and gutted by fire an event some blamed on divine displeasure. Echoing Bishop Jenkins remarks, Archbishop Davies, a former solicitor, said the Resurrection was about something far more than a dead body coming back to life it is the complete renewal of the being of Christ. Although surveys have found that a significant number of Anglican clergy doubt or disbelieve the physical resurrection of Christ, it is rare for senior leaders to openly express such reservations, particularly at this time of year. Former Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali said there was plenty of evidence in the Bible to support the simplest explanation of the empty tomb Former Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali said there was plenty of evidence in the Bible to support the simplest explanation of the empty tomb that Christ rose from the dead. In a stinging attack, he added: There are many things the Archbishop may not know, but there is enough for him to preach the Easter faith confidently and to strengthen the faith of others rather than sow doubt and confusion at this central time in our calendar. In his interview, Archbishop Davies said there were almost contradictory accounts in the Gospels about how the risen Christ had appeared to his disciples, saying: I dont think anyone can tell you what happened when it comes to empty tombs. The Archbishop told The Mail on Sunday: There is no doubting that the disciples experienced the presence of the risen Christ and the faith of todays church is rooted in their experience. The difficulty with the biblical accounts is they all differ in detail but, as I said in the interview, and very clearly, they all add up to the same truth that Christ is risen. The row follows reports that Pope Francis had denied the existence of Hell, although Vatican officials said his words had been misrepresented. A ruthless Russian spy commits murder on the soil of a Western democracy. Meanwhile, shadowy forces harvest the personal data of millions of people and publish fake news stories in a bid to influence votes in the United States and Britain. Sound like lead items on a TV news bulletin? In fact, these are key plot lines from a television drama with an uncanny ability to predict world events. Fans of US drama Homeland, starring Claire Danes as rogue CIA agent Carrie Mathison and Mandy Patinkin as CIA official Saul Berenson, are amazed at just how close the current series, which continues on Channel 4 tonight, is to reality. One tweeted: By my estimates, Homeland is only three months ahead of real life. Another added: I swear every day that it seems more and more like Homeland has become real life. The shows close relationship with genuine spooks is one reason it is able to stay a step ahead. Producers who began researching the new series in April last year admit that plot lines have been shaped by conversations with serving intelligence officers. Whats going on right now in the intelligence community is exactly what were dramatising, says Alex Gansa, the shows head writer. Here we turn the spotlight on the overlap of fact and fiction. The agent Homeland: Bipolar CIA agent Carrie, Claire Danes may now have committed herself to protecting President Keane but has difficulty looking after herself. Her addiction to prescription drugs worry all those around her. Donald Trumps newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, right, looks like Carrie (left) and is equally committed to protecting the White House. Real life: Donald Trumps newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, right, looks like Carrie and is equally committed to protecting the White House. Nielsen was a senior fellow at George Washington Universitys Center for Cyber and Homeland Security and is an expert on cyber issues. The agitator Homeland: Brett OKeefe, a radio talk show host who has vowed to destroy President Keane, is the programmes idea of a Donald Trump supporter. OKeefe, left, played by Jake Weber, uses his show to trash his Left-wing opponents, not caring that his inflammatory words stir up hatred. OKeefe (left) has more than a passing resemblance to Right-wing activist Steve Bannon (right) Real life: OKeefe has more than a passing resemblance to Right-wing activist Steve Bannon, left, who played a key role in Donald Trumps election victory. Bannon manipulates the media to propagate his anti-liberal views but, unlike OKeefe, stays on the right side of the law and would never contemplate employing the tactics used by his fictional counterpart. The Russian Hit Homeland: Former Russian double agent Ivan Krupin ends up swimming with the fishes when he questions Russian agent Gromovs right to kill Americans on American soil. Security chief Saul Berenson receives a distress call from Krupin, but only arrives on the scene after Krupin has been bound and gagged and dumped. Gromov cant resist giving Krupin a lecture on the new world order before confining him to a watery grave, inset. Former Russian double agent Ivan Krupin ends up swimming with the fishes when he questions Russian agent Gromovs right to kill Americans on American soil The real-life poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, top, in Salisbury last month Real life: This chilling story line has echoes of the real-life poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, top, in Salisbury last month. The Russian government remains the prime suspect in the attempted killing of the pair and the UK and its allies have responded with unprecedented diplomatic measures. The Diversion Homeland: A beleaguered President Keanes poll ratings get a much-needed boost when her right-hand man David Wellington, played by British actor Linus Roache, organises an air strike in Syria to divert attention from her problems at home. A beleaguered President Keanes poll ratings get a much-needed boost when her right-hand man David Wellington, played by British actor Linus Roache, organises an air strike in Syria to divert attention from her problems at home Pictured: Adult film star Stormy Daniels Real life: Trump has turned diversion into an art form take a look at his recent decision to expel 60 Russian diplomats. This was seen by many as a ploy to direct attention away from his alleged relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels, left, coming just 24 hours after the scandal emerged. The Fake News Homeland: Russian agent Yevgeny Gromov demonstrates the potency of fake news by doctoring a photo of a teenager shot in a showdown between the FBI and opponents of President Keane. Gromov removes the images of medical staff treating the teenager and uploads the image (pictured) to the web under the heading Boy Left To Die In Virginia Hospital. Homeland security chief Saul Berenson is then shown how the image was disseminated via Twitter with most of tweets coming from automated accounts or 'bots'. Gromov removes the images of medical staff treating the teenager and uploads the image (pictured) to the web under the heading Boy Left To Die In Virginia Hospital President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House Real life: There are real fears that made-up stories circulated by networks of anonymous Twitter accounts or bots have been used to swing elections in the UK and America, including 2016s Brexit referendum. Voters are targeted with messages through social media platforms that fabricate events, smear candidates and provide a distorted picture. PS One they got wrong Homelands writing team developed a female President when Hillary Clinton looked a dead cert for the White House. Trumps win meant the character Elizabeth Keane played by Elizabeth Marvel, had to be altered to accommodate aspects of his presidency. Two people have died after a homebuilt airplane crashed into a shed outside the Southern California city of Santa Paula. The two-seat aircraft went down Saturday afternoon when the weather was clear and sunny, according to Ventura County fire Captain Stan Ziegler. He said the two people were pronounced dead when firefighters got to the crash site less than a mile from Santa Paula Airport. Images show the crumpled wreckage of the aircraft near the Californian city of Santa Paula Images show the crumpled wreckage of the aircraft sitting atop the destroyed shed between two pine trees. Santa Paula is roughly 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane was a homebuilt Vans RV-6A that caught fire after it went down. Gregor says the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. Advertisement An army of a thousand migrants from Central America are marching through Mexico to the US where they hope to get in by any means - legal or not. The massive flood of migrants hail mostly from Honduras, where the country has become rife with gang violence and political unrest. The journey began on Sunday March 25 when 1,200 men, women and children gathered together to cross immigration checkpoints with a organization called Pueblos Sin Fronteras, meaning People Without Borders, according to BuzzFeed News. And the number is only growing as migrants walk to the border in 90-degree heat, sleep on the floor of town plazas, and get by on charity meals by locals and churches. So far no one in Mexico has tried to stop them. 1,200 migrants from Central America headed on foot to the US on Sunday, pictured above on Palm Sunday in south Mexico with a sign that says 'We are all America no to the discrimination' The massive procession of migrants moved through Mexico towards the US border, where they demand asylum as they leave their Central American countries such as Honduras Eighty per cent of the migrants, pictured above on Sunday taking up an entire highway lane, hail from Honduras, which has been overcome with political unrest and gang activity For Palm Sunday the Central American migrants, pictured above attending mass, traveled on foot with the organization Pueblos Sin Fronteras, meaning People Without Borders The group has attracted thousands as the solo journey to the US is dangerous with threats of robbery and violence The volunteer-run organization has led such pilgrimages in the past to assure safe passage for migrants to the US, protecting them from authorities, gangs and cartels. The arduous journey will take a month as the group - 80 per cent hailing from Honduras - pass through Guatemala and up Mexico to get to the US borer. A Buzzfeed reporter on site says organizers estimate that about two-thirds of the people in the caravan plan to cross in the US undetected or by asking for asylum protection. Others will attempt to enter illegally. 'The crime rate is horrible, you can't live there,' a Honduran mother-of-two named Karen said to BuzzFeed on fleeing her home country. 'After the president [was sworn in] it got worse. There were deaths, mobs, robbed homes, adults and kids were beaten up,' she added. 'We're all here fighting together, going to different borders, chasing an American dream that sometimes becomes a reality or doesn't for some,' another Honduran migrant named Yonis said. However the caravan of migrants believes in the power in numbers. A child looks on as a crowd gathers for mass on Sunday in Mexico during the first stretch of the month-long journey One of the most perilous parts of the journey includes riding on top of freight trains, pictured above on Wednesday March 28 Caravan members were pictured practicing climbing rickety ladders to the roof of the dangerous trains on Wednesday Organized groups of the caravan lined up to receive juice and snacks during a rest stop on Wednesday March 28 The group has committees devoted to food, security and logistics. An organized food break pictured above Wednesday The group of people grows as it travels through Mexico and is meticulously organized into small groups, pictured Sunday The group headed off on foot, pictured Sunday, carrying jugs of water and holding onto cooking instruments in the heat 'If we all protect each other well get through this together,' Pueblos Sin Fronteras organizer Rodrigo Abeja said to the passing crowds via a loudspeaker as they passed through the Guatemala-Mexico border in Tapachula. One of the more perilous parts of the journey includes perching on top of freight trains dubbed 'the Beast' or 'the Train of Death' as a faster route north. The group even practice boarding and balancing on top of the train cars. Images of the army show thousands fill streets in processions, often chanting as they walk and sometimes carrying signs that say 'Were all America' and 'No to the Discrimination'. But the chaos is surprisingly well organized. The migrants are divided into groups of 10 to 15 people, with a leader heading each group. Five groups make up a sector. Committees are also set up to oversee security, food and logistics. A BuzzFeed reporter who is travelling with the group to document their progress posted a moment during a speech Tuesday The procession of marchers, pictured Monday March 26, see parents hold onto their youngsters as they walk a highway The group marched with this sign on Monday with the phrase 'Via Crucis' meaning 'Way of the Cross' on the banner The group successfully passed immigration points on Monday and so far have not been stopped by any Mexican authorities On Monday March 26 the caravan successfully past this check point after the immigration agents abandoned their posts The group passed the empty immigration check point, allowing them to pass through without any legal trouble The organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras posted this photo on March 23 showing a flood of walkers on a small local street For many the exodus is to seek political asylum from Honduras, sparking rallies along the way pictured March 25 A rally against the political unrest in Honduras took place on March 25 outside the Honduran consulate in Tapachula, Mexico Although the group doesnt promise entry into the US, it serves to help migrants get there safely. Walkers are responsible for their own food, water, and payment for vans and buses used during the journey. 'I'm here to work together with the people who had to leave their countries for whatever reason,' Alex Mensing, an organizer at Pueblos Sin Fronteras, said. 'We're fighting together. We're not here to give anyone papers and we're not here to give anyone food,' he added. The group travel, however, is a preferred alternative for many who choose to avoid making the solitary journey to the border, where travelers are vulnerable to violence and robbery. 'Going alone is risky. You're risking an accident, getting jumped by robbers, and even your life,' Mateo Juan, 29, said on the trek - his third attempt to enter the US with the organization. 'All of that, and then you don't get to the United States. The caravan is slower but you know you're going to get there safely,' he added. Student Josie Orihuela recorded incident at Hampton Middle School near Atlanta A sixth-grade teacher has delivered a shocking classroom rant claiming that President Donald Trump wants a return to segregation and accused white students of being the progeny of 'European' mass murderers. Student Josie Orihuela recorded the incident last month at Hampton Middle School near Atlanta, where social studies teacher Johnetta Benton was delivering a lesson for Black History Month. Josie began recording just after Benton turned off a film the class was watching and pronounced that that 'Make America Great Again' could be a precursor to 'trying to bring back segregation,' the student told Fox News. 'He must be talking about when it was great for Europeans,' Benton says in the recording. 'Because when it comes to minorities, America has never been great for minorities.' Social studies teacher Johnetta Benton was delivering a lesson for Black History Month at Hampton Middle (pictured) when she launched into the rant 'Cuz when I examine history, I can't remember a time when it was great for anybody other than the Europeans,' Benton continued. Another male teacher was heard in the classroom interjecting periodically in support of Benton's arguments. When students tried to reply that Trump's slogan might be a call for a return to stricter legal controls on immigration, such as the nation had before the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Benton rejected the notion. 'Because Europeans came from Europe. You are immigrants. You are illegal immigrants. Because you came and just took it... You are an immigrant. This is not your country,' Benton said. 'Before you talk about somebody else look at yourself in the mirror, look at your ancestry in the mirror before you start saying "You're bad, and you're bad and you're bad so you can't come 'cause you happened to have killed a few people" - Well guess what my people have killed millions, not a few. Millions upon millions upon millions - babies and children,' she said, speaking in the voice of a 'European'. Benton has been a teacher for 18 years, according to her profile on the school website. Josie is seen with a family member. Her mother pulled her out of the school over the incident Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com J.D. Hardin, the communications coordinator for the Henry County schools in Georgia, called the rant 'extremely unfortunate,' and said that the matter had been 'addressed immediately' in a statement to Fox News. It was not clear what action had been taken, and Hardin did not immediately reply to a message from DailyMail.com. 'This unfortunate incident affords us to opportunity to remind our educators of the importance of keeping any potential political bias out of lessons for students of any age,' Hardin said. It comes days after another social studies teacher at the same middle school assigned students to write a letter to lawmakers demanding new restrictions on gun ownership. Outraged parent William Lee, a law enforcement officer, showed the assignment by teacher Corey Sanders to the police news site Blue Lives Matter. 'For this assignment, you are writing a letter to the lawmakers of the United States. The purpose of this letter is to pressure lawmakers to have stricter gun laws in the United States,' the assignment read. Josie's mother, Kimberly Orihuela, also spoke with Blue Lives Matter, saying she had withdrawn her daughter from Hampton Middle over Benton's actions. 'I had to get my kids out of the Henry County schools,' Kimberly said. 'She basically told these children that they were responsible for millions of deaths. Why is she saying that every white child is the descendent of a slave owner? That's just not true,' she said. 'I told my daughter I was proud that she had the nerve to ask the questions that she called her out on the fact Trump is talking about illegal immigrants, not legal immigrants,' Kimberly said. 'But when she told the kids to go home and look in the mirror and reflect on what their ancestors have done I had had enough,' the mother said. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong (Photo: VNA) During his stay in France, Party General Secretary Trong held talks with President Emmanuel Macron; met Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, President of the National Assembly Francois De Rugy; President of the Senate Gerard Larcher; laid wreaths at the statue of late President Ho Chi Minh to commemorate the national hero in Montreuil city and visited Choisy Le Roi City, where negotiations on the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam took place from from May 1968 to March 1973. Also, the Party Chief received leading enterprises in France and met with Vietnamese intelligence in the European country. At the meeting, both sides exchanges measures to set up frameworks and create new momentum to deepen the bilateral strategic partnership, thus opening a new development phase for the two countries. Regional and international issues of mutual concerns, especially the regional security were also on the table. They agreed that all disputes must be settled by peaceful means, based on international regulations and each nation should be responsible for regional security and development. While in Cuba, Party General Secretary Trong held talks with First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) Central Committee and President of the Councils of State and Ministers of Cuba General Raul Castro Ruz. He had meetings with Second Secretary of the PCC Central Committee Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, Politburo member and President of the National Assembly Esteban Lazo Hernandez, and Politburo member and First Vice President of the Cuban Council of State and the Council of Ministers Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez. The Vietnamese and Cuban leaders agreed that the special friendship and solidarity between the two countries is a symbol of the era and an invaluable asset of the Parties and people. They resolved to bolster of the friendship fostered by late President Ho Chi Minh and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro. The leaders agreed on the importance of expanding and deepening the friendship and comprehensive co-operation between the two countries, thus actively contributing to their national construction and defence, and to maintaining peace, stability, and development in the region and the world. During the talks, they expressed their joy at the flourishing bilateral relations between the two nations, and affirmed their determination to turn the special relations into a new development period, on the basis of political trust. They stressed the two sides should work closely to improve the efficiency of bilateral economic, trade and investment co-operation, while comparing their notes on international and regional issues of common concern. On the occasion, the Party leader laid a wreath and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh and Cuban hero Jose Marti and Cuban revolutionary Leader Fidel Castro Ruz, visited Santiago De Cuba and Vo Thi Thang primary school, and met with youth people of the two countries. Over 40 documents, agreements and cooperative contracts were inked during his visit to France and Cuba, which will allow the relations between Vietnam and the two countries to develop in a stronger and more efficient manner in the future./. A single mother has revealed the two inspiring things her daughter's principals said after they learned she was transgender. Jeanne Talbot has revealed that her daughter Nicole, now 16, has been lucky to be surrounded by accepting educators since she transitioned in the seventh grade. 'Their words were more affirming than anything I anticipated or could have imagined,' Jeanne wrote in a piece for the Huffington Post. One principal told Nicole she had been their greatest teacher. The other told Jeanne: 'The fact that Nicole is transgender is the most uninteresting thing about her.' Jeanne Talbot has revealed that her 16-year-old daughter Nicole's principals said two very inspiring things after they learned she was transgender One principal told Nicole she had been their greatest teacher. The other told Jeanne: 'The fact that Nicole is transgender is the most uninteresting thing about her' These kind words have soothed worries that Jeanne, who lives in Massachusetts, long held of the hardship that Nicole would face after transitioning. Nicole began to insist from a 'very young' age that she was transgender, Jeanne revealed. 'It took me 12 years to realize what she knew from the start: that she is a girl,' the mother wrote. 'I had to learn that it was not a fad, not a phase, and not something that she was going to outgrow.' 'Though I had come to accept my child as my daughter, I never quite lost my fear of what I believed would be a very difficult road ahead.' Nicole began to insist from a 'very young' age that she was transgender and decided to come out publicly as a girl in the middle of seventh grade Nicole decided to come out publicly as a girl in the middle of seventh grade, and Joanne said the school began training to prepare staff and teachers to make the place 'affirming and safe' for her daughter. But Nicole was tired of pretending to be a boy. So one night Joanne called the school and said 'she's coming tomorrow'. Joanne long feared that her daughter would face discrimination and hate from others 'That morning was filled with both excitement and anxiety. We hoped for the best and prepared for the worst,' Joanne wrote. 'None of our fears materialized.' The principal introduced Joanne's daughter to the school as Nicole and discussed how students needed to call her by the right name. He made it clear that to call Nicole by any other name would be bullying. 'Nicole had arrived. The principal had set a positive tone and expectation. And then she was, forevermore, Nicole always, everywhere, and in every way,' Joanna wrote. 'It was what that same principal said to Nicole a few months later that stopped a breath in my chest: "Nicole, you are my greatest teacher"'. But the teen's middle school principal introduced Joanne's daughter to the school as Nicole and discussed how they needed to call their peer by the right name. The mother and daughter are pictured with Megyn Kelly 'His greatest teacher. A teacher of living authentically. A teacher of courage. A teacher of perseverance. A teacher of doing the right thing, even when its difficult.' Joanne's fears came back when it was time for Nicole to advance to high school, but once again her fears were unfounded. 'Not long ago, her new principal said something that again floored me: "The fact that Nicole is transgender is the most uninteresting thing about her,"' she recalled. 'The simplest truth, but the most powerful message. Transgender people are people: humans with families, friends, hobbies, talents and, above all, dreams. They are just like all of us, because they are us. The difference is that there is no difference.' Now Nicole is getting A's and B's in her classes, preparing for her driver's test, and going to dances with her friends. Now Nicole is getting A's and B's in her classes, preparing for her driver's test, and going to dances with her friends She's also doing some extraordinary things, like singing the national anthem in front of 19,000 people at a Boston Bruins game and appearing on Megyn Kelly Today to discuss her transgender initiative The GenderCool Project. 'We know stories have the power to change the world,' Joanne wrote. 'Nicole tells hers with that vision in mind - that one day being transgender will be largely irrelevant and simply one adjective, among many, to describe her.' 'She's a teenage girl.And being transgender is the most uninteresting thing about her.' Kenleigh Prendergast, 25, (seen in an undated photo) had only been at Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina for five months when she is said to have started the inappropriate relationship A school counselor has been fired after admitting to having a sexual relationship with a student who she would text and FaceTime in the day and then meet in her private office after hours. Kenleigh Prendergast, 25, had only been at Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina for five months when she is said to have started the inappropriate relationship with a pupil 'aged 16 or 17' in January this year. The counselor said the attachment ended several days before she was reported to police on March 25. She was interviewed on March 30 and confessed to communicating with the student via text, cellphone calls or FaceTime during and after school hours. This led to the pair meeting outside of school in her house, which doubled up as a private counseling practice, she said. Prendergast was taken to the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office Detention facility and charged with sexual battery with a student aged 16 or 17 with no aggravated force or coercion. The school, which charges up to $19,000 a year in fees, said it fired Prendergast as soon as they were informed of the allegations by police. Prendergast (pictured in a March 31 police mug shot, left, and an undated handout photo, right) said the attachment ended several days before she was reported to police on March 25 It said in a statement: 'Spartanburg Day School was contacted on March 31 by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and informed that an employee, Kenleigh Prendergast, was charged with sexual battery with a student. 'Ms. Prendergast was hired in August of 2017 as school counselor. 'Effective immediately, Ms. Prendergast's employment with the school has been terminated. 'SDS puts the safety and wellbeing of our students above all things, and will cooperate fully with the Sheriff's Office throughout this process.' Spartanburg Day School, pictured in an undated image, said it fired Prendergast immediately after hearing about the allegations against her Prendergast's private office, where she would meet the student after the school day had ended Prendergast's online profile describes her as a 'licensed family therapy intern' with 'several years of experience working in school environments'. It lists her main passion as 'working with teens struggling with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem/confidence and difficult life transitions'. 'I also enjoy working with young adults (college-aged/early 20's) and adults with these issues, & more!' she adds. Prendergast's online profile describes her as a 'licensed family therapy intern' with 'several years of experience working in school environments'. Pictured: Her office A skydiving plane carrying seven people made an emergency landing in the backyard of an upstate New York home after suffering an engine malfunction, injuring all on board. The aircraft from Skydive the Ranch made the unexpected landing on Saturday afternoon, according to Fire Chief Matthew Goodnow. The trip that was supposed to set up the skydivers for a jump at 700 feet, took a turn when the engine went haywire in Gardiner, New York, 80 miles north of the city. The pilot initially tried to return to the local airport, but the fire chief said the craft 'couldn't make it', leading to the backyard landing. A skydiving plane carrying seven suffered an engine malfunction on Saturday, causing the craft to make an emergency landing in the backyard of an upstate New York home The divers sustained minor injuries in the last-minute landing of the Cessna Caravan C208B aircraft. Although all seven people suffered injuries, six refused medical attention. One went to Mid-Husdon Regional Hospital for evaluation, according to The Poughkeepsie Journal. The aircraft was a 1987 single engine that seated 12 according to the Shawangunk Journal. The craft suffered minor damage. The Fire Chief described the landing as likely 'awful bumpy'. 'It was in a field compared to a paved runway,' he added. The alarm was first raised to the Gardiner Fire Department around 4:30pm. The company Skydive the Ranch had no comment on the incident as of Saturday afternoon. State police are investigating the incident. James Skillen found safe and well A three-year-old boy who wandered away from a campsite near Mudgee on Saturday night has been found safe and well. Search crews spent the night looking for James Skillen after he was reported missing about 5.45pm on Saturday by his family, who was enjoying an Easter break. The three-year-old was found by members of the public about 11.40am on Sunday morning, NSW police confirmed. He was discovered on a public four-wheel drive track, about five kilometres south-west from where he was last seen. James wandered away from a campsite on a property at Razorback, near Mudgee in the NSW Hunter region. The boy is being flown back to the command post where he will be reunited with family and assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics, the police said. Three-year-old James Skillen has been found about five kilometres from where he went missing An extensive search for the boy included the police service, NSW Ambulance, the Rural Fire Service, SES and the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association. A police rescue helicopter, police divers and a dog squad joined the search on Sunday morning. Overnight temperatures dropped to 15 degrees. Inspector Dan Skelly said the police were not treating the boy's disappearance as suspicious. More to come. A man who was stabbed in the back in a vicious pub brawl had one final beer with blade sticking out of him before eventually going to hospital. The 27-year-old clashed with another man, 20, at the Sunshine Coast's Beerwah Hotel before the pair were kicked out and took the fight into the street. The older man was allegedly stabbed in the back. Instead of going to hospital, he went back to the pub and had another beer. Brawl: A 27-year-old clashed with another man, 20, at the Sunshine Coast's Beerwah Hotel (pictured) before the pair were kicked out and took the fight into the street He later called for help and was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a stable condition, reported Sunshine Coast Daily. A spokesman for Queensland Police said the men knew each other and there was a 'substantial' amount of alcohol involved. It is understood that the victim does not wish to press charges. Sixteen revellers have been arrested at an out-of-control party where there were up to 150 people, some armed with knives. Officers were called to Mokutu Court at Quinns Rocks in the city's outer north about 11.15pm on Saturday to reports of people in the street. When police arrived, they spoke to the owner of the residence who had started asking people to leave. Officers monitored about 150 people at the property. Scroll down for video Sixteen revellers have been arrested at an out-of-control Perth party of up to 150 people, some armed with knives More calls were made to police when people started to become violent in the street. The party was declared 'out-of-control' when some of them turned on the police, with some revellers throwing objects at officers. No officer was injured, but a police car window was damaged. In Seven News video footage taken at the scene, police officers can be seen chasing people down the street on foot. The footage also shows various revellers handcuffed and and taken into police custody. Of the 16 arrested, one male was arrested for disorderly behaviour, two people were arrested for the car damage and police issued 11 juvenile cautions and one infringement notice. Officers question party-goers while assessing any damage to police vehicles Tracy Morgan is finally coming back to television three years after he was nearly killed in a car accident. And Morgan said he believes that God spared his life that day so he could bring love and hope to the world. Morgan, 49, was screening the premiere of his new TBS show The Last O.G. in Brooklyn when he made an emotional speech about his recovery from the June 2014 crash. 'I know why God spared my life that day in that accident,' he said. 'It was to bring love and to bring hope.' Tracy Morgan, 49, was screening the premiere of his new TBS show The Last O.G. in Brooklyn (pictured) when he made an emotional speech about his recovery from the June 2014 crash Morgan gave a shout out and hugged rapper Busta Rhymes, who the comedian credited with helping him through his long recovery 'Forget the 49 years of my life, let's think about the last three. The accident was three years ago, and am I a better man now than I was? The answer is yes!' The 30 Rock star was in a coma for two weeks and suffered a 'traumatic brain injury' after his car was struck by a Walmart truck driver who hadn't slept for more than 24 hours. Morgan said he believes that God spared his life that day so he could bring love and hope to the world Morgan also suffered a broken leg, nose, and ribs in the crash, which killed his friend and fellow comedian James McNair. The actor paid tribute to McNair on Thursday, calling him 'one of the real OGs'. He also gave a shout out to rapper Busta Rhymes, a childhood friend who Morgan credited with helping him through his long recovery. '[Busta] sent me a video just giving me love and hope and that inspired me to get out of that wheelchair and just work harder in therapy,' Morgan told the crowd. Morgan came up with the idea for The Last OG, which follows a drug dealer who returns to gentrified Brooklyn after spending 15 years in prison, when he came home from the hospital. 'I looked at this show on MSNBC called Lockup Raw. I got a second chance and these people are incarcerated and I put two together and I started twirling around - it was a general idea,' he told reporters last July. He also revealed that Rhymes sent him a video during his recovery that inspired him to get out of his wheelchair and 'just work harder in therapy' The former Saturday Night Live star said he then started talking to Comedy Central star and Get Out director Jordan Peele and pitched him the idea. Peele is a co-creator of The Last O.G. along with John Carcieri, producer and writer of HBO's Vice Principals and Eastbound & Down. Morgan plays ex-con Tray who finds that the life and Brooklyn neighborhood he left behind is gone when he returns from prison. The series co-stars Cedric the Entertainer as well as Tiffany Haddish, who plays Morgan's ex-girlfriend Shay. The 30 Rock star was in a coma for two weeks and suffered a 'traumatic brain injury' after his car was struck by a Walmart truck driver who hadn't slept for more than 24 hours Morgan (pictured in 2015) also suffered a broken leg, nose, and ribs in the crash, which killed his friend and fellow comedian James McNair Morgan said he filmed the show on the streets in the projects to bring 'hope' to the children there. 'We bring more than just those cameras and those trailers and those lights,' he said. 'To the youth we bring hope, because they see people like me and Tiffany and Cedric right there and they can touch us.' 'We thanked them all the time for allowing us to use their neighborhood. And we are ambassadors.' 'We have to be kind to those people and those neighborhoods, because if we are not kind to them someone could get hurt on that set.' James Skillen has been found safe and well, and reunited with his family in Mudgee This is the touching moment a three-year-old who was miraculously found alive after 18 hours lost in the bush, is reunited with his family. James Skillen wandered away from a campsite near Mudgee in the New South Wales Hunter region about 5.45pm on Saturday night. James was found by members of the public about 11.40am on Sunday morning, after search crews spent 18-hours looking for the boy. Heart-warming footage has now emerged capturing the moment James is carried from a police helicopter to the command post where his family was waiting for him. The boy's father, Peter Skillen, said his son tried to hitch a lift back home with a kangaroo. Scroll down for video This is the moment James Skillen is reunited with his mother after surviving 18-hours in the bush James Skillen was passed to his mother before being given to paramedics for assessment 'He said he tried to jump on a kangaroo this morning because he thought the kangaroo might take him home,' Mr Skillen told the ABC. 'It's an Easter miracle, it's just amazing and we just can't thank the emergency services enough for everything they've done. 'He was very chirpy, he was very happy he got to ride in a helicopter.' In the footage captured by Seven News, three-year-old James appears unfazed as members of the search crew clap his safe return. New South Wales police said the boy would be assessed by ambulance paramedics after he was back with family. James was discovered on a public four-wheel drive track, about five kilometres south-west from where he was last seen. He wandered away from a campsite on a property at Razorback, near Mudgee in the NSW Hunter region. James Skillen's teary mother is seen embracing her three-year-old as he is returned safe and well Three-year-old James Skillen has been found about five kilometres from where he went missing James Skillen was last seen about 5pm on Saturday at a campsite with his family who were enjoying an Easter break on a property on Old Ilford Road, Razorback, about 69km south of Mudgee (map pictured) An extensive search for the boy included the police service, NSW Ambulance, the Rural Fire Service, SES and the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association. A police rescue helicopter, police divers and a dog squad joined the search on Sunday morning. Overnight temperatures dropped to 15 degrees. Inspector Dan Skelly said the police were not treating the boy's disappearance as suspicious. A Hawaii beach was forced to shut after a 25-year-old man was attacked by a shark on Saturday morning. The man was paddleboarding with his father about 150 yards offshore at Kukio Beach near Hualalai when he was bumped off the board and bitten by a shark. He was taken back to shore by members of the outdoor pursuits staff from the Kukio Community Association. Kukio Beach (pictured) in Hawaii was forced to shut down on Saturday after a 25-year-old man was attacked by shark while paddleboarding with his father The man suffered extensive injuries to his hand and leg. Bystanders treated the man with multiple tourniquets to his right side until am ambulance arrived at the scene, according to Big Island Now. He was transported by helicopter to a local hospital in critical condition and flown to The Queen's Medical Center later in the day. Standard procedure is to set up beach closure signs up to one mile on either side of where the attack happened until noon the next day. Pictured is Kukio Beach The man's current condition is not known. Hawaii County Civil Defense announced that the beach would be closed to the public for the rest of the day following the attack. Standard procedure is to set up beach closure signs up to one mile on either side of the attack location until noon the next day. A decision on reopening the beaches will be made after observations on Sunday morning. Gun rights activists gave away 1,200 free high capacity magazines at a rally outside Vermont State House to protest new legislation that would ban them and introduce a series of other control measures. Hundreds of demonstrators turned out on Saturday to urge Republican Governor Phil Scott not to sign the gun restrictions bill a day after it was passed by the state legislature. The legislation would ban the 30-round magazines and rapid-fire devices known as bump stocks, in addition to raising the legal age. It would also expand background checks for private gun sales. Gun rights activists handed out the 30-round magazines as they called on Vermont Governor Phil Scott to veto a gun control bill after it was signed by the state legislature Scott acknowledged that many Vermonters would be disappointed by the vote but said he would sign off the measures despite opposing them himself as recently as two months ago. 'I share it. I know why they are disappointed,' Scott said. 'But I think at the end of the day, they'll soon learn that what we have proposed, what's being passed at this time, doesn't intrude upon the Second Amendment. 'It doesn't take away guns, and I believe that we will get accustomed to the new normal, which is trying to address this underlying violence that we are seeing across the nation.' Public opinion in the Vermont has been affected by the arrest of a teenager on charges he was planning a shooting at the Fair Haven Union High School, which he once attended. Hundreds of demonstrators turned out on Saturday with many wearing orange hunting caps and coats The arrest was made just a day after the shooting at Parkland High School in Florida, which killed 17 people, with tragedy only being averted because a friend of the teenager alerted authorities. In one day, Scott, who had previously said he did not favor any gun restrictions, changed his mind and urged lawmakers to act. About 2,500 students and supporters rallied in front of the Vermont Statehouse last weekend as part of the national 'March for our Lives' movement. Governor Scott (pictured in a recent Facebook photo) previously opposed the legislation but now says he will sign it off But for the past several weeks, gun-rights supporters, many wearing hunter orange vests or hats, have filled the halls of the Statehouse showing their opposition to gun restrictions. The 17-13 Senate vote on Friday came after an emotional debate in which lawmakers from the largely rural state spoke of the centuries-old traditions that allow people who live far from the nearest police station to keep weapons as a means of self-defense. Others countered that the modern reality of mass shootings demanded change. Democratic Sen. John Rodgers, of Glover, an area known as Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, argued for a version of the bill with fewer restrictions on guns. 'The soil of the Kingdom is in my blood and a fair amount of my blood is in that soil,' he said. 'And because of the way I grew up, I feel dedicated to protecting that area.' But Democratic and Progressive Sen. Philip Baruth, from Burlington, said the violence and mass shootings require change. 'Our attitudes are changing,' he said. 'And they are changing for a very, very good reason.' Gun control opponents wearing hunter orange pack the gallery in the Vermont House of Representatives on Tuesday March 27 General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, pays tribute to Fidel Castro at the late leader's tomb in Santiago de Cuba on March 30th (Photo: VNA) In his message, the Vietnamese leader said he and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam are happy about the fine outcomes of the State visit to Cuba, noting that the trip left profound sentiment and impressions in them and was a vivid demonstration of the special relationship between the two Parties, States and peoples. We firmly believe that the outcomes of this visit will greatly contribute to the inheritance and promotion of the Vietnam Cuba traditional solidarity and friendship and, particularly, foster and improve the effectiveness of cooperation between our two countries in the new period, he wrote. He sent sincere thanks to Raul Castro, leaders of the Party and State and people of Cuba for their warm reception for the Vietnamese delegation during the visit. The General Secretary wished the Cuban people, under the clear-sighted leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba, will continue to gain even greater accomplishments in the socio-economic model update and successfully achieve the target of building a socialist Cuba of prosperity and sustainability. He also wished the exemplary comradeship and fraternity, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and solidarity between the Vietnamese and Cuban Parties, States and peoples will be increasingly strengthened./. Morgan Reannon Henderson, 34, was booked on obstruction of justice on Saturday in Utah The girlfriend of a man accused of killing two teens and dumping their bodies in an abandoned mine has been charged with lying to investigators. Morgan Reannon Henderson, 34, was booked on a felony obstruction of justice charge on Saturday in Utah, in connection with the murders of Breezy Otteson, 17, and Riley Powell, 18. Henderson's boyfriend Jerrod William Baum, 41, was arrested for the murders on Wednesday, hours after police recovered the bodies on a shallow ledge inside a deep mine shaft near Eureka, about 75 miles south of Salt Lake City. The teens went missing on December 29, and Henderson initially told police that they had left her house after smoking pot with her that day, and she had no idea what happened to them. But after Henderson was pulled over last weekend in an unrelated traffic stop and cops found an axe, a rifle and knives in her car, the rest of the story came out. Henderson was present when Baum killed the young couple and pushed their bodies into the abandoned Tintic Standard #2 Mine, police said. Baum had warned her about having male friends at the house and flew into a rage when he learned she'd been hanging out with Riley and Breezy, saying 'it was too bad because he has never killed an innocent before,' Henderson told authorities, according to police documents. Scroll down for video Riley, 18 (left), and his 17-year-old girlfriend Breezy (right) went missing around New Year's Eve Jerrod William Baum (pictured), 41, was arrested for the murders on Wednesday, hours after police recovered the bodies On Tuesday, their bodies were found dumped down this mine, after the killer's girlfriend confessed to police that he had killed them Law enforcement officials wait to load two bodies into a medical examiners truck after they were recovered from an abandoned mine in Utah's west desert near Eureka The girlfriend, Morgan Henderson, initially told police in January that the couple had come over to her house before they went missing to smoke weed, but after they left she hadn't heard from them. Above, the scene of the murders on Wednesday Henderson is pictured above in the mugshot for her Sunday arrest Riley and Breezy's bodies were recovered after police found a Facebook message thread showing the teens planned on going to Henderson's home on December 29, shortly before they were reported missing, according to police documents. After coming clean this week, Henderson said the couple had come to the house, but after they left Baum came and showed her the teens were tied up in Powell's Jeep. He put her in the car to 'go for a ride and have a talk,' and took them all out to an abandoned mine site. He killed the teenagers, dropped their bodies in the mine shaft, then took her back home and threatened her as well, police said. He told her he'd made Riley suffer but kept the death of Breezy quick and painless because he felt bad, Utah County Sheriff's officials said. Henderson dumped the Jeep at a nearby reservoir, she told police. A lawyer listed for her in a previous case did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Baum's defense attorney Michael Petro did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Bill Powell, the father of Riley Powell and Amanda Hunt, the aunt of Brelynne Otteson speak to reporters at a press conference after Jerrod William Baum was arrested for their murders A police officer watches as Breezy's father, stepmother and two sisters console one another after her body was recovered on Wednesday Breezy's father Kenny Otteson, stepmother Emalee Otteson and sister Anisty Shoemaker console each other after her body was found on Wednesday Breezy's aunt Amanda Hunt waits with Bill Powell, Riley's adoptive father, as crews work to recover the the couple's bodies Kylysta, Breezy's sister, gets a hug from their aunt Amanda Hunt on Wednesday Court records show Baum has a rap sheet dating back to the early 1990s including theft, assault and weapons charges. Baum is pictured above in a photo from Facebook. His girlfriend says he made Riley suffer Last year, Baum and Henderson were found in a car near Yuba Lake state park with a tactical knife tucked in the small of his back and another knife on a necklace under his shirt, along with a container of meth, a pistol and prescription drugs, according to court records. He was convicted of weapon and drug charges in that case. Baum was also accused of helping his girlfriend load and stash a handgun in their home earlier this year. He has not yet entered a plea in that case. In interview with Fox 13 Salt Lake City on Wednesday, the victims' family members were torn over the discovery of the bodies. 'Its the closure we wanted, but it's obviously an emotional roller coaster,' said Amanda Hunt, Breezys aunt. 'We've searched a lot of country, and I mean to find out that they're this close...' Bill Powell, Riley's father, said. Hunt said that the mine was actually one of the first places they thought to look, but it is on private property so they couldn't go right away. Henderson is being held pending $100,000 cash bond at the Utah County Jail. Baum is being held without bail. He is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts desecration of a dead human body, one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, one count witness tampering, and one count obstructing justice. Russian diplomats who were expelled from the US proudly lifted up their national flag as they left their embassy in Washington DC on Saturday. Two people sitting on the front of a bus bound for the airport were grinning as they held up the Russian flag for all to see. Sixty diplomats were expelled from the US in response to an apparent attempt to assassinate a former double agent in Britain with a nerve agent. Russian diplomats who were expelled from the US proudly lifted up their national flag as they left their embassy in Washington DC on Saturday Music played and a crowd waved the group goodbye as the bus left the driveway headed toward Dulles International Airport About 50 men, women, and children left the hilltop embassy just after 1pm in a blue bus believed to be headed towards Dulles International Airport. The departing families brought with them bags and suitcases, some of which were loaded onto the bus with help from a small forklift vehicle. Music played and a crowd waved the group goodbye as the bus left the driveway. A second bus was expected to leave about two hours later from the embassy site, which has a view across to the White House, the Pentagon and other US government buildings. The departing families brought with them bags and suitcases, some of which were loaded onto the bus with help from a small forklift vehicle About 50 men, women and children left the hilltop embassy just after 1pm in a blue bus Washington this week joined a score of Britain's allies in expelling Russian diplomats in response to the attack, with over 150 in total now ordered out of the US, EU, NATO countries and other nations. The US said it was expelling 60 alleged Russian 'spies' posted around the country and at the Russian mission to the United Nations. Russia's consulate in Seattle will also be closed, but the total size of Russia's diplomatic footprint in the US might not shrink for long, because the expelled staff could be replaced, the US authorities have said. 'On March 31 all the diplomats who were declared persona non grata are flying home together with their families,' Russia's ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, told reporters. In total, 171 people will leave the country, state news agency TASS reported Antonov as saying. The American flag has been removed from the US consulate in St. Petersburg, days after the Kremlin announced its shut down In response, the US said there is 'no justification' for Russia's move to expel diplomats and the country should not act 'like a victim' Thomas Leary, the U.S. Consul General in St.Petersburg, center, observes as goods are loaded onto a truck outside the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg on Saturday Moscow responded on Thursday by announcing that it was expelling 60 US diplomats and closing Washington's consulate in Saint Petersburg. The American flag was removed from the US consulate in St Petersburg on Saturday. US Consul General Thomas Leary observed movers as they loaded goods into a truck outside the building. On Friday, Russia expelled even more diplomats from 23 countries, most of them European Union member states. In response, the US said there is 'no justification' for Russia's move to expel diplomats and the country should not act 'like a victim.' Speaking to reporters in Moscow on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that 'Russia didn't start any diplomatic wars' and had to respond. Russian soldiers are pictured passing by the US Consulate General in St. Petersburg before the flag was taken down US consulate staff in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, were seen clearing out the building after the government ordered the consulate's closure Russia's consulate in Seattle (pictured) will be closed, but the total size of Russia's diplomatic footprint in the US might not shrink for long, because the expelled staff could be replaced US consulate staff in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, have been seen clearing out the building after the government ordered the consulate's closure. Earlier this week staff and security guards were spotted carrying out boxes and furniture as bystanders cheered them on, calling for the Americans to 'get out of here'. The tit-for-tat measures were retaliation to the coordinated expulsion of Russian diplomats by Britain and its allies over a nerve agent attack against former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4. Britain has said it is 'highly likely' that Russia was responsible for the Skripal attack using the Novichok nerve agent developed in the Soviet Union, but Russia has angrily denied any involvement. Doctors said Yulia Skripal (pictured with her father) was 'improving rapidly' after being exposed to Novichok on March 4 Earlier this week news emerged that Yulia was 'improving rapidly' after being exposed to Novichok and is now stable in the hospital, doctors said, with the 33-year-old also understood to be eating and drinking. The BBC reports separate sources have verified Yulia is both conscious and talking. Her father, ex-spy Sergei, 66, remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. The Metropolitan Police believe Skripal and his daughter, who was visiting him from Russia, first came into contact with the deadly chemical at his home in Salisbury. Detailed forensic testing revealed the highest concentration of Novichok was found on the front door. The attempted murder investigation is continuing. Dan Donovan is pictured with Serena Stonick at the White House Christmas Ball in December 2017. They now have a young daughter together A congressman has been accused of using his position to help his partner's son receive favourable treatment after he was arrested over heroin offences. Dan Donovan, who represents Staten Island in New York, is said to have intervened after the son of his partner Serena Stonick's was arrested with a female friend for the 'criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance (heroin)' in December 2015. Timothy O'Connell was detained with his friend at 112 Precinct in Staten Island, according to an allegation filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics last week. The document claims Donovan visited the 122 Precinct and 'used his position to illegally request that officers issue O'Connell and [the friend] a "desk appearance ticket" instead of proceeding with normal arrest protocols'. These tickets allow the arrested person to be released from custody to appear in court at a later date rather than being jailed, arraigned or sent to central booking. Desk appearance tickets are usually issued for minor drugs offences and are rare for heroin arrests, a police source told the New York Post. Donovan (pictured in November 2017) strongly denies allegations that he helped his partner's son receive favourable treatment after he was arrested for heroin offences The congressman's spokesman Pat Ryan vehemently denied the congressman had used his official position to influence the judicial process 'in any way'. 'Like many families, Dan has been dealing with a loved one's opioid addiction in private until now,' he said. 'These allegations are not only 100 per cent false, but Dan has a long history of recusing himself from matters involving close friends and family. 'Neither Dan nor anybody at his direction or suggestion or wink or nod in any way, shape or form, intervened, interfered, inserted themselves in any way into this judicial process.' Donovan and Stonick walk through the U.S. Capitol on their way to Congress in May 2015 NYPD confirmed O'Connell and the woman, both aged 19, were arrested in the 112nd Precinct on December 3, 2015, but said no other information was available. Ryan noted that O'Connell's arrest report showed he did not make a phone call after he was arrested. Joe Mure, attorney for O'Connell, said his client was charged with drug possession, not sale. All charges against O'Connell were dismissed in March 2016 and he has denied doing drugs. He also denied getting any help from Donovan after his arrest. His female friend did not comment to the New York Post. The person who submitted the allegation claimed it was backed up by 'multiple sources', included an active detective. Donovan lives with Stonick and they now have a young daughter together. Police have released bodycam footage of an officer leaning through a car inches from a female passenger to shoot at a suspect who pulled a gun. Suspect Elijah Eubanks, 20, is hospitalized in stable condition after drawing a revolver and firing once at police in Louisville, Kentucky at around 1am on Saturday, officials said at a press conference. The incident unfolded at the Breckinridge Square Apartments, where residents complained to an off-duty officer who lives in the complex about an unfamiliar car with suspicious individuals inside. The off-duty officer called the complaint in, and Louisville Metro PD patrol officers Ian Stuart and Eric Goldschmidt responded to the scene. The two officers approached the parked suspicious vehicle, a blue SUV, and found two males and one female inside, bodycam footage shows. Suspect Elijah Eubanks, 20, is in stable condition after a shootout with police in Kentucky Louisville cops approach the suspicious vehicle parked in an apartment complex with Eubanks seated in the front passenger seat at about 1am on Saturday The officer on the driver's side shines a light on Eubanks as he refuses to exit the SUV 'Why are you harassing me sir?' Eubanks asks the cops repeatedly as they tell him to get out With the two males sitting in front and the female in the rear, Officer Stuart approaches the drivers side and instructs the driver to exit. The driver complies. Meanwhile, Officer Goldschmidt approaches the front passenger's side and instructs Eubank to exit the vehicle. He does not comply. 'Why are you harassing me sir?' asks Eubanks. 'We had a call of suspicious individuals, nobody recognized in this car,' Goldschmidt replies' 'This is her mom's house, this is his car' says Eubanks, pointing at the other occupants of the car. 'Alright well chill for a second, and we'll talk to you. If everything's fine then we don't have a problem,' replies Goldschmidt. Eubanks repeatedly refused to exit the car. From the driver's side, Stuart unlocks the vehicle's doors and Goldschmidt opens the passenger's door. In a flash, Eubank's hand raises holding a dark object toward Goldschmidt's face. It happens too quickly for the bodycam to capture clearly. Officer Goldschmidt's view is seen as he opens the passenger side door of the SUV In a flash, Eubank's hand raises holding a dark object toward Goldschmidt's face. A shadow falls on the object and it happens too quickly for the bodycam to capture clearly Officer Stuart's view is seen as he leans in the driver's side of the SUV and fires through it Eubank rolls and crawls bleeding as officers approach to take him into custody 'Oh s**t! Gun! Gun gun gun!' shouts Goldschmidt, sprinting for cover. Multiple shots ring out. On the driver's side, Stuart leans through the open window of the back seat and fires at Eubanks through the vehicle, inches from the female passenger, who is still sitting inside. Eubanks is struck by the gunfire and falls to the ground. The officers call for backup and repeatedly instruct him to stop moving as he rolls and tries to crawl. Finally Goldschmidt approaches and handcuffs him. Police recovered a handgun on the ground outside the SUV. Evidence photos show it to be a snub-nosed revolver with metallic finish and wooden grip. Eubank was rushed to University of Louisville Hospital. Neither officer was injured. Cops said they recovered this revolver on the ground outside of the SUV The car's other passengers were also uninjured. Police said they cooperated and have not been charged. Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad said the video was released quickly because the department strives to be 'a model of transparency'. Eubank remains hospitalized and has yet to be charged. It comes two days after an off-duty police officer in Hopkinsville, Kentucky was shot and killed. The suspect in that case, 34-year-old James K. Decoursey, was found and killed Friday by law enforcement officials in Tennessee. An inmate has given birth alone and without pain relief inside her prison cell after staff were unable to open her door. The woman, who cannot be named to protect her privacy, gave birth inside Perth's Bandyup Prison last month when she was 36 weeks pregnant. When the inmate went into labour, she pressed an alarm alerting staff she needed help, but no one made it to her in time because they were unable to open her cell door, Perth Now reported. The West Australian Justice Department said the incident was 'extremely rare'. 'The inmate gave birth very quickly after it was made clear she was going into labour staff acted as soon as they could to manage the unexpected birth,' a spokesman said. An inmate has given birth alone and without pain relief inside her prison cell at Perth's Bandyup Prison (pictured) after staff were unable to open the door of her cell in time There was a delay in helping the woman because staff were unable to open the woman's cell, the publication reported. Inspector of Custodial Services, Neil Morgan, said the department needed to be more transparent. He said the situation could have proven fatal for the mother and her child. 'This created obvious risks for both mother and baby. And although she managed the birth, it would have been very traumatic,' he said. Mr Morgan said he wanted assurance the department would make changes and improvements to procedures to prevent a similar incident from happening. The mother and her newborn are reportedly both healthy, but Mr Morgan said investigations were not over. He said there was a review process in place and investigations were continuing. 'This would have been highly traumatic for the woman herself, but it also would have been traumatic for those staff who wanted to render assistance and were unable to do so in the time they would have liked,' he told the ABC. Inspector of Custodial Services, Neil Morgan (right), said the department needed to be more transparent, while Prison advocate Dorothy Goulding (left) described what happened as 'appalling' Prison advocate Dorothy Goulding described what happened to the woman inside Bandyup Prison (pictured) as 'appalling'. 'It could have had dire consequences,' she said Prison advocate Dorothy Goulding described what happened to the woman as 'appalling'. 'The dangerous situation of this can't be too strongly emphasized, it could have had dire consequences,' she said. The Department of Justice will continue its investigations. Daily Mail Australia contacted the Department of Justice, and Bandyup Prison but did not receive comment before time of publishing. The speedometer inside a lesbian couple's SUV was 'pinned' at 90 mph after it plunged 100 feet off a California cliff with their six adopted children inside, according to court documents. Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 39, were killed when their 2003 GMC Yukon XL crashed off the scenic Pacific Coast Highway in Northern California this week. Authorities say all eight members of the Hart family, including the six children aged 12 to 19, are presumed dead. The bodies of three of the children - Markis Hart, 19, Jeremiah Hart, 14, and Abigail Hart, 14 - were located at the bottom of the cliff. Police believe the couple's three other children - Hannah Hart, 16, Devonte Hart, 15 and Sierra Hart, 12 - were also in the car at the time but their bodies have not yet been found. Mystery surrounds the horror crash given no one saw their SUV drive off a flat, dirt pullout overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A search warrant was served at the family's home on Thursday to look for items including a travel itinerary, journals and possible suicide notes. According to an affidavit for the warrant, cited by Fox 12 Oregon, the speedometer was 'pinned' at 90 mph. Investigators said there was no evidence the car hit the embankment as it 'traversed towards the tidal zone below', and there were no 'acceleration marks, tire friction marks or braking furrow marks'. 'Based upon the California Highway Patrol investigation, it is their belief "a felony has been committed,"' the court documents stated, according to Fox 12. Jennifer (back, left) and Sarah Hart (back, right) and their six adopted children were in their SUV when it plunged 100 feet off a California cliff this week This is an aerial view of the cliff the family plunged over in their car on the Pacific Coast Highway in California. To reach the cliff edge, the women would have had to have driven off the Pacific Highway and traversed 75ft of rugged dirt road before going over the cliff edge Authorities say all eight members of the Hart family, including the six children aged 12 to 19, are presumed dead after their 2003 GMC Yukon XL was found crashed on rocks Marcus Mazza, an engineer and reconstruction expert with Pennsylvania-based Robson Forensic, said on Thursday that the SUV was required to have a 'black box' that records accident data. The recorder would show the car's speed and use of the brakes, according to Mazza. It could help investigators determine the cause of the crash given there were no skid marks or signs the driver braked in the moments before they went over the cliff. 'There are a lot of unknowns on this,' Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman said on Thursday. 'Several of the questions that have been asked today will never be answered.' To reach the cliff edge at the lookout, the women would have had to have driven off the Pacific Highway and traversed 75ft of rugged dirt road. 'I can tell you it was a very confusing scene because there were no skid marks, there were no brake marks, there was no indication of why this vehicle traversed approximately over 75ft of a dirt pull out and went into the pacific ocean,' Sheriff Allman said. 'We have no reason to believe, we have no evidence, that this was an intentional act. Certainly people are wondering what caused this. 'If this was an intentional act, I truly believe we are going to come to that conclusion.' Sarah (center) and Jennifer (far right) Hart are pictured with their six adopted children in 2016. Three of their children were found dead alongside them on Monday, while the three others are still missing Sarah (left) and Jennifer (right), both 39, were killed alongside three of their teenage children when their car crashed off the scenic Pacific Coast Highway in California on Monday Authorities in Washington state combed through the family's home (above) for information on Thursday. Deputies were looking for bills, receipts or anything else to shed light on why the family left The two mothers were found dead inside the SUV, while three of their children were discovered outside the vehicle. A team on Thursday searched the rugged coastline for the three other children. The case has thrown a spotlight on at least one previous run-in with the law by the Harts, along with neighbors' repeated concerns about the way the home-schooled youngsters were being treated. Well before the wreck, Sarah Hart pleaded guilty in 2011 to a domestic assault charge in Douglas County, Minnesota, telling authorities 'she let her anger get out of control' while spanking her 6-year-old adoptive daughter, court records show. Her plea deal led to the dismissal of a malicious punishment of a child charge. Then, last week, Bruce and Dana DeKalb, next-door neighbors of the Harts in Woodland, Washington, called state child protective services because one of the children, Devonte, had been coming over to their house almost every day for a week asking for food. Devonte, now 15, drew national attention after the black youngster was photographed in tears, hugging a white police officer during a 2014 protest in Portland, Oregon, over the deadly police shooting of a black man in Ferguson, Missouri. One of the couple's children 15-year-old Devonte, whose body has not yet been found, made headlines in 2014 when a photo of him tearfully hugging a police officer at a rally went viral The case has thrown a spotlight on at least one previous run-in with the law by the Harts, along with neighbors' repeated concerns about the way the six home-schooled youngsters were being treated Dana DeKalb said Devonte told her his parents were 'punishing them by withholding food.' The boy asked her to leave food in a box by the fence for him so his parents wouldn't find out. Social service authorities opened an investigation and a state caseworker went to the house last Friday but didn't find anyone home. The agency had no prior history with the family, a state official said. Neighbors said they saw the couple and their six adopted children leave the home in a hurry shortly after not answering the door to the child services worker. The family's car was spotted at the bottom of the cliff three days later. It was discovered by a passing motorist Monday afternoon. The DeKalbs also recounted that three months after the Harts moved into their house on 2 acres with a fenced pasture last May, one of the girls rang the DeKalbs' doorbell at 1.30am. '(She) was at our door in a blanket saying we needed to protect her,' Bruce DeKalb said. 'She said that they were abusing her.' The entire family came over to their house the next morning to apologize and explain it was a bad week. Tracks lead away from the edge of the cliff Wednesday, March 28, 2018, where the SUV of Jennifer and Sarah Hart went off the Pacific Coast Highwa The family's car was spotted at the bottom of the cliff on Monday and firefighters had to rappel down to retrieve the bodies Courtesy of KOIN Some family friends, though, say that doesn't track with their knowledge of the parents who they described as a loving couple who promoted social justice and exposed their 'remarkable' children to art, music and nature. The brood was known as the Hart Tribe, a multiracial family of two women and six adopted children who grew their own food, took spontaneous road trips to camp and hike, and traveled to festivals and other events, offering free hugs and promoting unity. Family friend Max Ribner took issue with the notion the crash was something other than a tragic accident. The couple adopted the six children, many of whom came from 'hard backgrounds,' he said. 'They transformed these kids' lives.' 'This is a tragic accident of a magnitude that cannot be measured,' said Zippy Lomax, a photographer who knew the Harts. 'They were really radiant, warm, adventurous, inspiring people. They were always on some grand adventure, and the kids were living this life that was kind of like this dream.' A truck drives by the pullout where the SUV of Jennifer and Sarah Hart was recovered off the Pacific Coast Highway Volunteers with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team searches the waters off the coast using a telescope on Thursday in search of the missing bodies Skydivers were injured when their parachutes tangled and smashed to the ground at an airport near Geelong, Victoria. The two men were rushed to hospital after ambulance crews rushed to the scene at the Barwon Heads airport in Connewarre. One man in his 20's was flown to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne with head, pelvic and leg injuries. Skydivers were injured when their parachutes tangled and smashed to the ground at an airport near Geelong, Victoria The other man, also in his 20's was taken to Geelong hospital with back injuries. A spokesperson for Ambulance in Victoria told Daily Mail Australia the men are in a stable condition. He said the men had a 'hard landing' after their parachutes were tangled. An Ambulance NSW spokesperson said the men had a 'hard landing' after their parachutes were tangled London's murder rate has overtaken New York City's for the first time ever as the twelfth person has been killed in just 19 days. February marked the first month in history books that London had more murders than the American city with a total of 15 homicides. Out of the 15 killed, nine were aged 30 or younger. In March, there were 22 murders, which is likely to match if not beat out New York's numbers. The murder epidemic continued on Sunday when a man in his twenties was fatally stabbed after leaving a bar in Wandsworth, marking the 12th person to be murdered in London in 19 days. A man has died after being stabbed to death on Sunday morning in Wandsworth. The unnamed victim in his twenties had left a bar and was found with the fatal wound on Ellerton Road at the junction with Burntwood Lane (pictured) The man, who is thought to be 20, was pronounced dead at the scene around 2am on Sunday Formal identification awaits and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course, but the victim's next-of-kin have been informed Police have launched the latest murder investigation in the death of the unnamed young man who was stabbed to death on Easter Sunday. He suffered a fatal stab wound at around 1:10am on Sunday, after leaving a bar in Wandsworth, south west London. Met Police attended the scene along with the London Ambulance Service. Despite the best efforts of officers and paramedics, the man was pronounced dead at the scene just before 2am. Formal identification awaits and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course, but the victim's next-of-kin have been informed. A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody at a west London police station. A murder epidemic is sweeping London. On Sunday, an unnamed man in his 20s became the 12th person in just 19 days to be gunned down or stabbed to death in the capital A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody at a west London police station in connection to the Sunday killing Locals left flowers and tributes to the stabbing victim on Sunday afternoon According to a report by the Sunday Times, New York City's murder statistics have decreased by 87 per cent since the 1990s. Meanwhile, London's rate has grown by nearly 40 per cent in just three years, not including deaths caused by terrorist attacks. Although New York last year had nearly double the number of murders than London, experts are concerned the gap is steadily closing. Officials are concerned about the uptick in fatal stabbings, fearing there is a dangerous surge in knife crime. Last year there was a total of 80 fatal stabbings in the capital - the most in almost a decade. And official figures show that 2017 was the worst year for knife deaths among young people since at least 2002. Forty-six people aged 25 or under were stabbed to death in London, up by 21 compared with the previous year, according to police figures. Lyndon Davis (left), 18, the youngest to have been named in March, was found suffering from a single stab wound in Chadwell Heath, east London on March 14. Joseph Williams-Torres (right), 20, was killed the same evening as he sat in a stationary car in Essex Close, Walthamstow THE 12 DEAD IN JUST 19 DAYS IN LONDON'S MURDER EPIDEMIC Joseph Williams-Torres, 20, Walthamstow Lyndon Davis, 18, Chadwell Heath Russell Jones, 23, Enfield Hersi Hersi, 36, Hounslow Tyrone Silcott, 42, Hackney Balbir Johal, 48, Southall Jermaine Johnson, 41, Walthamstow Beniamin Pieknyi, 20, Stratford Centre Abraham Badru, 26, Hackney David Potter, 50, Tooting High Street Unnamed man, 23, Greenwich Unnamed man, 20s, Wandsworth Advertisement Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell said on Sunday: 'Sadly, another family has been left devastated with the tragic death of a young man from an act of violence. 'We are appealing to anyone who was in the area to come forward. 'We know that the victim left a bar in Garratt Lane, SW18 at 01:05hrs and then seven minutes later he was found on Ellerton Road at the junction with Burntwood Lane.' The victim's death comes as London's murder rates have overtaken New York City 's numbers for the first time ever. The man's death on Sunday marks the 12th murder in London in 19 days. Lyndon Davis, 18, the youngest to have been killed in March, was found suffering from a single stab wound in Chadwell Heath, east London on March 14. Joseph Williams-Torres, 20, was killed the same evening as he sat in a stationary car in Essex Close, Walthamstow. Russell Jones, 23, was ambushed outside shops near Ponders End station, in Enfield and stabbed and shot to death. Father-of-two Tyrone Silcott, 42, died from knife wounds on March 18 after a St Patricks Day party. It is alleged the car mechanic got into a row over two girls at a party in Homerton and was attacked. Romanian Beniamin Pieknyi, 20, (pictured) is believed to have jumped in to the fight in a bid to save his friend during the altercation at the Stratford Centre in east London Hersi Hersi (left), who lived as a trans woman called Naomi, was pronounced dead at the scene after being found with knife injuries at Heathrow Palace in Hounslow. Russell Jones, 23, became the eighth person in a week to be killed in London when he was ambushed outside shops near Ponders End station, Enfield Hersi Hersi, who lived as a trans woman called Naomi, was pronounced dead at the scene after being found with knife injuries at Heathrow Palace in Haslemere Avenue, Hounslow, at 10.50am on Sunday. On March 19, Balbir Johal, 48, died after being stabbed in Southall and the next day 41-year-old Jermaine Johnson died of knife wounds in Walthamstow. Romanian Beniamin Pieknyi, is believed to have jumped in to the fight in a bid to save his friend during the altercation at the Stratford Centre in east London on the 20th. The 20-year-old, who only arrived in Britain two months ago, died in his best friend's arms after being chased and stabbed by a gang in the busy shopping centre. On March 25, 26-year-old Abraham Badru was gunned down in Hackney. The university graduate, who was murdered in Dalston, east London, on Sunday, was awarded the National Police Bravery Award in July 2009. David Potter, 50, was found stabbed to death in a property on Tooting High Street on Monday 26. And an unnamed 23-year-old in Greenwich was killed on Thursday night, the final murder for the month of March. London's murder rate has overtaken New York City's numbers for the first time ever. In February, there were 15 murders, including 17-year-old Promise Nkenda (pictured), who was run over and stabbed to death Lewis Blackman (left) was stabbed to death after a party in Kensington on February 18. Kwabena Nelson, 22, (right) was ambushed outside his home in Tottenham and stabbed to death in early February Aspiring accountant Sadiq Aadam Mohamed, 20, was found with serious stab wounds in Malden Road, in Belsize Park, in February THE 15 MURDER VICTIMS OF FEBRUARY Sadiq Mohamed, 20, Kentish Town Abdikarim Hassan, 17, Kentish Town Josef Boci, 30, Greenwich Seyed Khan, 49, Ilford Rotimi Oshibanjo, 26, Southall Promise Nkenda, 17, Canning Town Sabri Chibani, 19, Streatham Common Lewis Blackman, 19, Kensington Hasan Ozcan, 19, Barking Hannah Leonard, 55, Swiss Cottage Kwabena Nelson, 22, Tottenham Mark Smith, 48, Chingford Bulent Kabala, 41, Enfield Saeeda Hussain, 54, Ilford Juan Olmos Saca, 39, Peckham Advertisement Jacob Whittingham, charity head of programmes for Fight for Peace, told the Sunday Times: 'What's scary about London is the randomness of the crime. 'With young people in London, you have no idea if and when you may be the victim of a violent crime that's why they feel the need to carry weapons.' DCS Sean Yates, Scotland Yard's head of knife crime, blamed social media as an increasing factor in escalating grudges between youngsters that led to knife attacks. He also said courts were failing to enforce a 'two strikes' law aimed at jailing those caught with a knife twice, which was frustrating law enforcement. The sharp rise in the number of young people killed by knife crime in London has come despite Scotland Yard stepping up its use of suppression and enforcement tactics, carrying out more stop and search, more weapon sweeps and other activity on the streets. The Met commissioner, Cressida Dick, has said reversing rising violent crime is a priority. Speaking in February she said: 'The frequency with which some of our young people are prepared to take each other's lives is shocking. 'London must come together to make it clear that this cannot continue. We will not police our way out of this problem.' Cressida Dick continued: 'There is a role for all of us London's public, our partners and the police.' She appealed directly to young people saying: 'There will be young people out today who are carrying knives - stop and think. 'Do you really want your life to end? Or end someone else's and waste your own life in prison? 'My challenge to everyone in London is to ask each and every person to think about what you can do to help us tackle this blight on our city.' Mayor of London Sadiq Khan requested an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister and Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service to discuss what can be done 'to tackle the evil of knife attacks on Britain's streets'. A diamond unearthed in India 300 years ago that has passed through the hands of four European dynasties, even appearing on a tiara owned by Marie Antoinette, could fetch more than 5million at auction when it goes on sale for the first time. The 6.16-carat Farnese Blue diamond was discovered in the Golconda mine, where the Hope Diamond was also found. The first historical record of the stone came in 1715, when it was gifted to the Italian-born queen of Spain Elisabeth Farnese following her marriage to King Philip V of Spain. The 6.16-carat Farnese Blue diamond is set to fetch millions of pounds when it goes on sale at auction this month. The stone has been passed around European royalty since it was found 300 years ago Experts predict the stone could smash its estimated guide price when it goes under the hammer The pear-shaped, dark grey-blue diamond was then passed down through seven generations of European royalty, going from Space, to France, Italy and Austria. Despite the Farnese Blue Diamond being the property of royals and at different points being on the tie pin Duke of Lucca Charles II and even on a tiara belonging to Marie Antoinette, for much of its history the jewel's existence remained unknown to all but family members and the jewelers who dealt with it. This month Queen Elizabeth's descendants will auction off the diamond at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction in Geneva. It is estimated to sell for 5 million Swiss francs (3.7million). But, David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby's international jewelry division, believes the jewel could smash its estimated selling price. He told CNN: 'Royal and noble collectors have traditionally had access to the finest gemstones available, and so the gems which adorn these pieces often display the very highest quality, size and rarity. 'They are fragments of history and there is currently great enthusiasm for jewels of this type.' A description in the stone's box says in French: 'Remarkable blue brilliant. This historical stone was offered by the Philippine Islands to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, wife of Philippe V, great grandfather of the Comte of Villafranca, current owner of that stone' The diamond as gifted to the Italian-born queen of Spain Elisabeth Farnese following her marriage to King Philip V of Spain The stone was sent to the queen of Spain in August 1715 after the government sent a message to the colonies in the east and west, demanding they send wedding gifts to Madrid. After a year was spent accumulating the treasure, the Golden Fleet of 12 ships laden with gold set sale from Cuba. But disaster struck in the Gulf of Florida, when a hurricane destroyed much of the fleet. It is said only one ship escaped from the storm and managed to bring back one diamond to Spain - the 6.16-carat Farnese Blue diamond gifted to the new queen from the governor of the Philippines Islands. The stone's box alludes to its history. It reads in French: 'Remarkable blue brilliant. This historical stone was offered by the Philippine Islands to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, wife of Philippe V, great grandfather of the Comte of Villafranca, current owner of that stone.' A doctor has been charged after allegedly assaulting a patient during an appointment. Police allege a 25-year-old woman was indecently assaulted during her consultation at a medical centre in Miranda, nearly 30 kilometres south of Sydney city. The 43-year-old man was charged with aggravated indecent assault to a victim under authority and released under strict conditional bail. He will face Sutherland Local Court on Thursday April 5. More to come. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (C) takes photo with his Lao and Cambodian counterparts (Photo: VNA) The three PMs signed a Joint Declaration on the CLV Development Triangle Area cooperation at the end of the 10th CLV Summit in Hanoi on March 31st. The following is the full text of the Joint Declaration. JOINT DECLARATION OF THE 10th CAMBODIA - LAOS - VIET NAM SUMMIT ON DEVELOPMENT TRIANGLE AREA WE, the Heads of the Governments of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (hereinafter referred to as CLV) gather for the Tenth CLV Summit on Development Triangle Area on March 31st 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Appreciating that the traditional relationship of friendship, solidarity, good neighborliness and comprehensive cooperation among the three countries has significantly contributed to the development of each country and to peace, stability and prosperity of the whole region. Noting with satisfaction the significant progress made in the implementation of the revised Master Plan for the Socio-Economic Development of the CLV Development Triangle Area (DTA) for 2010 - 2020 as well as cooperation activities and programs in various areas among the three countries. Recognizing that while CLV countries have become one of the fastest growing sub-regions and important achievements have been made in socio-economic development, the three countries are still facing many challenges in ensuring that the economic growth is sustainable and inclusive, in addressing the adverse impacts of climate change and narrowing the development gap within ASEAN Member States. Understanding that to maintain the growth momentum, CLV countries must be steadfast in their regional integration, economic restructuring and improving business environments; its also imperative for CLV countries to capitalize on opportunities presented by the 4th industrial revolution. Underlining the need for better connectivity among CLV economies to enhance economic competitiveness, effectively engage in the regional and global value chains and jointly address challenges. WE HEREBY DECLARE THAT: 1. We reaffirm our commitment to further deepening comprehensive cooperation among the three countries and building integrated, sustainable and prosperous CLV economies, an indispensable part of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, through collective efforts and appropriate national policies. To fulfill this vision, we continue to attach great importance to the development of border provinces in the CLV DTA and narrowing the development gap within ASEAN Member States. 2. We commend the efforts of the CLV Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) in the implementation of the Revised Master Plan for the Socio-Economic Development of the CLV DTA for 2010 - 2020 as well as other guidance and decisions made at the 9th CLV Summit. These efforts have led to positive changes in peoples living standards and level of the development in the CLV DTA. We also welcome the outcomes of the 11th CLV JCC held from December 17th-19th 2017 in Binh Phuoc, Viet Nam and the Working Group meeting on discussions on the draft Action Plan for Cambodia - Laos- Vietnam Economic Connectivity up to 2030 held from January 27th-28th 2018 in Kratie, Cambodia. 3. To deepen economic integration, enhance competitiveness and maintain the growth momentum of CLV economies, we therefore, endorse the Action Plan for Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam Economic Connectivity up to 2030 to serve as a guiding document for CLV cooperation, including but not limited to institutional, infrastructure and economic, and people-to-people connectivity. 3.1. Institutional connectivity comprises of increased policy communications and exchanges of information; coordination in developing and implementing the macro policies; simplifying procedures to promote investment, trade, tourism, agriculture, transport, human resource training/development and management, creating a favorable environment for citizens and businesses of the three countries to cooperate for mutual benefit. 3.2. Infrastructure and economic connectivity focuses inter alia on upgrading, modernizing and ensuring convenient and smooth connectivity in all kinds of transportation, information and communications technology (ICT), energy, trade, finance and banking, agriculture, and tourism; cooperation in addressing climate change, environmental protection and natural resource conversation, particularly forest and Mekong rivers water and related resources; clearance of landmines and unexploded ordnance. 3.3. People-to-people connectivity include connectivity in the fields of education, health, culture, sports, tourism, entrepreneurship, charity activities, human resource training/development and management; enhancing people exchange. To implement this Action Plan, we task the JCC to develop specific plans and projects and annually review and update the Action Plan, reflecting the actual situations and needs of CLV Countries. 4. We fully support exchanges, dialogues and collaboration among parliaments, and government agencies as well as activities to promote cooperation between people and businesses of the three countries. We congratulate the outcomes of the Sixth Conference of Foreign Affairs Committees of the CLV National Assemblies on Strengthening Parliamentary Oversights on Cooperation Initiatives in Cambodia - Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area held from August 2nd-3rd 2017 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. We agree to strengthen communication on the economic development achievements of the CLV countries to promote understanding of the people and businesses of the three countries about the role and importance of the CLV DTA. 5. We reaffirm the importance of ensuring security, safety and stable environment for investors, businesses and people in the CLV DTA. We further strengthen our cooperation in preventing and combating cross-border crimes, illegal trade, including logging, drug and human trafficking, and terrorism; continue the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and explosive remnant of war in the CLV DTA. We stress the need for line agencies of CLV countries to jointly organize capacity building and information sharing programs. We also instruct that the hotline for emergency be improved, especially at the local level. 6. We commit to work together to promote trade and investment in the CLV DTA in accordance with the Agreement on Trade Promotion and Facilitation in the CLV DTA and the Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investment. We task the JCC to coordinate with other agencies to prepare the Action Plan for the implementation of these Agreements. 7. We note the progress of the work on the Study Report on Development Plan of the Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam Rubber Industry by the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam. We urge the three ministries to complete the Study Report and submit it to the 11th CLV Summit for consideration. 8. We reaffirm the importance of education collaboration among CLV countries. We ask to further improve communication and enhance commitment by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, the Ministry of Education and Sport of Lao PDR and the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam to exchange students, teachers and faculty members within the Development Triangle Area. 9. We emphasize the potential of sustainable tourism development in the CLV DTA and encourage the facilitation of travel as well as the promotion of Three Countries One Destination. We instruct the ministers responsible for tourism to finalize the CLV DTA Tourism Development Plan for submission to the 11th CLV Summit for adoption. 10. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthen cooperation in combating infectious diseases, in particular in the border areas of the three countries through training and/or exchange of information, knowledge and experience in control and prevention of diseases, especially in the situation of outbreak. 11. We reaffirm our commitment to environmental protection, sustainable and efficient management and proper utilization of natural resources, including water resources, wildlife and forests. We encourage government agencies and other stakeholders to continue incorporating issues of sustainable development and environmental protection into cooperation programs among CLV countries. We encourage greater communication among three countries through early warning and information sharing systems on floods, droughts, natural disasters and cross-border pollution. 12. We express our appreciation to the development partners and international financial institutions for their contribution to the development of the CLV DTA. We encourage the JCC to closely cooperate with development partners and international financial institutions in developing and undertaking program, projects to support the implementation of the Action Plan for Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam Economic Connectivity up to 2030. 13. We emphasize the importance of CLV DTA information portal in providing businesses and investors with accurate and updated information on the potential, and preferential policies given to the CLV DTA, and urge the JCC to regularly update information on the CLV DTA website. 14. We express our appreciation to Lao PDR for agreeing to host the 11th CLV Summit in 2020. Done in Hanoi, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in three copies in English language, on the Day of Thirty-One in the Month of March in the Year of Two Thousand and Eighteen./. A 71-year-old woman found dead in her beachside apartment was allegedly murdered several days before police discovered her body, investigators believe. The victim's body was found in a bedroom at the Coral Sands Beachfront Resort, in Queensland's Trinity Beach, at about 7.30am on Saturday. Police have charged the woman's 60-year-old male flatmate, who is not believed to be romantically linked to her, with murder after arresting him at the scene. Investigators suspect that a 71-year-old woman found dead in her beachfront apartment was murdered several days before her body was discovered The woman was found in a bedroom at the Coral Sands Beachfront Resort, in Queensland's Trinity Beach, at about 7.30am on Saturday Detective Senior Sergeant Ed Kinbacher of the Cairns Criminal Investigation Branch said it was believed the body had been there for a number of days but that 'the length of time is yet to be established', The Courier Mail reports. Detective Kinbacher said the man and woman were permanent residents at the resort, but were not believed to have been in a relationship. 'These were people who just shared a unit together,' he said. Police arrested the woman's 60-year-old flatmate on the scene, and have since charged him with murder 'There's a male in custody and he will remain in custody over the next couple of days, I believe, as we unfold our inquiries.' Police have launched an in-depth forensics examination to determine the time and cause of death. The alleged murder is the latest in a string of violent crimes within the greater Cairns area over the Easter weekend, with Cairns police officers investigating two unrelated suspicious deaths. The alleged murder comes after two other suspicious deaths in the greater Cairns area over the Easter long weekend 'There's been an unusual spate of potentially violence-related deaths,' Detective Kinbacher said. '[But] they are unrelated. 'This is just a cluster of unfortunate events occurring close together... I don't think anything more sinister than that can be inferred.' Advertisement Tens of thousands of faithful underwent heavy security checks as they massed in St Peter's Square in the Vatican City in observance of Easter Sunday Mass. Pope Francis opened Easter festivities with a Tweet to his global flock: 'Our faith is born on Easter morning: Jesus is alive! The experience is at the heart of the Christian message.' Pilgrims from across Italy and the world gathered in the square decorated with spring flowers first to take part in Easter Sunday mass and to hear the Pope's traditional Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) Easter message from the central balcony of the resplendent St Peter's Basilica. Under a longstanding tradition, the Netherlands donated some 50,000 tulips, daffodils, roses and orchids for the occasion. Security precautions included bag checks and metal detector wands for everyone entering the square. The Via Conciliazione avenue, which leads to the Vatican, was closed to traffic and packed with bodies, as were smaller adjoining streets. Looking out across St Peter's Square, Pope Francis delivers the Urbi et Orbi address to a crowd of devotees Pope Francis, the 266th and current head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, leads the Easter Sunday mass in St Peter's Square Pope Francis delivers his Easter message in the Urbi et Orbi address from the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square Pope Francis called for peace in the Holy Land two days after 15 Palestinians were killed on the Israeli-Gaza border, saying the conflict there 'does not spare the defenseless' Pope Francis delivers his address from the central loggia overlooking the square Francis reflected on the power of Christianity's core belief - that Jesus rose from the dead following crucifixion The faithful mass in the Vatican City's glorious St Peter's Square to mark the resurrection. On Good Friday, Francis said he was 'ashamed' that younger generations would inherit a world 'fractured by divisions and wars' Pope Francis tweeted to his global flock an hour before Easter Sunday 'It bears fruits of hope and dignity where there are deprivation and exclusion, hunger and unemployment; where there are migrants and refugees, so often rejected by today's culture of waste, and victims of the drug trade, human trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery,' he said Christians around the world are marking the Holy Week, having commemorated the crucifixion of Christ, and now his resurrection on Easter The pope also urged more steps to bring harmony to divided Ukraine, called for peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and appealed for the world not to forget victims of conflict, especially children Pope Francis gestures down towards the congregated worshipers Attendees smile and clasp at Pope Francis hand as he processes after the Easter Sunday mass Pope Francis greets a small boy with a smile who has been handed over the crowd towards him Pope Francis waves to the faithful after celebrating the Easter Sunday mass as he travels back to the Basilica before his appearance as part of the Urbi et Orbi Ascending the steps, Pope Francis takes his place for the Easter Sunday mass The Easter Sunday mass lasts on average for between one and half and two hours. Tourists and clergy alike formed long queues to have their belongings checked and pass through metal detectors A Swiss Guard receives the Eucharist from a member of the clergy during the Easter Sunday mass Blue skies heralded a rain free mass, led by Pope Francis and watched by tens of thousands of devotees from across Italy and the world Swiss Guards stand to attention during proceedings at the Vatican City this morning Priests process into St Peter's Square, from inside the Basilica, in preparation for the Easter Sunday mass St Peter's Basilica (pictured) was the extraordinary backdrop to the late-morning mass. Saint Peter's tomb is supposedly directly below the high altar of the Basilica Cardinals dressed in crimson wait for the Easter Sunday mass to begin The Swiss Guards, seen before St Peter's Basilica, date back 500 years and were first recruited by Pope Julius II in 1506 Traditionally, the Pope does not address the congregation through a homily during the late-morning Easter Sunday masss - but after during the Urbi et Orbi. In 2014 alone, Pope Francis drew crowds of six million to the Vatican City The service was attended by high-ranking clergy from across the Catholic Church's global network The Swiss Guard now enjoy a more personal relationship with Pope Francis, seen as being less attached to strict papal protocol than his predecessors. Previous Popes have maintained a distance from their personal guard Italian army members in red and blue march across St Peter's Square in the Vatican City The Vatican City is the papal enclave within the city of Rome, and is its own nation encircled by a two-mile border Pope Francis descends steps wearing a gold mitre, in order to address gathered worshipers Nuns read along to the mass from up high above proceedings Applicants to the Swiss Guard have to be a practising Roman Catholic, Swiss, single, between 19 and 30 years old and at least 1.74 metres tall Pope Francis leads the Easter Sunday mass. Tens of thousands of Christians attended the service in St Peter's Square. He is wearing a zucchetto - a skull cap worn by Catholic and some Anglican clergy Pilgrims take photos of the Swiss Guard as they march along a row of colonnades outside the Basilica in the early morning light Pope Francis baptised Nigerian John Ogah, 31, next to his godfather Italian carabinieri Nunzio Carbone during the Easter Vigil last night. Ogah is a Nigerian migrant-turned-hero who helped police stop a thief last year. Ogah asked the Rome police captain Nunzio Carbone who handled his case to be his godfather Sir David Garrard (pictured), who has donated around 1.5million to Labour since 2003, has quit the party after claiming it has 'supported and endorsed the most blatant acts of anti-Semitism' One of Labour's biggest private donors has left the party after claiming it has 'supported and endorsed the most blatant acts of anti-Semitism'. The latest blow to Jeremy Corbyn's party came as one of his allies quit a senior leadership post after becoming embroiled in a scandal for defending a Labour member of holocaust denial. Sir David Garrard, who has supported the party under three leaders before Mr Corbyn and donated around 1.5million since 2003, has decided to leave Labour because the party he supported 'no longer exists'. He said: 'There no longer exists a party which even pretends to maintain and promote the principles and the integrity of what always was, to me, the Labour party. 'On the contrary, I have been witnessing, since Mr Corbyn became leader, a philosophical and a political policy which espouses, in nearly every respect, the very antithesis of the great party under whose reputation, and under whose flag, it now seeks to fly and where so many other Jews were once so proud to stand.' He added: 'I consider that it has supported and endorsed the most blatant acts of antisemitism.' Speaking of the party under Mr Corbyn, pictured, he said: 'There no longer exists a party which even pretends to maintain and promote the principles and the integrity of what always was, to me, the Labour party' Last night Christine Shawcroft announced she was stepping down from the national executive committee after it was revealed she opposed the suspension of a council candidate accused of Holocaust denial. In a statement, she said: 'It has been a privilege to serve on the Labour Party national executive committee for the last 19 years, and I was standing down in September in any event. I have, however, decided to resign with immediate effect. 'It is clear that my continued membership of the NEC has become a distraction for the Party and an excuse for endless intrusive media harassment of myself, my family and friends.' Ms Shawcroft added: 'I reaffirm my complete opposition to anti-Semitism and my abhorrence of Holocaust denial, and support all measures to tackle this within the party. 'And I pledge my full energy to securing for our country the Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn that it so desperately needs.' The news comes as Christine Shawcroft, pictured, has said she is stepping down from the national executive committee after it was revealed she opposed the suspension of a council candidate accused of Holocaust denial Comedian Eddie Izzard (pictured at last year's Labour conference in Brighton) is set to replace Ms Shawcroft on the party's ruling body She caused further anger with a Facebook post - subsequently taken down - claiming the row was being 'stirred up to attack Jeremy, as we all know'. Ms Shawcroft had said: This whole row is being stirred up to attack Jeremy, as we all know. 'That someone who has spent his whole life fighting racism in all its forms should find himself being accused of not doing enough to counter it, absolutely beggars belief. She will be replaced on the NEC by the comedian Eddie Izzard. The activist, Alan Bull, a Labour candidate for Peterborough Council, had been suspended for posting a link on Facebook to a fake news article titled: 'International Red Cross Report Confirms the Holocaust of Six Million Jews is a Hoax.' The activist, Alan Bull, a Labour candidate for Peterborough Council, had been suspended for posting a link on Facebook to a fake news article titled: 'International Red Cross Report Confirms the Holocaust of Six Million Jews is a Hoax' It was accompanied with a picture of the famous gates of Auschwitz, with the phrase 'Arbeit Macht Frei' [work sets you free] replaced with 'Muh Holocaust'. This phrase is apparently used by opponents of Israel to allege that whenever anyone criticises it to a Jewish person, they will start talking about the Holocaust to deflect attention. In his Passover video message, Mr Corbyn said he wanted to 'remember all our Jewish brothers and sisters, who have battled against discrimination and faced the most horrific acts of violence and mass murder'. He referred to 'rising levels of anti-Semitism around the world', pointing the finger at right-wingers in Poland and France. But admitting that problems were harder to see 'closer to home', he added: 'We in the labour movement will never be complacent about antisemitism. 'We all need to do better. I am committed to ensuring the Labour Party is a welcoming and secure place for Jewish people.' Advertisement The last two northern white rhinos on Earth appeared mournful during a memorial held for the final male of their kind as the species stands on the brink of extinction. Sudan, 45, died last month after suffering from a degenerative muscle and bone condition linked to age which left him unable to stand up. Sudan's demise should spell the end of his subspecies, but scientists have gathered genetic material and hope to develop IVF techniques to produce more white rhinos. He is survived by the last two females of his species, his 27-year-old daughter Najin and 17-year-old granddaughter Fatu. A caretaker consoles Najin, one of only two female northern white rhinos left on the planet. Najin was at a memorial service for her father, Sudan, who died last month. He was the last surviving male of the species Fatu, pictured here on the left next to Najin, was also at the memorial service. Najin, 27, is the daughter of Sudan while 17-year-old Fatu is his granddaughter Sudan's demise should spell the end of his subspecies. But scientists desperately hope that by gathering genetic material they will be able to develop IVF techniques to produce more white rhinos. Najin is pictured looking sad A plaque is unveiled in memory of Sudan, the final white northern rhino male. He died at the age of 45 after suffering from a degenerative muscle and bone condition linked to age which left him unable to stand up The pair appeared sad when they attended a memorial service for Sudan, whose death has led a Kenyan government official to declare anyone caught possessing ivory should be sentenced to life in prison. 'Ivory belongs to elephants and rhinos,' said Najib Balala, Kenya's tourism minister, during a memorial service held at Ol Pejeta Conservancy on Saturday for Sudan. Wildlife officials at Ol Pejeta, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) north of Nairobi, put down the rhino on March 19 because of rapid deterioration in his health. The only hope for preserving their species is through in vitro fertilisation using their eggs and stored semen, according to Ol Pejeta. Thousand of southern white rhinos still roam sub-Saharan Africa, but decades of rampant poaching have drastically cut the number of northern whites. Poachers could sell northern white rhino horns for $50,000 per kilo, making them more valuable than gold. Kenya had 20,000 rhinos in the 1970s, falling to 400 in the 1990s. It now has 650, almost all of them black rhinos. Sudan's death has led a Kenyan government official to declare anyone caught possessing ivory should be sentenced to life in prison. Najin is pictured looking mournful Sudan's death leaves the species on the brink of extinction. Poachers could sell northern white rhino horns for $50,000 per kilo, making them more valuable than gold A representative of the caretakers of Sudan delivers a speech during the memorial service The tombs of rhinos in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia county, northern Kenya. Northern white rhinos are endangered due to highly lucrative ivory smuggling How scientists hope to save the northern white rhino using IVF, stem cells, and Sudan's DNA Scientists are hoping to use IVF and stem cell techniques developed for humans to resurrect the northern white rhino - but the process is fraught with challenges While the death of Sudan marks a symbolic turning point in the fight to save the northern white rhino, in fact the survival of the species has been entirely reliant on untested IVF techniques for years. It was hoped that Sudan, his daughter Najin and granddaughter Patu might be able to produce offspring when they were moved to Kenya in 2009, but their close genetic relationship rendered them infertile. Since at least 2015 scientists have been working with IVF and stem cell techniques in the hopes of being able to create a viable northern white rhino embryo, according to a GoFundMe page for the project. Researchers in Berlin and San Diego are using DNA samples collected from a dozen northern whites, including Sudan, and trying to apply techniques developed for humans to the animal. If a viable embryo can be created, it would then have to be implanted into the womb of a southern white rhino, since Majin and Patu will likely be dead before the technique is perfected. While the southern white rhino would be responsible for giving birth to the baby, because the infant's genetic material came solely from northern whites, it would be a member of that species. However, as Save The Rhino points out, the process is fraught with difficulty and has a low chance of success. In the last 15 years just 10 rhino births have resulted from artificial insemination and only two embryos have ever been created - one of which divided into two cells before perishing, and the other one into three. For the northern white rhino to be genetically viable a minimum of 20 healthy individuals must be born - meaning the whole process must be successfully completed 20 times - to avoid inbreeding. Then, it would be necessary to find a suitable habitat for them, since their old habitat has largely been destroyed and led the species to the brink of extinction in the first place. Advertisement 'We are going to change our laws so that anyone caught with ivory will be jailed for life,' Balala said. Kenya introduced tough wildlife-protection laws in 2013 in an attempt to stop highly lucrative ivory smuggling, mainly to Asia, which has led to the slaughter of thousands of rare and endangered animals. Those found guilty of ivory trafficking already face a life sentence. But the minimum sentence for possessing it is just five years. After a court sentenced a Kenyan man to 20 years in jail for possessing ivory, the top prosecutor sought for the punishment to be changed to a life sentence. The convicted man's appeal is still in the courts. The slaughter of endangered animals in Africa for profit continues, but there is ever greater awareness of the bloody cost of ivory, and more international action to stop the trade. In a move with major implications for the illegal wildlife trade from Africa, China banned ivory sales in December. The country is the world's largest importer and end user of elephant tusks. Mourners pay their respects to Sudan, the final male northern white rhino who died last month. There are now just two specimens left, both female The tombs of rhinos in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia county, northern Kenya Najin and Fatue (right) appeared sad when they attended a memorial service for Sudan, whose death has led a Kenyan government official to declare anyone caught possessing ivory should be sentenced to life in prison Phil Shiner was given 2.3 million by defenc chiefs to cover legal fees over a three-year period It has emerged that the legal firm run by disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner was given 2.3 million of taxpayer cash by defence chiefs over three years. The money was used to cover Shiner's legal fees in the years before his firm was declared bankrupt. Shiner, 61, was given the taxpayers' cash on top of the legal aid he received to sue the MoD over war crimes claims. The tankchaser claimed that British soldiers had murdered, tortured and physically abused hundreds of Iraqi people during the Iraq war. His claims unsurprisingly infuriated many and the latest news he was receiving money from the overstretched MoD budget has led to more anger. Johnny Mercer, a Tory MP and Afghanistan veteran who sits on the Commons defence committee, told the Sun: 'You can imagine my views on this at a time when I am constantly being told there is no money in the MoD to look after our people properly. 'Meanwhile, the hounding of troops continues for many former armed forces personnel, particularly those who served in Northern Ireland.' Shiner had chased claims that British soldiers had murdered, tortured and physically abused hundreds of Iraqi people during the Iraq war (FILE photo) Newly released official figures revealed that Shiner's firm, Public Interest Lawyers, received a total of 1,238,916 million in the year 2013-14. He was then paid further sums of 913,058 and 170,594 in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Shiner, 61, was given the taxpayers' cash on top of the legal aid he received to sue the MoD The tankchaser was disgraced and struck off the legal register in early 2017 after an inquiry found he had repeatedly acted dishonestly. He then applied to be officially declared bankrupt. The MoD figures also show that a further 4 million was paid to another law firm, Leigh Day, an ally of Shiner. The firm was also accused of dishonesty by the Solicitors Regulation Authority was was cleared. Colonel Richard Kemp, a former British commander in Afghanistan, has asked the government to explain why they had given the law firms the 2 million. He said that the lawyers were able to fight the cases and hound soldiers because of the legal aid. An MoD spokesman said: 'We do everything we can to keep legal costs down and get the best value for the taxpayer, however inevitably when litigation is brought against the department legal costs are incurred.' One of Labour's candidates for next month's council elections is the former editor of a journal repeatedly accused of anti-Semitism, it has been revealed. Sameh Habeeb, who founded and once edited The Palestine Telegraph, has been selected as the party's candidate for the May 3 elections in Northwood, London. The Community Security Trust (CST), a government-backed organisation that protects Jews from attacks, has previously rebuked Mr Habeeb and the journal he edited for publishing 'vile anti-Semitic cartoons' and 'Holocaust denial' content. Sameh Habeeb, who founded and once edited The Palestine Telegraph, has been selected as the party's candidate for the May 3 elections in Northwood, London But speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, which revealed his candidacy, Mr Habeeb said there was 'no credibility whatsoever' in the claims made against him. He also emphasised he did not agree with the offensive articles mentioned and removed them 'promptly'. He added: 'I have never been anti-Semitic. I was expecting this - it's normal that any pro-Israelis wouldn't want any pro-Palestinians to run in the May election.' Labour MP Louise Ellman - the former chairman of the Jewish Labour Movement - said it was 'deeply disturbing' Mr Habeeb had been selected to stand for the party. She added: 'I'm amazed that Labour Party procedures could allow someone with a record like this to slip through the net. 'It brings the Labour Party into disrepute and makes a mockery of Jeremy Corbyn's promise to tackle anti-Semitism.' In 2010, Mr Habeeb was recorded telling Leeds University's student paper that the mainstream media is 'certainly pro-Israeli', adding: 'I think you have to ask yourself who controls the media.' In a follow-up piece titled 'How many antisemitic themes can you fit into one website?', CST wrote that Mr Habeeb's reply 'hints at the well-known canard about Jewish or Zionist media control, which has been a staple of anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists for over a century'. Labour MP Louise Ellman (pictured) - the former chairman of the Jewish Labour Movement - said it was 'deeply disturbing' Mr Habeeb had been selected to stand for the party CST also accused the journal Mr Habeeb formerly edited of posting an anti-Semitic cartoon featuring a devil-like monster walking over skulls while carrying a seven-pointed staff resembling a menorah. The organisation also focuses on an article published by The Palestine Telegraph in which the author, Gilad Atzmon, defends a woman who called for Israeli Jews to 'go home to Poland, Germany, America and elsewhere'. Mr Atzmon goes on to say the suggestion is 'the most reasonable and ethical' solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, referring to the author's impatience with 'Jewish power and Israeli barbarism'. In February 2010, former Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Tonge withdrew her support for The Palestine Telegraph when a video appeared on its website showing onetime Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke attacking Israel. The paper was also criticised for publishing an article which claimed the First and Second World Wars were planned 'for the sake of a group following the dictates of Zionism'. It added: 'These Masters, controlled by such luminaries as the Rothschild Dynasty, have been working in the wings.' MailOnline has contacted Mr Habeeb for comment. On his Facebook page, Mr Habeeb said the claims were 'disgusting,' adding: 'I always fought antisemitism and censored those who tried to promote it.' It comes as Mr Corbyn faces a deepening crisis over claims that he has failed to crack down on anti-Semitism in his party A spokesman for Labour said the party was 'committed to challenging and campaigning against anti-Semitism'. It comes as Mr Corbyn faces a deepening crisis over claims that he has failed to crack down on anti-Semitism in his party. Most recently, leading Corbynista Christine Shawcroft resigned from Labours ruling national body after claims that she failed to act against anti-Semitic Labour activists and was replaced by comedian Eddie Izzard; Labour MP John Mann, meanwhile, said Mr Corbyn was unfit to be Prime Minister unless he expelled Ken Livingstone who has said Hitler supported Zionism and claimed Labour faced up to 5,000 anti-Semitism complaints. An image of a female bishop, who spread the gospel in the Fifth Century, has been discovered in an Italian catacomb. Researchers unearthed a fresco in Naples that depicts a woman named Cerula with her hands raised in prayer and flaming Gospel books floating above her, which are said to represent the role of a bishop. The image is 'incredibly significant' evidence that Jesus had many more female disciples than previously thought, claim academics. Researchers unearthed a fresco in Naples that depicts a female bishop named Cerula. The image is 'incredibly significant' evidence that Jesus had many more female disciples than previously thought, claim academics The discovery will be highlighted in Channel 4's programme Jesus' Female Disciples: The New Evidence, and will air next weekend. Pictured: Bible experts Joan Taylor and Helen Bond The discovery will be highlighted in Channel 4's programme Jesus' Female Disciples: The New Evidence, and will air next weekend. The catacomb wall paintings were recently restored after being rediscovered in 1971, reported the Sunday Telegraph. Experts say Cerula was painted either in the late Fifth Century or the early Sixth Century, suggesting that women were in senior positions in the Church from early on. The female bishop has a red 'chi-rho' symbol of Christ floating over her head. And the four gospel volumes indicate that she was in a position of authority. Dr Ally Kateusz, an expert in early Christian art, told the Channel 4 programme: 'Bishops, and bishops only, had open gospel books placed over their heads during their ordination ritual.' Experts say Cerula was painted either in the late Fifth Century or the early Sixth Century, suggesting that women were in senior positions from early on in the Church. Pictured: Bond and Taylor in Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Dr Kateusz added: 'The flames of the Holy Spirit would come out of the gospels and inspire the bishops in their preaching.' Dr Luca Badini, from the Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research, added: 'It was known that women bishops were preaching at that time but very little evidence exists of it. 'There are still some people who argue on the basis of tradition, stating that they can't allow women to minister because it's never been done before, but of course, that's not true.' Bible experts Helen Bond and Joan Taylor visited the catacomb and Bond said the image proves any 'historic precedent that says Jesus did not choose women is clearly wrong.' Bond went on to claim that half of Jesus Christ's disciples were women and said the importance of his female followers has been overlooked for centuries. The female bishop has a red 'chi-rho' symbol of Christ floating over her head. And the four gospel volumes indicate that she was in a position of authority. Pictured: Bond and Taylor in Israel by the Holy Salome cave A key passage which Professor Bond refers to is in Luke, where Jesus appointed 70 or 72 disciples to heal the sick and spread the word about God. Although previously Dorotheus of Tyre, a scholar who died in 362 AD, argued these would have been all male, Professor Bond claims 'two by two' may have meant half male, and half female. She told the Times: 'That phrase "two by two" reminds you of Noah's Ark and the idea that it is a male and a female. 'We are suggesting that Jesus has a much larger group of disciples and that includes women as well, pairs of males and females together.' Six devastated couples have been forced to find a wedding venue in under a month after a popular seaside hotel abruptly announced it was closing for renovations. The Portsea Hotel in Melbourne's idyllic Mornington Peninsula revealed it would be closing for a full renovation, shocking a number of engaged couples who had already secured the venue to host their wedding receptions. Cindy D'Auria and her finance Anton Vogiatzis spent the last two years planning their big wedding day which is set for May 5. It is one of the most important days in a persons life and now six couples are forced to find a new wedding venue after the seaside hotel is closing for renovations including Cindy D'Auria and her finance Anton Vogiatzis (pictured) Now they have been forced to find a new venue a month before tying the knot, leaving them stressed and upset, Ms D'Auria told 9 News. 'I've waited my whole life to be with him, to marry him - we've had it all planned, and then a big - see ya - you're going to have to do it somewhere else now,' she said. The couple received an email from The Portsea Hotel last week which told them it was with 'great sadness' the hotel would no longer be able to host their May wedding. Hotel general manager Trent Smith said the venue was left with little choice as there were no other times the renovations could be completed Due to the short notice, rescheduling last minute has cost the pair $12,000. They are still negotiating with the venue about the out of pocket expenses the sudden change has incurred on them. The hotel will be closed until November of this year which means all previously booked events, not just weddings, have been left out in the cold. Ms D'Auria said it was 'poor form' from the hotel. Hotel general manager Trent Smith said the venue was left with little choice as there were no other times the renovations could be completed. 'We have to do it in the winter and it's the quietest time of the year,' he said. Thankfully for Mr Vogiatzis and Ms D'Auria they were able to lock in a new venue for their wedding, the Baths in Sorrento. aliens could be living in the acid clouds of Venus, a study backed by Nasa says. Researchers think the sulfur dioxide-rich upper atmosphere of the planet might be home to simple microbial life. Scientists used space probes to detect dark patches around the rust-coloured body, which resemble the light-absorbing properties of bacteria on Earth. Venus' upper atmosphere is made up of sulfur-dioxide and droplets of sulfuric acid which fall to the surface as rain The mysterious patches could be blooms of space-algae, similar to those which occur in lakes and ponds. Venus' cloud are partly made of sulfuric acid and reflect 75 per cent of the sunlight that falls on them, making them completely opaque. The planet has been dubbed Earth's evil twin because of its incredibly inhospitable surface conditions, where it rains acid and is 462C. The planet has been dubbed Earth's evil twin because of its incredible heat and acid state The research, published earlier this week in the journal Astrobiology, suggests extra-terrestrial microbes could survive by being blown around by winds in the cooler cloud tops. Paper co-author and biological chemist at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, said: 'On Earth, we know that life can thrive in very acidic conditions, can feed on carbon dioxide, and produce sulfuric acid.' Venus once had a habitable climate with water on its surface for as long as 2 billion years. A young woman who was sexually abused by a paedophile ex-cop is begging more victims to speak out to stop his release from jail. Amy Hannah, who lives near Northampton, was only eight when vile Daniel Lishman wormed his way into her family and attacked her. The serial child abuser, jailed for life in 2011, was branded by the judge 'every parent's worst nightmare'. When he was arrested, police found a memory card hidden in his sock containing images of him posing indecently with a blindfolded eight-year-old in the back of his van. Amy Hannah, pictured, was just eight when she was abused by a paedophile ex-cop. Now she is begging more victims to speak out to stop his release from jail Amy, pictured as a child, said Daniel Lishman first abused her as he read her a bedtime story in her pink Winnie the Pooh nightie Over nine years he raped one girl and preyed on at least 12 more, including three with disabilities or learning difficulties. But Amy, who has waived her anonymity, believes there may be many more who were abused by Lishman, 44. The case echoes that of black cab rapist John Worboys. This week Worboys was denied parole after his victims campaigned to keep him behind bars. He was jailed indefinitely in 2009 for attacks on 12 women but may have targeted more than 100. Lishman was caught after entering a house while posing as a boiler repair man and violently sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl on her own. Amy, 20, helped bring him to justice after she saw an e-fit image of the paedophile on Crimewatch. Just hours earlier she had finally admitted to her mum what he had done to her. Amy said: 'I still believe there may be victims of Lishman's that haven't come forward. 'There may even be people out there who were abused before I was and they haven't spoken out. 'There were so many of us when he got sentenced. Who is to say there aren't more? 'I'd urge anyone who suspects they were abused by him to go to the police. Or if they don't feel comfortable with the police to tell a teacher or an adult, a parent... anyone. He should not be on the streets.' Amy's nightmare began in spring 2006 when Lishman, posing as a TV licence official, began a casual relationship with her mum Tracey Smith, 48. Amy and her younger brother, then aged three, initially liked 'Dan' because he played hide and seek with them and would read them bedtime stories. Daniel Lishman, pictured, was jailed for life in 2011. When he was arrested, police found a memory card hidden in his sock containing images of him posing indecently with a blindfolded eight-year-old in the back of his van Amy's nightmare began in spring 2006 when Lishman, posing as a TV licence official, began a casual relationship with her mum Tracey Smith, 48. She said the first few times he visited all was normal., but then the abuse went on weekly for months until one day Dan stopped texting Amy's mother and disappeared But matters soon took a sinister turn as the paedo began to take an unusual interest in getting Amy ready for bed. She said the first few times he visited all was normal. Amy recalled: 'He'd play tag and play with our toys with us. Me and my little brother really liked him. We'd always ask our mum "Can Dan come over?" 'Mum had not long left my dad so she wasn't looking for anything serious.' Amy vividly recalls the first night she was touched up by Lishman. She said: 'He said to my mum, "You sort the little 'un out - my brother - and I'll sort Amy out for bed". 'I remember getting dressed for bed. I was in my pink nightie with Winnie-the-Pooh on the front. 'He got into bed with me and started reading me a Mr Men book. He did things to me. He said not to tell my mum because I'd get into trouble.' The abuse went on weekly for months until one day later that year Dan stopped texting Amy's mother and disappeared. Amy kept quiet about what had happened, believing it was normal. Lishman, pictured, was branded 'every parent's worst nightmare' by the judge She said: 'Your parents tell you don't talk to strangers and if a stranger touches you, tell an adult. Tell someone. 'But in my eight-year-old brain he wasn't a stranger to me and our family so I thought it was normal.' It wasn't until Amy was 12 that she realised the awful truth about what had happened to her. She confided in a cousin, who immediately told her mum. When police called that evening to take a statement Crimewatch was on TV. Amy and Tracey were horrified when they saw an e-fit of a man who had forced his way into a Warwickshire home and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old in an airing cupboard. The child's mother, in a heartbreaking plea, said: 'Hearing your daughter screaming in her sleep "Get off me" or the constant "He's in my head, he's in my head" is so difficult to deal with.' Amy said: 'As soon as I saw the e-fit we looked at each other and just said: "That's Dan."' That attack, in February 2010, made Amy realise there must be other victims. Lishman, then 37, was already in custody. Lishman, of Raunds, Northamptonshire, was convicted of rape and 12 sexual assaults, including on three youngsters with disabilities or learning difficulties, as well as for having hundreds of indecent images of children. He used his experience of jobs as a TV licensing officer and a mobile dog groomer to pose as a worker allowing him to hunt down more vulnerable children. He also posed as a cop to assault two young girls. Lishman had been a Northamptonshire officer from 1995 to 2002 but was forced to quit after a woman made sexual allegations against him. In 2011 he was jailed for life at Coventry Crown Court and told he must serve at least 11 years. It wasn't until Amy was 12 that she realised the awful truth about what had happened to her. She said: 'In my eight-year-old brain he wasn't a stranger to me and our family so I thought it was normal' Amy said: 'I'm scared of him getting parole. It's something that crosses my mind quite a lot. It's scary knowing maybe one day soon he's going to be out.' Trial judge Peter Carr said it would not be an exaggeration to describe Lishman as 'every parent's worst nightmare' telling him: 'You are in my view an intelligent but also cunning, devious and extremely plausible man.' Tracey went to the court hearing and saw Lishman smirk at her from the dock. Amy said the attacks have hit her confidence as well as her ability to form relationships and her self-esteem. Her dream of becoming a police officer has been shattered by Lishman.She is wary of older men and had to swap a customer-facing job for a desk position at an insurance company. Amy has also had monthly therapy since she was 13 and finds relationships tricky. She said: 'It made me see men in a different light. I was very afraid of men as I was growing up. 'The guy could be as innocent as anything but I'd freak out. I didn't want them to touch me because I felt dirty. 'I go by the saying now "Never a victim always a survivor". I survived it and got through it. 'I want to tell people that whether the abuser was a stranger, a family friend or a relative, it isn't your fault. 'If someone thinks differently of you because of it, they're not worth it.' Peter Saunders, from the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said: 'It's extremely difficult for the victim to speak out. 'Thankfully many are now feeling less afraid to speak out because of survivors like Amy who share their experiences.' At the international press conference (Source: VNA) The GMS leaders adopted the Joint Statement of the sixth GMS Summit affirming the GMS countries political commitment and determination to enhance the role of the mechanism. The Hanoi Action Plan for 2018-2022 defines major orientations and cooperation measures in the coming time while the Regional Investment Framework 2022 provides a list of more than 220 projects worth about USD66 billion, the PM said. The success of the GMS proves the aspiration and determination to build the Mekong region of peace, prosperity and sustainable development for the people, and realize its vision on the pillars of 3C: Connectivity, Competitiveness and Community," he stressed. With the theme Leveraging 25 years of cooperation, Building an integrated, sustainable and prosperous GMS, the 6th GMS Summit received active support of the GMS leaders and representatives from its key partners, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, and ASEAN. The Vietnamese PM also attributed the summits success to the active participation of more than 3,000 business delegates from the GMS nations and partners, as well as nearly 400 international and Vietnamese reporters. At the press conference, ADB President Takehiko Nakao praised Vietnams initiative on organising the GMS Business Summit, the first of its kind, which helped strengthen dialogues between enterprises and governments and connect businesses in the region and the world, while encouraging resources from the private sector. The GMS aims to mobilise USD66 billion in the next five years, in which ADB will provide at least USD7 billion for the region. The rest will be mobilised from private sector, he said, adding that is why the GMS Business Summit is very important for the GMS mechanism. The ADB President also expressed his confidence in GMS economic growth in general and the opportunities for Vietnam to summon the regional potential. GMS was established in 1992 as an initiative of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The GMS Programme is the most complete cooperation programme that involves Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Chinas Yunnan and Guangxi provinces. Priority fields include infrastructure development, energy, telecommunications, tourism, trade-investment, human resources, and the environment./. Despite still being used on the front line against ISIS in Syria every day, the iconic Tornado fighter-bomber jets are set to be axed by early next year. All 36 Tornado GR4s will be decommissioned by the RAF because of defence budget cuts. The bomber was set to stay until the F-35B jet was ready to replace it but budget pressures have forced the RAF's hand early. The iconic Tornado GR4 fighter bomber jet is set to be axed by the RAF because of budget cuts The iconic bomber is still in action against Islamic State in Syria after plans to remove it were first raised in 2015. The Tornado was given a reprieve then to join the air war in Syria where it is supporting Special Forces. But the RAF is now making way for 12 F-35Bs, to operate from RAF Marham, and the new Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. A senior RAF source told the Express: 'The plan after the change to the 2015 SDSR decision was to keep the Tornado fully in service until the arrival of the F-35B. 'But budget pressures has meant this has changed, and Tornado withdrawal is being accelerated.' The move comes after the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, of 'capability gaps' caused by budget cuts. He said that more aircraft and resources are needed to deal with the gaps. The aircraft was due to be removed in 2015 but was reprieved so Tornado squadrons could join the fight against ISIS The disbandment parade for the first Tornado unit to be axed, 12 Squadron, has already taken place two weeks ago at RAF Marham. Wing Commander Nikki Thomas said: 'It was very poignant for us to deliver the Squadron's final flight as an operational mission because 12 Squadron has been at the very forefront of UK operations to defeat [IS].' No jobs will be lost in the change, with pilots transferred to other units. However, because of the budget issues, there are only enough F35s for one unit at the moment. The RAF could gain another 48 F-35Bs but the National Audit Office has said the Armed Forces equipment plan is unaffordable. Although they will be axed in the next few months, Tornado G34 bombers are used on the frontline in Syria every day Air Commodore Andrew Lambert of the UK National Defence Association said that they fought hard to save the Tornados because of the important role they play. He also said that they do not know when they will get the promised 48 F-35Bs. 'It means we are facing the loss of our three Tornado squadrons for just one F-35B squadron of 12 aircraft.' Air Chief Marshal Hillier, said: 'Our control of the air is now being challenged, as we have seen with the Russians in Syria and through other state-based threats.' He also stressed that because of funding issues, the RAF will not be able to protect British interests oversea. A road rage brawl on a Melbourne road took a violent turn after a driver pulled out a taser on a man in the middle of a busy street. Dashcam footage shows two men getting out of a white Ford Falcon to confront the 50-year-old driver of a Mitsubishi on Flemington Road on Saturday afternoon. The pair shout at the driver before returning to their car, but things escalate when he follows them back and kicks the side door of their car. A road rage brawl on a Melbourne road turned violent after a man pulled out a Taser on the fellow driver Dashcam footage shows two men getting out of a white Ford Falcon to confront the 50-year-old driver of a Mitsubishi (pictured) He can be seen jumping out of his car and appearing to flash a taser at one of the men, before throwing a few punches as the pair exchange blows. He eventually gets back into his car and zooms away, narrowly avoiding the driver - who throws in a final kick at his car for good measure. It is believed the two cars then caught up further up the road, Nine News reported, after zooming through a red light. The driver of the Mitsubishi followed them to their car and proceeded to yell at the driver and kick at the car The driver of the Fold and his passenger got back into the car and sped off through a red light Police are investigating the incident and whether the weapon the man pulled out was a Taser. The driver of the Mitsubishi and his female passenger are assisting police with their enquiries. Police are asking for members of the public on information of the two men to contact Crime Stoppers. A man has died after a fairground ride in central France collapsed, sending cars hurtling into the ground. The accident happened on an attraction consisting of 14 cars attached to a central rotating carousel, Laurent Buffard, deputy mayor of Neuville-sur-Saone near Lyon, said. The collapse resulted in the pods hurtling to the ground and the occupants being thrown out. The accident happened on an attraction consisting of 14 cars attached to a central rotating carousel, Laurent Buffard, deputy mayor of Neuville-sur-Saone near Lyon, said The collapse resulted in the pods hurtling to the ground and the occupants being thrown out. Pictured: The scene after the tragedy Four children are among those being treated for injuries. An eight-year-old boy is among them The dead father, 40, who was at the fair with his two children, had been on the ride when it collapsed. Buffard said: 'The carousel fell suddenly and hit the ground hard.' He added that the tragedy was caused by a technical fault. Four children are among those being treated for injuries. An eight-year-old boy is among them. The dead father, 40, who was at the fair with his two children, had been on the ride when it collapsed Psychologists have been sent to the scene to help treat any victims who might be suffering from shock The ride was composed of three rotating axis with baskets carrying people in pairs and Buffard told BFM television that one of the axis somehow hit the ground. Meanwhile psychologists have been sent to the scene to help treat any victims who might be suffering from shock. An investigation has been launched and the fairground shut down. A primary school pupil aged just eight held a knife against another pupil's throat and threatened to 'cut him', it has been revealed. The boy, in year four at the 210-pupil St Paul's Primary School in Primrose Hill, north London, threatened the other pupil in the corridor with a Swiss Army knife which he had brought to school. It is believed the boy had had the knife confiscated by a teacher at the start of the school day, but took it out of the teacher's desk at going home time, which is when the incident occurred in January this year. An eight-year-old pupil at St Paul's Primary School in Primrose Hill, north London, held a knife against another pupil's throat and threatened to 'cut him', it has been revealed A meeting at Camden Borough Council to discuss knife crime in the borough last Monday (Mar 26) was told how the eight-year-old boy has since apologised to the victim and written him a letter. Tory councillor Leila Roy, who is a spokesman for children and young people on the council, read out the letter during the meeting, the Ham & High newspaper revealed last week. The letter from the eight-year-old states: 'I am so sorry for what I did yesterday and if I was you I would feel very scared. 'I should never say that I am going to cut you and I should not have taken the pocket knife from (the teacher's) desk in the first place. I hope you feel better and a bit less scared.' Cllr Roy told the meeting that the child had taken the knife into school and had 'put it on another child's throat'. A Camden Council spokesperson said: 'The pocket knife was brought into school by a pupil and voluntarily handed into the teacher. The incident occurred in the corridor after the boy had retrieved it at the end of the school day. The boy, in year four at the 210-pupil school, threatened the other pupil in the corridor with a Swiss Army knife which he had brought to school (file photo) 'A threat was made but it is not clear whether the blade had been unfolded or not. 'The incident was reported to the Council and logged on our system in the correct way and an assessment was carried out and evaluated with the appropriate agencies. The letter was written as an apology as part of 'reparation' for what happened. 'Clearly there were lessons for the school, which has since reviewed its procedures, to learn from the incident but we are satisfied that the council handled it in the proper way when it was reported to us.' A spokesman for the school said: 'We took all the appropriate action for dealing with the incident as we would in any serious matter.' Labour's anti-Semitism row combined with leader Jeremy Corbyn's failure to blame Russia for the Salisbury attack have lost the party more than 17,000 members. About three per cent of paying supporters have ditched the party this year and last week upwards of 3,000 did not renew direct debits. Following a record level membership level of about 570,000 last year, the most recent figures available show not one region in England has experience a rise in membership since the beginning of this year. The party has moved to distance itself from a series of pro-Corbyn social media groups after an investigation found they contained hundreds of violent and abusive messages The BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg (left) and Labour MP Luciana Berger (right) were both abused as 'Zionists' in pro-Corbyn groups online The capital lost more than 3,500 members and 2,000 were lost in the north-west, The Times reports. It comes after Corbyn appeared to have deleted his personal Facebook account amid the fierce row over anti-Semitism. The Leader of the Opposition came under intensifying pressure to take early action to tackle anti-Semitism in Labour amid fresh claims of abuse by his supporters. The party has moved to distance itself from a series of pro-Corbyn social media groups after an investigation found they contained hundreds of violent and abusive messages. This is the message which greets Facebook users when they try to click on Jeremy Corbyn's personal account Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger - who is a regular target for abuse - said she and her staff had gone to the police over the abuse they had suffered from left-wingers, including one email urging her to kill herself Shadow digital minister Liam Byrne said Mr Corbyn now needed to make good his promise to Jewish leaders to tackle the issue, pointing to the backlog of around 70 cases of anti-Semitism which have still to be dealt with (including Ken Livingstone) A probe into 20 of the biggest pro-Corbyn Facebook groups uncovered routine attacks on Jewish people, including Holocaust denial and comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany. And now Corbyn himself has deleted his own personal social media account amid the fallout. Lord Carlile said some of the remarks could have breached laws proscribing certain speech While his personal account is now inactive, although his MP account is still online. The Sunday Times reported that 12 senior staff working for Mr Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell were members of the groups which contained more than 2,000 racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, violent and abusive messages. They were found on the 20 largest pro-Corbyn Facebook groups, which have a combined membership of 400,000. Lord Carlile said some of the remarks could have breached laws banning certain speech. Among the posts was a threat to murder Theresa May as well as praise of Adolf Hitler, who one person said 'should have finished off the job'. A Labour source said such sites routinely received hundreds of postings a day, most of which were perfectly innocent messages about party policies or events. Many of the staff concerned were either no longer active on Facebook or were unaware they were members of these groups and had not seen the content highlighted by the paper. A Labour Party spokesman said: 'These groups are not run by the Labour Party or officially connected to the party in any way. The FIVE disturbing groups Jeremy Corbyn has bene linked to PALESTINE LIVE THE closed page includes links to material produced by neo-Nazi groups and messages suggesting Israel was involved in the 9/11 attack. Members discuss whether they prefer the term ZioNazi to JewNazi. One member said he was reading Adolf Hitlers book Mein Kampf, adding: Everybody should be forced to read it. HISTORY OF PALESTINE THE group, which has 1,782 members, features several shared articles and posts that are derogatory about Jews. Members shared articles saying that half of Israeli Jews believe in ethnic cleansing. Other posts claim that Labours anti-Semitism crisis was manufactured by the Israel lobby. THE LABOUR PARTY SUPPORTER MR Corbyn joined the group himself, rather than being added to it. It features multiple posts promoting conspiracies about wealthy Jews running the world. Members of the group claimed that Islamic State and Israel were jointly responsible for the nerve agent attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal in the UK. LABOUR FOR DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM THE page includes discussions of Holocaust denial and the Rothschilds. It included one post that said: The International Red Cross visited all the work camps throughout the war and found nothing wrong. JEREMY CORBYN LEADS US TO VICTORY MR Corbyn was a member of the open group until a row began over racist posts. One user posted a picture of the flag of Israel with the Jewish Star of David replaced by a swastika. A picture of New York Times journalists was posted with Jewish symbols in place of their heads. Advertisement 'The Labour Party is committed to challenging and campaigning against anti-Semitism in all its forms. Any complaints of anti-Semitism are taken extremely seriously. 'These are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate disciplinary action taken.' However, the Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger - who is a regular target for abuse - said she and her staff had gone to the police over the abuse they had suffered from left-wingers, including one email urging her to kill herself. 'Where people indulge in illegal racist activity I will always use the full force of the law to pursue a prosecution,' she said in an article for The Sunday Times. 'I will continue to do that even when they are people from the left.' The claims came as a Labour frontbencher warned there was 'real alarm' at the scale of the problem - while comedian Eddie Izzard, who became a member of the party's ruling national executive committee (NEC), said they needed to 'make amends' to the Jewish community. Shadow digital minister Liam Byrne said Mr Corbyn now needed to make good his promise to Jewish leaders to tackle the issue, pointing to the backlog of around 70 cases of anti-Semitism which have still to be dealt with. He echoed deputy leader Tom Watson in highlighting the case of former London mayor Ken Livingstone - a long-time ally of the Labour leader who remains suspended over comments suggesting Hitler supported Zionism in the 1930s. 'I personally do not think that Mr Corbyn is an anti-Semite, I don't think he has an anti-Semitic bone in his body,' Mr Byrne told BBC Radio 4's The World this Weekend. 'But the reality is now that we need action and not simply words. We have got a lot of disciplinary cases stacking up. Mr Livingstone is at the top of that queue.' In a statement, Izzard said the issue had to be dealt with 'for the good of the people Labour seeks to represent'. His appointment to the NEC followed the resignation of Christine Shawcroft, a left-wing supporter of Mr Corbyn who quit amid criticism of her opposition to the suspension of a council candidate accused of Holocaust denial. As the runner-up when she was elected last year, he now automatically takes her place. 'This is a very important time for the Labour Party and we must stamp out completely the stain of anti-Semitism from a minority of members. It has no place in our party,' Mr Izzard said. 'We must make amends and repair the damage with the Jewish community as Jeremy Corbyn has promised to do.' The latest developments follow a tumultuous week that has seen fresh recriminations within the party as well as a protest outside Parliament led by Jewish leaders who accused Mr Corbyn of repeatedly siding with anti-Semites. A probe into 20 of the biggest pro-Corbyn Facebook groups uncovered routine attacks on Jewish people, including Holocaust denial and comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany. Pictured: Corbyn meeting with Rabbi Pinter Robert Ale (pictured) was shot at a Melbourne tattoo parlour in February Chilling footage has emerged of the moment two hooded gunmen stormed a Melbourne tattoo parlour and gunned down a Comanchero bikie in a brazen, broad daylight execution attempt. The video, obtained by the Herald Sun, shows two hooded men climbing out of a car and rushing inside the Nitro Ink tattoo parlour, in Melbourne's south-east, while onlooking pedestrians scramble in terror. Moments later, the two men rush back outside and into the waiting getaway vehicle - which was allegedly found burnt out in a nearby street after the shooting. The Comanchero bikie gunned down inside the tattoo parlour was revealed as high-profile member Robert Ale - the right-hand man of the gang's jailed national president. Chilling footage shows the moment two hooded men climb out of an idling car and moving toward the entrance of the Nitro Ink tattoo parlour Bystanders flee desperately as the two men storm the tattoo parlour, reemerging moments later Ale, known as the 'Cry Baby Comanchero', was fighting for life in hospital after he was shot nine times during the attempted execution. Police believe the shooting may be linked to the murder of former Comanchero boss Mick Hawi, who was killed outside a Sydney gym on February 15. Ale, 35, was shot at the same time Hawi's family and friends gathered for his funeral at a Sydney mosque on February 22. Ale is a close associate of Mick Murray - current Comanchero boss and former owner of Nitro Ink - who was secretly jailed about a month ago. Police believe the shooting may be linked to the murder of former Comanchero boss Mick Hawi (pictured with his wife) Ale, 35, is fighting for life in hospital after he was shot nine times during the attempted execution at Nitro Ink Police in Melbourne said Ale's (pictured) shooting is being treated as a targeted hit Police are probing whether rival gangs the Rebels or Bandidos are behind the assassination attempt. But it is understood an internal dispute between Victoria and New South Wales Comanchero factions may be fuelling the violence, The Age reported. The internal squabble was sparked after a wild brawl at a Canberra strip club in August last year. CCTV footage showed bikies, who later refused to cooperate with police, smashing glasses on their own heads and ripping off their shirts. Meanwhile, anti-gang police in Melbourne have said Ale's shooting is being treated as a targeted hit. Ale was allegedly a major player in a crime syndicate which trafficked drugs and plotted arson attacks on a strip club, a court heard last year, Herald Sun reported. During a bail hearing at the time, Con Heliotis, QC, said his client was not coping with his first stint in custody. Mr Heliotis said when Ale was visited by another lawyer in jail, 'he broke down and cried like a baby', according to the paper. 'If left in there, he'll break down,' Mr Heliotis said at the time. Ale was charged with threatening to kill, drug trafficking, conspiring to commit arson and possession of an unregistered handgun. He was on bail when he was shot. Inspector Michael Daly, who called Ale's shooting 'very concerning', said police were investigating whether it was gang-related. The gunmen's bullets went through to neighbouring buildings, but no-one else was hurt. Asked if the shooting was linked to Hawi's murder, Inspector Daly said detectives for the anti-biker Echo taskforce were probing the possibility. Murray (pictured) - the national president of the Comanchero and former owner of Nitro Ink - was secretly jailed about a month ago Police at the scene of a burnt out car in Hampton Park, near the scene of a shooting at a tattoo parlour in Melbourne Hawi rose to infamy in 2009 for his involvement in the Sydney Airport brawl which resulted in the death of Hells Angel associate Anthony Zervas. The crime led to a nationwide crackdown on motorcycle gangs. Hawi was jailed over Zervas' death but was eventually freed on parole after his charge was downgraded to manslaughter. Around three years after his release, Hawi was shot dead outside the Fitness First gym in Rockdale in Sydney's south. A week later, two masked men stormed into Nitro Ink and opened fire on Ale. Family and friends of slain former bikie boss Mick Hawi gather at a Sydney mosque on Thursday Hawi, a father-of-two, was killed in a hail of bullets outside a Sydney gym on February 15 One witness said there were so many gunshots he couldn't count them. When questioned at the scene, one man who appeared to work at the parlour told a Herald Sun reporter to 'f*** off'. Daily Mail Australia's calls to the parlour went unanswered on Thursday evening. There is no suggestion the parlour is still linked to Murray or the Comancheros and police said they were not aware of any bikie link. A boyfriend who allegedly shot dead a mother-of-five in her own driveway has been arrested in another state after he ran from police Keitran Foots, 30, allegedly shot 35-year-old girlfriend, Sharika Bowman, while she was sitting in her SUV in DeKalb County, Georgia, at the home that they shared together. The man brutally fired several rounds into the vehicle on Friday morning before fleeing the scene in his black Hyundai Genesis, police said. Police in Granville County, North Carolina, caught Foots after receiving information from officials that he was in the area. Keitran Foots, 30, (left) has been arrested in another state for the death of Sharika Bowman, 35, (right) after he shot her dead in her driveway in DeKalb County, Georgia The mother-of-five was sitting in her SUV (pictured) when Foots approached the vehicle and shot her multiple times before fleeing Authorities attempted to arrest Foots at a motel, but he ran and eventually was captured after they found him hiding in a carport, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Foots is now waiting in North Carolina until he can be transported back to Georgia to face charges for the murder of his girlfriend. Bowman was a licensed practical nurse and was studying to become a registered nurse, her family said. She had five children, but it is unclear if any of the children were Foots'. According to Dekalb County Police, Bowman's 16-year-old son was in the house when the shooting occurred and he called 911. Bowman died on the scene after sustaining multiple gun shot wounds. Police have obtained a warranted out for Foots arrest after her murder. Foots is described as a black male who is 5-feet-11-inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds. Anyone with information about the man's whereabouts are asked to call the police at 770-724-7850. An Australian family sailing around the globe were stalked for four hours by pirates before Japanese and Pakistani warships sailed in to save the day. Lachin Turner, wife Louise and their two young children Siara, 11, and Kai, 4, were sailing off the coast of Yemen during their dream sailing trip when they spotted a pirate skiff moving toward their position. Ms Turner said that the family were 'sitting ducks' as the pirate skiff moved in closer and started to scout their potential prey The Daily Telegraph reported. The Turner family are sailing around the globe were stalked for four hours by pirates before a Japanese and Pakistani warships sailed in to save the day Ms Turner said that the family were 'sitting ducks' as the pirate skiff moved in closer and started to scout their potential prey It wasn't long before more pirate skiffs arrived and started to pass close by the families yacht, crossing the bow and seemingly corralling them away from any nearby vessels. Ms Turner and her husband were scrambling to figure out a way away from the pirates and knew their only option at that point was to radio for help, their radio message was short but captured the terror of the situation, 'imminent pirate attack'. Things looked to be getting more dire for the turner family when fuel reserves started to run low, but it was at that moment they heard a sound they will likely always remember. It wasn't long before more pirate skiffs arrived and started to pass close by the families yacht, crossing the bow and seemingly corralling them away from any nearby vessels '...fate intervened and we believe it was only by minutes that the appearance of two warships on the horizon thwarted the attack,' Ms Turner said A call came over the radio from a nearby Japanese warship telling them they had dispatched a helicopter to their position. Along with the helicopter, a Japanese war plane was also dispatched to keep track of the family as the warship made its way to their location as quickly as possible. 'For the next four hours we were stalked,' Ms Turner said. The Japanese plane kept radio contact with the family and lead them towards the warship. The pirates seemed to know that they had a limited window before the warship arrived and were ready to make their move, 'three skiff son approach' came over the radio. 'This was it for us. Attack imminent. Simply put, we could not possibly prevent them boarding us. But fate intervened and we believe it was only by minutes that the appearance of two warships on the horizon thwarted the attack,' Ms Turner said. The Pakistani vessel sent one of their own aboard the Turner yacht and supplied them with extra fuel before escorting them the rest of the way to Djibouti The two warships were Japanese and Pakistani and they had arrived just in time to rescue the family. Upon seeing the warships come over the horizons the pirates thought better of the situation and took off in the opposite direction. 'We are incredibly lucky that we were not attacked, however, the threat was all too real.' The Pakistani vessel sent one of their own aboard the Turner yacht and supplied them with extra fuel before escorting them the rest of the way to Djibouti. Ms Turner said her and her family knew how lucky they had been to escape the attack and said it was both a terrifying and sobering experience. Prosecutors told a Telford grooming victim's father they couldn't prosecute the alleged abuser because the 13-year-old had consented to have sex with the man, according to uncovered documents. The letter was discovered after papers were handed over to the Home Office as part of the ongoing investigation into what may be Britain's 'worst ever' child abuse scandal. It was sent from the Crown Prosecution Service to a father in 2016, and stated the branch couldn't prosecute the man because although the young girl may not have wanted to have sex, she agreed she would. Prosecutors told a Telford grooming victim's father they couldn't prosecute the alleged abuser because the 13-year-old had consented to have sex with the man, according to documents 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 The existence of the letter was first reported by Sky News, and read: 'The defence that was put forward in this case was that she willingly met the suspect and had consensual sexual intercourse with him. 'Also at the time this took place the suspect held a reasonable belief that she was over the age of 16. 'In her statements to the police she was clear that although she may not have wanted sexual intercourse with the suspect, she agreed to do so.' Last Monday, it was announced that the National Independent Inquiry into Child Exploitation would talk to grooming victims as part of its 'Truth Project'. It came about due to claims that cases were mishandled by authorities in the Shropshire town, with many perpetrators going unpunished, and reports that similar abuse was continuing in the area. MP for Telford Lucy Allan has slammed local police and the Crown Prosecution Service in wake of the letter, saying the evidence she's compiled from victims and their families shows 'a failure to understand the nature of grooming' on the officials' parts. Pointing to the letter, she said using the defence of consent suggests the departments don't understand how 'a young person of 13 or 14 does not have the capacity to consent in a situation like that.' A CPS spokesperson said the case didn't meet the evidence test and a separate review confirmed the decision not to prosecute. In early March, it was revealed a pair of whistle-blowers, who raised fears over the Telford child sex abuse scandal which affected up to 1,000 girls, were both punished and silenced. MP for Telford Lucy Allan has slammed local police and the Crown Prosecution Service in wake of the letter, saying the evidence she's compiled from victims and their families shows 'a failure to understand the nature of grooming' on the officials' parts According to the Mirror, police chaplain Keith Osmund-Smith was suspended after he passed papers to the newspaper and a report commissioned by the council revealed social workers knew of the sex crimes before the turn of the millennium. Meanwhile, a woman who was hired by sex abuse charity Axis Counselling, based in Shrewsbury, was forced to leave her role after she tried to speak up. The town in Shropshire - population 170,000 is at the centre of a probe following claims as many as 1,000 girls have been victims of sexual abuse dating back to the 1980s. A police investigation in 2010 identified more than 100 potential victims, most of whom were young white girls, who had allegedly been abused between 2007 and 2009. The inquiry - Operation Chalice - was closed after seven Asian men were jailed in 2012 for a total of 49 years for charges against four girls including rape, trafficking and prostitution. But the scale of the abuse is believed to much greater than these seven men and there have been claims that it has been mishandled by the authorities. It is alleged that social workers first knew of abuse in the 1990s, but police took a decade before launching a probe. Previously unseen files apparently showed that council staff viewed abused and trafficked children as 'prostitutes', not victims, and that the authorities had failed to keep details of abusers from Asian communities for fear of 'racism'. Victims are now being asked to share their experiences with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The sexual abuse inquiry, led by Alexis Jay, is examining 13 areas of public life for child protection failings over decades. The father of a Parkland shooting victim led an emotional biker ride fundraiser on Saturday and was joined by other students including David Hogg. Andrew Pollack, 52, lost his daughter, Meadow, when she was shot dead at Marjory Stoneman High School on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida. On Saturday, an estimated 650 bikers rode 43 miles through South Florida in a tribute to Meadow. There ride, which ended in a Coral Springs neighborhood, was part of a fundraiser to build a playground for kids in the teenager's honor. Andrew Pollack, 52, lost his daughter, Meadow, during the Parkland school shooting on Feb. 14. The father (right) organized a biker fundraiser on Saturday to honor his daughter. Pictured is him at the event on Saturday Other attendees include David Hogg (left), Matt Deitsch (middle) and Jaclyn Corin (right) who are students at Marjory Stoneman High School. Corin posted the photo on Twitter and said '#RideforMeadow' The 52-year-old father (left) is using the money raised to build a park to honor his daughter (pictured right). He said a tribute fountain will be placed in the park to remember all the victims from the shooting 'Meadow was amazing,' Pollack said to the Sun-Sentinel. 'There is nothing she couldn't do or get from me. She was my little girl.' The daughter, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, was shot dead with 16 other people when Nikolas Cruz decided to open fire on the high school. Her grieving father helped design a park in her honor that would include a water feature to memorialize all the people who died that day. His goal is $1million to help build and maintain the park. So far he has raised a little over $150,000. Pollack told the Sun-Sentinel that he wants to include other Parkland survivors on the plans for the park. A location has not yet been picked for the memorial. Hundreds of people attended the event on Saturday to remember Meadow's life and raise more money for the memorial. 'This is nothing political,' Pollack said to the newspaper about the gathering. 'We're all Americans, and we want our kids to be safe.' The father, who was present when Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a new safety bill for schools on March 9, has been vocal about both parties working together to keep schools safe instead of debating gun laws. An estimated 650 riders drove 43 miles through South Florida to Coral Springs, Florida. Pollack was among them riding on his motorcycle Pictured is the plans for the park that Pollack wants to create for the victims of the shooting. The location for the park has not been chosen yet Pollack described his daughter as 'amazing' and said a piece of him went with his daughter when they had to bury her The new bill provided $400million for mental health, school safety programs and even allowed the arming of some school staff. Pollack thanked the crowd for attending the fundraiser and admitted that a part of him was now buried with his daughter. 'Evil went into that school that day and it knocked on my door and took my daughter,' he said. 'I'm not about to let that happen again.' Some notable attendees at the fundraiser on Saturday were students David Hogg and Jaclyn Corin. Hogg especially has been vocal about gun-control laws since the shooting and has targeted the National Rifle Association as the problem. Pollack said he has so far raised $150,000 for the new park. His goal is $1million to be used to build and maintain the park Meadow Pollack, 18, was killed with Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida He posted a video during the fundraiser of Hunter Pollack, Meadow's brother, speaking about his sister. The students sparked controversy from people in the Republican party after March for Our Lives because students who supported guns were allegedly 'not allowed' to speak during the event. In the tweet, Hogg said Hunter was unable to speak at the march because a 'miscommunication', so he encouraged everyone to watch his speech during the fundraiser. Hogg has faced attacks from members of the far-right after he became outspoken about the NRA and gun laws. His recent feud with Fox News television personality Lauren Ingraham forced her to issue an apology after she attacked him for not getting into all of the universities he applied to. Similarly, actor and musician Frank Stallone had to reign in his critiques of the teenager after he posted a variety of vile tweets against him. 'This David hog p***y is getting a little big for his britches,' he tweeted on Saturday afternoon. Then on Sunday he apologized, expressing remorse for what he called 'irresponsible words' and saying: 'After what these kids went through, I'm deeply ashamed.' The Prime Ministers of Vietnam and Cambodia witness the signing of a mintues of the meeting of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA) The Vietnamese side was led by Le Hoai Trung, Deputy Minister and Chairman of the National Boundary Commission under the Foreign Ministry, while the Cambodian side was headed by Var Kim Hong, Senior Minister in charge of border affairs. At the meeting, the two sides affirmed highest determination and efforts to complete 84 percent of the border demarcation and marker planting and legalise the accomplishment. In this spirit, the two sides reviewed the implementation of the work over the past time and agreed to put forth orientations, plans and roadmap, measures to carry out the work in the coming time. They also reached an agreement on building legal documents recognising the outcome of the border demarcation and maker planting. On March 31st afternoon, the co-chairs of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting signed a minutes of the meeting in the witness of the Prime Ministers of Vietnam and Cambodia./. In a series of Sunday tweets, President Trump suggested he was done negotiating with the Democrats over the fate of the so-called 'Dreamers. He warned that 'caravans' of migrants were headed over the southern border to take advantage of the Obama-era law that allowed them to stay in the United States. While slamming the Mexican government for its role in allowing the migrants to pass through undeterred, Trump urged Senate Republicans to change the rules of the body so tougher immigration laws could get passed. 'Mexico has got to help us at the border. If they're not going to help us at the border it's a very sad thing,' the president said as he walked into Easter Sunday church services, holding first lady Melania Trump's hand. 'And a lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA,' Trump charged. President Trump, walking into Easter Sunday services, briefly talked about the three tweets he sent out earlier in the morning on immigration issues President Trump is seen getting out of his motorcade Sunday to attend Easter Sunday church services at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida. Earlier in the morning he went on an immigration rant President Trump briefly speaks to reporters on his way into Easter Sunday services. He was asked about three tweets he dashed off on immigration Daughter Tiffany Trump (left) joins President Trump (center) and first lady Melania Trump (right) at Easter Sunday services at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea church in Palm Beach. The Trumps are spending a long, holiday weekend at the Mar-a-Lago estate President Trump said he was done negotiating the fate of the 'Dreamers,' immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and could stay in the country legally under DACA. Instead Trump wanted Republicans to change Senate rules to get tougher immigration laws passed In a second tweet on the subject of immigration, the president blasted Mexico for allowing a huge caravan of migrants pass through the country undeterred, suggesting that fact should play a role in NAFTA negotiations, which are ongoing The president said the migrants heading to the U.S. were doing so to take advantage of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which was set to expire in March, but its fate is now tied up in court. Immigrants who just arrived would likely be ineligible for DACA In his first immigration-related tweet of the day Trump wrote: 'Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. "Caravans" coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!'' BuzzFeed News reported Saturday on the migrant caravan, which is made up of more than 1,200 people, mostly from Honduras, and is making its way through Mexico, with many of the men and women hoping to get into the U.S. Trump used the news of the caravan to sound the alarm, hoping Republicans in the Senate would 'go Nuclear,' which means killing off the rule that 60 votes are needed to close debate. Currently, there are 51 Republicans in the Senate, with Vice President Mike Pence available to make a tie-breaking vote in the GOP's favor. Previously, Democrats, and then Republicans, changed the rules so a simple majority closes debate on judicial nominations, cabinet appointees, and also for Supreme Court justices.But under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, the legislative filibuster, as it's called, has stayed intact. President Trump briefly answered questions about his immigration-themed tweets as he walked into Easter Sunday services in Florida with first lady Melania Trump In his tweets, President Trump referenced a caravan of migrants - some 1,200 people - coming up through Mexico, with many hoping to gain entry into the United States The president suggested that the migrants might try to use DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, to stay in the country. It's unlikely people new to the U.S. would be able to use the Obama-era program A child takes a ride on a man's shoulder as around 1,200 migrants make their way through Mexico, with many hoping to cross the southern border into the United States Trump has blamed the rule for his inability to get legislation on a variety of topics passed through the Senate. He's also blamed Democrats for Congress' inability to get something done on DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. 'They had a great chance, the Democrats blew it. They had a great, great chance,' Trump told reporters as he entered the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday. Trump attended church services with both the first lady and daughter Tiffany Trump. In September, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the termination of the Obama-era program that allowed immigrants who came to the United States as children, so-called 'Dreamers' to stay in the country. Congress was then given six months to figure it out. Lawmakers did no such thing, but DACA didn't end because the legality of the program is being argued in court. In another tweet Sunday morning, the president suggested that the migrants coming up through Mexico were going to try to use DACA as a means to stay. 'These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act!' the president charged. Trump also blasted Mexico for not doing enough to stop the migrants. 'Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S.,' he wrote. 'They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!' Trump continued. NAFTA negotiations are ongoing, but have become increasingly contentious. In BuzzFeed's piece about the migrant caravan the reporter watches a Mexican immigration agent go into a restaurant and have a 'relaxing Coke' while the huge group of people pass. Devout Catholics whipped each other in the streets of Mexico on Easter Sunday in a bizarre twist on a festival dating back to the 16th century. While usually the hardcore faithful flagellate themselves as an act of penitence as sinners and to mark the suffering of Christ, a small number today decided to whip each other. Worshippers in the town of Soltepec marched through the streets as part of a centuries old tradition supposed to rid the body of sin. Mexican Christians performed a bizarre twist on a centuries old Easter tradition by whipping each other instead of themselves Disturbing footage of the spectacle as emerged. The worshippers do not hold back as they whip each other in a tradition said to show remorse for sin Reportedly, community elders are said to be worried the tradition is in danger of being lost over time and are hoping the younger worshippers carry it on. Self-flagellation, a practice popular with Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church, is said to be a way of repenting. Other forms including abstinence, fasting and kneeling. Rev Michael Geisler, an Opus Dei Catholic priest wrote in 2005: 'Self-denial helps a person overcome both psychological and physical weakness, gives him energy, helps him grow in virtue and ultimately leads to salvation. 'It conquers the insidious demons of softness, pessimism and lukewarm faith that dominate the lives of so many today'. Self-flagellation is practiced widely around the world at Easter. Catholics in Mexico whipped each other on Easter Sunday. Self-flagellation is practiced widely around the world at this time of year Cynthia Nixon knows it won't be easy to beat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but says voters tell her they're ready for change. The Sex and the City star explained her decision to challenge Cuomo in the Democratic primary in an interview with The Associated Press. Cuomo has failed to fight corruption, fix New York City's subways and address inequalities in schools, the New York native and longtime education activist said. Nixon said she plans to show New York voters she's 'so much more than an actor'. Scroll down for video Sex and the Citys tar Cynthia Nixon said she's challenging New York's incumbent governor in the Democratic primary because he hasn't addressed inequalities in schools, plus other things; Nixon is seen here in New York City on March 20 Sarah Jessica Parker, who has backed Nixon for New York governor, is seen here with Nixon Nixon said she is not phased by questions about whether she has the experience necessary to lead one of the nation's biggest states. Similarly, when asked about polls showing Nixon trailing Cuomo by a large margin, Nixon told the AP she was undaunted. A poll released on March 19 by Siena College showed registered Democrats favored Cuomo by a ratio of of 66-19 percent. Nixon speaks during a news conference on March 26 in Albany, New York New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks at a healthcare union rally at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on February 21 in New York City Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis are seen here in a still image from 2010's Sex and The City 2, where they reprised their roles as Miranda Hobbes, Carrie Bradshaw and Charlotte York Goldenblatt, respectively Deputy Majority Leader Senator John DeFrancisco, a Republican representing Syracuse, talks with reporters at the state Capitol on Friday 'While Nixon does a little better among younger and upstate Democrats, she doesnt have the support of more than one-quarter of either group,' Steven Greenberg, a spokesperson for the Siena poll, said in a statement. The New York state Democratic primary election will be held on September 13, 2018, according to Ballotpedia. Cuomo also polled better than Republican state Senator John DeFrancisco, who has already filed to run for the conservative's slot in the governor's election, by a ratio of 57-28 percent, according to the Siena College survey. The deadline for an individual to file for candidacy is July 12, 2018. The general election, which will include the election for the office of governor, will be held on November 6, 2018. Cuomo was first elected as New York's governor in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. Migrant children have reportedly been encouraged to 'opt out' of sitting the crucial NAPLAN test if their parents give their permission. An exclusive Brisbane school has been sending letters to immigrant parents asking if they want their child to sit the test, according to the Courier Mail. However, the publication understands that some parents with children who were born overseas but had spent their primary school years in Australia, were also sent emails asking if they want their child to opt out of the test. Scroll down for video NAPLAN could soon be facing new controversies as immigrant families who have may soon be able to stop their children from taking the tests (stock image) A school in Brisbane has been sending out emails to parents telling them of the option to opt their child out of NAPLAN (stock image) NAPLAN is an annual assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 and covers skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. The handbook which is given to school principals states NAPLAN is a 'national assessment and all students are expected to participate.' There are a few exemptions as to who can avoid sitting the NAPLAN tests, such as students who have been in school for less than a year before the test and those with language backgrounds other than English. The Queensland Department of Education is aware of some schools informing parents of the opportunity to stop their child from taking the test. The Department has said schools must follow the NAPLAN handbook guidelines. Advertisement Hundreds of pilgrims marked Easter Sunday by visiting Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre and prostrating themselves on stone where they believe Jesus was anointed before his burial. The travellers filed into the site, where it's believed Jesus was resurrected, to celebrate the religious holiday. Some worshippers even prostrated over a stone - where they believe Jesus' body was anointed before his burial - near the towering wooden doors at the entrance to the church. Meanwhile in Vatican City, tens of thousands of faithful worshippers underwent heavy security checks as they gathered in St Peter's Square in observance of Easter Sunday Mass. Hundreds of pilgrims marked Easter Sunday by visiting Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre and women prostrated themselves on stone and kissed the rock where they believe Jesus was anointed before his burial A woman from Eritrea and her baby pray at the Stone of Anointing, where Jesus' body is said to have been anointed before burial during rituals to celebrate Easter Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City Western Christians marked Easter on Sunday, while eastern Orthodox Christians do so on April 8, and celebrated Palm Sunday on April 1, with worshippers holding palm fronds as is tradition The church is built at the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Pictured: Coptic Priests take part in rituals outside the Tomb of Christ The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate Pierbattista Pizaballa leads the Easter Sunday procession on Sunday Western Christians marked Easter on Sunday, while eastern Orthodox Christians do so on April 8. The eastern Orthodox marked Palm Sunday on April 1 and followers held mass at the church in Jerusalem's Old City, with worshippers holding palm fronds as is tradition. The church is built at the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. A recently renovated ornate shrine within the church surrounds the cave where Jesus is believed to have been buried. Easter marks the day when Christians believe the miracle of Jesus' resurrection occurred. Coptic priests take part in rituals outside the Tomb of Christ to celebrate Easter Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Catholic Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa held mass at the church on Sunday morning near the shrine over the cave, entering dressed in the traditional purple Easter robe Easter marks the day when Christians believe the miracle of Jesus' resurrection occurred Catholic Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa made reference to the Middle East's numerous conflicts in his homily, saying 'our times are marked by death' The iconic church, revered by Christians as the site of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, closed for three days in February to protest the Israeli tax plan The church shut its doors for three days in February because officials were angry about the Jerusalem municipality plans to tax their various assets around the city and a potential parliament bill to expropriate land sold by the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches Meanwhile in Vatican City, tens of thousands of faithful underwent heavy security checks as they gathered in St Peter's Square in observance of Easter Sunday Mass. Pope Francis opened Easter festivities with a Tweet to his global flock: 'Our faith is born on Easter morning: Jesus is alive! The experience is at the heart of the Christian message.' Pilgrims from across Italy and the world gathered in the square decorated with spring flowers first to take part in Easter Sunday mass and to hear the Pope's traditional Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) Easter message from the central balcony of the resplendent St Peter's Basilica. Under a longstanding tradition, the Netherlands donated some 50,000 tulips, daffodils, roses and orchids for the occasion. Security precautions included bag checks and metal detector wands for everyone entering the square. The Via Conciliazione avenue, which leads to the Vatican, was closed to traffic and packed with bodies, as were smaller adjoining streets. Meanwhile in Vatican City on Sunday morning, Pope Francis looked out across St Peter's Square, and delivered the Urbi et Orbi address to a crowd of devotees Pope Francis, the 266th and current head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, leads the Easter Sunday mass in St Peter's Square Pope Francis delivers his Easter message in the Urbi et Orbi address from the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square The faithful mass in the Vatican City's glorious St Peter's Square to mark the resurrection. On Good Friday, Francis said he was 'ashamed' that younger generations would inherit a world 'fractured by divisions and wars' At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Catholic Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa held mass at the church on Sunday morning near the shrine over the cave, entering dressed in the traditional purple Easter robe. He made reference to the Middle East's numerous conflicts in his homily, saying 'our times are marked by death'. 'Easter is the ability to come back and look at our history in the light of the promise of life that takes place today,' he said. 'Yes, today, at Easter, we announce a life that death can no more extinguish.' The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre , but disputes between the three had led to renovations being delayed for decades Nuns attend a Palm Sunday procession in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City An Eastern Orthodox nun celebrates Palm Sunday in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre On Friday, Christians traced the route of the Stations of the Cross through the Old City, which pass through the traditional sites of Jesus's condemnation up to his crucifixion. In March 2017, renovations to the 19th-century shrine covering Jesus's tomb were unveiled following a $3.7million project that restored its stones to their original reddish-yellow and reinforced the heavily visited site. The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but disputes between the three had led to renovations being delayed for decades. Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, centre, leads the Easter Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many to be the site of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ On Friday, Christians had traced the route of the Stations of the Cross through the Old City, which pass through the traditional sites of Jesus's condemnation up to his crucifixion Clergymen walk in procession in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City Spanish government ships strayed into British waters surrounding Gibraltar more than 600 times last year, prompting fears over the future of the Rock. Figures released by the UK government point to an increase in intrusions of 39 per cent over the past year. The increase have proved to be a continuing source of tension between London and Madrid, which lays claim to the strategically important territory, denied by the UK. Spanish government ships strayed into British waters surrounding Gibraltar more than 600 times last year, prompting fears over the future of the Rock A former governor of Gibraltar warned of 'great anxiety' felt by those living in Gibraltar ahead of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. Lord Luce urged against the threat of Brussels handing Spain a veto on any Brexit deal which they could use to force Britain's hand with Gibraltar. Despite the UK government having maintained its 'steadfast' support for the island so far, Spain could hope to force Theresa May's government to cede control in order to withdraw from the EU. Figures released by the UK government point to an increase in intrusions of 39 per cent over the past year. The increase have proved to be a continuing source of tension between London and Madrid, which lays claim to the strategically important territory, denied by the UK There were 602 incursions by Spanish state vessels in the 12 months to the end of February, compared with 434 for the 12 months to October 2016 and 404 the previous year. Whitehall insiders have played down the increase and suggested anti-smuggling activity is the reason behind the surge. In a statement that was released alongside the figures, Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad said: 'Incursions are a violation of sovereignty, not a threat to it. A former governor of Gibraltar warned of 'great anxiety' felt by those living in Gibraltar ahead of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. Lord Luce urged against the threat of Brussels handing Spain a veto on any Brexit deal which they could use to force Britain's hand with Gibraltar 'They do not weaken or undermine the legal basis in international law for British sovereignty over Gibraltar, including British Gibraltar territorial waters. 'The Royal Navy continues to challenge all incursions into British Gibraltar territorial waters. 'The Foreign and Commonwealth Office backs this up politically by making formal diplomatic protests to the Spanish government.' A two-year-old boy with cancer stunned his family after waking up from a coma moments after his parents agreed to turn off his life support. Dylan Askin, from Shelton Lock, Derby, was sent home after his miracle recovery and now, two years later, has beaten his one-in-ten-million illness. He had contracted an extremely rare type of lung cancer and was so ill his family had him christened as he lay in his hospital bed on Easter Sunday, 2016. Two-year-old Dylan Askin (pictured), from Shelton Lock, contracted an extremely rare type of lung cancer Doctors did not think he would survive and Dylan's parents made the heartbreaking decision to have his life support machine turned off. But the plucky youngster defied expectation, suddenly stirring at the Queens Medical Hospital. He was awake - and soon began to regain his strength. The tiny tot was deemed stable enough to return home by Easter Sunday. Two years on Dylan has beaten his illness. Kerry Askin, Dylan's Mum, said: 'I was strong in the belief that Dylan was our Easter miracle. 'I am not massively religious, but I did think it was a miracle. 'When we told our eldest son, he said 'he's like Jesus' - because he had been learning about it in school.' The tiny tot's lungs had become as much as 80 per cent covered in cysts On Christmas Day 2015, Dylan was rushed to Derby Royal Hospital with breathing problems and was found to have a collapsed lung. Further tests by specialists on the High Dependency Unit in Nottingham revealed his lungs were 80 per cent covered in cysts. But the youngster defied expectation, making a sudden recovery just before his life support was switched off He was diagnosed with the extremely rare pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH). Initially, Dylan recovered enough to leave intensive care, but then had a febrile seizure on his ward and contracted bacterial pneumonia. His lungs were left barely functioning. The doctors, in agreement with Dylan's parents, started to withdraw his life support. Kerry said: 'On Good Friday they told us things were looking bleak and that we weren't going to get him back. 'All the settings on all the machines were at their highest and he was still struggling. We had him christened, all his family came from all over to say goodbye, including his big brother.' But as medics withdrew his medication and began to sedate him, the boy's heart rate dropped to normal levels. He was taken off life support the day of his parents' wedding anniversary on April 4. Dylan (centre), his mother Kerry, father Mike, and two brothers Logan (left) and Bryce (right). The plucky youngster stunned medics at the Queens Medical Hospital Kerry said: 'We just said stop, there is still fight in him.' Dylan's oxygen levels started to improve and by Easter Sunday he had stabilised. He was sent home on May 16 and on July 21 finished cancer treatment. His parents are now supporting a campaign for CLIC Sargent - a charity which helps young people with cancer and which provided a social worker and grants to the family. The parents are urging people to buy the charity's Easter eggs at Morrisons to help it help others. Kate Lightfoot, senior account manager at CLIC Sargent, said: 'Dylan is such a lovely little boy, and we are delighted to hear of his progress.' Advertisement A Haitian woman lies in a trance on the ground surrounded by a crowd of worshippers dressed in white as followers of voodoo celebrated at Easter. Hundreds gathered for the annual religious ceremony in Souvenance a suburb of Gonaives, north of Port-au-Prince, on Easter Sunday. Believers had made the annual pilgrimage to their holy temple, Souvenance Mystique, where they expressed their devotion to the spirits - loas - by taking part in a number of rituals. Each year, followers dress in all-white, sacrifice animals, bathe in a sacred pool and dance themselves into a trance as they celebrate one of the holiest days in the Voodoo calendar. Voodoo was brought to Haiti by slaves from West Africa, but did not become a recognised religion by the Caribbean country until the 1960s. Many Voodoo rituals and holy celebrations coincide with events in the Catholic Christian faith as this was the religion of the French Haitian slavemasters. Slaves were forbidden from practising their Voodoo faith, so by celebrating the same days as their Catholic masters, they were able to conceal their religion. A Haitian woman lies in a trance while an onlooker records the scene on her mobile phone. The worshippers follow voodoo and gathered for the annual religious ceremony in Souvenance on Easter Sunday Worshippers dressed in white dance and watch on as a woman kneels in the middle of the crowd in Souvenance, a suburb of Gonaives, north of Port-au-Prince Each year, followers dress in all-white, sacrifice animals, bathe in a sacred pool and dance themselves into a trance as they celebrate one of the holiest days in the Voodoo calendar A woman lies on the floor wrapped around tree branches and in a trance. Voodoo was brought to Haiti by slaves from West Africa, but did not become a recognised religion by the Caribbean country until the 1960s Dressed in all white, worshippers dance while participating in a voodoo ceremony in Souvenance A worshipper watches on during voodoo celebrations for Easter. The weekend is one of the holiest days in the Voodoo calendar A woman lies in trance during Easter voodoo celebrations on Sunday Haitian voodoo followers wearing traditional white dresses to celebrate Easter in Souvenance Hundreds of worshippers in Haiti take part in the annual Easter celebrations on the island. Dressed mostly in all white, they danced while taking part in the voodoo ceremony Haitian voodoo followers wearing white clothes dance while participating in a voodoo ceremony in Souvenance Prince Charles has voiced his support for Australia claiming autonomy from the British monarchy and becoming its own republic, according to former prime minister Paul Keating. Keating claims to have raised the issue of Australia's constitutional future with Charles, with the prince allegedly expressing the view that Australia was logically destined for independence, The Australian reports. 'I have no doubt he believes Australia should be free of the British monarchy and that it should make its own way in the world,' said the former Labor prime minister. Prince Charles has expressed his support for the idea of Australia severing its ties with Britain and gaining independence from the monarchy 'Why would he or any one of his family want to visit Australia pretending to be, or representing its aspirations as its head of state?' Prince Charles himself will be visiting Australia in just a few days' time to open the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on Thursday. Keating's alleged conversation with the prince has no doubt made the subject of Australia's independence a hot button issue for the royal visit. And Charles has reportedly made it clear that the royal family would respect any decision by the Australian people to become a republic. For Keating's part, he believes Australia cannot claim to be a 'great' nation while borrowing Britain's monarch. 'No great country ever borrows the monarch of another country,' he said. 'And Australia is otherwise entitled to be a great country. But it cannot be until it sheds the derivative notion that its roots lie somewhere else.' 'I have no doubt he believes Australia should be free of the British monarchy and that it should make its own way in the world,' said former Labor prime minister Paul Keating Advertisement President Donald Trump and Melania have arrived back in Washington DC after celebrating Easter at his Mar-a-Lago estate with the family, including Don Jr and his estranged wife Vanessa. The First Couple waved as they stepped off Air Force One with their son Barron on Sunday evening. Trump's daughter Tiffany was also on board the plane, as well as Don Jr., his estranged wife Vanessa and their five children. The President's daughter-in-law filed for divorce from Don Jr. last month after 12 years of marriage amid allegations he had an affair with actress Aubrey O'Day in 2011. Don Jr. and Vanessa appeared to put aside their differences for the Easter getaway with their children and were spotted leaving the airport in the same car with their children. Their arrival back in Washington comes just hours after the President and First Lady were spotted holding hands as they arrived a church service to celebrate Easter. President Donald Trump and Melania arrived back in Washington DC with their son Barron on Sunday evening after celebrating Easter at his Mar-a-Lago estate with the family Trump and first lady Melania disembark Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday Their Easter Sunday appearance together was the first time they had been seen together since allegations made by Stormy Daniels aired on 60 Minutes last week After a week of shattering claims from playmates and pornstars claiming to have once had affairs with the president, the united show was eagerly anticipated. Melania was dressed elegantly in a red and white patterned Azzedine Alaia dress which she paired with some strappy white stilettos and her signature sunglasses. The couple was joined by President Trump's 24-year-old daughter Tiffany who dressed in Easter pink. Tiffany, who is studying law at Georgetown in Washington DC, matched her dress with a shocking pink Gucci handbag. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for Easter services at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea episcopal church in Palm Beach on Sunday The couple was joined by Trump's 24-year-old daughter Tiffany but none of his other children attended United: The president and first lady share a laugh as they stop outside the church to speak to reporters before going inside She too wore sunglasses and high heels as she teetered into Bethesda-by-the-Sea church in Palm Beach. None of the other Trump family members were seen at the service though many are staying at Mar-a-Lago. Neither of the presidents' adult sons were present nor was his teenager Barron. His oldest daughter Ivanka, who converted to Judaism before her marriage to Jared Kushner, was not expected to attend. Trump started the day by tweeting 'Happy Easter' to his tens of millions of followers. By the time he had reached the church, however, his mind had turned to Mexico and its 'flowing' migrant population. Before entering the church, he stopped to give some brief remarks on the matter. Both Melania and Tiffany opted for colorful outfits. The first lady paired her red and white ensemble look with some white strappy stilettos The First Lady wore a pair of signature sunglasses as she made her way into the church under the glare of the mid-morning sunshine 'Mexico has got to help us at the border. If they're not going to help us at the border, it's a very sad thing between two countries.' 'A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA and we're going to have to really see. 'They had a great chance. We'll have to take a look. 'They flow right through Mexico, they send them into the United States. It can't happen that way anymore. Thank you!' he said before heading inside. Tiffany and Melania stood by his side as he gave the remarks. Earlier in the morning, Trump tweeted similar comments. Tiffany accessorized her Easter pink bodycon dress with Cartier bangles, nude heels and a hot pink Gucci bag Trump first wished reporters gathered outside the church a 'Happy Easter' as he made his way inside He stopped again at the door to talk about the Mexican border where he said people were 'flowing' through, into the US Melania lost her smile after her husband's Mexico remarks. She led him into the church afterwards as Tiffany followed behind Trump's tweets went from Easter wishes to his thoughts on DACA and the Mexican border 'Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. 'Caravans' coming. 'Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL' he wrote in one tweet. In a second, he said: 'Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. 'They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. 'They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!' The third, which he fired off moments before he arrived the church, read: 'These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. 'They want in on the act!' His attendance was not the only slice of drama. During the service, one church goer fainted and had to be removed by paramedics. The elderly gentleman was pictured being escorted out of the building by EMTS. Fortunately, he did not need the stretcher which had been brought for him. People had been waiting at the church since 6am to be able to attend the service with the president and his family. Melania Trump tweeted this photograph of the Mar-a-Lago Easter celebrations later in the day An elderly member of the congregation was escorted out of the church after fainting inside during the service. The gentleman was among crowds who had waited since early in the morning to be able to attend the service Mercedes will only know next Friday if the engine used by Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne has sustained its good health following last Sunday's slight overheating issue. The Silver Arrows ace was ordered to back off in the final stages of the Australian Grand Prix to protect his power unit, a circumstance which prevented Hamilton from challenging future winner Sebastian Vettel. With teams dealing with a reduction of available engines per driver from four to three this season, power unit management - and the avoidance of the dreaded grid penalty - has become even more important. Mercedes trackside engineer Andrew Shovlin is confident Hamilton's engine was not impacted by the high temperatures which were recorded, but only when the W09 takes to the track on Friday morning at Sakhir will the worries eventually subside. "You may have heard us on the radio telling Lewis his engine was getting hot," said Shovlin. "That is just the fact that when the cars get so close, you don't get clean air going into the radiators to keep it cool. "It did get quite close to limit temperate, but we are monitoring these limits very closely. You can run up to the limits, you just have to be careful you don't run over them." Shovlin believes the steps team and driver took in Melbourne precluded any risk of failure, the Mercedes engineer underlining the fact that the specific unit must remain intact until after the Chinses Grand Prix which directly follows Bahrain. "In Lewis' case we were OK and just up around the limit. You heard Lewis say on the radio he couldn't get past and he was going to save the engine," explained Shovlin. At that point, he just backed off, was cooling the car and could turn down the power of the engine so it was not having to work so hard. "But, we are pretty confident the engine will be in good shape. We are limited in what tests we can do because we can't actually run the engine, we are not allowed to until we get to Bahrain. "In terms of where it will be used next, at the moment that's Lewis' only engine in the engine pool, so he is going to be running that engine in Bahrain and China. "We will be monitoring them as we always do to ensure everything continues to be okay." Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter A father who plunged into a pitch-black cave escaped death after crawling almost ten metres to safety with a punctured lung and two broken ribs. Paul Cartwright was walking in Bonarup Forest, south of Perth, on Friday afternoon when he plunged into a five-metre-deep cave after slipping on a sandy path. He suffered a punctured lung, two broken ribs, and a nasty cut on his face. Paul Cartwright fell into a five-metre-deep cave (pictured) in Perth's southwest on Friday afternoon Mr Cartwright slipped on a sandy path and suffered a punctured lung, two broken ribs, and a nasty cut on his face 'Next thing I felt was a thud in my chest and my head slamming against a rock. And I thought, that's no good,' 7 News reported. After he had fallen, Mr Cartwright heard his wife's voice urging him to move as the rocks were about to 'bury him.' He managed to move to the entrance of the cave before he lost consciousness. His rescue was a tricky one, but emergency services were about to help Mr Cartwright and take him to Royal Perth Hospital. His rescue was a tricky one, but emergency services (pictured) were about to help Mr Cartwright He was taken to Royal Perth Hospital and spent a few days in hospital It was not how Mr Cartwright expected to spend Easter but he will be able to go home on Monday. Despite the pain, Mr Cartwright remembered all those who helped rescue him, thanking them for their efforts saying he owes them his life. 'We are very lucky to have them,' he said. A man found dead near a creek in Hamilton, New Jersey, was reportedly killed over a gaming system. Danny Diaz-Delgado, 20, was found bound and fatally shot on March 24 on the bank of Assunpink Creek in Hamilton, police said. He was killed after trying to buy a PlayStation from a suspect who authorities say they now have in custody, an unidentified police officer told an NJ.com reporter. Rufus Thompson, 29, was arrested in connection with the killing, and charged with kidnapping and murder, on Saturday, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J Onofri said. Danny Diaz-Delgado, 20, (left) was found bound and fatally shot on March 24 on the bank of Assunpink Creek in Hamilton, police said. Rufus Thompson, 29, (right) was arrested and charged in connection with the killing on Saturday When Diaz-Delgado was found, his hands were bound behind his back, he had tape around his face and he was face-down on the ground. He had been shot execution-style in the head, as well as in the torso and leg multiple times, police said. Diaz-Delgado's obituary said that he was into sports, camping, martial arts, and track and field. He was a member of the Princeton Martial Arts Center. The organization shared on social media that its members were 'heartbroken and still reeling from the loss' of their friend who 'worked all of his young life to keep his family together.' He was a lifeguard who was involved with youth programs at the local Assemblies of God Church in Trenton, New Jersey, as a Royal Ranger. He was also a member of his campus ministry, called Inter Varsity. 'Danny is survived by his parents Socorro Misael Diaz de Leon and Olga de Jesus Delgado Vasquez, siblings; Misael, Peter, Axcel, Walter, Andres, Saily, Marilu, Adelma, Violeta, Luisa, Meisis, Andrea as well as many loving nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins,' the obituary read. Diaz-Delgado is seen here with an unidentified woman in a photo he shared to social media from his high school senior prom in 2015 Thompson has previously pleaded guilty to burglary charges in Mercer County and was sentenced in 2016 to three years in prison, court records show A visitation and funeral service was held on Saturday in Trenton, on the same day that Thompson was arrested at a friend's home in Trenton, according to prosecutors. In addition to a kidnapping charge, he also faces felony murder, robbery and weapons charges. Thompson has previously pleaded guilty to burglary charges in Mercer County and was sentenced in 2016 to three years in prison, court records show. The Mercer County prosecutors office said it will file a motion to request that Thompson be denied bail, keeping him in custody leading up to trial. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Sergeant Gary Wasko or Detective Michael Castaldo at the Mercer County prosecutor's office at 609-989-6406. Tips can also be emailed to mchtftips@mercercounty.org. Advertisement Israel rejected calls for an independent probe on Sunday after its soldiers killed 16 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more when a major demonstration led to clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip. Israel's military has faced questions from rights groups over its use of live fire on Friday, the bloodiest day in the conflict since a 2014 war, while Palestinians accused soldiers of firing on protesters posing no threat. Both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini have called for an independent investigation. On Saturday, the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation of the violence, diplomats said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the soldiers for 'guarding the country's borders,' while Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the protests were not a 'Woodstock festival'. People react as they evacuate deaf Palestinian Tahreer Abu Sabala, 17, who was shot and wounded in the head during clashes with Israeli troops near the Israel-Gaza border on Sunday Medical staff help an injured Palestinian man at an emergency medical tent after clashes with Israeli security forces A Palestinian man swings a sling shot during clashes with Israeli security forces after a demonstration near the Gaza border A Palestinian protester wearing an Anonymous mask holds a knife near the border with Israel, east of Khan Yunis, on Sunday Israel's military has faced questions over its use of live fire on Friday, the bloodiest day in the conflict since a 2014 war Lieberman said calls for an independent investigation were hypocritical and on Sunday repeated his rejection of such a probe. 'There will be no commission of inquiry,' he told Israel's public radio. 'There will be no such thing here. We shall not cooperate with any commission of inquiry.' Netanyahu also hit back at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his sharp criticism of what he called Israel's 'inhumane attack' in Gaza. 'The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately,' Netanyahu tweeted. He has previously labelled Erdogan as someone who 'bombs Kurdish villagers'. Erdogan responded later in the day by calling Netanyahu a 'terrorist.' On Friday, Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from a main protest camp attended by tens of thousands and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the blockaded Gaza Strip. People help to carry Tahreer Abu Sabala, a Palestinian who was shot and wounded in the head during clashes with troops On Saturday, the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation Palestinian protesters run from tear gas fired by Israeli forces during clashes following a protest along the border A Palestinian boy who was wounded at the border of Israel and Gaza is pictured at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City today Medical staff help an injured Palestinian man after a demonstration near the border with Israel, east of Khan Yunis, Gaza The military has defended actions of its soldiers and said they opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers. It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border. Israel accuses Hamas, the Islamist group that runs Gaza and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protest as cover to carry out violence. In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded Friday, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, the health ministry in Gaza said. No casualties were reported among Israelis. The armed wing of Hamas said five of those killed were its members who were participating 'in popular events side-by-side with their people'. The Israeli army alleges 10 of the dead had 'documented terror backgrounds' in Hamas and other groups and were killed 'whilst carrying out acts of terror'. Unverified videos being shared online have fuelled the debate, including one appearing to show a protester running with a tyre being shot while seeming to pose no threat. It comes after Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from a main protest camp attended by tens of thousands and approached the heavily fortified fence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the soldiers for 'guarding the country's borders,' while Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the protests were not a 'Woodstock festival' Palestinian protesters carry an injured comrade during clashes along the border east of Gaza City on Sunday Israel's army has issued a statement saying footage is being 'edited and fabricated,' without referring to specific videos. Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticised Israel's use of live fire. Israel had deployed troop reinforcements along the border, including more than 100 special forces snipers, saying it would prevent attempts to break through the fence. 'While some Palestinian demonstrators have thrown stones and other objects towards the fence, it's hard to believe how this would be an imminent danger to the lives of well-equipped soldiers protected by snipers, tanks and drones,' Amnesty said. The protest, which includes tents erected at various areas, is designed to last six weeks, ending around the time the United States moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in mid-May. The embassy move has deeply angered the Palestinians, who see Jerusalem's annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state. A Palestinian girl sits in an area along the border with Israel, which rejected calls for an independent probe after its soldiers killed 16 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more Palestinian protesters run amid the smoke during clashes with Israeli security forces. Both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini have called for an independent investigation Palestinian protesters demonstrate during clashes with Israeli security forces near the border with Israel, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip But while tens of thousands attended Friday's start of the protests, demonstrations have since dwindled. Several hundred attended on Saturday, while on Sunday dozens were in the area, with low-level clashes occurring. 'I left the hospital today and I came straight back,' Hamada Zaza, 18 and with a bloodied bandage on his hand covering what he said was a bullet wound, told AFP. The protests may however again see large crowds after this coming Friday's main Muslim prayers and for other key dates ahead. May 14 will mark 70 years since the creation of Israel and is when the United States is expected to open its new Jerusalem embassy. Palestinians will mark what they call the Nakba, or 'catastrophe,' the following day. The Nakba commemorates the more than 700,000 Palestinians who either fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948. Gaza's protest is in support of refugees, including those in the Palestinian enclave who want to return to their former homes in what is now Israel. A shopkeeper has refused to stop selling golliwog dolls despite receiving complaints saying they're racist. Antiques store Upstairs Downstairs in Faversham, Kent, stocks a selection of the black-skinned dolls, which have exaggerated lip features and frizzy hair that many consider offensive. Golliwog dolls were designed as minstrel-men replicas and were once common in the UK until the 1970s. Andy Wilkinson is the owner of an antiques shop in Kent that stocks controversial golliwog dolls Faversham resident Gavin McGregor blasted the dolls, which were once a mascot for Robertson's jam until 2001, as a symbol of racism and said that the shop is an embarrassment to the town. He said: 'Regardless of whether or not people historically had or are still feeling towards these items as toys, they are demeaning to black people. 'I hope people will agree that 'golliwogs' are remnants of a racist past which are not appropriate for display and sale.' Local James Brown wrote online: 'Regardless of whether it's legal or not I find it astonishing that he cannot see that in this day and age it's tasteless.' Owner of Upstairs Downstairs antiques Andy Wilkinson said he had nothing to hide, claiming that the dolls are popular with customers. Mr Wilkinson said: 'Golliwogs are collectables, they're just part of history - It's not racism. 'I find it quite weird how everything has got to be offensive, people of my age remember having them as toys. 'I have sold lots and lots of gollis and as soon as they come in they go out again.' Mr Wilkinson said the dolls, which can retail for as much as 100, are commonplace in antique shops. The dolls are reportedly found at bootfairs and auctions and are 'still produced by toy makers today'. Locals have condemned the dolls saying they're a symbol of racism and asked for them to be taken off the shelves He said: 'We certainly wouldn't sell anything that was pornographic, or is taking the mickey out of people. 'We have got standards, we wouldn't sell anything that we found offensive at all. The antique seller said that his business is built on reputation and that he is careful not to offend anybody. Mr Wilkinson said that finding the dolls offensive is a question of different generations. He said: 'The youngsters don't identify with them because they're not part of their heritage. 'A lot of black people collect them because they say it is part of their history. 'The worst thing, I think, is to try to block the past out and say it didn't happen. 'We have got to move on, it happened and people collect it.' Faversham residents remained steadfast in the row, with many taking to the internet to voice their support of the dolls. Harry Palms wrote: 'I still make no link to racism, but articles like this make me feel there I should turn against my memories.' Another angry local wrote: 'These are integral part of our heritage as the golliwog is the proper name given for the Robertsons Jam Jars & this is a fact! 'It is not being racist for that was a well-known fact & anyone my age was brought up with this terminology.' Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin pushed back on a White House statement that said he 'resigned' from his job last week. 'I did not resign,' Shulkin said on CNN Sunday morning, to State of the Union host Jake Tapper's question about whether President Trump's VA secretary had been fired. On Meet the Press Shulkin added, 'There would be no reason for me to resign. I made a commitment. I took an oath. And I was here to fight for our veterans.' Ousted Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said Meet the Press, and on State of the Union, that he did not 'resign' from his post leading the agency, as the White House claimed on Saturday 'I did not resign,' fired VA Secretary David Shulkin (left) told CNN's Jake Tapper (right) on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin (left) told Meet the Press host Chuck Todd that he had spoken with President Trump several hours before the president sent out his tweet announcing Shulkin was gone, and had no inkling he was about to be fired On Wednesday, President Trump alerted the world that he was replacing Shulkin with his personal physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, using Twitter. 'I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs,' Trump said. 'In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkins service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!' Shulkin described the announcement that he was out as 'somewhat of a surprise. 'General Kelly gave me a call very shortly before the tweet came out,' he told Meet the Press host Chuck Todd, explaining that he had spoken with the president earlier in the day. 'And we talked a lot about issues at VA that were important and how we could continue to make progress on policy issues.' Walking away from his conversation with Trump, Shulkin said he didn't expect to be axed. 'In fact, we had set up a meeting for the very next day where I was going to meet with him at 11 in the morning,' Shulkin said. When Chief of Staff John Kelly called 'he just simply said the president had decided that he needed to make a change,' Shulkin said. The ex-VA secretary also said he wasn't asked to write a letter of resignation. Shulkin's firing, versus a resignation, matters as Trump decided to appoint an interim secretary instead of promoting Shulkin's deputy. Politico pointed out Saturday that the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, which gives the president the authority to temporarily fill a vacancy, only does so when the current office holder 'dies, resigns, or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office.' When the publication sought comment on the potential legal issues involved in replacing Shulkin in such a way, White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters stated, 'Secretary Shulkin resigned from his position as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.' On Meet the Press, Shulkin the one Obama cabinet secretary that Trump retained said that he and the president always had a 'good relationship.' But Shulkin had created some bad buzz for the administration, already plagued by scandals involving cabinet secretaries abusing government funds. In February, the VA's internal watchdog issued a report that found that Shulkin had improperly accepted Wimbledon tickets. Additionally, the probe found that Shulkin's staff had doctored emails to justify the secretary's wife traveling with him to Europe on the taxpayer dime. 'I will tell you I do not believe that there was any misuse of government funds,' Shulkin told Todd. 'And, unfortunately, after the inspector general report came out I was prohibited from giving my point of view on this. I had prepared a statement. It was removed from the V.A. website. I was told that I was not allowed to go out and talk to the press about this.' 'Look, I went to a conference in Europe that the U.S. has attended for 43 years all about veterans' issues,' Shulkin said, adding that he attended 40 hours of meetings while there. Todd pointed out that Shulkin had attended Wimbledon. 'I went to Wimbledon on a Saturday. I went to see some sites in the evenings. After. We didn't miss a single minute of conference,' he argued. 'Everybody, every American has their weekends,' Shulkin said. The ex-Veterans Affairs secretary was also asked about a Washington Post report that said he had stationed an armed guard outside his office to keep certain political appointees who were encouraging Trump to fire Shulkin away. Shulkin denied making changes to his security. 'I always have my security detail on my floor outside my office. There was no change in protocol there,' he said. But he did admit to not allowing certain people to have access. 'Well, when the political appointees decided that they were no longer going to participate as an effective member of my team, when they had memos showing that they wanted to have me removed, my deputy secretary removed, my chief of staff removed, of course I limited access to those people,' Shulkin said. 'They no longer were willing to be working effectively with us in, in a way to improve care for veterans,' he added. Shulkin took a diplomatic approach when asked about his potential successor, the doctor most known for getting behind the White House podium and complimenting the president for his 'good genes.' Jackson, a Navy doctor who served in Iraq, doesn't have traditional management experience on his resume. 'Look, I think Dr. Jackson is a good man. And I think that he should continue to have the veterans' interest at heart,' Shulkin said. 'This is a very tough job.' When asked by Todd if Jackson was qualified for the position, Shulkin wouldn't say. 'This is a very tough job. I'm not sure that anybody realizes how complex this is. A $200 billion budget. 370,000 people. Working with Congress and representing veterans,' Shulkin answered instead. 'I wish him the best. I will do everything I can to make sure that he is successful.' A British cyclist has died on the holiday island of Menorca after being hit from behind by a motorist said to have failed a breath test. Local reports say the driver of the vehicle that hit and killed the 47-year-old victim was also British. The incident happened around 11am today in Sant Lluis. The Brit was cycling from Alcaufar (pictured) to San Lluis on Menorca's east coast The unnamed Brit who died was heading from the sleepy fishing village of Alcaufar on Menorca's east coast to Sant Lluis. He has only been identified so far by his initials - P.J.R. He is believed to have died instantly. It was not immediately clear if the driver blamed for the collision had been arrested and was being held in custody. Spanish Civil Guard, who were called to the scene and will now have to send a report to an investigating magistrate tasked with an ongoing probe into the tragedy, were not available for comment this afternoon. Information from a set of more than five millions credit and debit cards used by shoppers at Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor stores has been posted for sale on the dark web by hackers. The hacker syndicate believed to be responsible goes by 'Fin7,' according to Gemini Advisory, the cybersecurity firm that first announced the breach of the retailers owned by Canadian retail business group Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) on Sunday. The 'attack is amongst the biggest and most damaging to ever hit retail companies'' according to the firm. The firm said approximately 125,000 records have been released for sale on the dark web as of Sunday, with the rest anticipated to be made available for purchase within months. 'HBC has identified the issue, and has taken steps to contain it,' the company said on Sunday. Information from a set of more than five millions credit and debit cards used by shoppers at Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor stores, all owned by Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), has been posted for sale on the dark web; A stock image of a Saks Fifth Avenue located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is shown here The company did not reveal how the hackers were able to gain access to its payment data. 'Once we have more clarity around the facts, we will notify our customers quickly and will offer those impacted free identity protection services, including credit and web monitoring,' HBC said. Gemini Advisors determined that data was breached dating back to May 2017. The firm said the hacking syndicate which also goes by JokerStash has called the batch of stolen data, 'BIGBADABOOM-2.' Of the records already released for sale, it's believed that approximately 35,000 records came frmo Saks Fifth Avenue and 90,000 records came from Lord & Taylor stores. 'Based on the analysis of records that are currently available, it appears that all Lord & Taylor and 83 US based Saks Fifth Avenue locations have been compromised,' Gemini Advisory said. 'In addition, we identified three potentially compromised stores located in Ontario, Canada. However, the majority of stolen credit cards were obtained from New York and New Jersey locations.' An investigation is ongoing, but HBC responded with a press release on Sunday to tell its customers 'there is no indication at this time that this affects the Company's e-commerce or other digital platforms, Hudson's Bay, Home Outfitters, or HBC Europe.' HBC said it is coordinating with law enforcement authorities and payment card companies; This stock photo shows images of credit and debit cards from Visa, Barclays Connect, Natwest, Switch, American Express and Mastercard The cybersecurity firm echoed that statement, saying, 'At this moment we believe that online shopping websites were not affected and online customers are not at risk.' The majority of stolen credit cards were obtained from New York and New Jersey locations of Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH and Lord & Taylor stores, the firm said. HBC said that its customers would not be liable for any fraudulent charges that may result from this data breach, but also urged them to be vigilant about checking their statements to catch any fraudulent charges, sooner rather than later. 'We encourage our customers to review their account statements and contact their card issuers immediately if they identify activity or transactions they do not recognize,' the company said. Gemini Advisory gave similar advice. 'Those who shopped at the retail stores should either promptly replace their payment cards or setup transaction alerts to monitor for suspicious activity,' the firm said. HBC said there has been no indication that Social Security or driver's license numbers have been affected by the data breach. The company has set up independent websites for customers of each of Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH and Lord & Taylor stores to access the most up to date information related to the data breach. Dedicated call center information will be posted on the above linked websites and soon as they are up and running. HBC said it is coordinating with law enforcement authorities and payment card companies. Fin7 is the same group thought to be responsible for hacks that affected Whole Foods, Chipotle, Omni Hotels & Resorts and Trump Hotels, Gemini Advisory said. An illegal immigrant was arrested after being on the run for 23 years to avoid charges of impregnating his 12-year-old daughter. Heraclio Gamez-Nava was arrested in Porter, Texas on Thursday after showing police a 1995 warrant from Nevada in which he was charged with continuous sexual assault of a minor under the age of 14, Click Houston reported. As soon as the 64-year-old was served with the warrant he went on the run, and had not been seen since. Heraclio Gamez-Nava was arrested in Porter, Texas while driving with his wife Alicia Vazquez-Carrizales after showing police a 1995 warrant from Nevada charging him with sexual assault of his 12-year-old daughter 'At that time, they fled Nevada and have been on the run since,' the Montgomery County Precinct Four Constable's office explained. Gamez-Nava is a Mexican national and has been living in the country illegally with his wife Alicia Vazquez-Carrizales, 55. Police took him in on Thursday after he was pulled over for driving his car the wrong way under an overpass on Highway 59. When officials spoke to he and his wife, who was driving the car, they were eventually able to identify them. Vazquez-Carrizales was deported to Mexico twice, once in 2003 and again in 2014, and will likely be deported gain. She has been charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon, which is a misdemeanor. Both Gamez-Nava and Vazquez-Carriales are currently in jail awaiting trial. Labour MP Carolyn Harris had to take out a loan to bury her eight-year-old son after he was killed in a car accident The cost of children's funerals is to be met in future by the taxpayer, the Prime Minister said yesterday. Theresa May said it was wrong for grieving parents to have to struggle with the difficulties of finding money to bury their son or daughter. The move follows a campaign by Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who had to take out a loan to bury her eight-year-old son after he was killed in a car accident. Miss Harris, MP for Swansea East and Labour equality spokesman, had pressed the Government to cover the costs of burials and cremations to help parents who find it hard to pay. The Prime Minister said there will be a Children's Funeral Fund which will cover for the costs of funerals, burials and cremations. The new fund follows a pattern already set up in Wales. Mrs May praised Miss Harris for her dignity and strength, and said: 'No parent should ever have to endure the unbearable loss of a child - a loss that no amount of time will ever truly heal. 'But in the raw pain of immediate loss, it cannot be right that grieving parents should have to worry about how to meet the funeral costs for a child they hoped to see grow into adulthood. In the darkest moment of any parent's life there is little light - but there can be support. Miss Harris, MP for Swansea East and Labour equality spokesman, had pressed the Government to cover the costs of burials and cremations to help parents who find it hard to pay 'That is why I have asked for the Children's Funeral Fund to be set up in England. For Carolyn, in memory of her son Martin, and in support of all those parents overwhelmed by such harrowing loss.' Miss Harris said, whose son died in 1989, said: 'At last after so much pressure and so much time, families right across the United Kingdom can know that if they're ever in that terrible, terrible position when they lose a child, that there will now be a pot of money available to make sure that child has a dignified and respectful funeral.' Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the establishment of a fund was 'very welcome and wonderful news. 'This is a simple piece of dignity for bereaved families across the country, secured through tenacious campaigning by Labour's Carolyn Harris who tirelessly kept up the pressure when the Government was dragging its feet. 'No parent who has gone through the heart-breaking experience of losing a child should be left struggling to cover the cost of a funeral.' The wives of twin brothers in Michigan both gave birth on the same day to their first children. Joshua Thorington and his wife, Denise, welcomed their son, Jack, at 4.18am on Tuesday at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, Michigan. The 33-year-old twin was surprised, though, when he didn't hear anything back from his brother about visiting his new child. But an hour later, Justin Thorington texted his twin brother to inform him that he too was at the same hospital because his wife, Alex Raphael, had gone into labor. Josh and Denise Thorington (left) and Alex Raphael and Justin Thorington (right) from Traverse City, Michigan, had their children on the same day. Josh and Justin are twin brothers Jack (left) was born first at 4.18am on Tuesday. His younger cousin, Lucy, was born at 11.43pm, just 19 hours after him 'Then he's like, 'Hey, we'll come see you, but just so you know, Alex is in labor. And you're the only ones who know, so don't tell anyone',' Josh said to WPBN. 'I think they didn't want to steal our thunder, but we didn't care.' Justin and Alex welcomed their daughter, Lucy, into the world at 11.43pm on the same day. Both children being born on the same day was unexpected because the wives' due dates were two week apart. Denise was expected to be due on March 25, while Alex was due on April 8. But on March 27, the two children were born with just 19 hours between each other. The two twins will get to experience what their fathers always have which is a shared birthday. Pictured left is Jack (whose parents are Denise and Josh) and right is Lucy (whose parents are Alex and Justin) Josh and Denise (pictured) were surprised to not hear from Justin and Alex after they gave birth to their son. But they received a text an hour later to inform that that Alex also had gone into labor The two moms said that being pregnant around the same time helped them manage the pregnancy. 'It was really nice,' Alex said. 'I think it brought us closer together, especially Denise and me.' The two new children will get to experience what their fathers' always had which is a shared birthday. Both families said it was possible that they could have some joint birthday parties in the future for Jack and Lucy. Justin and Josh live close to each other in Northern Michigan and expect their children to be close as they grow up. Alex (left) wasn't due until April 8, but she went into labor early Tuesday morning. She then had her daughter just 19 hours after Jack was born Amanda Spielman, has been criticised over claims teachers believe are Islamophobic The head of Ofsted has been accused of Islamophobia by teachers over remarks she made about young girls wearing the hijab in the classroom. Amanda Spielman was criticised by the teaching union for suggesting school inspectors will ask girls why they are wearing the head covering. Members of the National Union of Teachers section of the National Education Union accused the schools' watchdog of taking an 'unwarranted and typically draconian stance' on the issue. Delegates at the union's conference in Brighton said it was 'wholly inappropriate' for inspectors to question primary-age pupils on their choice of dress. The union has passed a resolution that says Ms Spielman's statements - which also include calling for schools to promote 'muscular liberalism' - go beyond Ofsted's remit. Kauser Jan, a delegate from Leeds, accused the Ofsted chief inspector of wading in with an approach 'saying that we must rid our schools of these weapons of mass destruction - the hijab'. 'Wading in and telling our girls, saying that 'no, you're going to be questioned about why you are wearing that? who has actually oppressed you?' she said. 'Well let me tell you Amanda Spielman, we're not going to take it. I am so proud to be in a union that is challenging this, I am so proud that we stand shoulder to shoulder. 'Whatever your ideas about the hijab, I'm so proud of our general secretary who has stood shoulder to shoulder and head to head with Amanda Spielman telling her our union is not going to accept her Islamaphobic policies. 'We have taken regressive steps, where our children are now being told, or made to feel, they must leave their cultural, and linguistic and religious identity at the door. 'I know Muslim girls and men who have shaved off their beards, taken off their hijabs so they can Anglicise themselves to fit in, so they are not viewed as part of the problem.' Delegates at the union's conference in Brighton said it was 'wholly inappropriate' for inspectors to question primary-age pupils on their choice of dress (file photo) Mehreen Begg, from Croydon, a British Muslim, said the resolution 'provides strong opposition to Ofsted's unwarranted and typically draconian stance on the wearing of hijabs in primary schools'. She said: 'It is wholly inappropriate for Ofsted inspectors to question primary-age Muslim girls on their choice of dress. 'This is an act of intimidation by a powerful adult on a young child and has no place in our education inspection system. 'Whilst wearing a hijab may not always be a choice, both here and internationally, it is not for Ofsted to intervene in this debate, which is a debate within the Islamic community.' Teachers hit back at Ms Speilman, saying the remarks regarding hijabs are beyond Ofsted's limit (file photo) The motion argues that Ms Spielman's remarks 'have ramifications beyond the school gates and must be seen in the context of increased attacks on the Muslim community and particular stereotypes about Muslim girls and Muslim women.' It also says: 'These statements could have a negative impact on local communities and lead to further marginalisation of, and increased physical and verbal attacks on, Muslim women and girls.' It was reported in November that inspectors had been told to question Muslim primary school girls wearing a hijab about why they do so, and that Ms Spielman had said that creating environments where young girls are expected to wear the garment 'could be interpreted as sexualisation of young girls'. The resolution highlights these comments, as well as referencing remarks in a speech by the Ofsted chief in which she called for schools to promote a 'muscular liberalism' rather than 'adopting a passive liberalism, that says 'anything goes' for fear of causing offence'. Ms Spielman also gave her support to Neena Lall, head of St Stephen's primary school in east London, which was forced to back down over plans to ban young people from wearing the hijab in class, arguing that school leaders have the right to set uniform rules. Critics said the comments feed into an 'already Islamophoc Jess Edwards of the union's executive said: 'The portrayal of the hijab as a problem will feed into an already horribly Islamophobic climate for Muslims inside of British society and Ms Spielman hasbetrayed the parents who have rolled back the hijab ban in that Newham school and portrayed them as being radicalised extremists'. An Ofsted spokesperson said: 'The NEU's comments are disappointing. There's nothing political about ensuring that schools and parents aren't being subject to undue pressure by national or community campaign groups. 'Head teachers need to be able to take uniform decisions on the basis of safeguarding or community cohesion concerns, and Ofsted will always support them in doing that.' A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain said: 'We warmly welcome the National Education Union's position that comments from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector were not evidence-based, go beyond her remit and may have ramifications on local communities. 'It appears that Ofsted is becoming increasingly isolated in its 'muscular liberalism' approach on imposing clothing restrictions for young Muslim girls, standing in opposition to Muslim parents, Muslim communities, Muslim organisations and now teachers across the country.' Advertisement China's out of control Tiangong 1 space station smashed into Earth at 17,000mph off the coast of Tahiti on Monday morning and mostly disintegrated as it hit the planet's atmosphere. The demise of the nine-ton space station had been the subject of scientific speculation for months amid fears large chunks of it could come down near population centers. Experts had been unable to predict where the installation, which is roughly the size of a school bus, would come down but in the end it re-entered the earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific. The craft re-entered the atmosphere around 8.15am Beijing time (0015GMT) and the 'vast majority' of it had burnt up upon re-entry, the China Manned Space Engineering Office said. China's out of control Tiangong 1 space station smashed into Earth at 17,000mph off the coast of Tahiti on Monday morning and mostly disintegrated as it hit the planet's atmosphere China's defunct Tiangong 1 space station hurtled towards Earth and re-entered the atmosphere on Monday. It is pictured in an undated radar image Just minutes before, their best estimate predicted that it was expected to re-enter off the Brazilian coast in the South Atlantic near the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. China's space authority said on Sunday that the station would hit speeds of nearly 17,000mph before disintegrating. They previously said its fiery disintegration would offer a 'splendid' show akin to a meteor shower but the remote location likely deprived stargazers of a spectacle of fireballs falling from the sky. Scientists monitoring the craft's disintegrating orbit had forecast the craft would mostly burn up and would pose only the slightest of risks to people. Analysis from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center showed it had mostly burned up. Authorities said any debris from the space station would be carrying hydrazine - a high toxic rocket fuel - and warned people to refrain from touching it or inhaling its fumes. The Aerospace Corporation had earlier predicted Tiangong 1's re-entry would take place within two hours either side of 1.30am BST on Monday (8.30pm on Sunday in New York and 10.30am on Monday in Sydney). China Manned Space Engineering Office had initially predicted it would re-enter off the Brazilian coast in the South Atlantic near the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro This is an artist's impression of the Tiangong 1 space station bursting into a series of fireballs at it re-enters the earth's atmosphere This image from Flight Aware shows that there were very little commercial flights in the area around the time the space station re-entered the earth's atmosphere Based on the space station's orbit, it could have come back to Earth somewhere 43 degrees north and 43 degrees south, a range covering most of the United States, China, Africa, southern Europe, Australia and South America. The United States Air Force 18th Space Control Squadron, which tracks and detects all artificial objects in earth's orbit, said they had also tracked the Tiangong-1 as it re-entered the atmosphere over the South Pacific. It said in a statement they had confirmed re-entry in coordination with counterparts in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Britain. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said the module zoomed over Pyongyang and the Japanese city of Kyoto during daylight hours, reducing the odds of seeing it before it hit the Pacific. 'It would have been fun for people to see it, but there will be other reentries,' McDowell told AFP. 'The good thing is that it doesn't cause any damage when it comes down and that's what we like.' Authorities had warned that the chances of any one person being hit by debris was considered less than one in a trillion by the Aerospace Corporation. Meterologist Bryan Bennett said: 'When it reaches 65 miles above the Earth it will no longer be able to orbit and will begin its rapid re-entry. Atmospheric breakup will begin when it reaches 50 miles above the Earth and undergo a fiery reentry until about 30 miles.' Only about 10 per cent of the bus-sized, 8.5-ton spacecraft will likely survive being burned up on re-entry, mainly its heavier components such as its engines. How heavy is the Tiangong 1 space station and how often does debris fall from space? The Tiangong 1 space station weighs 8.5 tons and is 34.1 feet (10.4m) long. The spacelab was originally planned to be decommissioned in 2013 but its mission was repeatedly extended. The odds of a piece of space debris hitting any individual person as the remains came down had been estimated at less than one in 1,000,000,000,000 - one in a trillion. However experts advise that it is best to not touch any space debris or breathe in any vapours it may release if anyone does come into contact with it. Scientists have downplayed any concerns about the Tiangong-1 causing any damage when it hurtles back to Earth. The European Space Agency noted that nearly 6,000 uncontrolled re-entries of large objects have occurred over the past 60 years without harming anyone. Visitors sit beside a model of China's Tiangong-1 space station in 2010. The station played host to two crewed missions and served as a test platform for perfecting docking procedures and other operations By far the largest object descending from the heavens to splash down at Point Nemo in the southern Pacific ocean, in 2001, was Russia's MIR space lab, which weighed 120 tonnes. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, estimates that Tiangong-1 is the 50th most massive uncontrolled re-entry of an object since 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 - the world's first artificial satellite. At an altitude of 37 to 43 miles, debris will begin to turn into 'a series of fireballs', which is when people on the ground will 'see a spectacular show', he said. Experts will not know the precise location and speed of the space station but it is thought to be travelling at around 17,000 miles per hour. China hoisted Tiangong-1, it's first manned space lab, into space in 2011. It was slated for a controlled re-entry but ground engineers lost control in March 2016 of the eight-tonne craft in March 2016, which is when it began its descent toward a fiery end. Source: Aerospace Corporation Advertisement The station was due to appear as early as midday on Saturday but has slowed down due to changes in the weather conditions in space, according to the European Space Agency. The agency said calmer space weather was now expected as a high-speed stream of solar particles did not cause an increase in the density of the upper atmosphere, as previously expected. Such an increase in density would have pulled the spacecraft down sooner, it said. The re-entry window was 'highly variable', the ESA had earlier cautioned. There was similar uncertainty about where debris from the lab could land as well. 'The high speeds of returning satellites mean they can travel thousands of kilometres during that time window, and that makes it very hard to predict a precise location of reentry,' said Holger Krag, head of the ESA's Space Debris Office, in comments posted on the agency's website. The ESA added, however, that the space lab will likely break up over water, which covers most of the planet's surface. And it described the probability of someone being hit by a piece of debris from Tiangong-1 as '10 million times smaller than the yearly chance of being hit by lightning'. There is 'no need for people to worry', the China Manned Space Engineering Office said earlier on its WeChat social media account. The Tiangong-1 space lab (pictured in an undated image taken before ground crews lost control of it) made a fiery plunge back to Earth on Monday Technicians at the Jiuquan Space Centre monitor the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft as it prepares to link with Tiangong-1 in 2012 Tiangong-1 - or 'Heavenly Palace' - was placed in orbit in September 2011 and had been slated for a controlled re-entry, but it ceased functioning in March 2016 and space enthusiasts have been bracing for its fiery return since. The station played host to two crewed missions and served as a test platform for perfecting docking procedures and other operations. Its last crew departed in 2013 and contact with it was cut in 2016. During its brief lifespan, it hosted Chinese astronauts on several occasions as they performed experiments and even taught a class that was broadcast into schools across the country. Astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics tweeted this picture of himself as he joined other experts to track Tiangong 1's descent to Earth The ESA said the lab will make an 'uncontrolled re-entry' as ground teams are no longer able to fire its engines or thrusters for orbital adjustments. China's chief space laboratory designer, Zhu Zongpeng, has denied Tiangong was out of control, but did not provide specifics on what, if anything, China was doing to guide the craft's return to Earth. Beijing sees its multi-billion-dollar space programme as a symbol of the country's rise. It plans to send a manned mission to the moon in the future. China sent another lab, Tiangong-2, into orbit in September 2016 as a stepping stone to its goal of having a crewed space station by 2022. Beijing began its manned spaceflight programme in 1990 after buying Russian technology that enabled it to become the third country with the ability to launch humans into space, following the former Soviet Union and the United States. During the re-entry, atmospheric drag will rip away solar arrays, antennas and other external components at an altitude of around 60 miles, according to the Chinese space office. The intensifying heat and friction will cause the main structure to burn or blow up, and it should disintegrate at an altitude of around 50 miles, it said. Most fragments will dissipate in the air and a small amount of debris will fall relatively slowly before landing across hundreds of square miles, most likely in the ocean, which covers more than 70 per cent of the Earth's surface. Point Nemo, Earth's watery graveyard for spacecraft Chinese space scientists were not in control of their Tiangong-1 orbiting laboratory when it hurtled back to Earth and into a remote part of the Pacific Ocean on Monday. But if they had been, that's where they would have tried to make it land. By sheer fluke, anything that didn't burn up in the atmosphere is expected to have plopped down somewhere near the forlorn spot that is amongst the most remote places on the planet. Officially called an 'oceanic pole of inaccessibility,' this watery graveyard for titanium fuel tanks and other high-tech space debris is better known to space junkies as Point Nemo, in honour of Jules Verne's fictional submarine captain. 'Point Nemo' is a watery graveyard for titanium fuel tanks and other high-tech space debris 'Nemo' is also Latin for 'no one'. Point Nemo is further from land than any other dot on the globe: 2,688 kilometres (about 1,450 miles) from the Pitcairn Islands to the north, one of the Easter Islands to the northwest, and Maher Island -- part of Antarctica -- to the South. 'Its most attractive feature for controlled re-entries is that nobody is living there,' said Stijn Lemmens, a space debris expert at the European Space Agency in Darmstadt, Germany. 'Coincidentally, it is also biologically not very diverse. So it gets used as a dumping ground -- 'space graveyard' would be a more polite term -- mainly for cargo spacecraft,' he told AFP. Some 250 to 300 spacecraft -- which have mostly burned up as they carved a path through Earth's atmosphere -- have been laid to rest there, he said. By far the largest object descending from the heavens to splash down at Point Nemo, in 2001, was Russia's MIR space lab, which weighed 120 tonnes. 'It is routinely used nowadays by the (Russian) Progress capsules, which go back-and-forth to the International Space Station (ISS),' said Lemmens. The massive, 420-tonne ISS also has a rendezvous with destiny at Point Nemo, in 2024. In future, most spacecraft will be 'designed for demise' with materials that melt at lower temperatures, making them far less likely to survive re-entry and hit Earth's surface. Both NASA and the ESA, for example, are switching from titanium to aluminium in the manufacture of fuel tanks. China hoisted Tiangong-1, it's first manned space lab, into space in 2011. It was slated for a controlled re-entry but ground engineers lost control of the eight-tonne craft in March 2016, which is when it began its descent towards a fiery end. The lab's demise has been the subject of much chatter among space watchers for months, with the uncertainty of its atmospheric re-entry attracting much attention over recent days. Scientists had only been able to give the most general of forecasts for exactly when and where the lab would plunge back to Earth, offering a huge band of the planet that included almost all of South America, Africa and Asia, as well as the southern portions of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Despite the vagueness of their forecasts, scientists said they could be relatively sure that no one was going to be hurt by the remnants of the lab, and said it would most likely land in the ocean. Advertisement China's 'space dream': A Long March to the moon The plunge back to Earth of a defunct Chinese space laboratory will not slow down Beijing's ambitious plans to send humans to the moon. The Tiangong-1 space module, which crashed Monday, was intended to serve as a stepping stone to a manned station, but its problems highlight the difficulties of exploring outer space. But China has come a long way in its race to catch up with the United States and Russia, which have lost spacecraft, astronauts and cosmonauts over the decades. China's 'taikonauts' have fared better and Beijing sees its military-run space programme as a marker of its rising global stature and growing technological might. Big dreams of space: A 3D model of the Chinese space station Tiangong orbiting the planet Earth Soon after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, Chairman Mao Zedong pronounced 'We too will make satellites.' It took more than a decade but in 1970 China's first satellite lifted into space on the back of a Long March rocket. Human space flight took decades longer, with the first successful mission coming in 2003. As the launch of astronaut Yang Liwei into orbit approached, angst over the viability of the mission caused Beijing to cancel a nationwide live television broadcast at the last minute. Despite the suspense, it went off smoothly, with Yang orbiting the Earth 14 times during his 21-hour flight aboard the Shenzhou 5. Since then China has sent men and women into space with increasing regularity. Following in the footsteps of the United States and Russia, China is striving to open a space station circling our planet. Roving the moon: The 300-pound "Jade Rabbit" is seen touching the lunar surface and leaving deep traces on its loose soil on CCTV footage from December, 2013 The Tiangong-1 was shot into orbit in September 2011. In 2013, the second Chinese woman in space, Wang Yaping, gave a video class from inside the space module beamed back to children across the world's most populous country. The lab was also used for medical experiments and, most importantly, tests intended to prepare for the building of a space station. The lab was followed by the 'Jade Rabbit' lunar rover in 2013 which looked at first like a dud when it turned dormant and stopped sending signals back to Earth. The rover made a dramatic recovery, though, ultimately surveying the moon's surface for 31 months, well beyond its expected lifespan. In 2016, China launched its second station, the Tiangong-2 lab into orbit 393 kilometres (244 miles) above Earth, in what analysts say will likely serve as a final building block before China launches a manned space station. Astronauts who have visited the station have run experiments on growing rice and thale cress and docking spacecraft. Under President Xi Jinping, plans for China's 'space dream', as he calls it, have been put into overdrive. The new superpower is looking to finally catch up with the US and Russia after years of belatedly matching their space milestones. The ambitions start with a space station of its own, slated to begin assembling pieces in space in 2020 with manned use to start around 2022 - China was deliberately left out of the International Space Station effort. China is also planning to build a base on the moon, the state-run Global Times said in early March, citing the Communist Party chief of the China Academy of Space Technology. The outpost will initially be controlled by artificial intelligence robots until humans are sent to occasionally manage it, the official said. But lunar work was dealt a setback last year when the Long March-5 Y2, a powerful heavy-lift rocket, failed to launch in July on a mission to send communication satellites into orbit. The failure forced the postponement of the launch of lunar probe Chang'e-5, originally scheduled to collect moon samples in the second half of 2017. The official Xinhua news agency quoted a China Lunar Exploration Programme designer as saying last week that the Chang'e 5 is now slated to land in 2019 and then bring back moon samples to Earth. Another robot, the Chang'e-4, is still due to land in 2018 for the 'first-ever soft landing and roving survey on the far side of the moon', said Zuo Wei, deputy chief designer of the CLEP Ground Application System. China's astronauts and scientists have also talked up manned missions to Mars as it strives to become a 'global space power'. A half century after getting a divorce, a Kentucky couple plans to get married again. Harold Holland, 83, and 78-year-old Lillian Barnes will exchange wedding vows on April 14 in Lexington. Their grandson will perform the ceremony at a local Baptist church. Holland and Barnes first were married on Christmas Eve in 1955. Harold Holland, 83, and Lillian Barnes, 78, are to be married for the second time on April 12. They first tied the knot in 1955 and divorced eight years later but have reconciled to 'walk the last mile together' They had five children together before splitting up. Holland says his job kept him away from the family prior to the breakup. Both remarried and their spouses died in 2015. After that, Holland and Barnes attended a family reunion, and by last December, they were talking marriage again. Speaking of their pending nuptials, Holland told The Lexington Herald-Leader: 'We decided we want to walk the last mile together.' Both Harold and Lillian remarried after their 1960s divorce. Their second spouses have since died Before they divorced, the pair had five children and they are now grandparents and great grandparents Lillian was in high school when she met Harold. She is pictured years ago during their marriage Asked how long this marriage will last, he said: 'Until the end.' He admits that the marriage broke down the first time around because of him. The pair are both actively involved in their children and grandchildren's lives. When they met in 1955, Lillian was in high school. They first clapped eyes on one another at a restaurant in Salt Lick. British wine is soaring in popularity with a record number of bottles produced last year It was once considered a sorry substitute for its European rivals but British wine is soaring in popularity, with a record number of bottles produced last year. Winemakers sent 3.86million bottles of British wine to market in 2017, up 64 per cent on the 2.36million bottles produced in 2016. Their success is thanks to 'huge' investment and more vines being planted over the past decade, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. The WSTA also attributed the figures to a bumper English harvest in 2014, and the release of special edition and older vintage wines. Chief executive Miles Beale said: 'With the high quality of English [wine] now so widely recognised, the wine industry's newest challenge is meeting growing demand. 'The English wine industry is a true British success story and has ambitious plans to increase exports.' English sparkling wine in particular, made using the same techniques as champagne, is garnering attention. The chalky soil and climate of southern English vineyards are said to be similar to France's Champagne region. Earlier this month Vranken-Pommery became the first of the big Champagne houses to release an English sparkling wine. The house announced a partnership with Hampshire's Hattingley Valley in 2014 to produce its first English sparkling, sold under the Louis Pommery England label. Next month Rathfinny Wine Estate in Sussex will launch its sparkling Blanc de Blancs after bottling its first wine in May 2015. The estate said it aimed to eventually reach production of more than 80,000 cases by 2025. Winemakers sent 3.86million bottles of British wine to market in 2017, up 64 per cent on the 2.36million bottles produced in 2016 WSTA chief executive Miles Beale said: 'English wine releases reached a record high in 2017 with more varietals and vintages available, giving consumers a greater choice than ever before. 'With the high quality of English now so widely recognised, the wine industry's newest challenge is meeting growing demand. 'The English wine industry is a true British success story and has ambitious plans to increase exports. We hope to see production continue to grow and forge ahead with new export opportunities.' Mark Driver, co-founder of Rathfinny Wine Estate, said: 'In the last 10 years, the area of planted vines has more than doubled with a million vines being planted in the UK in both 2017 and planned for in 2018. It's expected for the area under vine to reach over 3,000 hectares by 2020 from 2,200 hectares currently. 'The success of English sparkling wines has led Champagne houses to invest in vineyards in the south of England as the chalky soils and climate are very similar to those found in the Champagne region.' An art furniture dealer with studios in New York has been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace and bizarre acts with lobsters at an office holiday party in 2016. Todd Merrill, of Todd Merrill Studios in Manhattan and Southampton, has been sued by his former business director April Walker in a complaint filed in federal court on March 23, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com. Walker has accused Merrill of workplace sexual harassment dating back to May 2016 and extending up until her firing, about seven months later, the document said. Walker also said in the filing that Merrill got so 'high' at a December 2016 holiday party that he 'picked up the lobster remains on several peoples plates including Walkers and, while standing, pulled them apart with his mouth and hands and threw them back on the table after he was done eating.' A spokesperson for Merrill said the sexual harassment allegations 'are false, and can be proven so.' Art furniture dealer Todd Merrill has been sued for alleged inappropriate workplace conduct including sexual harassment by former employee April Walker in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court on March 23; Merrill is seen here (right) with James Hannaford at the Todd Merrill Studio Summer 2017 Exhibition Opening Reception at Todd Merrill Studio on June 24 At the same staff outing on December 14, 2016, Walker alleged in her complaint that Merrill 'slapped a female former employees buttocks' and 'had the wife of a male employee sit on his lap while bouncing her up and down.' Walker was fired by Merrill over email, three days later, the complaint said. The complaint also alleges that at a party Walker did not attend at Merrill's Long Island home in June of 2016, Merrill was intoxicated and 'took off all of his clothes and jumped into his pool with one of Walker's female colleagues.' Around that same time, Walker said Merrill 'commented that Walker must be fertile based on her age, her hips and curves.' The complaint paints a picture of a hostile work environment where Walker was forced to attended alcohol-fueled after-work gatherings, where Merrill repeatedly commented on Walker's appearance and Merrill would inevitably end up in various stages of undress. Walker also said in the filing that Merrill got so 'high' at a December 2016 holiday party that he 'picked up the lobster remains on several peoples plates including Walkers and, while standing, pulled them apart with his mouth and hands and threw them back on the table after he was done eating;' A stock image of a lobster is shown here Merrill's spokesperson said the sexual harassment allegations 'are false, and can be proven so' 'The worst of Merrills behavior occurred when he was intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance, which happened often,' the lawsuit said. At one point during an evening out celebrating Merrill's birthday in September 2016, and also the send-off for another female colleague who resigned, the complaint alleged that Merrill 'took his penis out of his pants and tried to show it to Walker, while saying such things as "don't you want it," "you're missing out," and "I know you're curious."' Merrill's spokesperson, Barbara Dixon, told the New York Post that the sexual harassment claims are unsubstantiated. 'During the time that Ms. Walker claims she was sexually harassed, she had an attorney and was unsuccessfully negotiating the terms of an employment contract with Mr. Merrill that gallery employees sign,' Dixon said. 'She wrote to Mr. Merrill, "I love the gallery and feel it is a great long-term fit for both of us."' Merrill could not immediately be reached by DailyMail.com for additional comment. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speculated that Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt may be the next cabinet official pushed out of the Trump administration. 'Listen, I don't know how you survive this one,' Christie said on ABC's This Week. On Thursday, ABC News reported on a sweetheart rental deal in Washington Pruitt was getting for an apartment co-owned by an energy lobbyist's wife. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who at one point was in charge of President Trump's transition, speculated that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt may not be able to survive a controversy surrounding a sweetheart apartment deal Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt rented a D.C. apartment for $50 a night, versus the $5,000 a month comparable units are being rented out for, according to ABC News. The apartment belongs to the wife of an energy lobbyist A spokesman for Scott Pruitt said the EPA head was only renting out one bedroom in the unit, though ABC News found that Pruitt's daughter had also lived in the condo during her White House internship Pruitt was only paying $50 a night to stay in the apartment, in a neighborhood adjacent to the U.S. Capitol complex where comparable rentals were on the market for $5,000 a month. Pruitt paid $6,100 to use the property for more than six months, giving money to a limited liability corporation for the condo co-owned by Vicki Hart. Hart's husband J. Steven Hart is the chairman of Williams & Jensen, a top D.C. lobbying firm. A description of his duties on the firm's website lists 'energy' as one of his issue areas. A spokesperson for Pruitt initially said the EPA administrator was only renting out one bedroom in the apartment, not the full unit. 'While transitioning in Washington, Administrator Pruitt signed a lease to rent a bedroom in a condo and he moved out at the end of July,' spokesman Jahan Wilcox said. 'As EPA career ethics officials stated in a memo, Administrator Pruitts housing arrangement for both himself and family was not a gift and the lease was consistent with federal ethics regulations,' Wilcox added in a second statement on Friday. On Saturday, ABC News reported that Pruitt's daughter McKenna used a second bedroom in the unit during a stint in Washington for a White House internship. A woman who identified herself as McKenna's mother told ABC on the phone that her daughter lived in Oklahoma last year. When asked where she resided during her White House internship, the woman told ABC, 'She has nothing to do with my husband's administration.' She then hung up. Vicki Hart told the network that 'the rental agreement was with Scott Pruitt.' 'If other people were using the bedroom or the living quarters, I was never told, and I never gave him permission to do that,' Hart said. A spokesman for her husband told ABC that Steven Hart has not lobbied the EPA or the Department of Energy since President Trump's swearing-in. This latest controversy for Pruitt comes after he's contributed to negative headlines about the administration for his overly costly travel including his use of first-class seats. In August, the EPA's inspector general announced that it was probing Pruitt's travel practices. The internal watchdog has twice, now, expanded the scope of its investigation. Christie, who originally ran President Trump's transition team, though got fired from the position just days after the president won the election, pointed to the Pruitt example of Trump being ill-served by the ex-New Jersey governor's replacements. 'If he has to go, it's because he never should have been there in the first place,' Christie said of Pruitt. Christie called attention to a recent Washington Post story about the Presidential Personnel Office, which is tasked with recruiting and vetting political appointees. While Christie called attention to the importance of this office during his time at the transition, much of his work was thrown out, with the eventual leader of the PPO forced to hire a team basically from scratch. That team is comprised mostly of 20-somethings who have given the office a reputation for being a 'social hub,' where other administration officials come to 'vape' smoke electronic cigarettes and chug Smirnoff Ice at happy hours. 'The Washington Post story this week on the Presidential Personnel Office tells you everything you need to know,' Christie said. '[Trump] was ill served right from the beginning by a group of people who threw all the transition work out 35 8-inch binders of vetting of over 350 people, that were consistent with his views, that they got rid of, literally threw in the garbage two or three days after the election, started over.' Christie explained that when Trump said he was 'very close' to getting the cabinet he wanted it was because he's finally getting 'people around him consistent with what he thinks and are personality wise consistent with who he is.' 'This was a brutally unprofessional transition, this was a transition that didnt vet people for this type of judgement issues, which I think could have been seen very easily in a lot of these people, and you cannot do this with, you know Rick Dearborn and Steve Bannon on the back of an envelope in 73 days,' Christie said referencing Trump's former deputy chief of staff and his ex-chief strategist. 'And the president's been ill-served by this, and if Mr. Pruitt's going to go, it's because he should have never been there in the first place,' Christie concluded. The asset strippers set to buy British engineering giant GKN could be forced to sign legal agreements promising not to sell its crucial aerospace division, it emerged last night. Melrose narrowly won approval for its controversial 8billion takeover on Thursday, but the deal is being closely scrutinised by defence chiefs. There are growing hopes it could be blocked by ministers on national security grounds. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who expressed serious reservations in February, is said to be particularly concerned over sensitive contracts held by GKN. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson expressed serious reservations over sensitive contracts held by GKN The firms aerospace division, which once made Spitfires, makes components for F-35 jets and Typhoon aircraft. Critics have urged Business Secretary Greg Clark to stop the takeover. He is expected to listen to advice from the Ministry of Defence in the coming days and weeks before deciding whether to intervene. In a letter to Mr Clark on Tuesday, Melrose had said it would be willing to agree to binding pledges that would protect the aerospace arm. But the promise was not included in a list of undertakings made to the UK Takeover Panel, published a day later. This weekend, it emerged Melrose may agree to offer legal guarantees not to sell the division for a period of time in a bid to assuage doubts and force the deal through. Labour MP Jack Dromey is urging the Government to stop it or extract cast-iron guarantees that Melrose will not sell the aerospace division. He said yesterday: The MoD is looking at this deal very seriously to see what the strategic implications will be. A five-year commitment from Melrose not to sell the aerospace division is worthless. Typically research and development and production times in defence vary from ten to 15 years in timescales if this takeover goes ahead, Britains strategic defence interests would be put at risk. Melrose chief Simon Peckham yesterday insisted bosses were here to protect national security, not damage it. We will give any undertakings the Government requires on that, he added. We are all British. We live here and our families live here we are as concerned about national security as anyone else. GKN makes parts for the Black Hawk, Chinook and Apache helicopters, which are all used by the American military, as well as for secret US Air Force projects. The US also provided the bulk of funding for the F-35 jet programme. Melrose chief Simon Peckham yesterday insisted bosses were here to protect national security, not damage it It has prompted Republican congressman Neal Dunn to urge the powerful US Committee on Foreign Investment to block Melroses bid. The committee is yet to clear the deal. Mr Dunn has said: Its business strategy will undermine long-term investments in research and development and secure supply chains. Melroses letter to Mr Clark said: To demonstrate the strength of our commitment and ensure its improvement and investment programme is not unduly interrupted, we are willing to make a legally binding commitment to you that, subject to below, Melrose will not sell the aerospace division before 1 April 2023. There were several caveats, though, such as being able to sell non-core businesses, the deal not preventing a stock market flotation of the division and leaving open a possibility the Government could still agree to back a sale to a suitable strategic purchaser. A Melrose spokesman said: All the commitments we have made are legally binding. We stand by them 100 per cent. 'We are baffled by the campaign to call into question undertakings made in good faith by a British company to the UK government. When we make a commitment, we stick to it and our track record is testament to that. A spokesman for GKN declined to comment. The house where Rosa Parks sought refuge in Detroit after fleeing the South is being briefly displayed in Rhode Island, after a trans-Atlantic journey and the abrupt cancellation of an exhibition that was supposed to feature it. To escape death threats, Parks moved to Detroit in 1957, two years after her defining act of defiance: refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. She lived in the tiny house in Detroit with her brother and his family and struggled to make a new life for herself. The family says Parks lived there with 17 other relatives. Scroll down for video The house where Rosa Parks sought refuge in Detroit (above) after fleeing the South is being briefly displayed in Rhode Island this week after a trans-Atlantic journey Rosa Parks lived in the home after moving to Detroit in 1957 - two years after her defining act of defiance: refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama It was abandoned and slated for demolition after the financial crisis in 2008 and Detroit's dramatic decline. Parks' niece, Rhea McCauley, bought the home off a demolition list for $500 and then donated it to American artist Ryan Mendoza. After unsuccessful efforts trying to persuade the city to help save the building, Mendoza in 2016 carefully dismantled it and moved it to Berlin, rebuilding it on the lot of his studio. Mendoza has now returned it to America where it was supposed to be the centerpiece of a weeks-long exhibition at Brown University this spring. But the Ivy league school abruptly canceled the exhibition. It comes amid national conversation surrounding race, history and the value of certain monuments. The civil rights activist's niece called the cancellation a rejection of Parks and her legacy. Visitors view the rebuilt house of Rosa Parks at the WaterFire Arts Center, in Providence, Rhode Island Visitors pose for a selfie in front of the rebuilt home on Sunday in Rhode Island Volunteers in Providence, Rhode Island help reassemble the house where Rosa Parks sought refuge after fleeing the South in the 1950s Artist Ryan Mendoza and his wife, Fabia Mendoza, put up siding on the house where Rosa Parks lived in Detroit in 1957 The small, tired house with peeling white paint once served as a refuge for Parks in Detroit With the looming possibility that the house would come all this way and never be seen, volunteers stepped in and worked to reconstruct the home as much as possible so it could go on display to the public for free this weekend. Mendoza said it took weeks for him and two architects to gingerly dismantle the house before it was shipped back to the US. They neatly stacked and cataloged each piece of the warped and cracked planks of cedar cladding. It was shipped back across the Atlantic in two containers and brought to the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, where they began to rebuild. When Brown cancelled the exhibition this month, they cited an unspecified dispute involving the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, which Parks co-founded but which has feuded with relatives for years. A lawyer for the institute has questioned whether Parks' time there was significant, calling it 'an unimportant blip in the timeline of her life here in Detroit.' 'The 'house' is simply not a human interest story,' Steven Cohen told The Associated Press in an email. American artist Ryan Mendoza dismantles the rebuilt house of the civil rights activist Rosa Parks in Berlin, Germany back in December Rhea McCauley, a niece of Rosa Parks, poses in front of the rebuilt house of Rosa Parks, in Berlin. McCauley donated the house to American artist Ryan Mendoza Parks' niece, Rhea McCauley, bought the home off a demolition list for $500 and then donated it to American artist Ryan Mendoza Mendoza, McCauley and many members of the Rhode Island community disagree. In the house, they see the story of so many African Americans who migrated north, only to face redlining and other discrimination that has affected generations of black Americans. Malia Quirindongo, 18, who was volunteering with the group YouthBuild Providence to reassemble the house this week, said what she has learned about its story shows that the country doesn't value Parks as it should. 'They were going to knock her house down, and sold it for $500 when they have hotels where presidents have stayed for one night yet there's plaques talking about 'he stayed here'?' Quirindongo said. 'They're going to knock down a house that is to someone who is so important in this country, and in history? It's eye-opening.' Mendoza still hopes he can find a place for the house in America. He and McCauley wonder if the country just isn't ready to examine this uncomfortable part of its past. 'I would like for this house to have a home,' McCauley said. 'This is a story that's a larger part of American history. It cannot be overlooked.' The Director of Public Prosecutions today denied being pushed out of her job amid claims her 'disastrous' five year term was brought to an end by ministers. Alison Saunders insisted the decision to stand down from the 250,000 a year post was made entirely by her. Sources claimed today it had been made clear to Mrs Saunders that her five year term would not be renewed in October following a series of controversies. Daniel Janner, the son of late Labour peer Lord Janner, led condemnation of Mrs Saunders today over her pursuit of abuse allegations against his father. The Crown Prosecution Service has been left reeling following a series of collapsed rape trials in recent months. Mrs Saunders also oversaw controversial - and failed - prosecutions of journalists and historic child abuse cases. But asked today if she had been told she would not be given a new contract, Mrs Saunders told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'They have not said that to me at all.' Alison Saunders became head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2013 Mrs Saunders said she had made the decision to leave the post and had already planned the next step of her career, at private law firm Linklaters. She said: 'I told them I would not be asking for an extension. It's not been an issue for discussion.' She added: 'It was my decision to leave. DPPs serve a term of five years. I was clear that five years was a good term to serve and I have already decided what I will be doing when I leave in October.' Mrs Saunders denied claims the CPS has failed under her watch, insisting her prosecutors were performing as well or better than ever before in courts up and down the country despite budget cuts. She claimed criticism of the CPS was 'insulting' to the lawyers who make decisions about people's lives every day in England and Wales. And she insisted measures were taken to address concerns about evidence disclosure in rape cases following a series of high-profile trials collapsed last year. Daniel Janner, the son of late Labour peer Lord Janner, led condemnation of Mrs Saunders today over her pursuit of abuse allegations against his father. Lord Janner was forced to make an appearance in court shortly before his death despite suffering from dementia. Mr Janner, himself a QC, told Today: 'She has been an appalling DPP. 'The CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) under her has fallen into disrepute as the latest collapses over disclosure has established.' She has attracted controversy over a series of failed rape prosecutions Over her tenure Mrs Saunders has attracted increasing controversy over a series of failed rape prosecutions. 'It was felt a clean break was needed,' a Whitehall source told the Daily Telegraph. 'Alison's tenure has been highly contentious, to say the least, and we want someone who can come into this job with a clear agenda. It was made clear that her contract would not be extended.' A senior lawyer told the paper: 'It has been a disastrous tenure, it has reduced the credibility of the role after (predecessor) Keir Starmer.' But an ally of Mrs Saunders commended her for doing well within a limited budget and said she has done a 'pretty reasonable job'. Mrs Saunders, who earned 250,000 as DPP in 2017, started her career at the CPS in 1986. The high-flying lawyer has come under fire for insisting no innocent person is in jail after being wrongly convicted because of mistakes in disclosure. Data obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act found the number of prosecutions that have collapsed because of blunders in disclosing crucial evidence has soared by 70 per cent in the past two years. Liam Allan, 22, was charged with six counts of rape before being cleared More than 900 suspects had charges dropped last year because police and prosecutors failed to hand evidence to defence lawyers. In the lead up to criminal trials, police and prosecutors have a duty to disclose evidence that might either assist the defence case or undermine the prosecution. But the recent collapse of several rape cases has heightened concerns that evidence is not being disclosed early enough, and that the rules are not being followed. The trial of student Liam Allan, 22, who was charged with six counts of rape, was halted by a judge after it emerged his accuser had sent hundreds of messages to friends that would have cleared him. The case against an Oxford student accused of rape was dropped days before he was due to stand trial after evidence including his accuser's diary was uncovered. Oliver Mears, 19, had spent more than two years on bail. Last month Mrs Saunders faced criticism after prosecutors failed to secure a conviction for female genital mutilation for a third time. The Attorney General's office said: 'In line with her predecessors, the DPP was appointed for a five-year term which ends in October 2018. 'The DPP did not ask for an extension to her contract. She will take up a position as a partner in (law firm) Linklaters when she leaves the CPS.' Mrs Saunders predecessor Sir Keir Starmer - now a Labour MP - also only served a single five year term as DPP. Advertisement An undercover police car filled with ammunition burst into flames on a busy motorway on Sunday night. Four officers from a specialist unit were rushing to a job when their unmarked Kia Sorento had engine trouble. They escaped before it burst into flames on the side of the M7 in west Sydney. Dramatic pictures show the car ablaze as firemen battled the flames from behind a shield in case the ammunition exploded. Police are now investigating the cause of the fire. Raging inferno: An undercover police car filled with ammunition burst into flames on a busy motorway in Sydney last night Red-hot blaze: Four officers from a specialist unit were rushing to a job when their unmarked Kia Sorento had engine trouble Risky operation: Dramatic pictures show the car ablaze as firemen battled the flames from behind a shield in case the ammunition exploded Lucky escape: The officers in the car escaped before it burst into flames on the side of the M7 in west Sydney on Sunday night Fireball: Two firemen hosed the car to put out the flames but they kept their distance in case any ammunition in the car exploded Ablaze: The car suffered engine trouble before the officers pulled over and it burst into flames on the side of the motorway A New South Wales police spokesman said: 'Four police escaped injury after their vehicle caught fire in Sydneys west. 'About 8.25pm on Sunday, an unmarked Kia Sorento, attached to a specialist unit, was travelling urgent duty southbound on the M7 at Rooty Hill when it suffered engine failure. 'After pulling over, the car caught fire. The four police officers in the car escaped uninjured. Fire & Rescue NSW attended and the blaze was extinguished. 'The M7 was closed for about two hours while the operation took place. The car has been towed from the scene and will be examined to determine the cause of the fire.' Working hard: Brave firemen tackled the blaze at the scene. This image shows firemen walking with a protective shield Putting out the blaze: The car was seen smoking after the firefighters doused the flames on the roadside on Sunday night Safety first: The firemen continued to protect themselves with the reinforced plastic shield even after the flames were all out Operation: Policemen liaised with firemen on the side of the M7 in west Sydney as they deal with the burning car on Sunday Traffic: Dozens of drivers passing by slowed to look at the dramatic fire as they made their way on Sunday in west Sydney The event was part of the sixth Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Summit and the 10th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) Summit on Development Triangle Area. The event was attended by Chairman of the Hanoi Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung, Trade Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam Hu Suojin, officials of four Chinese provinces (Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan) and 16 Vietnamese provinces and cities, along with hundreds of the two countries businesses. Opening the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung highly valued the Chinese provincial leaders participation in the meeting. With big economic strength, the four provinces are also the Chinese localities taking the lead in economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation with Vietnam. In 2017, trade between the four provinces and Vietnamese localities reached US$ 59 billion, accounting for 63 percent of the two countries total trade revenue. He stressed that the Vietnamese Government welcomes and pledges the best possible conditions for foreign businesses, including those from the Chinese provinces, to invest in Vietnam. The official called on the Chinese central and local governments, especially authorities of Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan, to continue opening their market for the goods that Vietnam is strong at and China has demand for like agricultural products, pork and milk. He also asked for the facilitation of customs clearance for Vietnamese goods in border areas and the development of bilateral trade in a healthier and more balanced manner. Hanoi always attaches importance to promoting collaboration with Chinese localities and businesses in the spirit of comprehensive, long-term and win-win cooperation, said Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung. He said the capital city is home to 262 projects invested by Chinese firms with total registered capital of US$ 371 million, and Hanoi raked in US$ 8.9 billion from export to China in 2017. The municipal authority will continue promoting administrative reform, and work closely with customs agencies of Vietnam and China to maximise support for customs clearance, thus facilitating trade links and goods exchange between the two countries enterprises, he affirmed. At the meeting, Vice Governor of Guangdong province Ouyang Weimin said by the end of 2017, as many as 114 enterprises from Guangdong invested in Vietnam with total capital of US$ 240 million. The authority and people of Guangdong hope the two countries will continue fostering strategic cooperation and joining initiatives, thus creating momentum for the China-Vietnam cooperation. Guangdong and Vietnamese localities have many cooperation opportunities in the fields of transport, education, and tourism, he stressed, adding that his locality want to further bolster tourism link and people-to-people exchange with Vietnam, towards reinforcing cultural and social collaboration between the two sides. He also called on Vietnamese firms to further invest in Guangdong, expressing his hope that Guangdongs firms will enjoy favourable investment environment in Vietnam. During the event, localities and enterprises of the two countries shared information about investment climate and opportunities for business cooperation in the coming time. Health bosses used taxpayer-funded credit cards to pay for helicopter lessons, go-karting and five-star hotels. Despite the NHS facing an unprecedented funding crisis, officials have been using the cards to splurge money on luxuries, bars and restaurants. They have racked up 5.8million worth of spending in the past two years alone. The government procurement cards were introduced by Labour in 1997, supposedly to enable senior staff to easily fund office supplies and travel costs. But a Daily Mail investigation found senior officials in the largest health bodies have been using them in Wetherspoons pubs, cocktail bars, bowling alleys and McDonalds. One chief executive used his card to pay for a private helicopter lesson in the Cotswolds. Keith Conradi, head of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch, claimed the 562 training day was a necessary part of his job. He has now been ordered to pay the money back. The Mails audit also found: Public Health England staff racked up a 310 bill for a smoothie bike using pedal-power to blend fruit; They used the cards to stay at the Altishotel in Lisbon and the Intercontinental Hotel in Beijing; At the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the cards were spent in KFC, Starbucks, kebab joints, all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets and pubs; MHRA employees also used them to buy 253 meals at McDonalds splashing a total of 1,433 on the fast food. The cards were issued to senior staff in the health organisations as a convenient replacement for invoices. They were meant to ensure payments were made more promptly for low-cost items such as stationery and computer equipment. But there is growing evidence they are abused and spent on personal items and frivolities rather than office necessities. The Mail used the Freedom of Information Act to ask 11 of the largest health bodies and watchdogs for details of their expenses on the cards. More than 25,000 was spent on taxis over two years by senior NHS staff, including on Uber and Addison Lee Between them they had issued cards to 692 staff and spent at least 5.8million in the two years since March 2016, although the figure could be higher as some organisations refused to provide all their bills. The responses show the cards were routinely used to buy groceries, with 24,500 spent in Marks and Spencer, Sainsburys, Tesco, Waitrose, Asda and Morrisons. Another 25,100 was used on taxis, of which 17,100 was billed by Public Health England, which advises people on a healthy lifestyle. Nearly 25,000 was spent in supermarkets including Waitrose, Tesco, Marks&Spencer, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons At NHS Blood and Transplant, which oversees organ donations, the cards were used to fund a trip to the Eddie Irving go-karting centre in Belfast, for teambuilding. Staff also went on six bowling trips and to a cocktail bar in Bristol. Meanwhile, the NHS is facing its worst funding difficulties in its 70-year history. The British Medical Association is today releasing a study warning that the NHS is likely to see the winter crisis extend into the summer. The BMA believes levels of demand and activity this summer will mirror winters of two or three years ago. Health service staff spent taxpayers money in Starbucks, KFC, Domino's and McDonalds The health service came under huge pressure this winter, with A&E attendance, waiting times and admissions reaching alarming levels in England. Patients are being denied hip replacements and cataract surgeries and GPs have been told to stop handing out common prescription drugs. Last night, the Mails findings sparked anger, with critics saying money had been squandered. Mark Littlewood, of the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank, said: Not only is it outrageous that hard-earned taxpayers money is being frivolously squandered on stays at plush resorts and pricey restaurants, these revelations smack of brazen hypocrisy. The financial constraints of the NHS is made all the more depressing when we see how carelessly the money is being spent. Its high time these quangos were held to account. One health boss spent more than 500 on helicopter lessons (file photo) Alex Wild, of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: Procurement cards are supposed to be used as a cost-effective means of buying low-value goods and services, but time and time again theyre used as a quick and easy way to rip off taxpayers for lifes luxuries. Its not credible for NHS bosses to be pleading poverty while billing taxpayers for stays at some of the worlds most luxurious resorts. The Mail discovered staff at PHE responsible for tackling obesity spent the cards on Dominos Pizza, a steakhouse and a bakery specialising in pies and cakes. At the same time its officials were lecturing the public to cut back on these foods and on smoothies to avoid getting fat. Staff spent tax-payer money at the five-star Intercontinental hotel in Beijing A spokesman claimed staff purchased only sandwiches and fruit at the bakery to serve as meeting refreshments. The organisation also used the cards to fund trips to Cuba, California, Florida, and Bangkok in Thailand to attend a physical activity conference. NHS England, responsible for day-to-day running of the health service, issues the cards to only a handful of staff. But the MHRA gave them to 266 workers and allowed them to pay for meals, snacks and their laundry if they travelled or worked long hours. Health Education England, the workforce body, redacted three quarters of its card bills. It refused to explain why staff had spent almost 1,000 at an unnamed restaurant the cost of a sight-restoring cataract operation. Staff also stayed at the five-star Altis hotel in Lisbon, to attend a 'drug related infectious disease' meeting Among the bills they did disclose was almost 560 for a high-end Scottish restaurant and 42 on theatre tickets in Leeds. Other bodies which responded to the requests were the Department of Health, Nice, the Care Quality Commission, NHS Improvement, and the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority. A Department of Health spokesman said: We have already taken steps to ensure money spent on helicopter training has been recouped and will take further action if needed to make sure card holders are crystal clear on the rules. PHE chief Duncan Selbie said: Expenses for scientific research, sharing expertise and learning from global best practice are necessary for [employees] work. An MRHA spokesman said staff could claim a small reimbursement when away from home. Patient safety chief insisted the 562 taxpayer-billed helicopter lesson in the Cotswolds was crucial for his job The head of a flagship patient safety unit billed taxpayers for helicopter lessons and insisted they were part of his job. Keith Conradi flew a lightweight helicopter over the Cotswold Hills for a day in January last year at a cost of 562. The training enabled him to retain his private helicopter licence which he claimed was necessary for his NHS role. Mr Conradi earns 142,000 a year as chief investigator at the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch (HSIB), which is tasked with investigating the most serious medical errors so the NHS can learn lessons and prevent them happening again. Keith Conradi, chief investigator of the NHS' Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch, flew a lightweight helicopter over the Cotswold Hills for a day in January last year at a cost of 562 The body became operational amid much fanfare in April 2017. However, it had begun preparatory work months earlier and Mr Conradi was appointed to his role in 2016. He was chosen by Jeremy Hunt on the basis of his experience as a pilot and an airline investigator. The Health and Social Care Secretary wants the NHS to learn lessons from the airline industry, which is renowned for its safety record and rigorous investigations. Mr Conradi, 56, argued that this entitled him to bill the taxpayer for retaining his private helicopter licence. Incidentally, he already holds an airline transport licence. He also used his government procurement card to pay for a full pilots medical examination at Gatwick Airport in February 2017, at a cost of 234. Following the Daily Mails inquiries, however, Mr Conradi was ordered to pay the money back by the health services financial watchdog, NHS Improvement. A spokesman for the HSIB said the reimbursement were in process. Officials at NHS Improvement and the Department of Health were understood to have been furious that he had used taxpayers money for the helicopter lessons. Mr Conradi a former Virgin Atlantic pilot previously worked as a chief inspector at the Air Accidents Investigations Branch. He lives with his wife Katherine in Wrecclesham, near Farnham, Surrey. In a statement, he said: I am proud to be at the forefront of the first organisation in the world to be creating a pioneering safety investigation methodology for the NHS that matches that of the air industry. This will save lives and reduce patient harm in future years because HSIB learning and patient safety recommendations will be widely shared across NHS service providers in England. The Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam said there has been 'anxiety, puzzlement and anger' in the community after the poisoning in Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury has described the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in the city as an 'act of violation' in his Easter sermon. The Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam said there has been 'anxiety, puzzlement and anger' in the community after Sergei and Yulia Skripal were attacked with a nerve agent. 'The last four weeks have been very strange in Salisbury,' he added. 'Two people were attacked, but Salisbury has been violated.' Bishop Holtam praised the 'brilliant' emergency services and the hospital for their response to the incident. 'There has been some anxiety, puzzlement and anger but people in this community are resilient,' he added. 'After an act of violation we need to rebuild relationships and confidence in one another and the people and place we love.' The UK has expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the poisoning, with its allies also calling on embassy staff to leave, and Russia taking similar measures in return. Bishop Holtam said: 'The significance of events in Salisbury has gone way beyond this city. The local has become global.' Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. They remain in hospital after being attacked with a nerve agent The Zizzi restaurant in Salisbury where the pair dined shortly before they were taken ill 'Over 20 countries have expelled Russians from their embassies and Russia has retaliated. This is not good news.' The Russian Embassy has said it 'insists' on the right to see Ms Skripal, 33, after it emerged she was improving rapidly. Mr Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Disneyland is known as The Happiest Place On Earth. And it seemed to be living up to that reputation on Saturday, as Jessica Chastain joined friends and her husband Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo for a day of fun at the amusement park. The 41-year-old Zero Dark Thirty star decided to keep the outfit quite casual for the outing. Out and about! Jessica Chastain joined friends and her husband Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo for a day of fun at Disneyland On top, she layered a black leather biker jacket over a black t-shirt with white slogan lettering. Fitted light-wash jeans and some very unique white platform sneakers completed her laid-back ensemble. Accessories included some oversize shades, a black woven leather purse and a straw fedora which included a fun multicolored hat band. Of course when the group enjoyed a rollercoaster ride, the multiple Oscar-nominated actress let her famous fiery locks blow in the wind. Nothing fancy! On top, she layered a black leather biker jacket over a black t-shirt with white slogan lettering Subtle blush and peach lipstick adorned her youthful visage. Also enjoying the outing was husband and Italian entrepreneur Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo who kept things sartorially simple in a black graphic tee, dark jeans and Nike trainers. Teeth actress Jess Weixler, 36, was also in attendance. She recently helped celebrate her friend Jessica's bday with an adorable Instagram snap showing herself with the Molly's Game actress peeking over her right arm. Yee haw! Of course when the group enjoyed a rollercoaster ride, the multiple Oscar-nominated actress let her famous fiery locks blow in the wind Meanwhile, Jessica recently revealed to Vulture why she feels there's a difference between nudity in American versus European films. 'I have no issues with nudity, especially in a lot of European cinema that I adore, but I find that in American cinema, the idea of nudity has always bothered me. I realized why: For me, Im uncomfortable with nudity when it feels like its not the persons decision to be naked, when its something that has been put upon them,' she told the publication. She went on to criticize how nudity in American film comes about, but reaffirmed she's still a fan of the naked body. 'In a way, I see that as like a victimization. It trains an audience that exploiting someone in their body should be normal for nudity, when I think the opposite. When people are completely in control of their decisions, that is a really exciting thing. I love the human form male nudity, female nudity, Im all about it. I had to get to that place where, for me, it was my decision.' What on earth has happened to Lady Kitty Spencers delicate pout? The angelic niece of Princess Diana, who grew up to be a Tatler pin-up and society model, wasnt looking herself when we met at a bash, left, last week. Chums are now wondering whether Kitty, 27, has succumbed to the lure of the needle or has just been overdoing it with the lip-liner? What has happened to Lady Kitty Spencer's delicate pout? James Ivory, pictured, once used Hugh Grant's pile cream as toothpaste The cream of Hollywood Hugh Grant has revealed he suffers from an unfortunate ailment usually confined to much older men piles! The actor made the shock confession at a BFI Flare screening last week of his 1987 film Maurice, which was directed by James Ivory. Hugh says that during filming, James borrowed my toothpaste after taking a nap in my room and accidentally used my haemorrhoid cream. 'There were towels all over the room which he used to get the cream out of his mouth. 'He was traumatised. In a gaffe worthy of political satire The Thick Of It, the Government is hosting a conference about fake news at Facebooks London HQ. Seemingly oblivious to the recent storm over Facebooks behaviour, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy has asked experts to join them in the lions den on May 9. I just hope they dont ask for too much data Miles Hurley wasn't looking too happy last week despite a visit from auntie Liz, right He is on the mend and getting kisses from Auntie Liz, but Miles Hurley wasnt looking too pleased about life last week. The handsome Dolce & Gabbana model was stabbed by a gang of four men in South London last month during a road rage incident. Actress Liz, who was in the US at the time of the incident, immediately flew back to the UK to be at his hospital bedside and she has vowed to track down her nephews attackers. Miles is now out of hospital and being showered with affection but that doesnt mean the 21-year-old is ready to crack a smile just yet. Joining Oxfords exclusive Bullingdon Club may be a dream for some but thats until they learn of the initiation test. Past members include David Cameron and Boris Johnson, and a letter addressed to current member Alasdair MacPherson (who likes to boast that Ive got a better castle than you) reached me last week. After telling him to report to a pub wearing an all-yellow outfit of suit, shirt, bow tie, socks and shoes, carrying a smutty or Left-wing publication, a fake/real diamond, and a plush squirrel toy You will order refreshments in the following sequence: a double whisky neat, a Boilermaker, a pint of champagne, a Boilermaker, a double whisky neat. Your progress will be monitored. I wonder if Dave and BoJo still have their yellow suits? Robin expels the riff-raff Has Robin Birley taken a cue from Theresa May following her decision to expel 23 undesirable Russian diplomats? I gather that Robin has been quietly culling members of his Mayfair club 5 Hertford Street and one of the first to get the boot was a Russian woman. Says my source: She was in tears. It is nothing to do with being Russian undesirables in general are for the chop. Theres a vast waiting list so Robin can afford to be choosy. Robins spokesman confirms: There have been discussions with members who Robin feels may be suited elsewhere. The club has a particular ethos, and it is important that members are on the same page. If its bling that these undesirables are looking for, they need look no further than the reopened Annabels club next door it has a golden-winged unicorn hanging from the ceiling and 5,000 roses on the ceiling of the ladies loo! There were claims that things were rocky between he and wife Blake Lively. But Ryan Reynolds put an end to that speculation the only way he could. The 41-year-old actor took to Twitter on Saturday to address the claims that he and his 30-year-old wife were struggling to find quality time to spend together. Funny: Ryan Reynolds, 41, took to Twitter on Saturday to address the claims that he and his 30-year-old wife Blake Lively were struggling to find quality time to spend together 'I wish. I could use a little "me time"': Ryan showed off his signature wit once again as he retweeted an article with this message Ryan showed off his signature wit once again as he retweeted an article with the message: 'I wish. I could use a little "me time".' This comes just a week after the couple were spotted making a rare red carpet appearance together in New York. The couple turned out to support friend Stanley Tucci at the premiere of Final Portrait, a film he wrote and directed. Date night: Blake and Ryan made a rare red carpet appearance together last week in New York at the premiere for their friend Stanley Tucci's film Final Portrait Blake and Ryan put on a flirty show as they posed for photos together with Ryan keeping a tight hold on his wife of six years. Blake looked stylish as always in a black and white check dress with long sleeves and cut outs at the top of the bodice. The asmymmetrical hemline showcased her legs and she added strappy black sandal heels. Rare red carpet appearance together: Blake, 30, and Ryan, 41, put on a flirty show as they posed for photos together with Ryan keeping a tight hold on his wife of six years Loved up: The couple, who have two daughters, were snapped gazing lovingly into each other's eyes Hunky: Deadpool star Ryan was dapper in a dark gray suit with skinny pants and tailored jacket along with a white shirt and striped tie Her long blonde hair was loose and styled in gentle waves and she kept her make up low key with mascara, a touch of blush and some red lip color. Ryan was dapper in a dark gray suit with skinny pants and tailored jacket along with a white shirt and striped tie. The loved-up couple, who have two daughters, couldn't keep their eyes off each other. Monochrome choice: Blake looked stylish as always in a black and white check dress with long sleeves and cut outs at the top of the bodice Coordinated ensemble: The asymmetrical hemline showcased the former Gossip Girl star's legs and she added strappy black sandal heels and a black pedicure Support: Ryan has been pals with Tucci since they starred together in the 1997 film The Alarmist when the Canadian was still a young actor trying to make a name for himself The two were very touchy-feely and were snapped gazing into each other's eyes. The Deadpool star has been pals with Tucci since they starred together in the 1997 film The Alarmist when Ryan was still a young actor trying to make a name for himself. Tucci, 57, was accompanied to the premiere by his wife Felicity Blunt, 37, the sister of actress Emily Blunt. Inseparable: Blake and Ryan continued their love fest arriving arm-in-arm at the after-party Not letting go: The photogenic couple stayed arm-in-arm at the Guggenheim gallery venue She recently bemoaned that watching the news is depressing. So Diane Kruger clearly fancied viewing something more uplifting on Friday, as she took her mom to see Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, in NYC. The 41-year-old actress bundled up against the cold as she spent some girl time with her mom in Times Square. Mom and me! Diane Kruger took her mom to see Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, in NYC on Friday The actress and former model was dressed stylishly for the cold in a black and white plaid coat with a black beret. She added quilted leather Chanel motorbike boots and a cream box bag. Her make-up was minimal, highlighting her naturally striking features and strong cheekbones. Bundle up! The actress and former model was dressed stylishly for the cold in a black and white plaid coat with a black beret. The beauty - who is dating Norman Reedus - hailed a taxi for her mother, who was also keeping in the black and white theme. She shared a picture of the Playbill from the production, captioning: 'When mutha is in town you gotta'. The show features a score with more than 20 of Summer's classic hits including Love to Love You, Baby, Bad Girls and Hot Stuff. Taxi! The beauty - who is dating Norman Reedus - hailed a taxi for her mother, who was also keeping in the black and white theme Diane also recently took her mom to Japan to see the cherry blossoms in bloom. The German-born beauty was also recently spotted house hunting with her Walking Dead star beau, indicating things were getting even more serious for the steady couple. And earlier this year, after the Golden Globes, they took a romantic vacation in Costa Rica where Reedus celebrated his 49th birthday. Mother-land: She took her mom to the theatre Jet-setty: Diane also recently took her mom to Japan to see the cherry blossoms in bloom The Central American country is popular with this couple, who were also there in August. Norman and Diane co-starred in the 2015 film Sky, and were went public with their romance last spring after her split from Joshua Jackson. The star posted a photo of herself on Instagram recently looking stressed out. 'Watching the news is depressing,' Kruger wrote adding a sad emoji with his tongue sticking out. She starred in Vampire Diaries. And Nina Dobrev was out in West Hollywood on Friday, sinking her teeth into some of the neighborhoods hottest spots. Clothed in flowing, high-waisted, striped black pants and an embroidered black jacket, the 29-year-old star cut a dark and seductive figure as she laughed and flirted through the night. Night walker: Nina Dobrev showcases her style as she enjoys night out in West Hollywood on Friday Enchanting as always, the Flatliners actress had her double sided rider jacket thrown open over a solid black top. Snapped while outside Deliah restaurant and Catch LA, Dobrev wore her dark brown, medium length hair down. She added to the outfits's allure with a petite crimson purse and understate pointed black heels. The star looked happy to be back enjoying Los Angeles' fair weather as she enjoyed the night on the town. On the town: The 29-year-old Vampire Diaries alum cut a dark and seductive figure as she laughed and flirted through the night Enchanting: She wore flowing, high-waisted, striped black pants and an embroidered black jacket Back home: Dobrev has just returned from New York where she had been reportedly house hunting Disaster: Apparently, she was put off one potential place in Greenwich Village when a chunk of the roof fell on her head while she was touring it Dobrev has just returned from New York where she had been reportedly house hunting. The New York Post even claimed she was put off one potential place in Greenwich Village when a chunk of the roof fell on her head while she was touring it. 'Weve had lots of problems,' said a real estate source told the site. 'Pipes broke, covering people with water and two people got stuck in the elevator. 'Then a piece of the ceiling fell on Ninas head while she was on the toilet.' Nina nearly made an offer on the $2.15 million two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, but decided last minute against it. They're two of Australia most eligible bachelors who failed to find love on Married At First Sight and Bachelor In Paradise. But Ryan Gallagher and Davey Lloyd put their heartache aside on Saturday night and headed out for a very raucous boys night at Sydney hot spot Pelicano. Donning similar coloured shirts, the boys, both 29, had quite the reunion and were also joined by their fellow single reality TV compatriots Dean Wells, 40, Nasser Sultan, 50 and Luke Mcleod, 33. Scroll down for video Boys night take two? Both left single, on Saturday night, reality stars Davey Lloyd and Ryan Gallagher set out for a boys night together 'Both got robbed both left early,' stated Ryan on Instagram beside a photo showing him with his arm wrapped around Davey's shoulder. The tradie kept his look clean and simple, donning an crumpled white shirt with green coloured pants. While Davey went for a more nautical-inspired look - wearing a dark blue and white pinstriped shirt. Reality reunion! Donning similar coloured shirts, the 29-year-olds had quite the reunion, also joined by singles Dean Wells, 40, Nasser Sultan, 50 and Luke Mcleod, 33 As the boys night progressed Ryan and Davey were soon joined by fellow Bachelorette reject Luke Mcleod - who also appeared with Davey on this year's Bachelor In Paradise. The trio appeared to be having a rather raucous time with Ryan later experiencing an accident around his crotch region. Captioning the video 'oopsie', Ryan could be seen dabbing his private region after appearing to spill a beverage. But the slight mishap didn't bring an end to their shenanigans - with Davey hopping onto his Instagram Story to throw shade at Ryan's reality TV ex-wife Davina Rankin. Getting messy: And it seemed to be quite the boys night with Ryan having a slight accident in his crotch region Happy single: 'Hey look, this is Davey - I'm not Davina, but I'm almost better than him,' he said while planting a kiss on Ryan 'Hey look, this is Davey - I'm not Davina, but I'm almost better than him,' he said while planting a kiss on Ryan. And according to an insider who was there on the night, the boy's exited the venue with a bevvy of women. The source also revealed to Daily Mail Australia Ryan was first to leave with a blonde female. Davey, Luke and Nasser all appeared to share the cost of a maxi taxi with three women - leaving 20 minutes later. She recently returned to TV hoping to find love again on Bachelor In Paradise. And according to Confidential Laurina Fleure has gotten her wish. The publication is reporting the 34-year-old has finally found love - but stopped short at revealing if she met her new partner on the reality TV series. Scroll down for video 'It absolutely blew my mind' Bachelor In Paradise star Laurina Fleure confirms she has found love... but admits she had a lot of 'emotional pain' to overcome The claims come just a day after The Sunday Telegraph reported Laurina 'quits'Bachelor In Paradise alongside several other unlucky in love contestants in future episodes. Despite the rumours, there appears to have been a silver lining to Laurina's appearance on the show. The brunette beauty told Confidential she gained some valuable insights from the show's psychologist about her approach to finding love. 'She said you haven't released your pain and that absolutely blew my mind,' she said. Laurina added that the assessment helped her to understand she had a lot of emotional blockers that stood in the way of her finding true love. Happy at last? The 34-year-old has finally found love - but stopped short at revealing if she met her new partner on the reality TV series Breaking barriers: 'I was struggling to open up because of pain underneath the surface,' she said 'I was struggling to open up because of pain underneath the surface,' she said. In a preview for Monday night's episode shows Laurina declaring she is 'done' after Blake Colman does something unthinkable at the Rose Ceremony. The end? In a preview for Monday night's episode shows Laurina declaring she is 'done' after Blake Colman does something unthinkable at the Rose Ceremony After sharing a kiss during their first date together, Laurina enters the rose ceremony confident that Blake will give her a rose in return. But a preview for the episode shows Blake pausing as he prepares to hand out a rose, before placing his hand over his face and saying: 'F**k! Oh my God!' Drama! After sharing a kiss during their first date together, Laurina enters the rose ceremony confident that Blake will give her a rose in return What happens? A preview for the episode shows Blake pausing as he prepares to hand out a rose, before placing his hand over his face and saying: 'F**k! Oh my God!' Laurina's face goes from happy to disappointed, with the brunette beauty telling producers: 'That's it. I'm done!' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Ten for comment. Laurina also previously told OK! Magazine that Bachelor in Paradise producers had offered her enticements to get on the show. Trouble in paradise? The rose ceremony drama comes despite Laurina and Blake sharing a kiss during their single date 'Production promised me they'd find me someone to drool over,' Laurina revealed to the publication. The beauty revealed she had her eyes set on two men in particular before arriving on the island. 'I was really happy to see Michael [Turnbull]. I always thought he was very cute. And Apollo [Jackson], but he's very young,' Laurina said. According to Le Hoang Minh, deputy director of the international relations unit of the citys Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the event enabled the students to exchange and study the history of the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia relations, making significant contributions to nurturing the traditional solidarity and fruitful friendship among the youth of the three nations. Art performances, fashion shows, traditional games, and food street display were included at the event. Particularly, the event featured Laos and Cambodias rituals like thread tying and water-splashing festival to wish for a year of happiness and prosperity. The Lao and Cambodian students were impressed by the activities organised in Vietnam to mark their traditional festivals. UEL Vice Rector Le Tuan Loc affirmed to create favourable conditions for the Lao and Cambodian students so that they can have good results at university, helping build sound solidarity and friendship among the three nations. The Bun Pi May and Chol Chnam Thmay festivals fall on April 14 to 16, with several ritual ceremonies praying for good weather, an abundant harvest and a prosperous New Year. As the father of British star James Corden, he must be used to the critical attention his famous son receives. But Malcolm Corden left Radio 5 Live presenters Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo in no doubt about his loyalties when he wrote to them over their programmes review of Jamess performance in Peter Rabbit. Movie critic Kermode had described James as appallingly irritating in the newly released computer-animated film. But in a letter read out on air on Friday, Malcolm said only he and his wife Margaret had the right to describe their son in such a way, writing: To hear you describe our son as appallingly irritating, as per your review, was very difficult to listen to. Corden, 39, who fronts The Late Late Show in the US, has received poor reviews from other critics for his part in Peter Rabbit Im sure you would agree that as parents, were the only ones who have the permission to describe our own offspring as appallingly irritating. Malcolm also complained that James had been the only cast member criticised. Corden, 39, who fronts The Late Late Show in the US, has received poor reviews from other critics for his part in the film based on the famous Beatrix Potter story and has admitted to feeling reticent about taking on the role. She's recently been appearing on Married At First Sight's panel after-show, Talking Married. But on Saturday, it was TV personality Jayne Azzopardi's turn for a trip down the aisle when she wed long-time partner, Trent Butler. Taking to Instagram, the popular journalist shared a number of intimate and touching shots of her Tasmanian wedding day to her cinematographer beau. Here comes the bride! Channel Nine TV personality Jayne Azzopardi, 34, wed her cinematographer fiance Trent Butler in Tasmania at the weekend The blushing bride all smile as she posed with family and friends in her simple sleeveless white gown, which featured decorative ruffling at the front. Continuing her simple but glamorous style, the breakfast reporter opted to wear her brunette hair down with elegant drop pearl earrings. The Channel Nine personality finishing the outfit with a pair of pearl embroidered sandals and a dainty bracelet. Simple and elegant! Jayne was all smiles on the day in her elegant white gown which was accompanied with pearl drop earrings For her make-up, Jayne opted for a dewy look and a dark-coloured lipstick. The groom looked dapper in beige pants, a light blue shirt and a navy blue blazer, finishing the look with a pair of shiny boots and leather belt. Posting a tender snap to social media, Jayne put underneath an action shot of her and her partner spinning with joy together: 'hitched,' before adding a love heart. Tie-the-knot! Blushing bride Jayne posed with one of her flowergirls, with both the ladies beaming at the ceremony High-profile colleague Peter Stefanovic was there, while former Today host Lisa Wilkinson and Channel Nine personality Tom Steinfort both offered their congratulations. Married At First Sight bride Tracey Jewel even writing: 'congratulations.' In November, popular TV personality Jayne revealed the emotional moment she burst into tears after Trent bent down on one knee on their hotel balcony. Family and friends! Popular Channel Nine personality Jayne paired her simple and elegant dress with a pair of ornate pearl embroidered sandals Jayne said she was whisked away to Trent's home state of Tasmania after hosting Weekend Today last Sunday, before she said 'yes' through tears to Trent's proposal. 'We were staying at this beautiful hotel and we were on our balcony, and it was fantastic weather, Hobart really turned it on,' she explained to co-host Tom. 'I started to get a little bit emotional. I was looking at him thinking "you look so handsome, I love you so much", and he came over to give me a hug and comfort me and next minute he was on his knees pulling out a ring, and I cried.' Something was in the air: Jayne Azzopardi (right) was emotional when she recapped her engagement news on Channel Nine in November Newsreader Davina Smith chimed in, asking Jayne to elaborate on people mistaking Trent for Tom. 'Well I certainly haven't ... but I suppose in the photo we posted I am covering half of Trent's face,' Jayne responded. She added: 'There were a few viewers saying "is that Tom Steinfort?" It's not.' Awkward! Speaking during Weekend Today on Saturday, the 34-year-old also revealed that viewers have since drawn similarities between her lover's appearance and her on-air partner Tom Steinfort The pretty brunette then jokingly 'friendzoned' Tom, telling him that Trent is the only one for her. 'You've made the right choice,' Tom responded. Jayne took to Instagram on Monday to share the exciting news, beneath an adorable snap that showed her cosied up with Trent. 'Say no more.. the answer is YES!! I'm the luckiest, happiest girl in the world. Can't wait to marry my love', Jayne wrote in a post uploaded for her 8700 followers. She said Yes! The happy couple got engaged last November They're the Aussie stars, who are known for their glamorous lifestyles. And while a few celebs went all out on Easter Sunday, most proved they're just like the rest of us while gorging on hot cross buns and treating their kids to copious amounts of chocolate. Nicole Kidman, Rebecca Judd and Hamish Blake are among a string of famous faces who shared glimpses into their Easter celebrations on Instagram. Easter chic: Nicole Kidman shared a glamorous selfie to Instagram on Easter morning while wearing a Valentino headpiece Big Little Lies star Nicole led the pack with a glamorous selfie while wearing a Valentino headpiece. 'Sending love in my Easter bonnet. #Valentino,' she captioned. The Hollywood icon is believed to be spending the holidays with her husband Keith Urban and their two children Faith Margaret, seven, and Sunday Rose, nine. Holiday mode: Actress Naomi Watts embarked on a sunny vacation with her two sons Alexander 'Sasha' Pete, 10, in and Samuel 'Sammy' Kai, nine Sweet breakfast: Model Megan Gale proved that even models have cheat days and shared a snap of hearty hot cross buns Doting dad: TV host Hamish Blake was quite the doting dad in a tender snap with his nine-month-old daughter Rudy Hazel Bunny onesie: Zoe Foster Blake shared this cute snap of their bub Rudy in a pink onesie Actress Naomi Watts embarked on a sunny vacation with her two sons Alexander 'Sasha' Pete, 10, in and Samuel 'Sammy' Kai, nine. The makeup-free star looked relaxed and refreshed as she enjoyed a spa day with her young boys. 'This woman is beyond gifted. Massage of a life time!!!' she captioned alongside her masseuse. Treating herself: Bec Judd was seen tucking into some chocolate with her peppermint tea on Saturday night Easter choc hack: Bec was seen dipping her chocolate in her tea Easter treats: The AFL WAG treated her four children to a huge basket of chocolate eggs and bunnies (L). She also shared a snap of pre-Easter preparation, which involved decorating her backyard for the holiday (R) Too cute! Nadia Bartel's son Aston was seen enjoying his Easter treats Hostess with the mostess: Roxy Jacenko hosted a VIP lunch on Easter Sunday Getting in the spirit! She shared a snap of lavish Easter decorations inside her home. Chocolate goodness: Roxy's kitchen was filled with dozens of chocolates from Lindt Model Megan Gale proved that even models have cheat days and shared a snap of hearty hot cross buns. The mother-of-two wished her followers a 'Happy Easter.' TV host Hamish Blake was quite the doting dad in a tender snap with his nine-month-old daughter Rudy Hazel. Radiant: Kate Ritchie spent Easter with her family and shared snaps on Instagram Adorable: The former Home and Away posted an adorable snap of her three-year-old daughter Mae fast asleep and surrounded by toy bunnies on 'Easter Morning' AFL WAG Rebecca Judd treated her four children to a huge basket of chocolate eggs and bunnies. She also shared a snap of pre-Easter preparation, which involved decorating her backyard for the holiday. Fellow WAG Nadia Bartel shared a snap of her two-year-old son Aston sporting bunny ears while fixated on his chocolate treats. PR queen Roxy Jacenko shared a snap of lavish Easter decorations inside her home. Dozens of balloons and floral arrangements were placed around the premises for an Easter lunch she is hosting. 'Sunday lunch prep,' she captioned. Another snap showed her three-year-old son Hunter Curtis posing next to a lavish table setting. Former Home and Away star Kate Ritchie shared an adorable snap of her three-year-old daughter Mae fast asleep and surrounded by toy bunnies on 'Easter Morning.' On the hunt: Michelle Bridges was seen taking her two-year-old son Axel on an Easter egg hunt Michelle Bridges was seen taking her two-year-old son Axel on an Easter egg hunt. The mummy-son duo wore comfrotable robes and matching gumboots as the adorable toddler searched their property for chocolate goodies. Married At First Sight's Charlene Perera looked to be in high spirits despite her split from Patrick Miller, as she cuddled up to an oversized bunny. Home and Away star Jackson Heywood has opened up about his 'chemistry' with co-star and on-screen lover, Sophie Dillman. Jackson, 29, told The Sunday Telegraph this week that he and blonde beauty Sophie share a close bond. 'We just know each other so well,' Jackson told the publication. Scroll down for video 'We just know each other so well': Home and Away's Jackson Heywood talks his 'chemistry' with co-star and on-screen lover Sophie Dillman Pucker up! Jackson, 29, told The Sunday Telegraph this week that he and blonde beauty Sophie (seen on the soap) share a close bond 'We know that when one of us is a bit tired that the other one will step up, that we can pass the torch if need be.' He added that the show helps you form close bonds with your co-stars. 'It is actually your job to share a genuine connection and most jobs aren't about that.' Supportive: 'We know that when one of us is a bit tired that the other one will step up, that we can pass the torch if need be' Comfortable: In February, Sophie, 25 - who has a boyfriend - told the publication that she's really comfortable working with Jackson, and filming their onscreen kissing scenes In February, Sophie, 25 - who has a boyfriend - told the publication that she's really comfortable working with Jackson, and filming their onscreen kissing scenes. '(Jackson) is the first person I've kissed on screen so it's nice to be able to do it with someone who I could say, 'I'm really nervous about this' and he gets it,' Sophie said. Jackson previously was in a long term relationship with late star Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda. Former flame: Jackson previously was in a long term relationship with late star Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda It seems all the cast are indeed close, with Sam Frost seen catching up with Jackson last week. The pair went out for a meal and posed for a snap on Instagram. 'Yay!!! School camp,' she captioned the image. She's the hilarious comedian who regularly has audiences roaring with laughter during her live stand-up specials. But Amy Schumer, 36, put the jokes aside when she spoke about her recent wedding to husband chef Chris Fischer, revealing the moment she knew he was 'the one.' Speaking to Stellar Magazine on Sunday, Amy said the couple knew 'really quickly' they were right for each other, hitting back at critics of their whirlwind six-month courtship. He is it! Comedian Amy Schumer, 36, has revealed the moment she knew her new husband Chris Fischer was the one. Before hitting back at critics of their whirlwind romance 'I was never really interested in getting married,' the Trainwreck actress spilled. 'But then we met [in May] and I wanted to be partnered with this guy.' It's been previously reported the couple started dating in January and were married in February, however, popular comic Amy the couple actually started dating in September. 'I know it's not that much longer but it's not just two months': The Trainwreck star said the couple started dating in September amid reports they only got together in January, before their February nupitals 'I know it's not that much longer but it's not just two months.' The pair tied the knot in Malibu, California last month in an intimate ceremony attended by family and friends. In a wide-ranging interview with the publication, Amy also turned her attention to the hot topic of gun reform in the United States. Saying 'I do'! The pair tied the knot in Malibu, California, last month in an intimate ceremony attended by family and friends. Close to Amy's heart, she spoke about the deaths of 21-year-old student Mayci Breaux and 33-year-old artist Jillian Johnson. In 2015, the two women lost their lives after a gunman opened fire on moviegoers as they watched Amy's hit comedy Trainwreck. Nine others were shot and wounded by the shooter who had legally purchased his handgun at a pawn shop, according to CNN. Amy's personal connection to the shooting massacre appears to have made her passionate about gun control. Last week, the star spoke publicly at the March For Our Lives rally in downtown Los Angeles. And discussing her stance on the issue, Amy told Stellar: 'Saying gun 'control' has become such a trigger for certain people, so I like to say I'm an advocate for gun 'safety'... I wish we could follow Australia's model - there was a terrible shooting and you got rid of (the guns) and it's done.' The New York-based funnywoman is related to Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, and the political pair have been outspoken on the issue of gun reform. Outspoken advocate: Amy spoke publicly at last week's March For Our Lives rally in downtown Los Angeles She's preparing to move from Perth to Melbourne with new boyfriend, Sean Thomsen. And at the weekend, Married At First Sight star Tracey Jewel said how much she missed her partner, as they spent the Easter long weekend apart. Tracey took to Instagram to gush over Sean, and told Daily Mail Australia she's enjoying downtime with daughter Grace, eight, who will stay in Perth when she moves interstate with her man. Scroll down for video 'Missing this guy over the Easter break': Married At First Sight's Tracey Jewel gushes over beau Sean Thomsen...as she enjoys downtime with daughter Grace, eight 'Missing this guy over this Easter break,' Tracey captioned a shot of herself and Sean on Instagram. She added hashtags including 'love,' and 'Face Time.' Tracey told Daily Mail Australia that she's taking Grace to an Easter show and is relaxing on her long weekend. Family time: Tracey told Daily Mail Australia that she's taking Grace (seen with Tracey) to an Easter show and is relaxing on her long weekend Moving interstate: Last month, Tracey told New Idea about her move to Melbourne with Sean 'Writing, eating and taking my daughter to the Easter Wonderland show! The gym doesn't exist on long weekends,' Tracey said. Last month, Tracey told New Idea about her move to Melbourne with Sean. 'We are moving to Melbourne! When we move there, I want to focus on my writing and Sean's almost qualified as a personal trainer,' Tracey said. Sweet: Meanwhile, Sean described his girlfriend as 'the love of (his) life' Speaking about Grace, her child from a previous relationship, Tracey added: 'I'll travel to Perth regularly to see my daughter and she'll come here on school holidays.' Tracey emphasised that her new romance 'isn't a rebound relationship', after her split with MAFS 'husband' Dean Wells. Meanwhile, Sean described his girlfriend as 'the love of (his) life'. She and husband Matt Damon, 47, are enjoying downtime with their family in Byron Bay, spending time with locals Chris Hemsworth, 34, and Elsa Pataky, 41. And on Friday, Luciana Barroso, 42, was spotted at the beach with her man and Elsa, flaunting her washboard abs in a tiny string bikini. On the outing, the famous faces were joined by their children and some friends, as they lapped up the good weather. Scroll down for video One hot mama! Matt Damon's makeup free wife and mother-of-four Luciana Barroso flaunts her washboard abs in a bikini...as she and her family join Elsa Pataky at the Beach in Byron Bay Luciana has three children with Matt, Isabella, 11, Gia, nine, and Stella, seven, and older daughter, Alexia, from a previous relationship. Elsa meanwhile has three children with Thor star Chris, daughter India Rose, five, and twin sons, Sasha and Tristan, four. Chris was not present at the beach outing. Luciana stunned in a pink and maroon printed bikini, which she teamed with a printed sarong that was tied around her waist. No shoes, no worries! Elsa Pataky was seen strolling around barefoot on the family outing Beach babe! Luciana wore a printed sarong on the day, and a black singlet on top of her bikini In good spirits: Matt was seen lifting a pull cart for the kids All in the details: She also wore a straw beach hat and layered gold necklaces, and an anklet Fun in the sun! Elsa was seen chatting to her daughter India Rose, five, after their swim She also wore a straw beach hat and layered gold necklaces, and an anklet. Luciana had her dark locks out and over her shoulders, and showcased a soft golden glow on the day. Elsa meanwhile, looked chic in a white summer dress, which she wore over her bikini. She also wore a straw hat on the day. Family: Elsa meanwhile has three children with Thor star Chris, daughter India Rose, five, and twin sons, Sasha and Tristan, four Picture perfect: Elsa meanwhile, looked chic in a white summer dress, which she wore over her bikini Super mum! Elsa carried her twin son as she walked in knee-deep water while also clutching some snacks Matt kept his muscular build under-wraps, wearing colourful board shorts and a black T-shirt and sunglasses. The group were seen walking in the water along the beach and river, with Matt showing off his arm muscles when he lifted a pull cart which belonged to the kids. Matt and Luciana's return to Byron Bay comes barely two months after they rang in the new year down under with Chris and Elsa in the coastal town. Low-key! Matt kept his muscular build under-wraps, wearing colourful board shorts and a black T-shirt and sunglasses The hard yards: The group were seen walking in the water along the beach and river, with Matt showing off his arm muscles when he lifted a pull cart which belonged to the kids New favourite spot? Matt and Luciana's return to Byron Bay comes barely two months after they rang in the new year down under with Chris and Elsa in the coastal town Like locals! Matt and his family also visited Byron Bay for a short trip mid-last year The high profile Hollywood couples were also joined by Chris' brother Liam Hemsworth and fiancee Miley Cyrus. Matt and his family also visited Byron Bay for a short trip mid-last year. Despite the Jason Bourne star's publicist denying rumours he is considering purchasing a Byron Bay holiday home, Matt's frequent visits to the area have done little to quell speculation. Coming to town? Despite the Jason Bourne star's publicist denying rumours he is considering purchasing a Byron Bay holiday home, Matt's frequent visits to the area have done little to quell speculation Pals: Matt and Chris have been close friends for years, with the Thor star praising his BFF during a GQ interview in 2014 Surf's up! Matt is pictured on what looks like a paddle-board with Chris and Elsa's four-year-old twin sons Tristan and Sasha Making a splash: The trio looked to be in high spirits as they swam around on the warm day Matt and Chris have been close friends for years, with the Thor star praising his BFF during a GQ interview in 2014. 'We became friends around the time I started to work, and I've really benefited from watching how he handles himself,' he said. 'Matt's just a normal guy who has the movie-star thing figured out.' Friends: Elsa, Matt and Luciana were joined by a bunch of pals on the day His appearance on Married At First Sight has allowed him to rub shoulders with some of Australia's top personalities. And according to Ryan Gallagher's social media feed, he seems to be enjoying every moment of it. Taking to Instagram on Saturday, the 29-year-old Maroubra tradie-turned-comedian was seen posing alongside top radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson. Scroll down for video Winning her over? After appearing on her KIIS FM radio show in 2017 and stripping down to his junk, MAFS' Ryan Gallagher has shared a sweet post alongside Jackie O Henderson with his clothes on 'Beautiful person @jackieo_official,' he captioned. The photo taken a few weeks ago at the Sydney Easter Show saw Ryan don a black knit jumper while hugging the 43-year-old. Also dressed in the same colour, Jackie sported a bronzed and radiant complexion and had her blonde locks styled out into loose waves. New friends! The action shot saw Jackie riding the dodgem cars with the other MAFS co-stars while Ryan accompanied her in the passenger seat And it seems as though the feelings are mutual, with the stunner also taking to her feed to share a shot with Ryan. The action shot saw Jackie riding the dodgem cars with the other MAFS co-stars including a laughing Troy Delmege and angry Nasser Sultan while Ryan accompanied her in the passenger seat. 'Smashing the guys from MAFS on dodgems. So much fun.' she captioned. Look away! But their Easter Show adventure was not the first time the pair met - with Jackie previously seeing Ryan's whole package some time ago Did he wash his hands? Appearing on Kyle And Jackie O's Naked Dating segment in February 2017, the tattooed male completely striped down in a hope to impress and win a date with a female contestant But their Easter Show adventure was not the first time the pair met - with Jackie previously seeing Ryan's whole package some time ago. Appearing on Kyle And Jackie O's Naked Dating segment in February 2017, the tattooed male completely striped down in a hope to impress and win a date with a female contestant. Ryan didn't hesitate when asked to flaunt his buff frame and private parts on the show, and was quick to drop his trousers and flash his private parts. He's been setting pulses racing for years with his dashing good looks and ripped physique. And Mark Wahlberg proved he's still got it as he posted a sizzling video of himself shirtless, wishing his fans a happy Easter during his family vacation in the Bahamas. The actor, 46, showcased his rippling abs as he stood by the ocean blue. Still got it! Mark Wahlberg proved he's still got it as he posted a sizzling video of himself shirtless, wishing his fans a happy Easter during his family vacation in the Bahamas 'Happy Easter everybody. I don't know if you guys have noticed, but I haven't posted any videos other than the distracted driving video for the Kiefer Foundation because I wanted to stop for the 40 days of Lent posting. But now I'm back in the gym training,' he said as he held up his snacks. 'I'm down here with my beautiful wife and kids for Easter in the Bahamas,' he added. The actor was clearly enjoying every moment of his sun-shine soaked holiday. Standing in front of his ocean side pool, the actor looked relaxed and happy as he updated fans. Fun in the sun! The actor was clearly enjoying every moment of his sun-shine soaked holiday Easy on the eyes: Standing in front of his ocean side pool, the star looked relaxed and happy as he updated fans Mark has been busy lately filming his new movie Instant Family, so no question the actor was thrilled to spend some quality time with his loved ones by the beach. The actor also found himself at the center of controversy last year when it was revealed he got paid hundreds of thousands of dollars more than his co-star Michelle Williams for reshoots of their movie All The Money In The World. As the #MeToo and Times Up movements dominated Hollywood heading into and through awards season, the pay disparity between the two stars garnered headlines around the world. A lawyer for the Times Up legal defense fund confirmed that Wahlberg had made good on his promise to donate his $1.5million reshoot fee to the Time's Up fund. Flexing! Mark put his buff biceps on display as he soaked up the sun She's recently been at the centre of pregnancy rumours after her 'commitment ceremony' to TODAY Show host, Karl Stefanovic. And on Easter Sunday, it appeared family was top of mind for Jasmine Yarbrough, who gushed over her elderly nana, in a touching snap of the two together. Taking to Instagram, the Mara & Mine shoe designer beamed as she stood next to her 92-year-old grandmother, who appeared sprightly herself in the snap. 'To the most beautiful woman I know': Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, has gushed over her grandmother on her 92nd birthday on Easter Sunday. With Jasmine sharing this adorable snap of the pair A glamorous Jasmine opting for a tailored floral dress, which featured a high neck and billowing sleeves. It appeared to be the same dress Jasmine was spotted wearing during her commitment ceremony to Karl. However, it appears it wasn't just Easter Sunday which prompted Jasmine to think of it, with the joyful looking grandparent celebrating her 92nd birthday. 'Happy 92nd birthday to the most beautiful woman I know,' Jasmine captioned the image, which shows her grandmother smiling politely in an elegant floral outfit. Maybe baby? It comes after fans speculated Jasmine could be pregnant following her and Karl Stefanovic's 'commitment ceremony' 'Love you Nana.' A number of fans of the high-profile shoe designer gushed over the touching snap. 'Nanas are the most important people in our lives...cherish them deeply,' one Instagram follower wrote, while another added, 'Good genes...gorgeous lady.' Hiding her figure? The rumours come after the former runway model took to her Instagram Story to post a photo of herself taking a stroll wearing a baggy tracksuit It comes after fans speculated that Jasmine could be expecting her first child with partner Karl Stefanovic. Earlier this month, the 34-year-old Mara & Mine designer raised eyebrows after she kept her tummy under wraps while running errands in Mosman, Sydney Jasmine was spotted picking up healthy smoothies in the upmarket suburb while wearing a baggy grey jumper and embroidered trousers. It comes after the former runway model took to her Instagram Story to post a photo of herself taking a stroll wearing a baggy tracksuit. According to OK! magazine, Karl and Jasmine's fans have been suggesting there could be a baby on the way following their recent commitment ceremony. It was a theory that seemed to be echoed over at the Today show's official Facebook page recently. 'She looks pregnant? Why else hold a commitment ceremony?' asked one fan. 'Why not just wait a decent amount of time has passed from the divorce and then get married... my money's on a baby.' Karl's agent Sharon Finnigan previously denied rumours of a pregnancy, describing the reports as 'absolute bulls**t' in November. The Today show co-host already shares three children - Jackson, Ava, and River - with his ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn. This is one of the largest multinational events to be held in Vietnam in 2018 with the participation of more than 2,000 delegates, 200 conglomerates and businesses, and nearly 300 journalists. With the theme "Leveraging 25 years of cooperation, building an integrated, sustainable and prosperous GMS," commemorating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the GMS, the GMS 6 Summit identifies the direction for cooperation in building a Mekong subregion of peace, prosperity, integration, and sustainable development for people. The event was attended by leaders from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, China, Myanmar, and Thailand, and representatives from international organisations such as the President of the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank Managing Director, and the Secretary-General of ASEAN. The event offered an opportunity for leaders to discuss measures on strengthening investment cooperation, regional connectivity, trade facilitation, sustainable management, and use of natural resources. The first-ever GMS Business Summit was a highlight of this years GMS 6 agenda. The business summit is a special event initiated by the hosts, Vietnam, to promote dialogues between businesses and the States, as well as connecting businesses in the region and around the world. In addition, sideline sessions also attracted the participation of a great number of experts, scholars, financial institutions, and entrepreneurs from the region. The leaders from Quang Ninh province exchanged with businesses representatives on the sidelines of the conference. Meanwhile, the CLV 10 gathered three neighbouring countries Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for a review of the implementation of the Master Plan for the Socio-Economic Development of the CLV Development Triangle Area (DTA) for 2010-2020, and a discussion on future cooperation, especially in strengthening connectivity among the three economies. The event is an opportunity for Vietnam to affirm its commitment and contribution to the Mekong cooperation mechanisms in general and the CLV in particular, as well as to promoting regional cooperation to serve socio-economic development goals. She's the radio starlet who isn't shy when it comes to talking about her unlucky in love dating and sex life. And on Sunday, Mel Greig once again raised eyebrows when she recounted an experience which saw her going through a neighbour's garage to find out whetheror not he was single. Writing for Yahoo Be, the 36-year-old advised fans to 'always be the stalker' and assured them it was not a break and enter as the door had been 'left open'. Doing it for love? On Sunday, radio star Mel Greig revealed she had broken into a neighbours garage to uncover whether or not he was single or in a relationship Recalling she had parked her car at the same time as him before getting talking, Mel said she was left with no choice because she was desperate to find out whether or not he was in a relationship. 'The conversation was wrapping up and we were headed towards the lift, so I pretended to forget something and went back to my car,' she said. Adding that: 'At this point I would like to point out that I am a well-functioning adult that doesn't need to see a therapist', before confessing that progressed to go through his belongings in order to find her answer. Detective Mel! Recalling she had parked her car at the same time as him before getting talking, Mel said she was left with no choice as after their short chat she still wasn't sure of his status 'I waited near my car for a few minutes and then walked towards his caged garage,' she illustrated. 'He'd left the door up, and I may have walked into his garage to look for female possessions to try and determine if he was single. The door was open so I technically didn't break in? DON'T JUDGE MEEEEEEE #notcrazy.' But unfortunately for the radio star she found some pink items - leading her to conclude that he had a female in his life. She thought it through: 'He'd left the door up, and I may have walked into his garage to look for female possessions to try and determine if he was single. The door was open so I technically didn't break in? DON'T JUDGE MEEEEEEE #notcrazy' Taking to the blog last year, the blonde beauty revealed she had once found the courage to knock on a fellow 'DILF' neighbours door to ask him out - only to find he had company. And despite what others may think, she seems to be very content with her decision, concluding that at least now she's aware of his status and can move on. She waved goodbye to her Studio 10 colleagues on Friday, having decided to spend more time with her family. And Jessica Rowe proudly took to Instagram on Saturday, to reveal that her new podcast with former co-host Denise Drysdale, has reached Apple's number one spot. The podcast, titled One Fat Lady & One Thin Lady, is the 47-year-old's first venture outside of the Channel Ten studio. Scroll down for video Looks like she made the right move! Jessica Rowe took to Instagram on Saturday to announce that her podcast has reached Apple's number one spot Jessica took to Instagram, sharing the news that her podcast has taken out the number one spot, beating out The Betoota Advocate and Hamish & Andy. The wife of journalist Peter Overton gushed: 'OMG!! Thank YOU for taking 'One Fat Lady and One Thin Lady' to number one podcast in Oz!!!!' 'Neesy [Denise] and I have plenty more ahead! Our next chat will be up on Tuesday! You can listen on Apple Podcasts or click on the link in my bio,' Jessica continued, adding in her signature hash-tag #craphousewife. New venture: Since her departure from Channel Ten's Studio 10, Jessica has joined forces with her former co-host Denise Drysdale [pictured], 69, to co-create podcast, One Fat Lady & One Thin Lady The podcast is Jessica's first endeavour since her departure on Channel Ten's morning program, Studio 10. Early last month, the presenter made the surprise announcement that she was quitting Studio 10 to spend more time with her family. Jessica, who has co-hosted the morning program since 2013, told viewers: 'I've got some news I want to share with all of you because you've been so incredible to me over so many years. I've decided to leave Studio 10.' Pals: The presenters have been firm friends since co-presenting Channel Ten's morning program Her announcement drew stunned gasps from members of the audience. Jessica explained: 'It's been a very hard thing for me to do, but it's because my family need me. I want to be more present, I want to be a more present mum for my girls, Allegra and Giselle. They need their mum.' Jessica is married to Channel Nine newsreader Peter Overton. The couple share daughters Allegra, 11, and Giselle, eight. Family life: Jessica is married to Channel Nine newsreader Peter Overton. The couple share daughters Allegra, 11, and Giselle, eight After news of Jessica's resignation broke, husband Peter took to Twitter to express admiration for his wife. 'Jess and I have had some long talks about this and the bottom line is our little girls need their Mum. For breakfast, for the school run, for the family,' he wrote. He added: 'This morning, when I asked 11-year-old Allegra how she felt that Mum that was going to be home in the mornings... she said 'I am a billion times happy'... and that says it all.' Kim Kardashian West has made her famous hourglass curves her brand. And the entrepreneur's trainer, Melissa Alcantara, has revealed to Daily Mail Australia the secrets behind her shapely derriere. The Gymshark ambassador said that for her A-list client it's all down to 'learning how to squat,' along with 'deadlifts and lunges with heavy a** weights and a tonne of dedication.' EXCLUSIVE: Kim Kardashian's trainer Melissa Alcantara [left] revealed to Daily Mail Australia, the secrets behind the star's famous hourglass curves and shapely derriere 'If you want to focus on your glutes, you need to focus on being balanced, healthy and strong, which is exactly what Kim is doing,' Melissa told Daily Mail Australia. 'Kim takes care of her nutrition, recovery, and shows up to train super hard [and wakes up at 4am] every time, even though she has a myriad of responsibilities.' If you want to grow your derriere strong like Kim's, Melissa revealed it's all down to training your entire body 'with focus and intensity.' Dedicated: Melissa revealed Kim's dedication to fitness, and her focus on training her entire body with 'focus and intensity' Getting the results: 'Kim takes care of her nutrition, recovery, and shows up to train super hard [and wakes up at 4am] every time, even though she has a myriad of responsibilities,' Melissa shared 'You want great legs? You need a strong back. You want a strong back? You need a strong core. You want a strong core? You need strong arms...' 'Kim learned the hard way, that you need to learn how to squat, including front and back squats in all variations. 'Deadlifts [are also a must - a weight training exercise where a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground, to the level of the hips], as well as lunges with heavy a** weights and a tonne of dedication.' Booty-full: With the aid of her trainer, Kim re-learnt 'how to squat, including front and back squats in all variations' Kim is certainly showing off the impressive results of her gym routine, since reaching out to Melissa on Instagram. The proud mother to North, Saint and Chicago, looks phenomenal in her recent social media snaps, revealing her lean figure in bike shorts, crop tops and skimpy leotards. Her body is her brand, not only gracing countless magazine covers, but also founding her own business empire, having recently added cosmetics and fragrance. You can follow Melissa Alcantara on Instagram at fitgurlmel She is an iconic supermodel who is known for her effortless sense of style and age-defying looks. And Naomi Campbell ruled the runway as she donned two couture ensembles by South African designer Kluk CGDT during the ARISE Fashion Week event in Lagos, Nigeria on Saturday. The stunning Vogue coverstar defied her 47 years as she strutted confidently down the runway, clad in an unusual purple, white and yellow geometric print gown, embellished with lavender feathers. Iconic: Naomi Campbell ruled the runway as she donned two couture ensembles by South African designer Kluk CGDT during the ARISE Fashion Week event in Lagos, Nigeria on Saturday The striking gown, which flashed her toned legs, cinched in at her slender waist with a silk ribbon, and was paired with a pair of vibrant orange and white stiletto sandals. Her raven tresses were styled sleek and straight, parted in the middle while her beautiful features were enhanced with smoky shadow and fluttery lashes, paired with a rose glossy lip. The star's second stunning ensemble saw her pour her toned curves in a metallic gold dress, which featured a glittering tiered tassel skirt and a chrome body, which highlighted her pert assets. She added extra height to her already statuesque frame with gladiator-style strappy stilettos. All eyes on me: The stunning Vogue coverstar defied her 47 years as she strutted confidently down the runway, clad in an unusual purple, white and yellow geometric print gown, embellished with lavender feathers Centre of attention: Her raven tresses were styled sleek and straight, parted in the middle while her beautiful features were enhanced with smoky shadow and fluttery lashes, paired with a rose glossy lip Shimmy: The star's second stunning ensemble saw her pour her toned curves in a metallic gold dress, which featured a glittering tiered tassel skirt and a chrome body, which highlighted her pert assets Despite her reputation as one of the world's most beautiful women, a title which has seen her front campaigns for some of fashion's biggest brands, Naomi recently admitted she has always been 'self-conscious' of her body. Naomi - whose model looks are as prevalent as ever - revealed her figure insecurities when speaking to GMB hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about celebrities stripping off and posting nude selfies on social media last month. Asked for her standpoint on the craze, which is popular with stars including Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski, she confessed: 'That's them. That's what they want to do. 'I can't do it. I've always been self-conscious of my body. When I first got to New York, if I wore something tight, I would wrap a cardigan around me to hide my back.' When a shocked Susanna told Naomi that her revelation would come as a surprise to many of the women watching at home, the modelling icon added: 'That's how I've always felt. It took me years for me to feel comfortable doing lingerie.' The future of her relationship with James Lock was left in doubt after he let rip at her during an explosive spat in Barcelona. And TOWIE's Yazmin Oukhellou sizzled as she posed up a storm in skimpy swimwear during a stunning rooftop photoshoot in the Spanish City last month, before her relationship drama took centre-stage on the hit ITVBe show. The beautiful brunette, 24, showcased both her ample assets and perfectly peachy posterior in a selection of scanty swimsuits and bikinis, oozing confidence as she posed. Work it: TOWIE's Yazmin Oukhellou sizzled as she posed up a storm in skimpy swimwear during a stunning rooftop photoshoot in the Spanish City last month, before her relationship drama with James Lock took centre-stage on the hit ITVBe show Revealing: The beautiful brunette, 24, showcased both her ample assets and perfectly peachy posterior in a selection of scanty swimsuits and bikinis, oozing confidence as she posed Yazmin put on a busty display in a plunging olive green one-piece which revealed her pert cleavage and flashed a glimpse of her toned midriff thanks to the garment's cut-out detail. The high-cut swimsuit drew the eye to her toned legs, as well as revealing her pert posterior as she turned for another sultry pose, adding height with nude stiletto sandal heels. Her brunette locks were styled in bouncy waves while her pretty features were enhanced with a glamorous palette of make-up. The reality starlet then slipped into a tiny sparkly fuschia pink bikini, which featured gold strap detail on the top and bottoms. Cheeky: Yazmin put on a busty display in a plunging olive green one-piece which revealed her pert cleavage and flashed her peachy posterior Busty: The reality starlet then slipped into a tiny sparkly fuschia pink bikini, which featured gold strap detail on the top and bottoms Pert: Yazmin showcased her buxom cleavage and taut abs as she posed, while also revealing a generous glimpse of her toned legs and behind thanks to the swimsuit's thong bottoms Yazmin showcased her buxom cleavage and taut abs as she posed, while also revealing a generous glimpse of her toned legs and behind thanks to the swimsuit's thong bottoms. Going for an optical illusion with her next look, the star donned a nude striped barely-there bikini, with elegant frill detail on the top, which accentuated her toned frame. The star then modelled an array of summer outfits on the rooftop, starting with a vibrant scarlet brocade jumpsuit which cinched in at her slender waist. Skimpy: Going for an optical illusion with her next look, the star donned a nude striped barely-there bikini, with elegant frill detail on the top, which accentuated her toned frame She then changed into a plunging black silk dress with chic ruffle detail which clung to her toned frame. Next up was a hippie chic inspired cream off-the-shoulder blouse paired with tiny denim hotpants which made the most of her endless legs. The beauty then donned a white and aquamarine striped off-the-shoulder dress which flaunted her leggy frame. This comes as fans will see James 'Lockie' Lock attempt to seek forgiveness after his foulmouthed comments to Yazmin, in scenes set to air on Sunday night's episode Leggy: Her brunette locks were styled in bouncy waves while her pretty features were enhanced with a glamorous palette of make-up Toned: Yazmin oozed confidence as she posed up a storm in the sun He apologises to Yaz's mum and grandmother to try and put things right. Yaz eventually agrees to talk through their issues at the Easter Ball - but both are still uncertain as if they're both willing to carry on their relationship. TOWIE veteran James became agitated after he was confronted for his disrespectful behaviour by his other half's pals Chloe Lewis and Chloe Meadows following a recent dinner they had all attended. Although the girls were sticking up for their pal and attempting to calmly resolve the issue, James quickly became enraged and left Yazmin in tears as he repeatedly called her a 'spoilt brat'. Taking a nasty turn, he shouted: 'Let me tell you something. Okay, youre gonna start doing that. Throwing that card. Listen Yaz, do not f***ing sit there and make me look like a d**k. Scarlet siren: The star then modelled an array of summer outfits on the rooftop, starting with a vibrant scarlet brocade jumpsuit which cinched in at her slender waist Chic: She then changed into a plunging black silk dress with chic ruffle detail which clung to her toned frame 'Don't sit here playing the victim because you are a spoilt, f***ing brat. Alright? You're a spoilt, little f***ing brat. Do not sit here and f***ing play the victim. Dont start f***ing crying.I'm a f***ing nice boy...' In the midst of his rage, Yazmin pleaded with him to stop: 'I don't care if you do it at home but this is embarrassing'. But James refused to stop and tensions continued to rise as he reduced Chloe L to tears after he insinuated she went on a night out without telling her boyfriend Danny Flasher. The brunette fired back: 'I'm very much in love and my partner does not speak to me the way you do.' To which Lockie replied: 'Yeah, go and have a cry. Bore off...' Summer chic: Next up was a hippie chic inspired cream off-the-shoulder blouse paired with tiny denim hotpants which made the most of her endless legs Radiant: The star showed off her flawless complexion as she posed up a storm Elegant: The beauty then donned a white and aquamarine striped off-the-shoulder dress which flaunted her leggy frame Shocked by his behaviour, Chloe L made her way back inside the venue screaming: 'Gentleman? You're not a gentleman! You might want to look it up in the dictionary.' As tensions slowly started to simmer down, Yazmin said through her tears: 'It's embarrassing that they think you treat me like shit.' Which left James angry adding: 'Me and you have a really toxic relationship. You try and wind me up, Yaz.' Following expletive scene, viewers took to social media in their droves as they slammed the TOWIE star for his appalling behaviour while his co-star Gemma Collins and Celebs Go Dating expert Nadia Essex admitted they were outraged by his appearance. She recently claimed she suffered a devastating miscarriage after her estranged husband Jeremy Meeks left her for Topshop heiress Chloe Green. And Melissa Meeks, 37, says the 'Hot Felon' model callously ignored her texts informing the 34-year-old she was having his child - just weeks after their bitter split last year. The nurse's secret heartache comes after reports emerged that Jeremy is expecting a boy with billionaire Chloe. Heartache: Melissa Meeks says the 'Hot Felon' model callously ignored her text informing the 34-year-old she was having his child - just weeks after their bitter split Speaking about telling Jeremy she was pregnant, she told the Mirror: 'I heard she [Chloe] was in town with him and I didn't want to talk to him about it when she was around, so I sent him a text and waited and waited. 'There was no communication, no nothing. 'I just wanted him to acknowledge it, I though he had a right to know.' New romance: The 37-year-old nurse's secret heartache comes after reports emerged that Jeremy is expecting a boy with billionaire Chloe Chloe, 27, and Jeremy's romance first emerged last summer when pictures emerged of them locking lips on a yacht in Bodrum, Turkey - despite Meeks still being legally married to his now estranged wife. Speaking about the betrayal, Melissa told MailOnline: 'I was hardly functioning. I couldnt sleep. I couldnt eat. I was a mess. 'He said he was sorry for the way it came out and that he didnt mean to hurt me. He told me he wanted a divorce, but a few days later he came to the house and we went swimming with the kids. I went upstairs for a shower. 'He came up to shower and one thing led to another. Emotions were running pretty high, and we ended up sleeping together. 'He swore to me he hadnt slept with Chloe and said hed be back the next day to talk. Dad duties: Melissa has previously said that both stepchildren consider Meeks a father figure The next day, however, he came to collect his things, left and went to Los Angeles. He filed for legal separation and I was served with the papers on July 11. 'Next thing I know is there are more pictures of her and him out and about on the town in LA. Those came out on my birthday, July 14. It felt very cruel. A few weeks later I discovered I was pregnant, but I was under so much stress I lost the child.' Jeremy who shares Jeremy Junior, eight, with the stunning blonde is also stepfather to Melissas two elder children, Eliana, 17, and Robert, 12. Melissa added: I dont think Chloes anything spectacular. 'Shes very average-looking. Ive never met her, so maybe she has an amazing personality. Or maybe its her bank account. I dont know what it is, but do I think my husband would have left me for her if shed been a cashier at McDonalds? Absolutely not. New addition: Chloe Green and Jeremy Meeks are thought to be expecting a baby boy together after picking up blue items at Petit Tresor in Beverly Hills 'Do I think the lifestyle they live is what attracts him? One hundred per cent I do. The yachts, the private jets, the designer clothes, the expensive cars add to the whole package.' Mail Online has contacted Jeremy and Chloe's representatives for comment. The reports that Chloe is expecting a boy with her beau Jeremy, who rose to fame when his police mugshot went viral in 2014, is a bitter blow to his estranged wife of nine years. Chloe's 'pregnancy' comes after sources told The Mail on Sunday's Charlotte Griffiths they are keen to kick off the next step in their relationship, including moving in together and starting a family. The apparently broody couple have reportedly received the blessing of Chloe's business mogul father Philip and mum Tina. 'They are embracing him as one of the Greens': The apparently broody couple have reportedly received the blessing of Chloe's business mogul father Sir Philip Green and mum Tina Green (pictured) Sources previously told the publication: Chloe wants to get pregnant right away. Shes off the booze already. 'Her parents have recently done an unexpected U-turn on Jeremy, and are now embracing him as one of the Greens. They are resigned to the fact hell be a part of their lives forever,' it was continued. Chloe and Jeremy are said to have first set their eyes on each other at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2017, where the Hot Felon was modelling for Phillip Plein. As he reportedly enjoys preparing for fatherhood yet again with Chloe, Jeremy is also embroiled in ongoing divorce proceedings with estranged wife. She has been ostensibly single since splitting from her millionaire Bachelorette boyfriend Stu Laundy. But it seems Sophie Monk is never short of admirers, as she was asked out by a group of adoring male fans celebrating the long Easter weekend. The blonde bombshell, 38, giggled as one brazen reveller asked if she wanted to 'come for a cruise' on their makeshift speedboat after she threw over several beers for them. Move over, Stu Laundy! Sophie Monk giggled as a brazen male fan offered to take her for a 'cruise' on a romantic speedboat date after she gave him a beer In a video posted to her Instagram on Sunday, Sophie was seen calling out to the boys: 'Do you guys want a drink?' The group, who paddled up to her boat on a floating vessel made up of wooden crates and complete with sofas, yelled back: 'Yes please! You're a legend!' She happily obliged, laughing as she lobbed over several cans of beer for them to catch. The guys gave their thanks and prepared to head off - but not before one of them propositioned: 'Are you sure you dont want to come for a cruise?' Can't believe their luck: The group paddled up to her boat on a floating vessel made up of wooden crates and complete with sofas 'Do you guys want a drink?' Sophie lobbed over several cans of beer for them to catch Sophie giggled and looked away before replying graciously: 'Oh... I think were good!' Getting in a final flirty comment before their departure, the fan added: 'No-one will believe that Sophie Monk threw us beers!' The camera panned back to the reality star who paused for a second before deadpanning dryly: 'They kind of would to be honest, they kind of would.' Sophie captioned the amusing video: 'GOD I LOVE AN AUSSIE EASTER... who needs a speed boat when you can make your own @oscargordon.' What a save! One of the guys even dove in to the water to retrieve a beer after failing to catch it Eventful weekend: Sophie enjoyed a helicopter ride over a river later that day and admitted she 'nearly wet my pants' out of fear Her holiday in the mystery location comes two months after her split from Stu Laundy was announced. Now, with a few months to mull it over outside of the intense media scrutiny, the millionaire has admitted he has come to terms with the fact their relationship was never going to work. Stu told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday there was never anything more than friendship between him and Sophie, but his true feelings for the blonde had been clouded while inside The Bachelorette house. It's over: Her holiday in the mystery location comes two months after her split from Stu Laundy was announced 'The thing is, what I saw was humour and friendship,' Stu said. 'And the way the show plays out, in the bubble you're in, it's easy to confuse your feelings.' The publican, who is heir to a $400 million family hospitality empire, decided to enter The Bachelorette after sensing a spark with Sophie a year earlier. After the blonde cancelled on their planned 2016 date, Stu decided to try his luck with Sophie one more time. Happy beginnings: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Stu said: 'I went on the show because I thought I saw something in Sophie 12 months prior, and the show validated my decision' 'I went on the show because I thought I saw something in Sophie 12 months prior, and the show validated my decision,' Stu said. Once on the show and facing the 'bubble' of expectation, Stu never stopped to analyse his true feelings towards Sophie. Looking for love, the businessman said he didn't realise that the person he went there to be with was only ever going to be compatible as a friend. 'I'm sure Soph and I will be mates forever,' Stu said. Sting's daughter Coco Sumner was seen passionately kissing Mark Ronson's ex-wife Josephine de La Baume during a romantic stroll in Paris on Sunday. The 27-year-old daughter of The Police legend and wife Trudie Styler looked closer than ever to Josephine, who divorced super producer Mark last year, as the pair strolled along arm-in-arm. Intent on showing her affections for the 33-year-old French actress and model, Coco gently cradled her face before leaning in for a sweet kiss as they walked down the street. Romance: Sting's daughter Coco Sumner (R) was seen passionately kissing Mark Ronson's ex-wife Josephine de La Baume during a romantic stroll in Paris on Sunday Embrace: The 27-year-old daughter of The Police legend and wife Trudie Styler looked closer than ever to Josephine, who divorced producer Mark last year, as the pair strolled arm-in-arm Musician Coco, real name Eliot, looked casually cool in black ripped jeans, paired with an oversize white t-shirt and chunky black trainers. Wrapping up in the City of Lights, Coco layered a hoodied black coat over her ensemble. Showcasing her radiant complexion she went make-up free for the outing and wore her caramel flecked brunette curls in tumbling curls. Smooch: Intent on showing her affections for the 33-year-old French actress and model, Coco gently cradled her face before leaning in for a sweet kiss as they walked down the street Cool: Musician Coco, real name Eliot, looked casually cool in black ripped jeans, paired with an oversize white t-shirt and chunky black trainers PDA: Josephine looked truly smitten as Coco leaned in for a sweet kiss Chatty: Wrapping up in the City of Lights, Coco layered a hoodied black coat over her ensemble Hugs: Coco embraced Josephine as the pair packed on the PDA in the street Close: The pair looked smitten as they walked down the street hugging Josephine matched her partner's casual look in black leather trousers and matching sweater, worn over a white t-shirt. She paired her outfit with a black duffel jacket with fur-trimmed hood and finished her outfit with leather boots. Her fiery auburn tresses were styled in loose waves and she showed off her natural beauty by going make-up free. Radiant: Showcasing her radiant complexion Coco went make-up free for the outing and wore her caramel flecked brunette curls in tumbling curls Embrace: The pair couldn't keep their hands off one another as they walked along Peck: Coco looked smitten as she leaned in for the sweet kiss in Paris Chatty: The pair looked in great spirits as they walked along chatting Cute: Josephine matched her partner's casual look in black leather trousers and matching sweater, worn over a white t-shirt Outing: She paired her outfit with a black duffel jacket with fur-trimmed hood and finished her outfit with leather boots Fresh-faced: Her fiery auburn tresses were styled in loose waves and she showed off her natural beauty by going make-up free Over: Josephine split from producer husband Mark Ronson, 42, in May 2017 MailOnline has contacted representatives for the pair for comment. According to TMZ, beauty Josephine filed for divorce from the 42-year-old DJ in May 2017- citing irreconcilable differences as reason for their split. The site reports that Josephine listed April 21 as their official date of separation, which is five months shy of their sixth anniversary. Celeb offspring: Coco is the daughter of musician Sting and his wife Trudie Styler Affection: The stars looked closer than ever as they embraced in the street Cosy display: The pair kissed and hugged as they walked along Only got eyes for you: Coco stared into her companion's eyes as they walked In sync: The pair cracked radiant smiles as they walked along Hugs: The pair looked close as they walked along cuddling Cute: The pair looked comfortable in each other's presence as they walked along Happy: Josephine cracked a radiant smile as she walked with Coco Mark married the beauty in a lavish ceremony in Aix-en-Provence, in the South of France, in September 2011. BRIT Award winner Mark first met his bride in 2009, and the pair managed to pull together their wedding plans fast enough in 2011 to kick off the ceremony just six months after he got down on one knee. Coco has previously spoken openly about her sexual preferences, revealing she was in a two-year relationship with Australian rocker Lucie Von Alten in December 2015. Banter: The pair smiled as they chatted while walking along a busy street Cool: The pair looked effortlessly cool in their chic off-duty ensembles Happy: The stars were all smiles as they negotiated the pavements Close: They stared into one another's eyes as they walked along Hand in hand: The pair sweetly held hands as they walked along and crossed the road Happy: The pair looked cosy while enjoying a day out in the French capital She told The Evening Standard Magazine: 'I don't believe in any specifications. I think forever I was trying to figure out maybe what I am.' She also said she never needed to come out to her family and friends as they always knew she fancied women. She said: 'They knew already. So I didn't need to. I've never come out to anyone. 'My friends always knew and I always knew.' Sting and Trudie have four children, Mickey, 33, Jake, 32, Coco, 27, and Giacomo, 21, while Sting has daughter Kate, 35, and son Joe, 40, from his first marriage, to actress Frances Tomelty. She recently confessed that she finally felt confident about her body again, after overhauling her fitness regime when a series of unflattering bikini snaps came to light. And Jessica Wright, 32, is not about to stop working on her gym-honed figure during the Easter break as she was spotted leaving the gym with a male friend on Saturday. Stepping out into the Los Angeles sun in form-fitting leggings and a black Adidas hoodie, the former TOWIE star was beaming despite her latest gruelling workout. Working out: Jessica Wright flaunted her toned figure in form-fitting leggings as she left her latest gym session with a male pal on Saturday Slipping her toned legs into the grey sportswear, which featured the words 'pink' on the side, Jessica kept things fashion-forward as the leggings featured mesh panels that highlighted her chiselled limbs. Not one to keep things on the down low, Jessica added a touch of glamour to her outfit by stepping out in bright pink Nike trainers. Pulling her raven locks back into a tight ponytail, the reality star pushed her sunglasses over her head so that her glamorous make-up was on full display. Jessica's male pal opted for a more toned down look as he walked out in a black shirt, shorts and socks, which he offset with blue and orange shoes. Standing out: Not one to keep things on the down low, Jessica added a touch of glamour to her outfit by stepping out in bright pink Nike trainers Jessica finally confirmed her romance with Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice in a romantic Valentine's Day Instagram snap. And she recently declared 'age is just a number' and shouldn't come in the way of a loving relationship as she discussed the dilemma of age gaps in Tuesday's issue of Now magazine. The former TOWIE star - who is five years older than her new beau, 27 - argued that a 'big age gap in relationships are only a problem if you're both in different places in life mentally and emotionally'. Of what brings out the best in any romance, Jess continued: 'A relationship is about chemistry, connection and how close you are to one another - not how old you are'. Blossoming romance: Jessica finally confirmed her relationship with Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice (pictured) in a romantic Valentine's Day Instagram snap While not directly talking about her dancing hunk, the brunette gave an insight into what she looked out for in a relationship - namely how mature the potential love interest can be. While admitting that she's dated on both sides of the spectrum, it wasn't the age difference that caused the issues. 'I just noticed the difference in general maturity - and that can be a problem with any guy you date, whether they're your age, older or younger' the starlet concluded. The reality TV beauty has had her fair share of relationships with age gaps, including her two-year relationship with fellow TOWIE star Ricky Rayment, 27. Following their split in 2014, Jess told her pals on an episode of the ITV reality hit filmed in Tenerife: 'Everyone needs to stop blaming his age that's not the reason we broke up.' She's the lingerie model who spent 42 days on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! And Simone Holtznagel certainly made it known that she's bust-ed out of the jungle, in an Instagram snap on Sunday. The 24-year-old drew attention to her ample cleavage in a very plunging red and white check midriff. Bust-ing out of the jungle! I'm A Celebrity's Simone Holtznagel flaunts her cleavage in a plunging midriff The snap, taken on a balcony of a Sydney apartment, saw Simone sporting a low-cut red-and-white check crop top that showed off her cleavage and toned arms. Allowing her signature blonde locks to be styled semi-straight, the Playboy model smoulders for the camera. Simone's striking facial features are enhanced with a flawless complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara and a matte nude lip. Sultry: After her exit from the South African jungle last month, the Playboy model has returned to her glamorous best The blonde beauty captioned the sizzling photo: 'Somewhere out there, someone is missing a third of their tablecloth,' alongside a cherry emoji. Following her stint in the South African jungle, where I'm A Celebrity contestants were presented with the most dire of living conditions, Simone is back to her glamorous self. A previous Instagram snap saw the Channel Ten personality taking the plunge in an extremely low-cut black ensemble. Her locks were styled in messy waves, framing her glamorously made-up complexion. Simone playfully captioned the racy image in part: 'I recommend you all living in the jungle for 42 days.' Bombshell: A previous image shared to Instagram saw Simone flaunting extreme cleavage in a very low-cut black ensemble, and styled her signature blonde locks in messy waves The starlet lost 6.3 kilograms after spending 42 days on I'm A Celebrity. Following her exit last month, Simone told the Herald Sun that her model agents will be happy with the weight loss. 'I could hear all my agents clapping around the world though, I thought they might be happy about that,' Simone told the publication. 'My agent was like, ''Imagine how thin you'll be when you get back [from the jungle]''. 'He was like, 'You are going to be malnutritioned, it will be fabulous',' she added. The three PMs signed a Joint Declaration on the CLV Development Triangle Area cooperation at the end of the 10th CLV Summit in Hanoi on March 31. The following is the full text of the Joint Declaration. JOINT DECLARATION OF THE 10th CAMBODIA - LAOS - VIET NAM SUMMIT ON DEVELOPMENT TRIANGLE AREA WE, the Heads of the Governments of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (hereinafter referred to as CLV) gather for the Tenth CLV Summit on Development Triangle Area on 31 March 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Appreciating that the traditional relationship of friendship, solidarity, good neighborliness and comprehensive cooperation among the three countries has significantly contributed to the development of each country and to peace, stability and prosperity of the whole region. Noting with satisfaction the significant progress made in the implementation of the revised Master Plan for the Socio-Economic Development of the CLV Development Triangle Area (DTA) for 2010 - 2020 as well as cooperation activities and programs in various areas among the three countries. Recognizing that while CLV countries have become one of the fastest growing sub-regions and important achievements have been made in socio-economic development, the three countries are still facing many challenges in ensuring that the economic growth is sustainable and inclusive, in addressing the adverse impacts of climate change and narrowing the development gap within ASEAN Member States. Understanding that to maintain the growth momentum, CLV countries must be steadfast in their regional integration, economic restructuring and improving business environments; its also imperative for CLV countries to capitalize on opportunities presented by the 4th industrial revolution. Underlining the need for better connectivity among CLV economies to enhance economic competitiveness, effectively engage in the regional and global value chains and jointly address challenges. WE HEREBY DECLARE THAT: 1. We reaffirm our commitment to further deepening comprehensive cooperation among the three countries and building integrated, sustainable and prosperous CLV economies, an indispensable part of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, through collective efforts and appropriate national policies.To fulfill this vision, we continue to attach great importance to the development of border provinces in the CLV DTA and narrowing the development gap within ASEAN Member States. 2. We commend the efforts of the CLV Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) in the implementation of the Revised Master Plan for the Socio-Economic Development of the CLV DTA for 2010 - 2020 as well as other guidance and decisions made at the 9th CLV Summit. These efforts have led to positive changes in peoples living standardsand level of the development inthe CLV DTA. We also welcome the outcomes of the 11th CLV JCC held from 17-19 December 2017 in Binh Phuoc, Vietnam and the Working Group meeting on discussions on the draft Action Plan for Cambodia - Laos- Vietnam Economic Connectivity up to 2030 held from 27-28 January 2018 in Kratie, Cambodia. 3. To deepen economic integration, enhance competitiveness and maintain the growth momentum of CLV economies,we therefore, endorse the Action Plan for Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam Economic Connectivity up to 2030 to serve as a guiding document for CLV cooperation, including but not limited to institutional, infrastructure and economic, and people-to-people connectivity. 3.1. Institutional connectivity comprises of increased policy communications and exchanges of information; coordination in developing and implementing the macro policies; simplifying procedures to promote investment, trade, tourism, agriculture, transport, human resource training/development and management, creating a favorable environment for citizens and businesses of the three countries to cooperate for mutual benefit. 3.2. Infrastructure and economic connectivity focuses inter alia on upgrading, modernizing and ensuring convenient and smooth connectivity in all kinds of transportation, information and communications technology (ICT), energy, trade, finance and banking, agriculture,and tourism; cooperation in addressing climate change, environmental protection and natural resource conversation, particularly forest and Mekong rivers water and related resources; clearance of landmines and unexploded ordnance. 3.3. People-to-people connectivity include connectivity in the fields of education, health, culture, sports, tourism, entrepreneurship, charity activities, human resource training/development and management; enhancing people exchange. To implement this Action Plan, we task the JCC to develop specific plans and projects and annually review and update the Action Plan, reflecting the actual situations and needs of CLV Countries. 4. We fully support exchanges, dialogues and collaboration among parliaments, and government agencies as well as activities to promote cooperation between people and businesses of the three countries. We congratulate the outcomes of the Sixth Conference of Foreign Affairs Committees of the CLV National Assemblies on Strengthening Parliamentary Oversights on Cooperation Initiatives in Cambodia - Laos-Viet Nam Development Triangle Area held from 02-03 August 2017 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. We agree to strengthen communication on the economic development achievements of the CLV countries to promote understanding of the people and businesses of the three countries about the role and importance of the CLV DTA. 5. We reaffirm the importance of ensuring security, safety and stable environment for investors, businesses and people in the CLV DTA. We further strengthen our cooperation in preventing and combating cross-border crimes, illegal trade, including logging, drug and human trafficking, and terrorism; continue the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and explosive remnant of war in the CLV DTA. We stress the need for line agencies of CLV countries to jointly organize capacity building and information sharing programs. We also instruct that the hotline for emergency be improved, especially at the local level. 6. We commit to work together to promote trade and investment in the CLV DTA in accordance with the Agreement on Trade Promotion and Facilitation in the CLV DTA and the Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investment. We task the JCC to coordinate with other agencies to prepare the Action Plan for the implementation of these Agreements. 7. We note the progress of the work on the Study Report on Development Plan of the Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam Rubber Industry by the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam. We urge the three ministries to complete the Study Report and submit it to the 11th CLV Summit for consideration. 8. We reaffirm the importance of education collaboration among CLV countries. We ask to further improve communication and enhance commitment by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, the Ministry of Education and Sport of Lao PDR and the Ministry of Education and Training of Viet Nam to exchange students, teachers and faculty members within the Development Triangle Area. 9. We emphasize the potential of sustainable tourism development in the CLV DTA and encourage the facilitation of travel as well as the promotion of Three Countries One Destination. We instruct the ministers responsible for tourism to finalize the CLV DTA Tourism Development Plan for submission to the 11th CLV Summit for adoption. 10. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthen cooperation in combating infectious diseases, in particular in the border areas of the three countries through training and/or exchange of information, knowledge and experience in control and prevention of diseases, especially in the situation of outbreak. 11. We reaffirm our commitment to environmental protection, sustainable and efficient management and proper utilization of natural resources, including water resources, wildlife and forests. We encourage government agencies and other stakeholders to continue incorporating issues of sustainable development and environmental protection into cooperation programs among CLV countries. We encourage greater communication among three countries through early warning and information sharing systems on floods, droughts, natural disasters and cross-border pollution. 12. We express our appreciation to the development partners and international financial institutions for their contribution to the development of the CLV DTA. We encouragethe JCC to closely cooperate with development partners and international financial institutions in developing and undertaking program, projects to support the implementation of the Action Plan for Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam Economic Connectivity up to 2030. 13. We emphasize the importance of CLV DTA information portal in providing businesses and investors with accurate and updated information onthe potential, and preferential policies given to the CLV DTA, and urge the JCC to regularly update information on the CLV DTA website. 14. We express our appreciation to Lao PDR for agreeing to host the 11th CLV Summit in 2020. Done in Hanoi, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in three copies in English language, on the Day of Thirty-One in the Month of March in the Year of Two Thousand and Eighteen. He was accused of 'lying' about dating his Married At First Sight co-star Ashley Irvin by her own sister. And the flight attendant certainly seemed to be the last thing on Justin Fischer's mind on Sunday, as he partied with a bevvy of scantily-clad women. The divorced millionaire, 41, seemed to be in great spirits as he cosied up the several beauties at a Sydney nightclub - hours after spending the day celebrating Easter with his two young daughters. Having fun? Married At First Sight's Justin Fischer partied with a bevvy of scantily-clad women on Sunday night Justin beamed as he posed with four female revellers in a snap shared to Instagram, which he captioned: 'Argyle The Rocks! Thanks guys having a great night!' He also posted two videos from the night - one of himself drinking with 'the gang' and another on the dancefloor. Clearly in high spirits, he wrote: 'Spending Easter Sunday at the Argyle with friends. Lovin Easter Sunday!' Meanwhile, earlier in the day Justin looked like every inch the doting dad as he spent some quality time with his daughters, aged two and nine, from his first marriage to model Natalia. Not having it? His rumoured love interest Ashley Irvin was absent from the festivities - which came soon after her sister Summer accused Justin of 'lying' about their romance Earlier this week, he apparently confirmed he was sleeping with Ashley Irvin during an interview with The Kyle and Jackie O Show. But Ashley's sister Summer Irvin has steadfastly denied the claims, accusing the 'millionaire' businessman of lying about their relationship. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the former First Dates star insisted Justin 'never slept with Ash' and they were only ever 'just mates'. Summer shared a screen grab of an article posted to KIIS 106.5's Facebook page, which recapped Justin's interview with the radio program. Loving life: Justin seemed to be in great spirits as he partied with club promoters at a Sydney nightclub Having a whale of a time: He happily took a video of a brunette beauty dancing next to him on the floor Feeling coy? The reveller seemed to be feeling camera-shy when Justin turned the spotlight onto her 'Since everyone keeps tagging me. Not it's not true,' Summer said, denying Justin's claim that he and Ashley were sleeping together. She continued: 'Justin stop lying, you never slept with Ash... You WERE just mates... maybe not after this I'm guessing.' When asked about his relationship status, Justin remained coy and said he didn't want to say too much 'out of respect for Ash'. However, he did admit they were 'still in touch', which prompted Kyle to ask: 'Right, so it's sex only - is that what you're saying?' 'Correct, yes,' Justin responded. Doting dad: Meanwhile, earlier in the day Justin looked like every inch the doting dad as he spent some quality time with his daughters, aged two and nine, from his first marriage to model Natalia Sweet: The divorced millionaire couldn't hide his pride as he cradled his youngest daughter Justin spoke to The Daily Telegraph last week about his 'perfect' bond with the Virgin Australia flight attendant. 'She travels as much as I do (for work), which is perfect. We definitely bonded inside the experiment and have stayed in touch,' he told the publication. The soft serve entrepreneur also hinted that he would have made a better match than Ashley's 'ex-husband' Troy Delmege. 'Ashley and I did get on really well and possibly could have been a good match. All I'll say is: watch this space,' he added. Springtime is the season for new beginnings. And Lindsay Lohan proved she's ready for a fresh start as she announced landing the job of commencement speaker for Harvard Law School on Sunday. The stunning actress, 31, posted an Instagram video as she explained: 'Harvard Law has asked me to speak at their graduation commencement ceremony and I'm really really honored and I couldn't be happier.' Scroll down for video Big news! Lindsay Lohan announced landing the job of commencement speaker for Harvard Law School on Sunday Looking gorgeous in a white top and flower crown filter, the Mean Girls star began the series of short clips: 'So I got really exciting news today and it's a very important letter attached to it. 'And I feel very honored and blessed because it comes from Harvard Law School. And I want to share it with you guys,' she continued. 'My work with Lawyer.com has finally paid off. Who needs Hollywood when you have Harvard Law!, ' the American born beauty added. As she panned to a red Harvard hoodie on the couch, Lohan smiled and exclaimed: 'Officially Harvard... Lawyer.com. Thank you for the help!' Honored: The stunning actress, 31, posted an Instagram video as she explained: 'Harvard Law has asked me to speak at their graduation commencement ceremony and I'm really really honored and I couldn't be happier' Reaping rewards! 'My work with Lawyer.com has finally paid off. Who needs Hollywood when you have Harvard Law!, ' the American born beauty added One thing to be mindful of, however, is the series of social media postings came on April Fool's Day, a holiday known for pranks. Lohan could be following in the footsteps of such acclaimed thespians as Sarah Jessica Parker, Mindy Kaling, and Alec Baldwin. 'Know that listening is your secret weapon,' Parker told the Harvard graduates and their families on Class Day in 2016. Kaling gave a hilarious speech as she told the class of 2014: 'I do know a ton about the law because I sue everyone.' Gracious star: As she panned to a red Harvard hoodie on the couch, Lohan smiled and exclaimed: 'Officially Harvard... Lawyer.com. Thank you for the help!' And Baldwin explained in 2011 that he enjoyed watching the evening news with his father growing up as: 'It was right about then that I decided I wanted to be a lawyer, when I was 10,' before pursuing acting later in life. The posting comes as Lohan has another endeavor blossoming as she was unveiled as the new face of Lawyer.com in March. The star pokes fun at herself in an advert promoting the free legal resource, in which she directs her fans to seek advice from the site. Big shoes to fill! Lohan will be following in the footsteps of such acclaimed thespians as Sarah Jessica Parker, Mindy Kaling, and Alec Baldwin Talking to camera, the poised and professional redhead tells viewers: 'When Lawyer.com first reached out to me I was confused and a little worried as I thought I was in trouble.' But Freaky Friday star Lohan soon came to see the value of the site, which matches those in need with a local lawyer. She tells her fans: 'I realized Lawyer.com is just about helping people, from getting a DUI... let's not pretend like I didn't get one... or two or three, or some others.' Spokesperson: Lohan will front Lawyer.com's adverts and promotional material Like many a former child star, Lindsay struggled to adjust to her fame as a young adult. She was in and out of court after a series of arrests for driving under the influence, among other offences. A few years on and Lindsay has turned her life around - this year she will return to acting with a recurring role on the British TV series Sick Note - and is obviously keen to turn her prior legal troubles into a positive. The starlet has been signed up for 12 months by the company, and will front its adverts, website and promotional material. She is also an investor in the website. He played Phil Mitchel's son on Eastenders for four years. And Harry Reid revealed his delight at being written out of the popular BBC soap, giving him more freedom to pursue other career options. During an appearance on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, the 25-year-old actor - who left Albert Square for good in January - admitted that despite his love for the character, he wanted to avoid being 'typecast' for a long tenure on the soap. Eastender's star Harry Reid, 25, revealed he was 'glad producers axed him from the show' so he could pursue other acting roles while on Sunday Brunch Chatting on the Sunday Brunch sofa, the Kent-native confessed that while the job security was desirable, it was time to branch out and audition for other projects. Harry explained: 'There's obviously an essence of job security there. As an actor, it is such a hard thing you want to pay the bills and you want to do the job you love. So you do have to make a choice. 'Obviously I told you last time they wrote me out so they kind of gave me that push, but it was one that I'm glad they did, because now I can go out and do other stuff.' On the run: The 25-year-old actor - who left Albert Square for good in January- admitted that despite his love for the character, he wanted to avoid being 'type casted' for a long tenure In discussion: Chatting on the Sunday Brunch sofa, the Kent-native shared a smiling snap of the other guests on the popular Channel Four weekend show Harry said that leaving his long-term role was always something he had considered when talking about the future with his management. Of his fear of being typecast after leaving the famous Square, Harry continued: 'I always did want to renew because I loved the character but it was always in the back of our heads at some point to leave, because I did want to do other stuff. 'And, as we know, in castings you do get type cast if you're there for too long, no matter how good you are.' Thinking of the future: Harry - pictured here with Eastenders dad Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) said that leaving his long-term role was always something he had considered His leap into the unknown proved successful for the actor, who recently made his on-stage debut has Leonard Vole in Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution. In January, EastEnders' fans watched Ben make a getaway with the stolen loot from Aidan Maguire's New Year jewellery heist in dramatic scenes. In the nail biting sequence, the mechanic looked terrified as he makes a low-key arrival with his luggage to board a ferry in Dover. Ben fled to Calais with the money determined to start a new life, but was devastated after finding newspapers instead of the cash hidden in his bag. Five-year-old Afghan hound Iraida modelling for Chanel Her grooming routine takes four hours, only the most exclusive brands can collar her and she wont get out of her bed for less than a few thousand pounds. But would you expect anything else of a supermodel even if she is a dog? Five-year-old Afghan hound Iraida has a modelling portfolio to rival Cara Delevingnes, starring in shoots for everyone from Harvey Nichols to Harpers Bazaar. As the most in-demand dog model around, luxury labels including Gucci and Chanel go barking for her long fur and slightly haughty manner. To keep her flowing coat suitably glossy and glamorous, the pedigree pooch is groomed once a week in a routine that can take up to four hours. And not just any old detergent will do Iraidas special Laser Lites shampoo and conditioner cost up to 200. She also wears a black and white polka-dot scarf to keep her ears tidy when shes off duty. Iraida has been modelling since she was a puppy, and is even represented by a pet modelling agency. Leader of the pack: Iraida, whose grooming routine takes four hours, struts her stuff for Gucci As an experienced professional, she certainly knows how to work the camera and tease photographers. Owner Adrienne Thomas said: At the beginning of the shoots she sort of resists a bit. Iraida, who likes wearing a polka-dot scarf when off duty, strikes a pose for Burlington 'She winds them up waiting and then she just bursts into action. She certainly knows what shes doing. Iraidas experience doesnt come cheap and she certainly earns enough to keep her in chew toys and collars. Melody Lewis of PetLondon Models, who represent Iraida, said: A clients rates are confidential but the fee charged for animals can run into the thousands depending on what theyre booked for. But not every pet is cut out for the model lifestyle like Iraida. Miss Lewis added: It takes a certain type of temperament to be an animal model. [Iraida] is very snobby looking Shes very obedient and chilled out. Iraida also, naturally, has her adoring public and can even be more of a draw than the human models. Mrs Thomas said: We did a shoot with Gucci with [model] Louise Pedersen. Louise said: I cant believe this. Everyones coming up, but theyre not asking who I am, theyre not asking if this is the new collection from Gucci, theyre coming up to see the dog. He is one of the most well-known personalities on Australian television, fronting Channel Seven's breakfast program Sunrise since 2002. But David 'Kochie' Koch claims he's just as expendable as anyone else in the industry and insists that what happened to Nine's Lisa Wilkinson could happen to him. Speaking to The Australian on Monday, David, 62, said he's 'never trusted the media for a living', adding: 'I never assume my contract is being renewed.' 'It could happen to anyone... everyone is expendable!' Sunrise host David 'Kochie' Koch reveals he could meet a similar fate to Today's Lisa Wilkinson Lisa left the Today show in October, with a network statement explaining they were 'unable to meet the expectations of Lisa and her manager on a contract renewal'. David, who is also a financial columnist, only ever signs on for two-year contracts with Seven, which allows him to focus on his various other pursuits - including charity work, chairmanship of the Port Adelaide AFL club and running his own business, Pinstripe Media. Discussing Lisa's exit from Nine, he claimed: 'Absolutely. It could happen to anyone. A lot of people think they're bigger than the brand or they're bigger than the network or the show and you never are, everyone is expendable.' Gone! Lisa left the Today show in October, with a network statement explaining they were 'unable to meet the expectations of Lisa and her manager on a contract renewal' 'People think they're bigger than the network or the show and you never are': David claimed being on TV can make someone feel like 'the best thing since sliced bread' When asked about Karl and Peter Stefanovic's Ubergate scandal, David chose his words carefully and suggested that everyone in TV is different, with different personalities, values and ways of living. He added: 'You can get home from a day on TV and think you're the best thing since sliced bread, and your kids really don't give a toss.' Lisa spent 10 years as the co-host of the Today show, before resigning from Nine amid failed contract negotiations to achieve pay parity with co-host Karl. New roles: Lisa is currently a co-host on Network Ten's The Project, reportedly securing a $2.3 million salary to front The Sunday Project on weekends and helm the new digital site Ten Daily She's currently a co-host on Network Ten's The Project, reportedly securing a $2.3 million salary to front The Sunday Project on weekends and helm the new digital site Ten Daily. 'I've always put my family first, Whenever I have made a move either re-signing with a network or making the move to another they are the ones who I consult first and last,' she previously told TV Week. 'But this latest move was a no-brainer, to be honest. I love The Project, as do my whole family. I really wanted to get back into more news and current affairs.' She added: 'It was a privilege to be part of the Today show team for more than a decade,' she says. 'I leave behind wonderful experiences and cherished friendships. But it was time to set myself some new challenges.' Night owls can look forward to adding an extra hour to their Sunday sleep-in this weekend as the clocks are turned back for the end of daylight saving. Clocks will be wound back one hour from 3am on Sunday in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT. The change will put Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart on the same time as Brisbane, two hours ahead of Perth and half an hour ahead of Adelaide and Darwin. But Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory can all rest easy, with no changes to their time zones. Daylight saving time returns in October. When Prince Charles sets foot on Australian soil for the 16th time next week he'll equal the number of visits made by his mother, the Queen. And while mother and son have travelled the nation far and wide on previous official visits, this time around the longest-serving heir to the throne will confine his seven-day trip to Queensland and the Northern Territory. Accompanied by his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, who is making her third trip Down Under, the 69-year-old prince might be relieved by the change of scenery. Back in England he's again at the centre of media controversy thanks to a new unauthorised biography. In Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles, author Tom Bowers describes a vain and out-of-touch heir who likes to change clothes five times a day and once took his own toilet seat and mattress to visit a friend. The book, which Bowers says is based on interviews with more than 120 people, also claims Charles is obsessed with what the public thinks of him. Recent opinion polls haven't been glowing. More than half of Britons want his son Prince William to become king after the Queen dies, compared to just 22 per cent who favour a King Charles III, an ICM poll for British tabloid The Sun found last August. The result mirrored an Australian Women's Weekly poll from 2016, when twice as many Aussies preferred William over his father as our next monarch. Charles's arrival in Brisbane on Wednesday will no doubt spark more talk about who should be our next head of state and whether Australia should become a republic. While Charles and the Queen have repeatedly stressed it's up to Australians to decide whether to follow the republic path, they have also emphasised their strong affection for Australia. Charles has often reminisced about the six months he spent in 1966 as a 17-year-old studying at Timbertop, a campus of the prestigious Geelong Grammar School in the Victorian Alps. "My God it was good for the character! If you want to develop character, go to Australia. As I say, I have huge affection for it," he told an Australia Day reception in London in 2011, while also joking about his memories of spiders, ants and snakes as well as being teased for being a "pommy bastard". Until he enrolled at Timbertop, the young prince had never been to Australia. When he arrived the public interest in the teenage prince was intense, with more than 300 reporters and photographers turning out to greet him. Interest remained strong during the bachelor prince's five visits during the 1970s. But it was his three official tours in the 1980s with his enormously popular first wife, Princess Diana, that attracted the biggest crowds. However since the royal marriage crumbled in 1992, Charles has returned just four times. And each time, debate reignites about who Australia's head of state should be. If Charles does ascend to the throne, Australians are likely to experience a very different style of monarchy. Charles' biographer Jonathan Dimbleby, to whom the prince famously admitted in 1994 that he'd been unfaithful to Diana with Camilla, has said that when Charles becomes king he will break with the Queen's long-standing tradition of staying silent on important issues. Australians are likely to get a reminder of Charles' fondness for speaking out about issues dear to his heart when he visits the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree rain forest this week. In a speech to the Our Ocean summit in Malta last October, he warned that the irreversible damage to the world-famous reef should act as a "serious wake-up call". Whether his outspokenness is enough to convince Australians to retain the monarchy remains to be seen. Philip Benwell, chair of the Australian Monarchist League, hopes it is. "Even though he will be 70 this year he is still working tremendously hard to help people," he said. "Most people don't see him as a caring person because they don't see that side of him or know about the charitable work he does because it's not publicised that much, particularly in Australia. "But he is a person who is well suited to take over the role of monarch." The Australian Republican Movement's chief executive Michael Cooney, however, believes that for many Australians Prince Charles remains a remote figure who should outline why he wants to be our next head of state. "If you were watching Prince Charles on Countdown in 1977, that's great but seriously how many thousands of people have immigrated to Australia in the last 40 years," Mr Cooney said. "I think there's a lot of Australians who know very little about who is their next head of state." Close to six months on since the Turnbull government rejected Aboriginal leaders' calls for a constitutionally enshrined indigenous voice in parliament, a new parliamentary inquiry is beginning another round of national soul-searching. The committee, headed up by Labor senator Pat Dodson and Liberal MP Julian Leeser will undertake hearings in indigenous communities and major cities over coming months. It is set to report back to parliament with an interim report in late July and final recommendations in November. Mr Leeser acknowledged substantial work has already been done in this space over the years and the inquiry will be drawing on it. The inquiry will be looking to make detailed recommendations, gauge cross-party agreement, as well as indigenous peoples' support, he said. Mr Leeser, who is personally supportive of the concept of an indigenous voice, said the committee is able to look at other models. "We have a parliament that's filled with lawyers but we still have an Australia Law Reform Commission for instance," he told Sky News on Sunday. "I'm hoping we'll get lots of indigenous people and non-indigenous people engaging in design of how we can better consult and engage indigenous people." A trip to the chemist will be a cheaper exercise for patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, asthma. However, don't get too excited just yet, health insurance premiums are rising from Sunday. Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced eleven new medicines are now listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. "Australians with conditions including high blood pressure, depression, digestive disorders and certain types of cancer will now pay less for their medicines, every time they visit the pharmacy," he said. Among the savings: * 620,000 patients taking esomeprazole for digestive disorders will be $50 each year better off. * Nearly 80,000 patients taking olmesartan for high blood pressure will be $54 each year better off. * Some of the cancer drugs - which are used to treat lymphoma, lung cancer and non-melanoma skin cancer - will drop in cost from over $60,000 to $6.40 for concession card holders and $39.50 for others. The chance of night-time hypoglycaemia will be reduced for 178,000 people living with diabetes through a new drug called Toujeo - a longer lasting form of insulin. In Australia about 280 people develop diabetes each day. Without subsidised access, patients would pay around $1820 each year for the drug. Trexject will be available to treat rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, coming down in price from around $1093 a year. Meanwhile, Federal Labor has seized on the health insurance premium price hikes on Sunday which will result in Australians paying $200 more for their cover. "Private health insurers are treating Australians as fools," opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King said. "More than 13 million Australians will see an extra hit to their budget as a result of Turnbull's failure to stand up to the big insurers and crack down on premium rises." The opposition wants premium increases capped at two per cent for two years. The full Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme list is available at the website www.pbs.gov.au A Sydney fisherman has died after being swept into the water south of Wollongong. Witnesses attempted to throw a life ring to the man, aged in his 40s, in waters of Windang Island, near Lake Illawarra, on Saturday morning but were unsuccessful and he drifted further from shore, police said. An Air Ambulance helicopter sighted the man, who was wearing a lifejacket, in the water a short time later and winched him to shore, but he was pronounced deceased at the scene. Officers from Lake Illawarra Police District will be investigating all circumstances surrounding the incident for the information of the Coroner, police said on Sunday. During an interview granted to the media to discuss the outcomes of the visits, Head of the CPV Commission for External Relations Quan said they were the first visits to Europe and Latin America by the Party chief during the 12th National Party Congress tenure. The official visit to France took place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the fifth anniversary of their bilateral strategic partnership. It was intended to create a new framework, orientations, and impetus to further deepen bilateral strategic partnership, especially in trade and investment. Meanwhile, the Cuba State visit marked the first high-level meeting between the two countries since Leader Fidel Castro Ruz passed away. It took place at a time when Cuba recently successfully held an election for thier all-level Peoples Councils and legislature for the 2018-2023, and strives to launch the policy of updating socio-economic development. The visit strongly reflected the friendship and solidarity between the two Parties, States, and peoples, aiming to strongly support Cubas revolutionary cause and lift bilateral economic, trade, and investment ties to a greater height. On the outstanding outcomes of the visits, he said the Vietnam France Joint Statement and Vietnam Cuba Joint Statement reflect the long-term vision, strategy, mutual determination, and political commitment to boost Vietnam France, Vietnam Cuba ties. The two joint statements mentioned specific cooperation measures, from politics, national defence-security, economy, trade, investment, to culture, education-training, science-technology, law, agriculture, climate change response, localities cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides underscored the importance of regular meetings between leaders, strengthening political trust, and promptly orienting cooperation fields. French and Cuban leaders also promised to visit Vietnam soon. On the occasion, the Vietnamese ministries and agencies signed a total of 43 cooperation agreements and economic deals in important fields with French and Cuban counterparts, including 21 agreements and 8 deals with France and 22 agreements and four deals with Cuba. Vietnamese and French enterprises signed economic deals worth more than EUR10 billion across the aviation, information technology, energy, and infrastructure sectors. The Party chief's meetings with leading French corporations and businesses brought them new insights into business opportunities in Vietnam. In particular, high-ranking leaders showed great determination to quickly sign and ratify the Vietnam European Union Free Trade Agreement within the year, thus creating a new driving force and economic and investment opportunities for Vietnam and EU member states. The Vietnamese leader encouraged French firms to increase their investments in Vietnam, especially in fields of France's strength and Vietnam's demand, such as information technology, clean energy, and organic agriculture. Through the French Development Agency, France pledged to assist Vietnam in projects regarding climate change response, sustainable development, environment protection, disaster prevention, and green projects in the city. While in the Latin American country, Cuban leaders committed all possible support to Vietnamese firms in their efforts to enter the Cuban market via signing projects, particularly in energy, telecommunications, tourism, construction, health services, industry, agriculture, food, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and transport. During the Vietnam Cuba Business Forum, the two countries businesses discussed in an open, practical and effective manner to bring investment opportunities to each other, especially when a new trade agreement between the two countries is to be signed soon. The visits promoted common perceptions among high-ranking leaders about the need to work closely together to maintain peace and security amid rapid and complicated developments in the region and the world. The Vietnamese Party chief together with French and Cuban leaders expressed support for a multi-polar world order based on multilateralism, saying he appreciated the role of the United Nations and committed to respecting independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, self-determination rights, and political regimes of each other. They stressed that all disputes need to be settled by peaceful means in respect for international law and the UN Charter. The visits developed an extensive vision about interconnecting Vietnam France ties with the development of ASEAN - EU as well as to Asia-Europe linkages, and attaching Vietnam Cuba ties to the development of Latin America Caribbean and Asia-Pacific ties. The Vietnamese leader met French friends who helped the delegation of Paris Agreement negotiators 45 years ago, received France Vietnam Friendship Association and Cuba Vietnam Friendship Association members, met Vietnamese and Cuban young people, and paid tribute to Cuban war martyrs. In Cuba, he presented a Golden Star Order, the noblest distinction of Vietnam, to President Raul Castro Ruz and officially announced that Vietnam has decided to waive all government debts owed by Cuba. He also granted 5,000 tonnes of rice to Cuba and talked with members of the Vietnamese community in France and Cuba, during which he reiterated the Party and States consistent policy of considering the OV community an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation and spoke highly of their contributions to national development and their role as a bridge connecting Vietnam with France and Cuba. Regarding the prospects for Vietnam France, Vietnam Cuba ties, Head of the CPV Commission for External Relations Quan said both countries share strong political trust and the two peoples are closely-knitted, factors which have laid the foundation for extended ties. The two sides also share similar interests and viewpoints as well as supplementary cooperation potentials. He expressed his optimism about the future of Vietnams ties with France and Cuba, believing that bilateral partnership will be propelled to ever greater heights that matches the level of their fine political relations. Sixteen revellers have been arrested at an out-of-control Perth party of up to 150 people, some armed with knives, and where a police car windscreen was damaged. Officers were called to Mokutu Court at Quinns Rocks in the city's outer north about 11.15pm on Saturday to reports of up to 90 people in the street, some with knives. When police arrived, they monitored about 150 people at the property and it was declared an out-of-control gathering when some of them turned on officers. Australian travellers to Russia have been warned to brace for possible anti-western sentiment as the fallout continues from the poisoning of a former spy in the United Kingdom. Last week, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced two Russian spies had been asked to leave Australia, in a show of solidarity with the UK over the nerve agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury. London blames Moscow for the attack but Russia denies involvement. The Kremlin has since retaliated, announcing it will expel two Australian diplomats. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Sunday updated its travel advice for Russia. "Due to heightened political tensions, you should be aware of the possibility of anti-Western sentiment or harassment," the travel advice said. It said the federal government is not aware of any increased difficulties for Australians travelling in Russia at this time but people should follow the security and political situation closely and keep up to date with travel advice. "Remain vigilant, avoid any protests or demonstrations and avoid commenting publicly on political developments," the travel advice said. It still warns Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in Russia. A man is in hospital with stab wounds to his torso and leg, with another man who was found at the inner Sydney property charged with intent to murder. Police were called to a property on Bourke Street, Surry Hills, at 5pm on Saturday and found the 42-year-old victim. A 31-year-old man found at the scene, where a knife was also located, was arrested and later charged. He has been refused bail and is due to face Parramatta Local Court on Sunday. The 42-year-old is at St Vincent's hospital in a stable condition. Commonwealth Games bosses expect a preliminary report to be delivered on Sunday afternoon after syringes were located in the Gold Coast athletes' village. While the Commonwealth Games Federation is refusing to speculate on any details about the find, the initial report is expected to provide some clarity. CGF chief executive David Grevemberg refused to comment on reports linking the find to India's team. Mr Grevemberg also said reports of a curfew being imposed on members of the Indian team was news to him and he did not believe it was an imposition delivered by the CGF. The CGF on Saturday reported needles were located by a cleaner at the village who reported the find to authorities, although India's team manager says it was one of his team who discovered the items in a water bottle. Under CGF rules there is a strict "no-needles" policy in the athletes' village during the competition with the exception of approved medical practitioners or those with an "auto-injecting" condition such as diabetes. Mr Grevemberg reiterated if the investigation proves any wrongdoing, those responsible would face severe penalties. "We have absolute zero-tolerance for doping and that means no tolerance," he said. Games Corporation chairman Peter Beattie said the discovery of syringes at the village wasn't a blow to the event's reputation, just three days before Wednesday's opening ceremony. "I don't have any concerns to our reputation," Mr Beattie said. "The only time you lose your reputation is if you don't do anything about it, you cover it up and none of that's going to happen." The Times of India reported the needles were found where the Indian team was staying but team manager Ajay Narang denied any links. Narang told Agence France-Presse the water bottle was found on a path outside their accommodation and he immediately took it to Medical Commission office for analysis. "We didn't open the bottle at all," he said. Mr Grevemberg said to the best of his knowledge the items discovered were just syringes and the were no vials located. Police said at this stage they are not involved in the matter. Joseph Parker's team has hit out at referee Giuseppe Quartarone after the Kiwi heavyweight's unanimous points loss to British superstar Anthony Joshua in Cardiff, saying the Italian "couldn't speak English'. Parker became the first man to stretch the London Olympic champion (21-0) the full distance but it was scant consolation as Joshua took his WBO title, adding it to his IBF, IBO and WBA belts. Two of the three judges scored the bout 118-110 and the other 119-109, the widest margin ironically coming from New Zealand's Ian Scott. But, while not blaming him for the loss, it was referee Quartarone that Team Parker most took issue with at the post-fight press conference. The Italian stopped the action on several occasions as Parker attempted to find his way into the middle of the ring. "When the ref came to the back, he couldn't speak English," Parker said. "Kev (trainer Kevin Barry) was trying to talk to him and ask him questions about how he was going to control the fight." Joshua later denied the claim, saying the two-minute talk was "in perfect English" and his social media channels would show that. "Obviously when one guy's got the 76-inch reach and the other guy's got 84-85 it's very important to us when we do close the distance that we're able to work," Barry said. "Unfortunately for us the referee just didn't allow us to do that. I tried to speak to him when he came down the back and he had no idea or understanding of the question I asked him." Barry conceded that his charge was beaten by a "better, better man" but also took issue with the scoring. "I thought after six rounds it was our fight to win," he said. "Joe landed a lot of very good body shots that obviously the judges sitting at ringside tonight didn't score." Parker (24-1) said there was only one way to move forward from the first loss of his professional career. "Set up another fight," he said. "Our whole team has worked hard to get here and deserve a break and some time at home with our families. "Once that's done, once we're relaxed we want to set up another fight straight away." Jocelyn Newman, at the height of her political career, was described as the most powerful woman in Australia and the Minister for Courage. She overcame two major cancer operations and the death of her husband Kevin to preside over the federal government's biggest spending department, Family and Community Services, and major changes to Australia's welfare system. The Tasmanian Liberal senator was an ideological mixture. Her conservatism fitted the Howard government's views on self-reliance and mutual obligation. Critics felt she lacked empathy for the desperate. Yet she was a founding member of the Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL), pioneered women's shelters and once applied for a job with Gough Whitlam. And while her steely blue eyes and school mistress manner earned her a reputation for iciness, she liked a joke and the odd melodramatic gesture. Jocelyn Margaret Newman, who died on Easter Sunday following a long battle with Alzheimer's, was born in Melbourne on July 8 1937. She graduated in law from the University of Melbourne, where she won a Miss University quest. At the age of 24 she married Kevin Newman, a young army officer whom she met on a blind date at an army dance. They had two children, Campbell and Kate. In March 2012 she was at Campbell's side when he led the LNP to a crushing win over Labor to become Queensland's premier. For 14 years she was an army wife, learning first hand of the difficulties of service life for families. Kevin Newman entered federal politics in 1975 when he won the Bass by-election with a 17 per cent swing, a watershed result that presaged the Liberals' return to power under Malcolm Fraser. He was a minister throughout the Fraser years. During her life as army and politician's wife, she was largely a stay-at-home mother who still, at various times, worked as a lawyer, farmer and boutique hotelier. Kevin Newman left politics in 1984 and two years later she became a senator. Within two years she was in the shadow ministry as defence science and personnel spokesperson, a position she used to champion better conditions for service men and women. She also pulled a stunt that embarrassed the Hawke government. She armed a staffer with a distinctive red suitcase and booked him onto a flight to Canberra. Just before the plane left, he cancelled his flight but, in breach of security regulations, the case went to the capital. Newman steadily accumulated responsibilities, including status of women and veterans' affairs. In 1993 she went into shadow cabinet as spokesman for family and health. That year she had an operation for uterine cancer. A year later she found she had breast cancer. At a dramatic news conference, which she opened by brandishing a bread knife, a gift for a journalist whose coverage she didn't like, she announced she'd be standing down from the shadow ministry because of the cancer and went on to talk of another disease, the one afflicting her party. Liberal leaders were in danger of being torn down unless the party developed the habit of loyalty, she said. Next day she voted in the party room meeting that replaced John Hewson with Alexander Downer and then went into hospital. She was back inside five months, more quickly than she wanted, when Downer made her an offer she couldn't refuse - defence. But when John Howard came to power in 1996, he made her social security minister, a portfolio later morphed into the even wider Family and Community Services. She also, to the misgiving of radical feminists, assisted the PM on the status of women. Newman had little time for feminist theory. She believed women should be incorporated into the status quo, rather than change society. "It's not the intellectual pursuit of feminist rights so much as what's fair," she once said. A personal trigger was a department store refusing her, a working solicitor, a credit account without her husband's co-signature. She had a better track record than her opponents conceded. Her concerns went back to her time as a lawyer helping victims of domestic violence. In 1972 she'd applied for the job of Whitlam's women's adviser, and she'd helped set up women's shelters. She only quit WEL when its Tasmanian branch urged the return of Whitlam in 1975. She believed it had become a Labor front. It was the massive, sprawling $55 billion a year Family and Community Services that consumed Newman's attention. She oversaw the establishment of a corporatised Centrelink, which took over responsibility for paying all federal government pensions, benefits and allowances and affected the lives of more than 6 million Australians, with its myriad teething problems. In some ways she was a hardliner in a hardline government - setting up a hotline to to "dob in a dole cheat" and trying to change the support system for homeless youth, which she said mainly benefited "middle class runaways". She argued strongly for the need to end welfare dependency and critics said Centrelink's rules and penalties were harsh and unfair. But the final fruit of this was the 2000 McClure report. It reinforced the notion of mutual obligation and proposed a standard income support base rate with add-on modules for individual needs like disability and sole parenthood. As many in the welfare sector acknowledged, it shifted the emphasis from an aggressive clampdown on welfare dependency to more support and less punishment as the way to get people back into the economic mainstream. Newman won government support for the main thrust of McClure, but couldn't get a financial commitment to implement it. Early in 2001 she stepped down from the ministry, finally quitting politics the following year. She'd had more health problems in the preceding year. But the biggest blow was her husband's sudden death in 1999. Their marriage, she'd said, was "a terrific love affair which endured for almost 40 years". A man has been stabbed to death inside a south Brisbane house. Three males entered a house in Robertson about 2pm on Sunday when a fight erupted with one of the males living in the house, police said. One of the men who entered the home was stabbed several times, police say. Emergency services performed CPR on the 21-year-old but he died at the scene. The male resident of the Roberston house suffered head injuries and was transported to Princess Alexandra Hospital for treatment. The group of men are in custody as police continue their inquiries. A policeman has been seriously injured after being sent flying in the air in a hit-and-run incident in Brisbane's south. The road policing command officer was operating a speed camera radar at Tarragindi, near the Pacific Motorway off-ramp, about 4.20pm on Sunday when a car ploughed into him. Queensland Ambulance said the officer suffered leg and hip injuries and was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a stable condition. Police are searching for the car which sped off and have urged anyone who has seen the silver Honda Civic, with registration 390 XOB, to contact them. Today's Birthday, April 2: Australian Victoria Cross recipient Mark Donaldson (1979 - ). As bullets fired by the Taliban rained down around him, Mark Donaldson deliberately exposed himself to draw the enemy's fire away from wounded soldiers and ran almost 100 metres onto the battlefield to carry a severely injured interpreter to safety. It was a moment of selfless bravery in the face of terrifying peril that saw the SAS soldier become the first in almost 40 years to be awarded the Australian military's highest honour, the Victoria Cross. Born in 1979 at Waratah near Newcastle, Corporal Mark Gregor Strang Donaldson grew up in the small country town of Dorrigo, a world away from the battlefields of war-torn Afghanistan. Those close to Donaldson as he grew up told Fairfax newspapers he had a wild streak, something that intensified after the sudden death of his father Greg, a Vietnam veteran, and the disappearance and presumed murder of his mother Bernadette just three years later. Her body has still never been found. Donaldson was only a teenager at the time of their deaths, he and his brother Brent left orphans by the two tragedies. Leaving behind the Sydney art college he'd been attending at the time of his mother's death, Donaldson drifted from working on power lines in the Snowy Mountains to the Canadian ski fields. Then, at the age of 22 he joined the army - reportedly a shock to many who knew him well. He excelled during training, receiving a slew of awards on leaving infantry school, and after only two years in the army he applied to enter the army's SASR - an elite force with a selection course only a few determined individuals can finish. That led him to a road in Afghanistan on September 2, 2008, where he and his patrol came under attack as they made their way back to base. For his actions he was awarded the Victoria Cross by Governor-General Quentin Bryce in January 2009. Despite distinguishing himself for his bravery on that day Donaldson has maintained a humble approach to life. "Everyone just had to get out of there and we had to make sure no one was left behind," he once said. Four officers in an unmarked police car escaped injury when their vehicle suddenly burst into flames on the M7 in Sydney. The officers attached to a specialist unit were in the car on their way to Rooty Hill on urgent duty on Sunday night when the vehicle's engine failed. After they pulled over on the M7, the car burst into flames. The officers escaped unhurt. The fire was put out by Fire & Rescue NSW but the whole operation shut the highway for two hours. Attending the events were representatives from the governments and localities of the GMS member nations, development partners, experts and businesses inside and outside the subregion. In his opening speech at the GMS-6, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc of the host, Vietnam, said that after a quarter of a century, the GMS cooperation has ceaselessly developed in both depth and width, affirming its own identity as a prestigious regional cooperation mechanism with a 3C Strategy of Connectivity, Community and Competitiveness. Hundreds of projects with a total capital of more than US$21 billion have been implemented in various fields from transport, energy and telecommunication to trade, agriculture and environment. The GMS has become a dynamic and integrated region which is now home to the fastest growing economies in the world. To promote the strong engagement of development partners, especially the private sector, in the GMS cooperation programme, Vietnam initiated the organization of the first-ever GMS Business Summit as part of the GMS-6 to strengthen dialogues between the State and businesses and to connect GMS enterprises with global partners. This initiative received overwhelming consensus from other GMS member nations and warm support from development partners including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank (WB), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The GMS Business Summit attracted more than 2,000 entrepreneurs from home and abroad, which showed their excitement to do business with GMS countries and their trust in the governments open policies and tremendous cooperation opportunities in the GMS and CLV regions. Furthermore, Asia has been emerging as a driving force for global economic growth in the 21st century. At the GMS-6, leaders of the subregion agreed to set major cooperation orientations in the middle term and activate the building of a long-term cooperation vision within the GMS. The subregions leaders adopted three important documents including the Joint Statement of the sixth GMS Summit which affirms the countries political commitment and determination to increase the role of the cooperation mechanism; the Hanoi Action Plan for 2018-2022 defining major collaborative orientations and measures in key fields for the coming time; and the Regional Investment Framework 2022 providing a list of more than 220 projects worth about US$66 billion. They also look to build a post-2022 cooperation vision in the long run and realise the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda given the significant changes occurring in the region and around the world. The GMS cooperation programme needs to define a long-term vision to build a prosperous and integrated subregion and ensure a sustainable, harmonious, and balanced development as well as promote inclusive growth in the region. It must also ensure that all people enjoy the benefits of globalisation and the fourth Industrial Revolution. The GMS was established in 1992 as an initiative of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The GMS Programme is the most complete cooperation programme to involve Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Chinas Yunnan and Guangxi provinces. It aims to facilitate and promote win-win economic cooperation among the GMS countries. Vietnam has actively taken part in developing initiatives for enhanced cooperation in the GMS as part of efforts to boost economic growth, strengthen economic connectivity, and aid poverty reduction in the region. Vietnam signed the GMS Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA) in 1999 and has ratified all of the CBTAs annexes, leading toa reduction in time spent crossing borders for vehicles, goods, and passengers, and facilitating trade. Since 2012, Vietnam and China have facilitated each others vehicles crossing shared borders on the Kunming Hanoi Hai Phong and Hanoi Nanning Shenzhen routes. The same year, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the roads connecting the capital cities of the three countries with two large sea ports Laem Chabang (Thailand) and Hai Phong (Vietnam) on the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC). In terms of energy, Vietnam has taken part in the Regional Indicative Master Plan on Power Interconnection in the GMS, paving the way for the country to improve its trade in electricity and push for the establishment of institutions to ensure power security within the region. By attending meetings of the GMS Regional Power Trade Coordination, Vietnam has received updates on the GMS countries markets and energy-related plans and greatly benefited from ADBs technical support. The country has played an active role in the GMSs trade and investment promotion events and in enhancing the regional partnership in agriculture, tourism, and telecommunications. It has also contributed to the subregions efforts in controlling cross-border infectious diseases, such as SARS, bird flu, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis which are priorities for the regional cooperation in health care. Promoting all-round CLV cooperation The 10th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Summit on Development Triangle Area (CLV-10) reviewed the implementation of a master plan on regional socio-economic development for the 2010-2020 period and mapped out cooperation orientations for the coming time, especially in embracing trilateral economic links. This was the first time leaders of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank (WB), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had participated at the summit. The CLV leaders recognised progress made in trilateral cooperation over the recent pastin wide-ranging fields from infrastructure to trade facilitation. They stressed the importance of the CLV cooperation in maintaining peace and stability in the region, supporting socio-economic development in each country, and helping 13 border provinces to narrow the development gaps. At the summit, the CLV leaders reiterated their commitment to promoting comprehensive cooperation between the three countries, and contributing to the building of integrated, sustainable and prosperous economies in the development triangle area, which is an indispensable part of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. They emphasised the need to strengthen connectivity between the three economies to increase their competitiveness and effective involvement in regional and global value chains and cope with common challenges. The leaders discussed the expansion of the CLV Development Triangle Area to cover the entirety of the three nations, as it currently only includes the 13 border provinces, and agreed to entrust ministers and experts to study this issue. The three PMs approved a master plan for CLV connectivity until 2030, which covers major orientations for boosting infrastructure, institutional, economic and people-to-people exchange connectivity. The CLV Development Triangle Area was established in 1999, covering Vietnams Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, DakNong provinces; Laos Sekong, Attapeu and Saravan provinces; and Cambodias Stung Treng, Rattanak Kiri, and Mondul Kiri. In 2009, the three countries agreed to add Vietnams BinhPhuoc province, Cambodias Kratie province, and Laos Champasak province to the area. Its cooperation focuses on the fields of security, external affairs, transport, industry, agriculture, trade, investment, and environmental protection. The establishment of the CLV Development Triangle Area aims to strengthen solidarity and cooperation between the three countries to ensure security and political stability, reduce poverty, and develop the regions economy. The CLV cooperation focuses on security, external affairs, transport, industry, agriculture, trade, investment, social affairs, and environmental protection. The successful hosting of the GMS-6 and CLV-10, one of the countrys most important multilateral external events in 2018, demonstrates the exalted role and position of Vietnam in the region, as well as its active contributions to regional cooperation mechanisms. Australia have enjoyed one of their more promising days on a controversy-plagued tour of South Africa, but the best efforts of Pat Cummins and Tim Paine failed to halt the hosts' push for a historic Test series victory. Paine refused to fold meekly as he batted through the pain of a broken thumb in Johannesburg on Sunday, top-scoring with 62 and sharing Australia's best stand yet in the four-Test series. But Paine's side were rolled for 221 when he fell victim to a sensational diving catch from Dean Elgar, paying the price for collapses of 3-28 and 3-6 on day two. The Proteas proceeded to grind the tourists' tired attack into the dirt, reaching 3-134 at stumps to boast a 401-run lead. Cummins in particular bowled well in the final session, but for scant reward. South Africa have never defeated Australia in a home Test series since the end of apartheid, failing on seven previous attempts. That streak is almost certain to end. Faf du Plessis is 34 not out, with the captain's biggest dilemma on Monday likely to be the timing of a declaration. Du Plessis and Dean Elgar batted cautiously in a 40-run stand that spanned 21.4 overs, taking few risks as they extended the visitors' misery. History suggests the hosts almost have enough runs on the board already. West Indies' 7-418 remains the all-time Test record for a successful run-chase. No Test team have ever batted first at the Wanderers, posted 400 or more then lost. The pitch is already starting to play tricks. Du Plessis copped a nasty blow to the gloves when a delivery from Chadd Sayers reared off the deck, while Cummins extracted nasty bounce to dismiss AB de Villiers for six. Cummins continued to excel at the ground where he made a dazzling debut at age 18 in 2011. The express paceman now has seven wickets for the match, while he also produced a career-best knock of 50. Cummins and Paine ensured their side avoided the indignity of being asked to follow on, although a side strain suffered by South Africa's retiring paceman Morne Morkel would also have weighed heavily on the mind of du Plessis. The moral victory is likely to mean little in the context of the series, but Paine's courage should impress plenty of fans still fuming over the cheating scandal that resulted in Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft returning home in shame. Paine and Cummins put on 99 runs for the seventh wicket. Australia's previous highest partnership on the tour was the 98-run opening stand between Warner and Bancroft in Port Elizabeth. Paine, who has already created meaningful change by stopping the side's sledging and introducing a pre-game handshake with the Proteas, showed few signs of discomfort while keeping. The Tasmanian also batted with remarkable composure and freedom given the hairline fracture of his right thumb. You can now make Dame Quentin Bryce's eggplant parmigiana at home, thanks to a new cookbook penned by Chloe Shorten, the former Governor General's daughter and wife of the federal opposition leader. Ms Shorten's second book, The Secret Ingredient, is about the importance of eating dinner with your family. Released on Tuesday, it shares recipes passed down from family, friends and neighbours, including Dame Bryce's eggplant parmigiana, business icon Wendy McCarthy's perfect roast chicken and a chocolate cake "so fine it was served in restaurants". The book also details how she and Bill Shorten, 50, manage to find time to bring their own family together for meals. "In stepfamilies, I've learned meals together are a fundamental peacekeeping force, a way of getting everyone to understand each other, share daily experiences and points of view," an extract from the book reads. "The more times we sit together and break bread, the greater the chance to understand and accommodate each other - even if that sometimes means squabbles, tears or frustrations." The cookbook follows Ms Shorten's first novel which was a guide for stepfamilies. It detailed how she fell in love with the opposition leader and the process of introducing him to her children from a previous marriage. Ms Shorten has two children, Rupert and Georgette, from her first marriage to architect Robert Parkin. In 2009, she married Mr Shorten and they have a daughter, Clementine, together. Mr Shorten and Dame Bryce are expected to attend the launch of the book in Melbourne on Tuesday. A father who was reunited with his three-year-old son after he went missing for 18 hours in bushland in the NSW central west says it's an "Easter miracle" his son was found. James Skillen was last seen at about 5pm on Saturday at a campsite with his family on a property on Old Ilford Road, Razorback, about 69km south of Mudgee. A large-scale search group including police, sniffer dogs, NSW Ambulance, the Rural Fire Service, SES, the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association and locals had spent Saturday night and Sunday morning searching the rugged terrain and farmland which included several dams. Members of the public from the small nearby town of Sofala had joined the search and found the boy safe and well wandering along a 4WD bush track just before midday on Sunday. He was found five kilometres from where he had last been seen. James' father, Peter Skillen, thanked members of public and emergency services, saying his son was very chirpy after the chopper ride. "It's an Easter miracle, it's just amazing and we just can't thank the emergency services so much for everything they've done," Mr Skillen told reporters at the scene. Speed may have been a factor in a horror single-vehicle crash in Kakadu National Park which killed three people and injured four others, police say. Seven young people - all believed to be members of the Top End's Bangladeshi student community - were travelling from Jabiru to Cooinda in a Toyota Landcruiser on Saturday afternoon when it crashed on the Kakadu Highway. The driver, who has been confirmed by police as a 29-year-old Bangladeshi man, died along with two others. Four women, three of them aged in their 20s, were injured in the crash and are in a stable condition in Royal Darwin Hospital. Acting Assistant Commissioner Tony Fuller said the driver was "pretty inexperienced" in Northern Territory conditions and was in a hire vehicle he was not familiar with. The driver lost control on a large bend and the vehicle rolled, ejecting one person, Mr Fuller said. Speed may have been a factor and investigations are under way to determine if all passengers were wearing seatbelts, he added. Two CareFlight aircraft were sent to the crash site which a spokesman described as "horrific". A second vehicle carrying family members was believed to be in convoy with the Landcruiser. Mr Fuller urged all drivers to take care returning from Easter breaks, with the road toll for the Northern Territory already at 15 for 2018. The federal government has declined to speculate on the prospects of establishing a special visa category for au pairs ahead of this year's federal budget, as controversy swirls around Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and au pair agencies have been lobbying for a new visa class for many years. Assistant Home Affairs Minister Alex Hawke last year flagged the government was considering proposals to allow au pairs to stay in Australia for up to two years and be paid a minimum wage or pocket money on top of food and board. The visa status of au pairs was in the spotlight last week, following revelations Mr Dutton used his ministerial discretion powers to grant visas on public interest grounds to two young women in immigration detention. In the first case, an au pair whose visa was cancelled at Brisbane's international airport in June 2015 was able to make a phone call and within a couple of hours Mr Dutton approved a new visa. In the second case in November the same year, Mr Dutton defied written warnings from his department that granting a visitors visa to the second au pair was of "high risk" because she had been previously counselled about work restrictions. Mr Dutton insists he doesn't know the two individuals involved and that they didn't work for his family, but said it would have been inappropriate for them to be deported. The minister's office still refuses to answer specific questions about the identity of the au pairs' employers. Asked about the prospects of a special au pair visa, Social Services Minister Dan Tehan said there would be a lot of speculation in the lead-up to the budget. "The government won't rule things in or out," Mr Tehan told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday. Cultural Au Pair Association president Wendi Aylward said the cases highlighted confusion with the status quo and a need for a special visa category. "We don't want au pairs coming in on the wrong visa. We don't want families not understanding how this type of program works. We don't want the experience to not be a good one," she told AAP. "Our discussions with the government so far have been positive ones." Ms Aylward said there were increasing numbers of Australian families looking for flexible childcare options and an insufficient number of au pairs to meet demand. Au pairs are able to come to Australia on working holiday visas, but that category only applies to a limited number of countries. They can work for the same family for an initial six months which can be extended to a total of 12 months. Ms Aylward said it's disruptive for households and small kids who have formed a bond with an au pair to have to say goodbye after a year. Setting up a special visa category would ensure greater transparency and reduce the risk of exploitation, she said. ACCI is also backing calls for a regulated au pair visa class, arguing in its budget submission the working holiday visa arrangements for au pairs weren't "fit for purpose". It said an au pair visa category under a user-pay system would actually deliver budget savings because it would remove some families from the taxpayer subsidised childcare system. "(It hasn't) entered our consciousness that anything that's happened in the (last week) will affect the government's decision on whether there should be a specialist au pair visa," ACCI spokeswoman Jenny Lambert told AAP. Airbnb's top woman in power is backing the Time's Up and Me Too movements in Hollywood and says she is keen to see change in other industries. Chief operating officer Belinda Johnson believes the movements are "shining a spotlight" and helping people become "more informed and more sensitised" to the issue. "I think there's been a lot of surprise that this is pervasive and I'm surprised that people are surprised," she told AAP from Airbnb's San Francisco office. "It's invited conversation and it's also started more zero tolerance for certain behaviours. "We want to make sure that we're keeping the momentum in a positive way and trying to effect change." Ms Johnson has long been doing her part to encourage women into leadership positions, including as a mentor. While there has been "a tonne" of progress for equality since Ms Johnson graduated from law school, some things have still not changed. Asked what advice she would give to her younger self, Ms Johnson paused, then replied: "I would probably have counselled myself to stand up more." Ms Johnson says it is important to not just hire women, but also retain them as employees, and ensure diversity in the workplace. "Whether it's creating the right opportunities or encouraging people to get beyond their comfort zone and take risks," she said. Ms Johnson laughs and shifts in her seat while considering whether she would describe herself as a feminist. "If 'feminist' means making sure you're standing up for women, and that women have a voice, and are treated with dignity and respect, then yes," she said. The mother-of-two started working as a more "traditional" lawyer at firms, but in the mid-90s she became general counsel at Mark Cuban's AudioNET when it launched. The company later went public in 1998 and was acquired by Yahoo in 1999. In her 12 years with the company, she saw a cycle including a growth curb and then a decline. "Those were huge learnings on where you can turn a wrong corner," she said. "When I left Yahoo, I was really looking for an early stage company that had some complexities and things that needed to be figured out." Ms Johnson landed at Airbnb, which is continuing to expand all over the world. "When I learned about Airbnb I was like 'wow, this is an amazing, new way to travel, it's about community and there's a lot to figure out to clear the way', so I was really drawn to that," she said. Airbnb recently celebrated 10 years in the travel industry and announced further expansion plans. The writer travelled to San Francisco as a guest of Airbnb. "Always look for the vultures, because where there are vultures there is a kill, and where there is a kill, there might be lions." Phinley, my guide on safari in Botswana, knows what he is talking about. He has the African bush in his blood, and has been a guide for Wilderness Safaris in the Okavango Delta's Chitabe concession for around 20 years. He knows the area like the back of his hand; any aberration stands out. He can spot hippos on the horizon, instantly identify hundreds of impossibly iridescent birds flitting between the branches of the Jackalberry trees, and spy tortoises that look like rocks in the tall grass. I enthusiastically join in, but my years spent living in the city are painfully obvious as I repeatedly mistake towering termite mounds poking out from behind the scrubby bush for giraffes. This afternoon we are searching for the big game - lions and leopards. The sun has lost its heat and the cats will have roused from their midday slumber to go in search of dinner. The Landcruiser bounces along the sandy track, stopping every now and then so Phinley can check the ground for paw prints that might indicate we are close. Tracking animals is a large part skill, a little bit of luck, and a good dose of patience. The guides are bush detectives. They can tell you how long ago an animal was in the area by the freshness of the poo, the clarity of the tracks. They listen to the warning chatter of birds or baboons. A patch of flattened grass might indicate where a lion has been napping, a broken branch where an elephant has recently lumbered past. They are all clues that go unnoticed by the uninitiated. Phinley stops the car again. He has heard something. He pauses and scans the landscape. In the distance a kettle of vultures rises briefly from the ground, flapping madly, and then landing again. They are ugly creatures, with their hunched shoulders, unkempt feathers, hooked beaks and balding heads. They scatter as we drive close to them. There, in the grass, lies the remains of a warthog. It is fresh, not more than an hour old, and even the flies are yet to gather. "Lions," Phinley says confidently. "I think they have probably gone to the waterhole for a drink now that they have eaten. We will check there." He takes the car offroad, and it is only a few minutes before he sees them, the long golden grass parting like water as they silently make their way across the clearing. It's a mother lioness and her two young daughters. Phinley knows them well, and has been observing their movements for months. They have recently broken away from the main pride to start their own. The split has been made out of necessity - growing numbers in the main pride mean more competition for food. Mum lioness is doing a good job. Her daughters are healthy and fat, and have clearly been given the lion's share, so to speak, of the meal. Mum is hurt, with a gash to her hind leg where the warthog got off a final hit with its tusk before succumbing to its fate. "Warthogs are dangerous animals," Phinley says. "Those tusks can cause damage, which is why she has not let the younger cubs make this kill. She will survive this wound though." The lions shortcut through dense forest and we circle around and meet them on the other side. When they reach the marshy waterhole the family stops to rehydrate, and mum tends to her wound. They flop down and rest, their bellies full for now. We leave them to digest their meal and start the drive back to camp. It's a good half hour to get home, and it feels like we have left the lions far behind us. However in the morning there are lion prints around the camp. "It's possible it was these same three," Phinley tells me at breakfast. "They prefer to travel at night when it is cooler." It's a stark reminder that you cannot leave the bush behind. "This is why we don't allow guests to walk around without an escort after dark," Phinley says. "Lions are opportunistic killers. They won't attack you when you are in the car, but if you are on the ground you are a potential meal." I lock the tent up very carefully every evening after that, double-checking each screen and door before I retire. I pull the red air horn they provide for wild animal emergencies just a little bit closer to the bed, and drift into sleep as the three lionesses make tracks through my dreams. IF YOU GO GETTING THERE: South African Airways flies to Kasane in Botswana, with stopovers in Perth and Johannesburg. African Wildlife Safaris can organise an eight-day safari adventure in Botswana, including guided game drives, boat and mokoro cruises, accommodation and all food and drinks, with prices starting from $5681per person. Visit https://www.africanwildlifesafaris.com.au/destinations/africa/botswana/ STAYING THERE: Camps in the Wilderness Safaris network feature luxury tent suites, with views of the African bush. Each camp has its own distinct personality, and some feature personal plunge pools. Visit: https://www.africanwildlifesafaris.com.au/destinations/africa/botswana/ PLAYING THERE: Spend the morning on a guided game drive to find lions and leopards, enjoy sunset drinks watching elephants at a waterhole, explore the world's largest inland delta by mokoro with some truly spectacular bird-watching, or simply relax on your private deck while listening to the sounds of the bush. The writer travelled as a guest of South African Airways (SAA) and African Wildlife Safaris. Refugees in Indonesia may be put to work as the UN Refugee Agency battles a growing global humanitarian crisis, fewer resettlement options and stretched aid budgets. The humanitarian agency has asked the Indonesian government to re-think its long-held policy of banning refugees from working so they could potentially pay their own way. UNHCR country representative Thomas Vargas says some refugees have special skills and they could possibly trade their knowledge for food and housing. "There are many refugees who speak English or Arabic, they could maybe provide courses in those languages and there are some who are agricultural experts, while others have special skills in the arts," Mr Vargas told AAP. Mr Vargas said the UNHCR was negotiating for some of these people to be allowed to work and support themselves but an outcome would take time. "In a country of 250 million people and a significant unemployment rate, it's hard politically for any government to say yes we want to provide jobs for all the foreigners who are here," he said. The majority of the 13,800 asylum seekers and refugees registered with the UNHCR in Indonesia are reliant on international aid for food and shelter or live in government-run immigration detention centres. The UNHCR's talks with the Indonesia government come as the agency deals with 65.6 million displaced people globally. Mr Vargas said the crisis - "unlike any seen since World War II" - had stretched aid budgets and led to tougher immigration policies in key resettlement nations. The US presidential executive order on immigration and Australia's policy of not resettling refugees from Indonesia - if they arrived in Indonesia after mid-2014 - had created "unpredictability in the (resettlement) system" and left refugees stranded, Mr Vargas said. "These types of policy shifts and directives have an impact on the number of refugees who can be resettled." Recent emergencies - such as the Rohingya refugee exodus to Bangladesh - means money earmarked for the UNHCR's operations in Indonesia is being redirected. "When there are those types of flashpoints, that's where the limited funding the UNHCR has globally gone to," Mr Vargas said. Homeless Somalian refugee Safiya doesn't think about resettlement but would willingly work to provide food and a home for her eight-year-old daughter Sabrine. The pair, smuggled to Indonesia following the beheading of her government-employed husband by Al-Shabaab in 2015, lives rough on Jakarta's streets. "In Mogadishu, there were a lot of problems we faced, but here I was dreaming it would be different and we could build our future - but now I realise our situation is worse than Somalia," Safiya told AAP through a translator. The 28-year-old said her frequent appeals to the UNHCR for assistance had been knocked back and she was reliant on "generous local people" and other refugees for food. "We don't know the language and we are not permitted to work. If they allowed us to clean their toilets and to help in their houses it will be better because we would be able to survive," she says. Homeless mother-of-three, Nimo, fled to Indonesia from Somalia after Islamists killed her family, but with prostitution as the only way to survive, she tearily says her life in Jakarta is "much harder" than her war-torn homeland. Indonesia has traditionally been a transit nation for asylum seekers but in recent months the UNHCR has been meeting with refugees to tell them they'll probably never be resettled somewhere else. That means people such as Nimo face the prospect of spending much longer in the country than they first anticipated. And, for many women, it means working as they'd never imagined - in the sex trade. Melbourne-based Human Rights Law Centre spokesman Daniel Webb says the suffering of refugees on our Australia's doorstep exposes the cruelty of the government's obsession with so-called deterrence. "The people our government secretly turns back or frightens away don't just vanish off the face of the earth - they're being forced to suffer elsewhere," he tells AAP. Nimo, a 32-year-old Somalian refugee, was forced into hiding after the local refugee community discovered she was working as a prostitute. Some in the conservative Muslim neighbourhood threatened her harm for betraying Islam's teachings. The homeless mother says she's ashamed of the work and is often beaten by men. "I would like to stop but I have no options," Nimo tells AAP. "If I don't there will be no food for my family." Nimo has fallen through the aid safety net. Some two-thirds of the 13,800 asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesia are dependent on aid or live in government-run immigration detention centres, according to the UN Refugee Agency. They're not allowed to work or access social security. Many sleep in the streets near Jakarta's already-full immigration detention centre or queue - day after day - at the UNHCR office seeking help. Others drift from one boarding house to the next begging for food. Some sleep on the steps of a local mosque. "I could never have imagined this life before," Nimo says. "There is no hope. I have children and I am a prostitute. This is a really bad life. It's much harder than Somalia." Nimo fled Somalia with her children after Islamists stoned her younger sister to death and then turned their guns on the rest of her family. She was shot during one attack. Her 10-day journey through Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, and across the Malacca Strait, ended after a two-day bus ride to the Indonesian capital in 2015. Her appeals for help from NGOs and the UNHCR have been refused. During a recent interview - to discuss her sex work - no assistance was offered. Instead, she was lectured about breaking local laws, and the health risks of prostitution. UNHCR Indonesia representative Thomas Vargas says recent humanitarian emergencies - such the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh - mean money earmarked for Indonesia is being redirected. "When there are those types of flashpoints, that's where the limited funding the UNHCR has globally goes," he tells AAP. For refugees in Indonesia, aid is now even harder to come by. "You have limited funding and you have to help the neediest. That's the harsh reality. It's a very tough situation," Vargas says. At night refugee women living on the street risk sexual violence. Refugee Suad, 27, lives in a tight network of laneways near Jakarta's central shopping district. The Somalian says men regularly try to force refugee women to go with them for sex. "When we sleep on the street, West African businessman come to this area. They threaten us and touch us and we are powerless to stop them," she tells AAP. "If you don't say yes they say they can beat you. But I say no, I'm a Muslim, I can't do it. I am hungry and I want money, but I can't do that." Fear of being labelled a prostitute or shunned causes many women to hide their abuse. Suad's family was killed by a bomb in Mogadishu. She says she was abducted, raped and held captive by militants. After she escaped a local mosque raised the money needed to pay people smugglers. Suad says in Somalia rape victims are often accused of being prostitutes and are sent away so as not to shame their family or community. But now, out of desperation, she's now considering going with men. "When you don't have food, when you don't have shelter, life becomes very hard and that is the only option," she says. Mr Vargas says "survival sex" is common among refugees who don't receive aid or have family to protect them. "When you are not able to make a living you resort, unfortunately, to these types of survival techniques and that's a risk refugees have here," he admits. Asylum seekers and refugees across the archipelago are protesting their treatment. But the fact is the UNHCR deals with 65.6 million refugees and forcibly displaced people globally. The crisis is unlike any seen since World War II, according to Mr Vargas. It's stretched aid budgets and led to tougher immigration policies in key resettlement nations. US President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration and Australia's policy of refusing refugees from Indonesia if they arrived after mid-2014 are clear examples, he says. It's created "unpredictability in the (resettlement) system" and left refugees stranded. Immigration policies based on deterrence and criminalisation - rather than protection and human rights - came under the spotlight at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in March. UN special rapporteur Nils Melzer says government policies - rather than criminal activity, corruption and dangerous travel - are the major cause of abuses inflicted on refugees. Footage of a dramatic daylight bikie shooting at a Melbourne tattoo parlour has been released in a bid to track down the gunmen. The footage released by anti-bikie police, shows two armed and hooded men emerge from a stolen silver Audi and storm the shop in Hampton Park about 1.15pm on February 22, before firing nine shots and fleeing in the car which was later found burnt out. A 36-year-old Malvern man suffered life-threatening injuries in the incident, which police believe is related to internal conflict within the Comacheros bikie gang. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the affirmation while hosting a reception in Hanoi on March 31 for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The Vietnamese leader underlined that Wang Yis official visit to Vietnam and his attendance at the sixth Greater Mekong Subregion Summit (GMS-6) are a vivid illustration of Chinas support for the bilateral ties and the neighbouring countrys hosting of GMS-6. Both sides need to enhance the fruitful relations via high-level exchanges, he said, noting that they should address bottlenecks to bring greater economic benefits to each nation. He suggested China facilitate imports of Vietnamese products, invest in high-tech and environmentally friendly projects in Vietnam as well as put forth collaboration with the Southeast Asian country in transport, agriculture, environment, science and technology and finance. He expressed his hope that China will create favourable conditions for Vietnam to access Chinese preferential funds. Regarding the sea issues, PM Phuc laid stress on the serious implementation of the agreement on the basic principles guiding the settlement of issues at sea between Vietnam and China, saying that the issues must be tackled in respect of each others legal benefits and international regulations, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982. Negotiation mechanisms should be promoted to well control disputes and maintain peace and stability in the East Sea, he added. Congratulating Vietnam on its successful organisation of the GMS-6, the Chinese diplomat affirmed that the Chinese Party, Government and People stand ready to enhance the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam. He said that his country will grasp opportunities to bolster collaboration for mutual benefits, and work to address appropriately disagreements to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea and continuously develop the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a stable and healthy fashion. Israeli soldiers fire tear gas as thousands of Gazans march just across the border fence sparking clashes in which 16 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,400 wounded on March 30, 2018 Iran's foreign minister on Saturday condemned the fatal shooting of 16 Gazan protesters by Israeli troops and mocked the fact that it happened as Israeli Jews prepared to mark Passover. The protesters were among thousands who marched along the Gaza-Israel border on Friday and set up protest camps at the start of a six-week campaign for the return of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948. The week-long Passover festival, which began at sundown on Friday, commemorates God's liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt as told in the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible. "On the eve of Passover (of all days), which commemorates God liberating Prophet Moses and his people from tyranny, Zionist tyrants murder peaceful Palestinian protesters -- whose land they have stolen -- as they march to escape their cruel and inhuman apartheid bondage. Shameful," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. Iran has long been a supporter of Islamist group Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip. Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi condemned the "savage massacre of a large number of Palestinians by the armed forces of the Zionist regime (Israel)". He said Israel had felt it could act with impunity because of the backing of US President Donald Trump and the covert ties being established by some regional leaders -- an allusion to Saudi Arabia's 32-year-old de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an arch-foe of Iran. "Unfortunately, the unconditional support of Mr Trump and his administration and the shameful efforts of some ignorant novice leaders to establish disgraceful secret relations with this regime have made the leaders of the Zionist regime more presumptuous," Ghassemi said. The Trump administration has called repeatedly for an alliance against Iran between Israel and the Gulf Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has made no public comment although earlier this month it allowed the first commercial Israel-bound flights to cross its airspace, an Air India service between New Delhi and Tel Aviv. Friday was the bloodiest single day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since a 2014 war in Gaza. UN chief Antonio Guterres called for an "independent and transparent investigation". The hunger strikers are demanding a ceasefire between Afghan security forces and the Taliban Several hunger strikers taking part in a rare sit-in peace protest in Afghanistan's restive south have been taken to hospital for treatment, officials and protesters said Saturday. The week-long demonstration in Lashkar Gah, which has involved up to several dozen men, women and children, began the day after a car bomb attack rocked the city on March 23, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens more. Some of the protesters began a hunger strike on Thursday after their demands for a ceasefire between Afghan security forces and the Taliban were not met. While the sit-in continued, organisers said they had called off the hunger strike on Saturday after the intervention of religious leaders. "Tens of Afghan ulemas came to our protest camp. We have ended our hunger strike conditionally, and we asked the ulema to support or back us in the peace talks," Iqbal Khaibar, one of the protest organisers told AFP. He said the religious leaders had assured demonstrators that there would be peace talks with the Taliban. - 'Without peace it is impossible to live' - Four hunger strikers were taken to hospital for treatment on Friday night, including two who were "in a terrible condition", Helmand provincial public health director Aminullah Abed told AFP. Two men wearing oxygen masks and hooked up to saline drips were seen lying in their hospital beds when an AFP photographer visited on Saturday. "I was unconscious when I was brought to the hospital, otherwise I didn't want this saline drip," Qais Hashemi, 27, said. The peace protest began after a car bomb attack in Lashkar Gah which killed at least 13 people "If they save my life today, tomorrow I will die in a suicide attack." At the sit-in protest men and children held signs reading "Without peace it is impossible to live." The protesters, including civil society activists and relatives of victims killed in violence, had planned to march more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) to Taliban strongholds in the province and try to convince the militants to stop fighting. But the Taliban had told them to take their protest to US military bases -- and warned it would not be responsible for their safety. "Demand that they put an end to the ongoing war and occupation," the Taliban said in a WhatsApp message to journalists. The peace protesters include civil society activists and relatives of victims killed in violence "If something were to happen then responsibility will be placed squarely on your shoulders because you understand that we are at war." The withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014 enabled the Taliban to regain control of opium poppy-rich Helmand which has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the 16-year war. Much of it remains controlled or contested by the militants. The sit-in protest comes amid growing calls for the Taliban to take up President Ashraf Ghani's offer last month of peace talks. His proposal received renewed international support at a conference in the Uzbek capital Tashkent on Tuesday. So far the Taliban have not directly responded to the offer. str-mam-us-amj/klm/ska Abubakar Shekau, whose Boko Haram faction is notorious for suicide bombings killing civilians in Nigeria Four teenage girl suicide bombers have killed two people in multiple attacks in northeast Nigeria, residents said Saturday, in the latest assault since the government announced it was in ceasefire talks with Boko Haram. The suspected Boko Haram attack took place late Friday in the northeast Borno state capital of Maiduguri, the epicentre of the group's Islamist insurgency. The girls, estimated to be between the ages of 13 and 18, attacked the Zawuya settlement on the outskirts of Maiduguri, killing two people, residents told AFP. "We lost two people, a woman and a boy, in two of the four suicide explosions," Zawuya resident Musa Haruna Isa said. One of the bombers blew up while trying to scale a low mud wall outside a house that starting crumbling and detonated her explosive belt, killing the boy, Isa said. "One of them exploded near an open-air mosque, injuring one person," he said, adding that another bomber "panicked from the explosions from her colleagues and squeezed the trigger in the open, killing only herself." However, police said that just one person died in the attack. "They (bombers) detonated the explosives killing themselves and one other person... 13 persons were injured and were taken to a hospital where they are responding to treatment," Maiduguri police said in a statement. The attack highlighted the challenge the government faces in reaching a ceasefire agreement with the fractionalised Boko Haram. Last week, when more than 100 schoolgirls were returned to Dapchi after being kidnapped by the jihadist group, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said his government was offering amnesty to "repentant" jihadists. But senior security officials cautioned that reaching any agreement with the group will be difficult, as it is split into competing factions with different goals. The Islamic State-affiliated faction reportedly in talks with the government is led by Abu Mus'ab al-Barnawi and is known for attacks on military targets, while another faction led by Abubakar Shekau is notorious for suicide bombings killing civilians. Zawuya, a settlement of people displaced by Boko Haram mostly from Rann, a town on the remote northeast border with Cameroon, lies close to the Muna Garage area, home to some 40,000 internally displaced people. Both camps have been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram attacks. A protester runs for cover during clashes with Israeli security forces following a demonstration near the border with Israel, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on March 31, 2018 The United States on Saturday blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation of clashes on the Gaza-Israel border that left 16 dead, diplomats said. Clashes erupted as tens of thousands of Gazans protested near the border on Friday, with Israeli forces using tear gas and live fire to force back smaller numbers of demonstrators who approached within a few hundred yards (meters) of the heavily fortified border fence. In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, according to the Gazan health ministry. Kuwait, which represents Arab countries on the council, presented the proposed statement, which called for an "independent and transparent investigation" of the violence. The draft council statement also expressed "grave concern at the situation at the border." And it reaffirmed "the right to peaceful protest" and expressed the council's "sorrow at the loss of innocent Palestinian lives." The draft statement was circulated to the council on Friday, but on Saturday the United States raised objections and said it did not support its adoption, a Security Council diplomat told AFP. The US mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request from AFP for comment. The proposed statement also called "for respect for international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including protection of civilians," according to the draft seen by AFP. Council members "called upon all sides to exercise restraint and prevent a further escalation," the draft said. The proposed statement stressed the need to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution. Malian jihadist Al Hassan faces war crimes charges for the destruction of buildings in Timbuktu and sex slavery A Malian jihadist was arrested Saturday and handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face war crimes charges for the destruction of Timbuktu and sex slavery, the tribunal said. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was detained by the Malian authorities and has now arrived at the tribunal's detention centre in The Hague, the court said in a late-night statement. The 40-year-old is alleged to have been a member of the Al-Qaeda linked Ansar Dine and the de facto chief of the Islamic police from April 2012 to January 2013. He faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the destruction of the holy shrines of Timbuktu between 2012-2013 as well as accusations of rape and forced marriage. Hassan allegedly "participated in the policy of forced marriages which victimised the female inhabitants of Timbuktu and led to repeated rapes and the sexual enslavement of women and girls," the court said in a statement. Jihadists destroyed the doors of a revered 15th-century mosque in Tumbuktu which has since been renovated His detention "sends a strong message to all those, wherever they are, who commit crimes which shock the conscience of humanity that my office remains steadfast in the pursuit of its mandate," chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said. Hassan's arrest came four days after the court issued an international warrant for his arrest. Prosecutors allege that he "committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in Timbuktu, Mali, between April 2012 and January 2013." "The charges against him are representative of the criminality and resulting victimisation of the population during this period," Bensouda added. - Fabled shrines - He will be only the second Islamic extremist to face trial at the ICC after war crimes judges in 2016 jailed another Malian for nine years, when he pleaded guilty to demolishing Timbuktu's fabled shrines in 2012. The landmark ruling at the world's only permanent war crimes court was seen as a warning that destroying mankind's heritage will not go unpunished. In its first case to focus on cultural destruction as a war crime, the ICC found Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi guilty of directing attacks on the UNESCO world heritage site during the jihadist takeover of northern Mali in 2012. Mahdi "supervised the destruction and gave instructions to the attackers" who took pickaxes and bulldozers to the centuries-old shrines, presiding judge Raul Pangalangan told the tribunal. Hassan, a member of the Turag tribe, however has been further charged with "persecution on both religious and gender grounds; rape and sexual slavery committed in the context of forced marriages; torture and other inhuman acts," the court said in a statement late Saturday. The ICC opened in 2002 to try the world's worst crimes in places where national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute alleged perpetrators. Founded between the fifth and 12th centuries by Tuareg tribes, Timbuktu has been dubbed "the city of 333 saints" for the number of Muslim sages buried there. Revered as a centre of Islamic learning during its golden age in the 15th and 16th centuries, it was however considered idolatrous by the extremist jihadists who swept across Mali's remote north in early 2012. The landmark 2016 verdict by the ICC against Mahdi was the first arising out of the conflict in Mali, and the first time a jihadist had sat in the dock at the court. Hassan is not expected to appear in court for a few days, given the long Easter weekend, a court spokesman told AFP. The court alleges he "played a prominent role in the commission of crimes and religious and gender-based persecution by ... armed groups against the civilian population of Timbuktu," when it was under the control of armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). US civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. at the "March on Washington" in August 1963 where he delivered his celebrated "I Have a Dream" speech Towards the end of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. lamented that his dream had "turned into a nightmare." The US civil rights leader was a weary man when he was cut down by an assassin's bullet at the age of 39 on the balcony of a motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. He was also a controversial man -- unlike the iconic figure celebrated today with a national holiday and an imposing granite memorial in Washington. "He's become frozen in time -- not as the man he was in 1968, but in the image of August 1963 when he gives the 'I Have a Dream' speech," said David Farber, a history professor at the University of Kansas. "It's easy for Americans to forget how polarizing a figure King actually was in the 1960s," Farber said. "He'd become a really radical figure in the United States -- an outspoken opponent of American foreign policy, demanding that justice extend not just to African-Americans but to all poor Americans." A seminal moment came in April 1967, when King made a speech in New York opposing the war in Vietnam, where more than 11,000 US troops were to die that year. A view of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington -- April 4th, 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of the US civil rights leader "King raised the ire of the entire civil rights movement and of government and much of the political structure when he came out against the Vietnam War," said Henry Louis Taylor Jr., director of the Center for Urban Studies at the University of Buffalo. David Garrow, author of "Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference," said opposition to the war was seen as "fringe" at the time, and anti-war sentiment was "not widely popular like it is, say, come 1972." - 'Beyond civil rights' - At the time of his murder by James Earl Ray, a white drifter with racist leanings, King had also been living for years under the constant surveillance of the FBI, which had dubbed him the "most dangerous" man in America. And his unwavering defense of non-violence as the way to bring about change was facing a challenge from a younger, impatient generation of militant black youth. Marchers in the 33rd annual Kingdom Day Parade honoring Martin Luther King Jr. in Los Angeles "The final 12 months of his life, King is so exhausted, so pessimistic about the future, so depressed," Garrow said. "A dozen or more times in his final two years, he says 'The dream I had in Washington in 1963 has turned into a nightmare.'" "One of the things we miss about King is how hard it was to do the work he's doing, the toll it takes," said Jeanne Theoharis, a political science professor at CUNY's Brooklyn College. "How much hate, how much opposition he's facing, and how some of that is in the form of horrible violence," said Theoharis, author of "A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History." Fifty years after his death, the vision of racial equality that King outlined on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial remains elusive. Jason Sokol, a history professor at the University of New Hampshire, said there have been some advances for African-Americans over the years, culminating in the 2008 election of Barack Obama, American's first black president. But racial inequalities persist, "especially when you look at black poverty, the black incarceration rate and the issue of police brutality," said Sokol, author of "The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr." Taylor, the University of Buffalo professor, stressed that by the time of his death, King's ambitions had gone "beyond civil rights to embrace human rights." "King's dream was anchored around imagining another possible world based on economic, social, political and racial justice -- things related to a good education, decent and affordable housing, good jobs with a living wage, quality and accessible health care," he said. A woman holds a sign referencing Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech at a protest by fast food workers "So when we add flesh to King's dream, we realize that we haven't really made much progress over the last 50 years in the realization of that dream," he said. "While certainly there have been changes in the racial attitudes of individuals, the racism that is embedded in institutions and in structures in the United States has not changed much at all." - King's legacy - At the same time, King's legacy looms large in myriad ways. "King said in his Nobel Prize lecture in 1964 that the Freedom Movement was spreading the widest liberation in human history," said Taylor Branch, author of "America in the King Years," a trilogy about King's life and the civil rights era. "He was referring to worldwide and not just for black people," said Branch, an executive producer of the documentary "King in the Wilderness" which airs on HBO on Monday. "In many respects it has succeeded beyond his imagination," Branch said. "I don't think -- at a time when homosexual behavior was not talked about but was even criminal -- he would have dreamed we would have marriage equality," Branch said. "Or a black president. Or all the gains that have been accrued for women." King's legacy can also be seen in the Black Lives Matter campaign against police violence and other movements for social justice, Taylor said. "Most recently you saw it in the 'March for Our Lives' in which millions of kids all over the country took to the streets," he said. Martin Luther King Jr's granddaughter Yolanda Renee King (L) speaks next to student Jaclyn Corin during the March for Our Lives rally in Washington on March 24, 2018 "I'm extremely optimistic that out there we're seeing a new generation of folks in this country who are resurrecting the notion of King's dream," he said. One of those kids at the March for Our Lives was King's nine-year-old granddaughter Yolanda Renee, who galvanized the crowd by recalling his most famous words. "I have a dream that enough is enough," she said. "And that this should be a gun-free world, period." Robert F. Kennedy's coffin is carried out of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York The year 1968 featured a series of tumultuous events in the United States. Here are some of the most notable occurrences during the year: - January 23 - A North Korean guide next to the USS Pueblo, a US Navy intelligence vessel seized by North Korea in 1968 and held to this day North Korea captures the USS Pueblo, claiming the US Navy intelligence vessel violated its territorial waters. One member of the Pueblo's crew was killed in the attack and the other 82 held for 11 months before being released. - January 30 - North Vietnamese troops launch the Tet Offensive, with tens of thousands of troops attacking dozens of towns and cities across South Vietnam, including the capital Saigon. The military defeat helped turn the US public against the war. - March 31 - In a surprise announcement, President Lyndon B. Johnson says he is not running for re-election. - April 4 - US civil rights leader Martin Luther KIng, seen here at the 1963 "March on Washington," was assassinated on April 4, 1968 Black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, is assassinated by a white supremacist, James Earl Ray, in Memphis, Tennessee. Riots break out in dozens of US cities despite appeals for calm. - April 11 - President Johnson signs the Fair Housing Act, also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which bans discrimination in housing based on race. - April 23 - Students at Columbia University opposed to the Vietnam War seize several buildings on the New York campus. More than 130 students are injured and 700 arrested when police crack down on the protest a week later. - June 4 - Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy, 42, is assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan, a Jordanian-born Palestinian, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. - August 28 - Anti-war protesters are beaten up and teargassed by police and members of the National Guard at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey wins the Democratic presidential nomination the next day. Tommie Smith (C) and John Carlos (R) raise their fists on the podium at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City to protest racial injustice - October 16 - To protest racial injustice, black sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, winners respectively of the gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter dash at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, raise black-gloved fists in the air as the American national anthem is played during the medal ceremony. - November 5 - Republican Richard Nixon defeats Humphrey in the presidential election. - December 21 - Apollo 8, carrying three astronauts -- Jim Lovell, Bill Anders and Frank Borman -- takes off from the Kennedy Space Center and becomes the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon and return to Earth. A Congolese woman from Goma city sits on the beach of the Tam Tam resort at Gisenyi in neighbouring Rwanda A small but remarkable new migration is taking place in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as well-heeled Congolese up sticks to live in Rwandan towns lying just across the border. Gisenyi and Kamembe, on the northern and southern tips of Lake Kivu respectively, are seen as more stable, more secure and with a better standard of living than their sprawling, troubled Congolese neighbours, the cities of Goma and Bukavu. "In 2013 I received threats in Goma. I was evacuated to Gisenyi. I went back to Goma a year later. I was still worried for my safety. Three friends in my district were killed," said Jacques Kahora, a humanitarian worker who settled permanently in Gisenyi in 2016. Adrien, a 28-year-old employee with an NGO, has been renting a house in Gisenyi for 80 dollars (65 euros) a month for almost a year, roughly half of what he would pay in his home town of Goma. Each day he nips back across the border to Goma, a matter of a few kilometres (miles), to work and see family and friends. "I mainly do it for access to certain basic things, like water and electricity. In Gisenyi, there are hardly any power cuts, but in Goma they happen daily -- sometimes you can go a whole week without electricity," said Adrien. Rwanda also offers a high-performance wifi service, which is used by residents of Goma and Bukavu whenever Congolese authorities cut internet access as part of a crackdown on anti-government protests. Like Adrien, most of the Congolese nationals still work in Goma or Bukavu and only spend the night in Rwanda. "Here all we bring is sleep," says Leston Kambale, 38, who moved to Gisenyi eight years ago and has put his three children into Rwandan schools. "As an IT specialist, I needed electricity 24 hours a day. And there's also the question of safety. Here in Gisenyi, you can walk around from dusk to dawn without a problem," he added. To cross the border, Congolese must present their passport or special authorisation issued by the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (ECGLC) at the two brand-new customs posts on both sides of the border. People returning at night have to watch the time, as the Congolese border post closes at 10 pm. To live in Rwanda, the Congolese must pay 20,000 Rwandan francs (about $23) to obtain a two-year residence permit -- more than a week's average pay in this part of the world, but a modest sum for middle-class Congolese. - '1,000 hills, 1,000 holes' - How many Congolese live part-time or permanently in Rwanda is unclear. But anecdotal evidence -- the numbers of people looking for homes or building plots, and rising prices driven by the demand -- suggests the movement is gaining momentum. On Sundays, young people from Goma, which lies on the northern tip of Lake Kivu, cross the border to enjoy a day of relaxation on the Tam-Tam beach, a popular well-tended spot on the shore. "In Goma, there are only private properties on the lakeside. Here in Gisenyi, we can still go for a swim," says Guilain Balume, a journalist met between the paddle boats and the volleyball pitch. At the southern end of the lake, Congolese people are leaving overpopulated Bukavu, where houses with steep roofs are clustered together on rising hillsides. They head for Kamembe, close to Cyangugu on the frontier. "More than 900 families have left Bukavu to live in Kamembe," said Patient Bashombe, a lawyer in charge of the coordination bureau for civil society in DR Congo's South Kivu province. "Rwanda is the 'Land of a Thousand Hills' and we live in the Land of a Thousand Potholes," a Congolese driver, Jean, said drily as he contemplated a cratered local road. At the Goma-Gisenyi border post, an aged Congolese man was returning "back home" to Rwanda after a Sunday spent with the family in Goma. Referring to Rwandan military involvement during the Second Congo War, which officially ended in 2003, the man quipped, "The Rwandans conquered us by force of arms. Today we are conquering them economically." Ian Khama, left, has stepped down as Botswana president and Mokgweetsi Masisi, right, will be inaugurated on Sunday Botswana prepared to inaugurate Mokgweetsi Masisi as president on Sunday in a ceremony designed to highlight a smooth handover of power in one of Africa's most stable countries. Ian Khama, the son of Botswana's first post-independence leader, officially stepped down as president on Saturday after serving the constitutional maximum of 10 years in office. His vice president, Masisi, will take over a county widely seen as a success story -- benefitting from good governance and lucrative income from its diamond, beef and tourism sectors. It is rated as the least corrupt country in Africa by Transparency International, but has recently struggled with rising unemployment and tensions over the uneven sharing of its vast diamond wealth. Khama finished a national farewell tour this week, bidding a months-long goodbye to the country's population of 2.2 million. The government published photographs of Masisi attending Saturday's dress rehearsal for the inauguration. The televised event will be held at parliament buildings in the capital Gaborone, in front of an audience of 1,200 people, with proceedings beginning at 6:00 am (0400 GMT). Masisi, 55, is a close ally of Khama and a veteran of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). He is a US-educated former teacher, UNICEF employee and education minister, whose father was also a cabinet minister. Khama earned a record for straight talking, often criticising leaders including US President Donald Trump and -- unlike many in the region -- neighbouring Zimbabwe's then-president Robert Mugabe as well as Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila. "Internationally, he positioned himself as a moral leader," Matteo Vidiri, a BMI Research analyst, told AFP. "(But) a slowing economy and increasing public discontent has damaged the narrative of Botswana's 'special character', of a country being able to escape the 'resource curse'." Khama, 65, led the BDP to landslide victories in two elections, although the party won less than 50 percent of the vote for the first time in 2014. Four opposition parties have said they could unite for the 2019 election to try to unseat the ruling party, which has held power since independence in 1966. At a farewell event in his home village last week, Khama was showered with gifts including a 4x4 truck, 143 cows, hundreds of chickens, more than 415,000 pula ($44,000, 35,000 euro) and a fully-equipped luxury caravan. Bangladesh has been waging a campaign against JMB and other homegrown militant outfits in the wake of attacks including the assault on a cafe in Dhaka that left 22 people dead in July 2016 A prominent Bangladeshi lawyer who fought the state's case in a high-profile murder trial against Islamist extremists has disappeared, police said Sunday, with grave fears for his safety. Ratish Chandra Bhowmik, a respected prosecutor and champion of minority rights, has not been seen since he left his home in Rangpur early Friday morning. His disappearance comes a fortnight after seven militants from the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh were sentenced to death for murdering the caretaker of a Sufi shrine in November 2015. Bhowmik led the case that saw nearly a dozen hardliners from the homegrown extremist group convicted for killing the caretaker because they considered him a heretic. Lawyers in the northern Bangladeshi city have staged protests calling for information about their colleague. "We are concerned and worried," said Abdul Malek, a lawyer who represented the state with Bhowmik in the trial against the militants. Bhowmik, a Hindu and leading cultural activist, also lead the state's prosecution against five JMB extremists sentenced to death for the murder of 66-year-old Japanese farmer Hoshi Kunio in 2015. Rangpur regional police chief Khandaker Golam Faruque told AFP that Bhowmik had refused the offer of an armed escort during the high-profile trials. "There was no threat against him. His family filed a complaint about his disappearance on Friday night," Faruque said. JMB regrouped after the execution of its founder and top leadership in 2007 and has been blamed for a wave of attacks on religious minorities, atheist bloggers and foreigners in recent years. In July 2016, suspected JMB militants stormed a Dhaka cafe and massacred 22 hostages, including 18 foreigners, in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group. Bangladesh has been waging a campaign against JMB and other homegrown militant outfits in the wake of the attacks. Security forces have shot dead more than 70 alleged militants in a crackdown since the cafe assault. Hundreds of suspected Islamists have also been arrested, and scores have been sentenced to death. The event featured over 500 pavilions of 675 firms, including 112 of trade promotion agencies of 21 countries and territories, with the participation of around 3,000 entrepreneurs. Travel businesses of Vietnam and other countries introduced their products at the event. Statistics of 21 travel agencies showed that a total 29,300 guests booked their package tours worth VND245 billion (US$10.74 million). A survey conducted by the organisers have showed that 81.2% of participating units said they were satisfied with the VITM 2018, and 74.5% of them will continue to join the event in the future. Under the theme of Online travel, Vietnam tourism looks toward the fourth industrial revolution, the VITM 2018 had numerous activities encouraging enterprises to gain access to and grasp business opportunities in the digital era. Outstanding businesses and individuals who made contribution to Vietnams tourism development were honoured at the event, including 12 leading travel agents in 2017. Vietnam aims to serve between 15-17 million foreigners and 78 million domestic travellers this year, with total revenue expected to hit VND620 trillion (US$27.28 billion), up 21.35% year on year. A resident tries to collect salvageable belongings from her destroyed house in Marawi After fleeing for their lives nearly a year ago, some residents of the battle-scarred Philippine city of Marawi were allowed back Sunday for the first time -- to dig through the rubble that was once their homes. Swathes of the southern city were destroyed in five months of house-to-house fighting between troops and jihadists loyal to the Islamic State group that killed nearly 1,200. The stunned and tearful residents, who once lived in what became the main battle zone, had not been allowed home until now due to fears of unexploded bombs still buried in the ruins. Authorities finally relented as rebuilding plans are moving forward, which will likely result in many of the worst-hit areas being razed. On Sunday some 7,000 residents returned, digging charred furniture and broken toys from the rubble left by the battles that broke out in May 2017. "I cried in anger, pain," Samsida Mangcol, 44, told AFP of the moment she saw what was left of her bridal boutique, which now has "I love ISIS" spray-painted across one its walls. "I used to rent out clothes but now I have become a beggar, asking my relatives for things to eat and wear," the mother-of-three said as she caressed a ruined wedding gown. Marawi on Mindanao island, the principal Islamic city in the mainly Catholic Philippines, was besieged by hundreds of local and foreign gunmen waving black IS flags who attacked it in what authorities said was an attempt to establish a Southeast Asian base. - 'We crawled in fear' - Over the course of the next month other groups of residents will be allowed to return for up to three days each, to view their old homes and salvage what they can before rebuilding starts. Sunday's group walked forlornly through streets littered with rubble, twisted metal and the skeletons of bullet-riddled cars. "Our house was still new when we left it. We had prepared everything for Ramadan (the Islamic fasting month)," said Maimona Ambola, a 44-year-old mother of seven. "A bomb has destroyed it all. Our bed has turned into ashes." The battle, which ended in October, was the biggest security crisis under firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte. The destruction was similar to that inflicted on Aleppo or Mosul, military and local officials say. Many of the city's 200,000 residents fled their homes in a rush for safety, including more than 10,000 people from the so-called "ground zero". They have since been living in evacuation centres or with relatives in other towns. Residents cross a concrete beam of a destroyed house Months after the fighting ended, residents still visited at their own risk. The conflict zone has 53 unexploded bombs from military airstrikes weighing as much as 226 kilogrammes (500 pounds) as well as explosives left behind by the militants, according to Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of the military task force in Marawi. "We lack the equipment to excavate the bombs. One bomb we recovered, for example, took us five days because we had to dig 10 metres deep and 10 metres wide," Brawner told AFP, adding the military aimed to finish the effort by June. The threat posed by those bombs as well as memories of their flight, were uppermost in the minds of Sunday's visitors. A resident stands amid the rubble of her destroyed home "We crawled in fear... We brought nothing but the clothes on our backs. We left because we thought the soldiers were about to respond and there would be a gunfight," said Mangcol, the bridal shop owner, of her escape. "A bullet does not recognise a civilian from a terrorist." Onlookers watch as the GSAT-6A communications satellite is launched India's national space agency has lost contact with a satellite days after it was launched into orbit with much fanfare, authorities said Sunday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lost communication with the GSAT-6A satellite as it prepared to undertake its third and final orbiting manoeuvre on Saturday. "Efforts are underway to establish the link with the satellite," ISRO said in a statement. The satellite -- an indigenous model weighing more than 2,000 tonnes -- was designed to improve communications for the armed forces. It was launched from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. The space programme is a source of much pride in India and an achievement that highlights its emergence as a rising power and major world economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the launch Thursday, saying he was "proud of @isro for taking the nation towards new heights and a brighter future". The launch was seen as another feather in the cap for ISRO scientists, who won Asia's race to Mars in 2014 when an Indian spacecraft reached the Red Planet on a shoestring budget. That feat burnished India's reputation as a reliable low-cost option for space exploration, with its $73 million price tag drastically undercutting NASA's Maven Mars $671-million mission. In February last year India put a record 104 satellites into orbit from a single rocket, surpassing Russia which launched 39 satellites in one mission in June 2014. But the Indian space programme has also been blighted by failures, most recently in August last year when a mission to launch a backup navigation satellite suffered a major technical glitch. Ian Khama, left, stepped down as Botswana's president, succeeded by Mokgweetsi Masisi, right, who vowed Sunday to tackle youth unemployment Botswana's new president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, used his inauguration speech on Sunday to vow to tackle youth unemployment in one of Africa's most stable countries. The swearing-in ceremony in parliament came after Ian Khama stepped down having completed the constitutional maximum of 10 years in office. As the vice president, Masisi took over automatically, and he is likely to secure a further five-year term in elections in October 2019 when the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is expected to hold on to power. Botswana prides itself on good governance and rule of law, and the carefully managed handover of power comes a full 18 months ahead of parliamentary elections in 2019. Masisi, the former vice president, takes over a county widely seen as an African success story that has made good use of its lucrative income from diamond, beef and tourism. It is rated as the least corrupt country in Africa by Transparency International. But it has also struggled with rising unemployment rate of about 18 percent and an HIV epidemic. "It is because of the peace and tranquillity that our leaders have sustained for so long that Batswana (people) have continued to enjoy relative prosperity," Masisi said after taking his oath. "One of my top priorities as the president of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment especially amongst the young people." He also pledged to improve treatment and prevention of HIV in a country with a 22 percent infection rate among adults. - Continuity politics - President Masisi, 55, is a close ally of Khama and a BDP veteran. He is a US-educated former teacher, UNICEF official and education minister, whose father was also a cabinet minister. "Despite its small size, Botswana continues to play an important role in the promotion of global issues such as respect for human rights, democracy, good governance (and) the rule of law," Masisi said. Khama, 65, completed a months-long national farewell tour last week, bidding goodbye to the country's population of 2.2 million. He earned a record for straight talking, often criticising leaders including US President Donald Trump and -- unlike many in the region -- neighbouring Zimbabwe's then-president Robert Mugabe as well as Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila. Khama led the BDP to landslide victories in two elections, although the party won less than 50 percent of the vote for the first time in 2014. "Internationally, Khama positioned himself as a moral leader," Matteo Vidiri, a BMI Research analyst, told AFP. "(But) a slowing economy and increasing public discontent has damaged the narrative of Botswana's 'special character', of a country being able to escape the 'resource curse'." Four opposition parties have said they could unite for the 2019 election to try to unseat the BDP, which has held power since independence from Britain in 1966. At a farewell event in his home village, Khama was showered with gifts including a 4x4 truck, 143 cows, hundreds of chickens, more than 415,000 pula ($44,000, 35,000 euro) and a fully-equipped luxury caravan. His father, Seretse Khama, served from 1966 to 1980 as Botswana's first president. Palestinian protesters run from tear gas fired by Israeli forces during clashes along the border with Israel, east of Gaza City on April 1, 2018 hundreds more when a major demonstration led to clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip Israel rejected calls for an independent probe on Sunday after its soldiers killed 16 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more when a major demonstration led to clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip. Israel's military has faced questions from rights groups over its use of live fire on Friday, the bloodiest day in the conflict since a 2014 war, while Palestinians accused soldiers of firing on protesters posing no threat. Both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini have called for an independent investigation. On Saturday, the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation of the violence, diplomats said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the soldiers for "guarding the country's borders," while Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the protests were not a "Woodstock festival". Lieberman said calls for an independent investigation were hypocritical and on Sunday repeated his rejection of such a probe. "There will be no commission of inquiry," he told Israel's public radio. Medical staff help an injured Palestinian man at an emergency medical tent after clashes with Israeli security forces near the border with Israel, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 01, 2018 "There will be no such thing here. We shall not cooperate with any commission of inquiry." Netanyahu also hit back at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his sharp criticism of what he called Israel's "inhumane attack" in Gaza. "The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately," Netanyahu tweeted. He has previously labelled Erdogan as someone who "bombs Kurdish villagers". Erdogan responded later in the day by calling Netanyahu a "terrorist." - 'Hard to believe' - On Friday, Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from a main protest camp attended by tens of thousands and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the blockaded Gaza Strip. A Palestinian man wounded in clashes with Israel forces along the border with the Gaza Strip receives treatment at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on April 1, 2018 The military has defended actions of its soldiers and said they opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers. It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border. Israel accuses Hamas, the Islamist group that runs Gaza and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protest as cover to carry out violence. In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded Friday, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, the health ministry in Gaza said. No casualties were reported among Israelis. The armed wing of Hamas said five of those killed were its members who were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people". The Israeli army alleges 10 of the dead had "documented terror backgrounds" in Hamas and other groups and were killed "whilst carrying out acts of terror". Unverified videos being shared online have fuelled the debate, including one appearing to show a protester running with a tyre being shot while seeming to pose no threat. Israel's army has issued a statement saying footage is being "edited and fabricated," without referring to specific videos. A young Palestinian wounded in clashes with Israeli forces during protests on the border with the Gaza Strip receives treatment at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on April 1, 2018 Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticised Israel's use of live fire. Israel had deployed troop reinforcements along the border, including more than 100 special forces snipers, saying it would prevent attempts to break through the fence. In Tel Aviv on Sunday, between 200 and 300 leftwing Israeli opposition demonstrators staged a protest outside the offices of Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party to denounce the government's role in the killings. "The government is doing everything it can to present the Palestinians as the only guilty party whereas it played an important part in the responsibility for what happened," Hagit Ofran of the Peace Now group which opposes Israeli settlement of Palestinian land told AFP. Peace Now issued a statement condemning what it called the army's "trigger happy" policies under orders from the government. - More protests ahead - The Gaza protests, which include tents erected at various areas, are designed to last six weeks, ending around the time the United States moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in mid-May. Palestinian protesters carry an injured man during clashes with Israeli forces along the border with Israel, east of Gaza City on April 1, 2018 The embassy move has deeply angered the Palestinians, who see Jerusalem's annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state. But while tens of thousands attended Friday's start of the protests, demonstrations have since dwindled. Several hundred attended on Saturday, while on Sunday dozens were in the area, with low-level clashes occurring. "I left the hospital today and I came straight back," Hamada Zaza, 18 and with a bloodied bandage on his hand covering what he said was a bullet wound, told AFP. The protests may however again see large crowds after this coming Friday's main Muslim prayers and for other key dates ahead. May 14 will mark 70 years since the creation of Israel and is when the United States is expected to open its new Jerusalem embassy. A Palestinian man swings a sling shot during clashes with Israeli security forces near the border with Israel, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 01, 2018 Palestinians will mark what they call the Nakba, or "catastrophe," the following day. The Nakba commemorates the more than 700,000 Palestinians who either fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948. Gaza's protest is in support of refugees, including those in the Palestinian enclave who want to return to their former homes in what is now Israel. Roman Catholic clergymen pray during the Easter Sunday procession on April 1, 2018 at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed to be the site of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, in the old city of Jerusalem Hundreds of pilgrims filed into Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre -- believed to be the site of Jesus's resurrection -- for Easter celebrations on Sunday. Western Christians marked Easter on Sunday, while eastern Orthodox Christians do so on April 8. The eastern Orthodox marked Palm Sunday on April 1 and also held mass at the church in Jerusalem's Old City, with worshippers holding palm fronds as is tradition. Some worshippers prostrated over a stone -- where they believe Jesus's body was anointed before his burial -- near the towering wooden doors at the entrance to the church. The church is built at the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. A recently renovated ornate shrine within the church surrounds the cave where Jesus is believed to have been buried. Easter marks the day when Christians believe the miracle of his resurrection occurred. Catholic Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa held mass at the church on Sunday morning near the shrine over the cave, entering dressed in the traditional purple Easter robe. He made reference to the Middle East's numerous conflicts in his homily, saying "our times are marked by death". "Easter is the ability to come back and look at our history in the light of the promise of life that takes place today," he said. "Yes, today, at Easter, we announce a life that death can no more extinguish." On Friday, Christians traced the route of the Stations of the Cross through the Old City, which pass through the traditional sites of Jesus's condemnation up to his crucifixion. In March 2017, renovations to the 19th-century shrine covering Jesus's tomb were unveiled following a $3.7 million project that restored its stones to their original reddish-yellow and reinforced the heavily visited site. The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of the church, but disputes between the three had led to renovations being delayed for decades. People in Bangui's flashpoint PK5 district have accused UN peacekeepers of failing to to tackle local armed groups UN peacekeepers on patrol in the Central African Republic exchanged fire with members of an armed group in a Muslim enclave of the capital Bangui, the United Nations said Sunday. The peacekeepers were fired at in the Muslim rebel bastion called PK5, home to several armed groups and they responded, said Herve Verhoosel, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission known by its initials MINUSCA. The attack occurred Saturday evening and "clearly the target was the peacekeeping troops," he added. The armed groups operating in the PK5 area have taken advantage of the weakness of the state since the end of a sectarian conflict pitting mainly Muslim rebels against nominally Christian militias. Saturday's attack was the first on UN peacekeepers in the area since violence resumed in PK5 in 2017. "These attacks... show the criminal nature of the groups who have taken up arms in the PK5 area," said Verhoosel. The leader of the criminal group in question has "told the media that they would attack peacekeepers," he added. On Wednesday, Nimery Matar Jamous, head of the main "self-defence" group in PK5, threatened MINUSCA, telling AFP that "if the UN blue helmets want a war, they only have to tell residents to leave the area and we will defeat them". The UN recently threatened to dismantle all the armed groups' bases in the area unless they hand over their weapons, according to sources. In February a tradesman's group in the area urged MINUSCA to deal with armed groups who have been intimidating them and extorting protection money. "The PK5 is the economic lung of Bangui and must remain so," said Verhoosel, comparing the armed groups to the Italian mafia. PK5's population used to be fully behind the armed groups, which sprung from a desire to protect their neighbourhoods as the country spiralled into civil war in 2016. A mainly-Muslim alliance, the Seleka, seized power in Bangui but lasted only 10 months before being forced out. All the Muslims either fled the capital or took refuge in PK5. Constantly under attack by vigilantes from the anti-balaka militias set up to defend Christians from the balaka machetes used by Seleka rebels, the PK5 Muslims funded the creation of their own self-defence groups. Most of them were former Seleka rebels. The Syrian border town of Albu Kamal was a long-time stronghold of IS jihadists but was during a Russian-backed offensive in 2017 Jihadists from the Islamic State group have killed at least 19 pro-government fighters in a spate of attacks in eastern Syria, a monitoring group said Sunday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacks over the past 24 hours struck in and around the town of Albu Kamal, near the border with Iraq. IS has largely been defeated since storming across the region in 2014, but still clings to pockets of territory in eastern Syria and maintains the ability to launch deadly attacks. Albu Kamal was a long-time stronghold of the jihadists that they lost in the face of a Russian-backed offensive at the end of 2017. The Observatory says the group now holds less than five percent of territory in Syria, mainly pockets in the deserts of eastern and central regions. But the group managed to launch a surprise strike in the capital Damascus last month that saw them capture the Qadam district. The Observatory said the death toll among pro-regime fighters in the strike had risen to 116 after more bodies were discovered in the rubble. MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) - "We've made a bunch of mistakes." ''Everyone needs complete control over who they share with at all times." ''Not one day goes by when I don't think about what it means for us to be the stewards of this community and their trust." Sound familiar? It's Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressing a major privacy breach - seven years ago . Lawmakers in many countries may be focused on Cambridge Analytica's alleged improper use of Facebook data, but the social network's privacy problems go back more than a decade. Here are some of the company's most notable missteps and promises around privacy. The logo for Facebook appears on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square, Thursday, March 29, 2018. Facebook's decision to stop working with third-party data collectors might earn it public-relations points, but it does little to protect your privacy. The social network still has more than enough data on your interests and hobbies to target ads with precision. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 2007 The social media darling unveils its Facebook Platform to great fanfare. Zuckerberg says app developers can now access the web of connections between users and their friends, a set of connections Facebook calls the "social graph." "The social graph is changing the way the world works," he says . That November, Facebook launches Beacon , which shares what users are doing on other websites with their Facebook friends. Many users find it intrusive and difficult to disable. Massachusetts resident Sean Lane buys his wife a diamond ring for Christmas on Overstock.com, but Facebook ruins the surprise , an incident leading to a class-action lawsuit. In December, Zuckerberg apologizes and enables users to shut off Beacon. "I know we can do better," he says . 2008 Facebook launches Facebook Connect , aiming to correct Beacon's mistakes by requiring users to take deliberate action before they share activity from other websites when logged in using Facebook. More than 100 websites use the tool at launch, including CNN and TripAdvisor. 2009 Facebook announces "privacy improvements" after a yearlong review by Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner found that it geared its default privacy settings toward openness, failed to inform users their data would be used to serve ads, and leaked data to third party developers, including when their friends used apps. Facebook vows to encourage "users to review their privacy settings" but does not agree to all the recommendations. Beacon is officially shut down, settling Lane's class action lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union warns people that Facebook's default settings mean that when a friend uses an app or takes a quiz, the quiz- or app-maker can peer into your profile, even if you've made it private. 2010 App-makers exhibit a sophisticated grasp of data they can scoop from Facebook's social graph. The Wall Street Journal reports that many popular apps are transmitting personalized Facebook data to dozens of advertising and internet companies, among them, Zynga's breakout game FarmVille. Facebook responds by shutting down some apps. Prior to the Journal report, Facebook says it has redesigned its privacy tools, giving its 400 million users "the power to control exactly who can see the information and content they share. 2011 The Federal Trade Commission reaches a consent decree with Facebook after an investigation of its broken privacy promises to consumers. The FTC alleges, among other things, that: -Facebook made its users' friend lists public in December 2009, even if they had been set to private, without telling them. -Even if users limited data sharing to "friends only," data was actually shared with third party apps that friends used. -Facebook failed to verify the security of apps it put on a "verified apps" list. -Facebook promised not to share personal information with advertisers, but did. Facebook promises to submit to a privacy audit every two years for the next 20 years, and Zuckerberg owns up to mistakes. 2012 Facebook introduces new methods to help advertisers reach people in ways "that protect your privacy," including an encryption tool called Custom Audiences that lets marketers match the email addresses of sales leads to the addresses that Facebook users used to set up their accounts. Facebook also rolls out new privacy tools aimed at simplifying its convoluted and confusing privacy controls. Among other things, it narrows the scope of app permissions so they don't suck in as much user data automatically. 2013 Facebook shares two-year-old anonymized data on billions of friendships between countries with Cambridge researcher Aleksandr Kogan and co-authors a research paper with him (published in 2015). Kogan creates a quiz app, installed by around 300,000 people , giving him access to tens of millions of their friends' data. 2014 Facebook says it dramatically limits the access apps have to friend data, preventing the type of data scoop Kogan and others were capable of. It also requires developers to get approval from Facebook before accessing sensitive data. 2015 Facebook says it learns from Guardian journalists that Kogan has shared data with Cambridge Analytica in violation of its policies. It bans the app and asks Kogan and Cambridge Analytica to certify they had deleted the data. It rolls out "Security Checkup ," a new tool aimed at simplifying its convoluted and confusing privacy controls. 2017 Facebook introduces "Privacy Basics ," a Frequently Asked Questions site aimed at simplifying its privacy controls. 2018 Facebook says it learns from The Guardian and other media outlets that Cambridge Analytica did not delete improperly obtained Facebook data and suspends the company, Kogan, and whistleblower Christopher Wylie from its service. Zuckerberg tells CNN that "I'm really sorry that this happened." He promises to audit app makers that gathered massive amounts of data prior to 2014 and to notify affected users. Amid calls for investigations in the U.S. and U.K., the FTC begins investigating whether Facebook broke its 2011 consent decree. "Our responsibility now is to make sure that this doesn't happen again," Zuckerberg says. Facebook redesigns its privacy settings menu on mobile devices and says in a blog post, "It's time to make our privacy tools easier to find." ___ Follow AP Technology Writer Ryan Nakashima at https://twitter.com/rnakashi PARIS (AP) - A judicial official says that the father-in-law of Pippa Middleton, the sister of the wife of Britain's Prince William, has been handed preliminary charges by a French judge for alleged rape of a minor for events in the 1990s. The official said on Friday that David Matthews was questioned three days earlier by special police handling cases involving minors. An investigation magistrate filed a preliminary charge of "rape of a minor by a person in authority." The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the case and asked to remain anonymous. The official said the alleged events dated to 1998 and 1999. French press reports that the complaint was filed by a niece couldn't be immediately confirmed. FILE - In this May 20, 2017 file photo, Jane and David Matthews, the parents of hedge fund manager James Matthews, appear at their son's wedding to Pippa Middleton, the sister of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, at St Mark's Church in Englefield, England. A judicial official says that David Matthews has been handed preliminary charges by a French judge for alleged rape of a minor for events in the late 1990s. (Justin Tallis/Pool Photo via AP, File) Preliminary charges call for further investigation and can be dropped with insufficient evidence. Matthews was allowed to remain free but must periodically report to judicial authorities. He became Pippa Middleton's father-in-law after her marriage last year to hedge fund manager James Matthews. BALTIMORE (AP) - A Maryland man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for terrorism financing and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State. The U.S. Department of Justice says Mohamed Elshinawy of the Edgewater suburb pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and received $8,700 to carry out a future attack in the United States. The Pittsburgh-born Elshinawy was a 7-Eleven employee and newspaper deliveryman when he came on the FBI's radar. Investigators say much of the money he received came from a United Kingdom-based electronics company run by Siful Sujan, an ISIS hacker who coordinated anti-surveillance technology and weapons development and was killed in December 2015 airstrikes. Elshinawy was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander. The 32-year-old faces 15 years of supervised release. Six "takfiris" were killed by the Egyptian army during two separate counter-terrorism raids in North Sinai during the past week, with one army officer and one soldier killed in ongoing security operations, the military said on Sunday. In one raid, an army unit destroyed a terrorist hideout, killing one takfiri in an exchange of fire, army spokesperson Colonel Tamer El-Rifaie said on his official Facebook page. Weapons and ammunition were found in the hideout, he added. In a second raid, Egypt's Second Army Division led a military operation in North Sinai that resulted in the killing of another five terrorists in an exchange of fire, the military said. No details were given of the circumstances under which the two army personnel died, nor any information on their identities. In a video published by El-Refaie, the military provided updates on its ongoing Operation Sinai 2018 counter-terrorism effort, which was launched on 9 February. The operation targets "terrorist and criminal elements and organisations" in northern and central Sinai, as well as parts of the Nile Delta and the Western Desert, the army said at the start of the operation. Sunday's updates, which consitute the military's 17th communique on the operation, included news of Egyptian air force raids that destroyed a number of hideouts and other structures used by takfiri militants in North Sinai governorate. The Arabic word "takfiri" refers to extremist Sunni Muslims who accuse other Muslims and followers of other religions of being infidels, often as a justification for using violence against them. The latest communique also said that army engineers in North Sinai had discovered and detonated 136 improvised explosion devices in the past week. The armed forces also managed to destroy takfiri 930 structures, including hideouts, shelters and warehouses containing explosive materials. According to the communique, a total of 513 suspected criminals and fugitives were arrested. The border guards and police forces manned more than 600 joint checkpoints on the main highways and the desert roads in North Sinai. The borders guards also discovered and destroyed a tunnel in the border city of Rafah used to smuggle narcotics. Security and military forces destroyed 84 farms used to produce hashish and marijuana in Central Sinai, according to the communique. On the Egypt's Western borders with Libya, meanwhile, the Egyptian army stopped an attempt to smuggle a huge quantity of narcotics. The border guards also prevented 169 people of different nationalities crossing Egypt's borders illegally. Along the southern borders with Sudan, the border guards also arrested people smuggling both drugs and gold. Short link: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kelly Macdonald looks every inch the star, in a stylish dress and perfect makeup and manicure - which she proudly notes she did herself. And yet, the Scottish-born actress says with mock distress, she's cast as the servant rather than leading lady in films including "Gosford Park" and the upcoming "Holmes and Watson." That's not always the case, witness "The Child in Time," based on Ian McEwan's acclaimed 1987 novel about a toddler's kidnapping and its aftermath. Macdonald and Benedict Cumberbatch star as the couple whose world is staggered by the loss. This image released by PBS shows Kelly Macdonald as Julie Lewis, left, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Lewis in a scene from "The Child In Time," based on Ian McEwan's novel about the aftermath of a child's kidnapping. Macdonald and Cumberbatch play the couple whose marriage is staggered by the loss. (Pinewood Television, SunnyMarch TV and MASTERPIECE for BBC One and MASTERPIECE via AP) Potential viewers shouldn't be put off by the tragedy that propels the story, as heartbreaking as it is, Macdonald said of the drama airing 9 p.m. EDT Sunday on PBS' "Masterpiece" (check local listings for times). "This isn't about a missing child and finding that child in a procedural (crime story)," she said in an interview. "At at the end it's about love. ... It's nuanced and beautiful and uplifting." Nuanced applies as well to Macdonald's body of work, whether as a bereft parent in "Child," a woman threatened by a hired killer in "No Country for Old Men," a gangster's wife in "Boardwalk Empire" or, yes, even the naive maid she played in "Gosford Park." Acting was always her preoccupation. "I used to dress up as Wonder Woman in my backyard in Glasgow in the '70s," she recalled, smiling at the memory. "From day one, I wanted to watch films all the time and I would re-enact scenes from 'Calamity Jane' and 'Singin' in the Rain,' which is weird because they're musicals and I'm not a song-and-dance person." She made a quick career start with "Trainspotting" and kept going. She marvels that the temporary visa allowing her to work in America is the O-1B issued for people "with an extraordinary ability" in the arts, movie or TV industries, according to federal rules. "Oh, so you're exceptional?" a Los Angeles airport passport control agent said to Macdonald as he checked her documents earlier this year, the actress recalled. "It's just a bit of an ego boost when you come here and you're 'exceptional,'" she said, adding, "Thank you very much!" She's playing opposite another outstanding British actor in "The Child in Time," and found Cumberbatch "a dream to work with." "He's so good, and I think we're both quite generous actors," she said. "I have worked with people where you give, and you don't quite get back. ... Some people just know what they're doing and do it regardless of your intonation." She and Cumberbatch take different approaches to acting - he's intellectual, she's more instinctive - but "it's like we get each other," Macdonald said. Cumberbatch, whose company produced the film, returned the compliment earlier this year during a Q&A with TV critics. Macdonald is "astonishingly natural and open and fluid and just completely at ease with her craft," he said. The stars acknowledge that the film, in part a time-shifting meditation on childhood lost and found, may seem dauntingly painful. But the "real story isn't about the missing child. It's about a real relationship and the breakdown of that relationship and the possible coming back together," Macdonald said. "There is hope," said Cumberbatch. ___ Online: http://www.pbs.org ___ Lynn Elber can be reached at lelber@ap.org and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lynnelber. LOS ANGELES (AP) - It's fair to say that a lot of people awoke Friday to a headline that might have jolted them more awake than a morning cup of joe: A California judge had ruled that coffee sold in the state should carry a cancer warning. Here are some things to know about the ruling and how it might affect you: WHAT'S THE BEEF WITH COFFEE? FILE -In In this Sept. 22, 2017, file photo, a customer pours milk into coffee near a posted Proposition 65 warning sign at a Starbucks coffee shop in Los Angeles. Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle has ruled that California law requires coffee companies to carry an ominous cancer warning label because of a chemical produced in the roasting process. Judge Berle wrote in a proposed ruling Wednesday, March 28, 2018, that Starbucks and other coffee companies failed to show that the threat from a chemical compound produced in the roasting process was insignificant. At the center of the dispute is acrylamide, a carcinogen found in many cooked foods, that is produced during the roasting process. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) Like many foods that are cooked, coffee-roasting creates a chemical byproduct called acrylamide that is a carcinogen. The Council for Education and Research on Toxics, a small nonprofit, took the coffee industry to court under a California law that requires warnings where chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects are present. Coffee companies, led by Starbucks Corp., acknowledge the presence of the chemical, but said it's found in trace levels that are harmless. They argue any risks are outweighed by other health benefits from drinking the beverage. While scientists have gone back and forth for years on benefits or risks from coffee, concerns have eased recently and some studies have found health benefits and even lower risks of getting certain cancer types. But a Los Angeles Superior Court judge said Big Coffee had failed to prove their case. HAVE I SEEN THIS MOVIE BEFORE? The same group took potato chip makers to court in California years ago because acrylamide is present in fried potatoes. Under a settlement, the industry agreed to remove the chemical from chips. Attorney Raphael Metzger, who represents the nonprofit, said if chip makers could do it, so can coffee roasters. That is his ultimate goal. But coffee companies have said it's not feasible to remove acrylamide without ruining coffee's flavor. In addition to posting warnings, coffee companies could face some civil penalties of up $2,500 for each person in California exposed daily over eight years. "The judge could impose crippling penalties which is all the more reason why it would behoove these companies to settle the case," Metzger said Friday. WHEN WILL I START SEEING SCARY CANCER WARNING LABELS? Anyone living or visiting California may have noticed signs warning about cancer risks at gas stations, hardware stores, cafes and even Disneyland. The law was passed by voters more than 30 years ago and the signs are so ubiquitous and often vaguely worded that most people pay little heed. For example, parking garages caution: "This area contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm." "The breadth of the statute requires a proliferation of warning that results in the public not being warned because there are so many without specificity that they're essentially broadly disregarded," said attorney Jim Colopy, who has defended manufacturers and distributors in similar lawsuits. After the lawsuit was brought, many coffee shops began posting warnings that specifically say California has determined acrylamide is among chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. The signs also say that cancer risk is influenced by a variety of factors and that the Food and Drug Administration has not advised people to stop drinking coffee or eating baked goods that contain acrylamide. Many of the signs that are posted, however, are in places not easily visible, such as below the counter where cream and sugar is available. The ruling could result in signs being placed at counters where customers see them before making a purchase and will require warnings on packaging of ground coffee and bags of roasted beans. IS SOME WACKY CALIFORNIA LAW GOING TO KILL MY MORNING BUZZ? The law only applies to California, but the state is such a massive market that tailoring packaging with warnings specifically to stores in the state could be a tall order. Colopy said it's not feasible for his clients who market products nationally and worldwide to create California-only packaging. "Often industry has no choice but to provide a warning no matter where they are sold, whether inside or outside of California," he said. So, the short answer is maybe. Supporters of the law would argue broader awareness is not such a bad thing. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Latest on a campaign to end closed-door, one-on-one meetings between Mormon lay leaders and youth (all times local): 3:45 p.m. About 1,000 Mormons and former faithful have marched to the church's headquarters in Salt Lake City to deliver petitions demanding an end to one-on-one interviews between Mormon youth and lay leaders and the sexual questions that sometimes arise. Robin Day cries as hundreds of Mormons and ex-Mormons gather before marching to the church's headquarters to deliver petitions demanding an end to one-on-one interviews between Mormon youth and lay leaders and the sexual questions that sometimes arise during the meetings Friday, March 30, 2018, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) They carried signs saying, "Mormon children, we have your back" and "No more closed doors" as they protested the meetings that they contend lead to unhealthy shaming of youth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed policy this week to allow children to bring a parent or adult with them if they choose. The protesters say that doesn't go far enough. The march had been planned for months by a group that launched a campaign last year. Mormon spokeswoman Irene Caso says Friday that the church "condemns any inappropriate behavior or abuse regardless of where or when it occurs." ____ 12:30 a.m. A group of people demanding an end to one-on-one interviews between Mormon youth and lay leaders and the sexual questions that sometimes arise during the meetings plan to march to church headquarters Friday to show they're not satisfied despite a rule change this week that allows children to bring parents with them. Group organizer Sam Young, a Mormon father from Houston, says a parent or adult should be required for all meetings. He said sexual questions often become explicit and argues children should only be asked if they are obeying the faith's law of chastity. Church officials say the interviews allow bishops to get to know youth better and determine their religious habits and obedience to God. Young is expecting several hundred people at the event that comes one day before a church conference. Laurie Shipp, center left, and Jody England Hansen, center right, show their support with about 1,000 Mormons and ex-Mormons before marching to the church's headquarters to deliver petitions demanding an end to one-on-one interviews between Mormon youth and lay leaders, Friday, March 30, 2018, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Jesse Stay, a former scout master, shows his support with about 1,000 Mormons and ex-Mormons before marching to the church's headquarters to deliver petitions demanding an end to one-on-one interviews between Mormon youth and lay leaders, Friday, March 30, 2018, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SEATTLE (AP) - Jeisson Vargas doesn't like to talk much. His scoring - and his Montreal Impact teammates - say plenty about him. Vargas scored on a point-blank shot in the 60th minute, and the Impact beat the short-handed Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Saturday night. "A lot of times, guys with that (quiet) type of personality aren't great on the field, but he has been fantastic for us," goalkeeper Evan Bush said of Chilean native Vargas, who is in his first MLS season. "I came in here and said congratulations to him, and he was laughing and smiling, just like a kid. Montreal Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush, right, leaps to make a stop during the second half of an MLS soccer match against the Seattle Sounders, Saturday, March 31, 2018, in Seattle. The Impact won 1-0. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) "His personality and enthusiasm and playful attitude he has to play the game, it's infectious, and you can sense that." Montreal won its second straight after an 0-2-0 start, with both wins coming against the last two MLS Cup winners - 1-0 against defending champion Toronto on March 17, and now against 2016 titlist Seattle. "I'm quite pleased with the results, and I'm quite pleased with the way we played the game," coach Remi Garde said. "We went under pressure in the second half, even though we were a man up. We knew Seattle was a good team, especially in home games. We have these two games in a row, so we're going to try to keep this momentum." The Sounders are 0-3-0 for the second time in club history. They also dropped three in a row to start the 2016 season before winning the MLS Cup. "While we had some good moments - we had a couple of sequences where we were able to keep possession in their field, win the ball back, stuff like that - it's not as good as we would have liked," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "I thought the chances we created with 10 men were pretty decent. Some of those set pieces we were dangerous on." Ignacio Piatti set up Vargas' goal. Piatti had the ball on the top right side of the 6-yard box. He tried to get closer to the net, but couldn't get psat Seattle defender Roman Torres. Piatti passed it back toward the top of the 6, and Vargas sent a wide-open shot into the back left corner, his second goal of the year. Vargas nearly had one in the first half when he launched a 26-yard free kick over a five-man Seattle wall. But Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei lunged and slapped it away from the left post and over the top. "That was a big goal, and I'm really happy for him," defender Ken Krolicki said. "He could have had the one in the first half. But one goal is all you need if you defend well." Seattle, which has yet to score this season, had a player sent off with a red card for the third straight game. This time, it was defender Kelvin Leerdam in the 40th minute after he undercut Daniel Lovitz when the Impact defender leaped for a ball on the left side near midfield. As the two got up and scuffled after the foul, Leerdam slapped Lovitz on the left side of his head. A video review was called, and referee Ismail Elfath came back from it to send Leerdam off the field. Lovitz was issued a yellow for the scuffle. That was the second game in a row Seattle has lost a player to a straight red following a video review. Clint Dempsey was ejected in the 37th minute of a 3-0 loss at Dallas on March 18. Tony Alfaro picked up a second yellow and subsequent red in the 83rd minute of a season-opening 1-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC on March 4. The Sounders have been down a man for 110 of the 270 minutes they've played this year. "I get it - guys get heated in the heat of the moment," Schmetzer said. "But that's when you have to be most composed. That sort of stuff is going to stop." Montreal Impact forward Jeisson Vargas (16) celebrates with teammates after he scored a goal against the Seattle Sounders, during the second half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, March 31, 2018, in Seattle. The Impact won 1-0. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Seattle Sounders defender Kelvin Leerdam (18) battles with Montreal Impact defender Victor Cabrera (2) for a header in the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, March 31, 2018, in Seattle. Leerdam was sent off with a red card for violent conduct later in the half. The Impact won 1-0. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei, second from right, goes down as Montreal Impact forward Jeisson Vargas (16) moves in to kick a goal during the second half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, March 31, 2018, in Seattle. The Impact won 1-0. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) ATLANTA (AP) - Tyrone Brooks was 22 years old and 400 miles away, seeking clues to an unsolved lynching as old as he was, when he got the news that Martin Luther King Jr. was dead. Stunned, Brooks dropped everything and drove to Memphis, crying all the way. The next day, King's closest confidant, the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, told Brooks: "Tighten your belts and dry your tears. If you love Martin Luther King as you say you do, help me carry on his work." The members of King's tight circle barely paused to grieve. They plunged into carrying out his unfinished work, and turned it into a lifelong vow. FILE - In this May 2, 1969 file photo, Rev. Ralph David Abernathy gives the victory sign as he is escorted back to jail from Charleston County Court in Charleston, S.C., wear he and others were taken for hearings on violating an injunction limiting pickets at two hospitals. The members of King's tight circle barely paused to grieve, after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. They plunged into carrying out his unfinished work and turned it into a lifelong vow. (AP Photo/Lou Krasky, File) Some went into politics. A few continued to serve the organization that King led or started their own. Others returned to the pulpit, preaching a gospel of racial liberation. And the King legacy continues, evident today in a new generation protesting many of the same issues King confronted : inequality, police brutality and poverty. "Legally, segregation was outlawed, but we still face a danger in public space," said Bree Newsome, who climbed a pole to snatch down the Confederate flag at the South Carolina statehouse in 2015. "In that way, I absolutely feel that what we're doing is continuing in the legacy of Martin Luther King." Even so, the problems persist. A poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found only 1 in 10 African Americans think the United States has achieved all or most of the goals of the civil rights movement. Among whites, only 35 percent believe those goals have been at least mostly achieved. "A lot of people across the country see injustice or inequality as unfortunate, almost like a car accident, instead of unjust and something they have to do something about," said Rashad Robinson, 39, who uses King's example as a guide in his work as executive director of the online civil rights group Color of Change. "People talk a lot about empathy, but King was really building power. Power is the ability to change the rules, and Dr. King was all about changing the rules." Jesse Jackson parlayed his service at King's side into a blend of grassroots activism and elective politics. Through aggressive voter registration, Jackson assembled a base of support patterned after the "beloved community" King envisioned for America and ran for president twice in the 1980s. His candidacy is widely considered to have laid the foundation for the election of the first black president, Barack Obama, in 2008. "We were determined to keep moving, in his name," Jackson said. After the assassination, Brooks helped lead the Mule Train - a caravan of mule-drawn wagons that symbolized poverty - out of the Deep South to Washington for the Poor People's Campaign, King's last big protest, in the summer of 1968. He followed up his career in King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference with nearly four decades as a Georgia legislator, pushing legislation that would eventually remove the Confederate symbol from the state flag. Now 72, Brooks does advocacy work around the same 1946 quadruple lynching he was pursuing 50 years ago. No one was ever arrested or charged in the case. "Some of us are so committed to making sure the dream never dies, we committed to this struggle for life," Brooks said. Though only 13 when King was killed, the Rev. Al Sharpton was already an SCLC activist. He said his dramatic approach, aimed at seizing media attention and the national spotlight, came from King's playbook. "King knew how to deal with movement theater and we had to recreate that," said Sharpton, 63. "When people say, 'All they want is publicity,' that's exactly what we want. That's what King wanted. Because if you can't make something a public issue, no one will seek to solve it." That strategy has largely been the focus of the Rev. William Barber, who began the Moral Mondays movement in North Carolina in 2013 to push back against rollbacks on education, health care and voting. "It's time to change the moral narrative," said Barber, 54, who will lead a revival of the Poor People's Campaign this spring to attract new attention to poverty. Brittany Packnett, 33, who became an activist after Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, said her activism is fueled by King's willingness to "sacrifice himself for a freedom he may never see." "If Dr. King hadn't done this for us, we wouldn't be here," Packnett said. "As persistent as injustice is, so will we be." ___ Whack is The Associated Press' national writer on race and ethnicity. Follow her work on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/emarvelous ___ For AP's complete coverage marking 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, go to https://apnews.com/tag/MartinLutherKingJr ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for many issues throughout his life as a minister and the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, speaking out against various barriers holding back blacks, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Native Americans. Fifty years after his assassination, some of these barriers have fallen - but others remain. Here is a look at five civil rights issues King addressed during his lifetime and where they stand now: SEGREGATION FILE - In this Feb. 22, 1956, file photo, Rosa Parks is fingerprinted by police Lt. D.H. Lackey in Montgomery, Ala., two months after refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger on Dec. 1, 1955. She was arrested with several others who violated segregation laws. Parks' refusal to give up her seat led to a boycott of buses by blacks in December 1955, a tactic organized by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which ended after the U.S. Supreme Court deemed that all segregation was unlawful on Dec. 20, 1956. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick, File) Four days after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus, King exhorted a crowd at the Holt Street Baptist Church to launch a bus boycott. "Now let us go out to stick together and stay with this thing until the end," he told the thousands gathered at the church that day in 1955. A federal court ended racial segregation on Montgomery public buses, elevating King into the national spotlight. Years later, he stood behind President Lyndon Johnson at the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned segregation in public places and employment discrimination on the basis of race or national origin. Still, King's legacy concerning desegregation remains mixed, according to Gordon Mantler, a professor at George Washington University. "Yes, the traditional spaces like lunch counters and restrooms were integrated," Mantler said. "But some lunch counters were shut down and public pools became private." And while schools became largely integrated in the 1980s, many have re-segregated. In 1988, for example, about 44 percent of black students went to majority-white schools nationally. Only 20 percent of black students do so today, according to a study examining the nation 50 years after the release of the landmark 1968 Kerner Report. The Kerner Report came from a commission created by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967 to examine the causes of urban riots in the 1960s. It blamed them largely on poverty, joblessness and tension with police and minority communities. VOTING King's participation in the 54-mile (87-kilometer) march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery elevated awareness about the troubles blacks faced in registering to vote. President Johnson addressed a special session of Congress after marchers were attacked by white mobs and police, successfully urging lawmakers to pass the Voting Rights Act. Here, Mantler said King achieved a lasting effect. By the 1970s and 1980s, the American South had elected thousands of blacks to various offices, compared to almost none in the 1950s. Black and Latino coalitions sprouted in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Houston to elect people of color to local and federal offices - and eventually aided in electing the nation's first black president. POVERTY King was assassinated in Memphis while coming to the aid of striking sanitation workers. He also was in the midst of organizing the Poor People's March on Washington, a campaign that sought to highlight the economic and human rights of poor citizens of all ethnic backgrounds struggling with poverty. Former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris of Oklahoma, the last surviving member of the Kerner Commission, said the fight to reduce poverty remains one of King's most significant unfinished works. "There are far more people who are poor now than was true 50 years ago," Harris said. "Inequality of income is worse." The percentage of people living in deep poverty - less than half of the federal poverty level - has increased since 1975, according to a study marking the 50th anniversary of the Kerner Report. About 46 percent of people living in poverty in 2016 were classified as living in deep poverty - 16 percentage points higher than in 1975. Rev. William J. Barber II, a Goldsboro, North Carolina, pastor who is leading a multi-ethnic "Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival" later this year, said tackling poverty remains a moral obligation for the nation. "After 50 years, we still have work to do," he said. HOUSING During King's lifetime, landlords could refuse to rent to blacks and Latinos, and racial covenants and redlining allowed people of color to be excluded from buying homes in certain neighborhoods. After King's assassination, President Johnson asked Congress to pass the long-stalled Fair Housing Act, which banned refusing to rent or sell housing based on race, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin. In the decades after the act's passage, black homeownership rose by almost 6 percentage points. But those gains were wiped out from 2000 to 2015 when black homeownership fell 6 percentage points. Harris, the former senator, said blacks were disproportionately affected by the subprime loan crisis of the late 2000s, which contributed to the further racial and economic segregation of neighborhoods, especially in urban areas. WAR "I oppose the war in Vietnam because I love America," King told an audience at New York's Riverside Church in 1967. "I speak out against this war, not in anger, but with anxiety and sorrow in my heart, and, above all, with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as the moral example of the world." King had concluded that militarism, like poverty, was stalling the U.S. from living up to its ideals. And Mantler said King felt it ultimately could lead to fascism. Today, the U.S. remains involved in the war of Afghanistan, and maintains military bases around the world. Mantler said the nation did not heed King's warning that war damages the nation's moral authority. "Both parties fight to give more money to the Pentagon," Mantler said. "It hasn't changed." And that support for militarism often comes at the expense of fighting poverty, he said. ___ Associated Press writers Russell Contreras is a member of the AP's race and ethnicity team. Follow Contreras on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras ___ For AP's complete coverage marking 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, go to https://apnews.com/tag/MartinLutherKingJr HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Vietnam and China on Sunday called for restraint in resolving disputes in the South China Sea. Speaking to reporters at a joint press briefing with his Chinese counterpart, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the two countries should manage the disputes and not expand them. "We propose that the two sides in the coming time should seriously implement the mutual understandings of leaders (of two countries) ... well manage disputes, do not have activities that complicate and expand disputes, respect the legitimate rights and interests of each other in accordance with international laws," Minh said. For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said "settling maritime disputes is very important for the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations." Wang said the two sides "should not carry out unilateral activities that would complicate the situation and should strengthen maritime cooperation to build a healthy environment in order to reach an ultimate agreement on resolving the sea dispute, which will effectively boost the bilateral practical cooperation." China's top diplomat said the two countries' current relations are on "very positive trend," and he described the two neighboring countries as "good neighbors, good comrades, good friends and good partners." Wang's visit comes a week after Vietnam reportedly halted a major oil drilling project in the South China Sea for the second time in a year, following pressure from China. Vietnam and China, along with four others, claim all or parts of the South China Sea, which lies on one of the world's busiest sea lanes and potentially sits on rich natural resources. China's recent increased militarization of its seven artificial islands in the South China Sea has angered some countries in the region. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trumpx (all times local): 11:25 a.m. President Donald Trump says Mexico has "got to help us at the border." President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for Easter services at Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, in Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, April 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Trump says a lot of people are coming into the U.S. from Mexico because they want to take advantage of a U.S. program that protects "Dreamer" immigrants from deportation. Trump ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program last year, though a federal judge has ordered the administration to continue renewing permits. Months of negotiations between the White House and lawmakers in both parties have failed to produce a deal to protect the "Dreamers." Trump tweeted about the issue before he attended Easter services at a church near his Palm Beach, Florida, home. Asked about the tweets, Trump blamed Democrats, saying they blew a "great, great chance" to make a deal. ___ 11:10 a.m. President Donald Trump is attending Easter services at an Episcopal church near his home in Palm Beach, Florida. The president was accompanied by his wife, Melania, and daughter Tiffany. He was expected to return to his Mar-a-Lago estate afterward to join other families for annual Easter festivities, including brunch and an Easter egg hunt. Trump has attended the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea for years. It's also where he and the first lady got married in 2005. The president opened the religious holiday by tweeting "HAPPY EASTER!" to his many followers. He complained in a follow-up tweet about "ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws" that he says make it harder for Border Patrol agents to do their jobs. He also said a deal to help immigrants known as "Dreamers" was "NO MORE." ___ 10:40 a.m. President Donald Trump says he'll stop Mexico's "cash cow" unless it does more to stop its people from crossing into the U.S. Trump tweets on Easter that Mexico is doing next to "NOTHING" to stop illegal immigration and laughs "at our dumb immigration laws." The president adds that Mexico must "stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!" The U.S., Canada and Mexico are currently renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement at Trump's insistence. Trump says NAFTA hurts the U.S. Trump promised during the presidential campaign to build a southern border wall to stop illegal immigration and drugs coming in from Mexico, but Congress has frustrated the president by not moving as quickly on the wall as he would like. ___ 10:25 a.m. President Donald Trump is claiming that Border Patrol agents can't do their jobs properly because of "ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws" that allow people caught for being in the country illegally to be released while they await a hearing before a federal immigration judge. Trump tweets on Easter that the situation is "Getting more dangerous" and "Caravans" are coming. He offers no information to back up his claims. Trump also says Republicans in charge of the Senate "must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW." Senate rules require 60 votes for legislation in the 100-member Senate. Republicans only control 51 seats, and GOP Senate leaders basically have rejected Trump's calls to change the longstanding rules. Trump also says "NO MORE DACA DEAL!" to help immigrants known as "Dreamers." OUDENAARDE, Belgium (AP) - Niki Terpstra continued his fine form by winning the Tour of Flanders classic with a well-timed late attack on Sunday, becoming the first Dutch rider in more than 30 years to win the race. Terpstra caught a mini-breakaway group of three riders on the final climb, and the Quick-Step Floors rider moved too far ahead to be caught. Danish rider Mads Pedersen finished second and Belgian rider Philippe Gilbert - last year's winner - was third. "It's a dream come true. Winning Paris-Roubaix (in 2014) and now the Tour of Flanders," Terpstra said. "Those two races were always a big dream for me when I was young kid. I was already crazy about those two races, I can't describe how happy I am." Netherland's Niki Terpstra from the Quick-Step team crosses the finish line to take first place in the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, April 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) The previous Dutchman to win the Tour of Flanders was Adri van der Poel in 1986, and this was Terpstra's second classics win in quick succession. He also won the E3 Harelbeke on March 23. As he neared the line in Oudenaarde, after 263 kilometers (163 miles) of grueling riding in tricky conditions, Terpstra looked round three times to see where Pedersen was. Finally, he knew victory was assured and raised his arms in the air as he free-wheeled the last 20 meters. Along with the rain and chilly temperatures, riders weren't helped by a stray car driving on the course in the Flemish town of Aalst, about 60 kilometers into the race. Startled riders cautiously navigated around the slow-moving gray car, or moved aside. After a few moments, the driver finally managed to get off the course. The race, also known as De Ronde, is one of five higher-profile classics along with Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro di Lombardia. It features 18 short but punishing climbs and five cobblestone sections. Terpstra caught the front three - which included Pedersen - on the final grueling Paterberg cobble climb and opened up a comfortable lead. Earlier, a crash on a slippery road took down some 10 riders, sending one of them rolling into a roadside ditch. It was similar to a crash during last year's race, which took down 2016 winner Peter Sagan. He was not caught up in it this time. Sagan, who won the Gent-Wevelgem classic for the third time last Sunday, finished sixth. With 40 kilometers left, the front trio of Pedersen and Dutch pair Sebastian Langeveld and Dylan van Baarle led by about 30 seconds. Approaching the final 25 kilometers, Italian rider Vicenzo Nibali, the 2014 Tour de France champion, launched a surprise attack. But he did not get far before being caught by the pack. After catching the front three, Terpstra opened up a lead of 40 seconds. Sagan attacked with 16 kilometers left, deciding it was time to chase him down. But he realized it was a futile chase and eased up with eight kilometers left. Paris-Roubaix, known as the "Hell of the North" for its even more challenging cobbles, is next Sunday. Last year, Olympic road champion Greg Van Avermaet overtook Zdenek Stybar just before the line in a thrilling finish. But Terpstra will be the rider to stop. Netherland's Niki Terpstra from the Quick-Step team crosses the finish line to take first place in the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, April 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) Netherland's Niki Terpstra from the Quick-Step team crosses the finish line to take first place in the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, April 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) Netherland's Niki Terpstra from the Quick-Step team crosses the finish line to take first place in the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, April 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is making it clear he was fired from his job amid conflicting claims from the White House. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters on Sunday told The Associated Press that Shulkin had "resigned" from his job when President Donald Trump abruptly announced via Twitter last Wednesday that he was nominating White House doctor Ronny Jackson to replace him. But in television interviews, Shulkin said he had not submitted a resignation letter, or planned to, and was only told of Trump's decision shortly before the Twitter announcement. He said he had spoken to Trump by phone earlier that day about VA improvements, with no mention of his job status, and was scheduled to meet with the president the next morning. FILE - In this March 7, 2018, file photo, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin speaks at a news conference at the Washington Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington. Shulkin is making it clear he was fired from his job amid conflicting claims from the White House. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) "I came to run the Department of Veterans Affairs because I'm committed to veterans," Shulkin said. "And I would not resign, because I'm committed to making sure this job was seen through to the very end." The semantics could be relevant to Trump's ability to name an acting VA secretary to temporarily fill Shulkin's place. Last week, Trump named Defense Department official Robert Wilkie to the acting position, bypassing Shulkin's deputy secretary, Tom Bowman. Bowman has come under criticism for being too moderate to push Trump's agenda. Under federal law, a president has wide authority to temporarily fill a federal agency job if someone "dies, resigns, or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office." There is no mention of a president having that authority if the person is fired. Still, it's unclear if courts would seek to draw a legal distinction between a firing and a forced resignation, if that is indeed what happened to Shulkin. The day after announcing that he was replacing Shulkin, Trump told a rally in Richfield, Ohio, that he had been dissatisfied with efforts to improve VA. Shulkin had enjoyed Trump's support for much of his first year in the administration, but that eroded in February after a bruising ethics scandal and political infighting at VA. A VA spokesman did not have immediate comment Sunday. Wilkie, now listed on the VA website as acting secretary, took over Shulkin's duties last week. The back and forth over the circumstances behind Shulkin's departure - and what it could mean for Wilkie's status - comes as the nomination of Jackson is drawing concern among lawmakers and veterans groups. They worry the Navy rear admiral and lifelong physician lacks the experience to manage an enormous agency paralyzed over Trump's push to expand private care. Trump's new Cabinet nominees also are beginning to pile up in the Senate, likely leading to weeks of confirmation battles and other delays in the run-up to congressional midterm elections in November. That could mean an extended reign for an acting VA secretary. On Sunday, Shulkin, who had previously recommended Jackson to be VA undersecretary of health, repeatedly demurred when asked to fully endorse Jackson for the job of VA secretary. He noted the complexity of running the government's second largest department. "This is a very tough job," Shulkin said. "I'm not sure that anybody realizes how complex this is ... I think he is going to need to have a good team around him, like everybody will, to be successful." Shulkin's dismissal comes amid a broader shakeup of top Trump administration officials and charges of excessive spending by Cabinet officials. Also currently under fire are Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. The AP reported last week that Pruitt paid just $50 a night for about six months last year to stay in a Capitol Hill condominium linked to a prominent Washington lobbyist whose firm represents fossil fuel companies. On Sunday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, and Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., questioned whether Pruitt would be able to last in his job. "I don't know how you survive this one, and if he has to go, it's because he never should've been there in the first place," Christie said. "He's in real trouble ... I think it seems that he may be on his way out," Jones said. Shulkin spoke on CNN's "State of the Union" and NBC's "Meet the Press," and Jones and Christie appeared on ABC's "This Week." ___ Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed from Palm Beach, Florida. The head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II, led the Palm Sunday mass at a church on Egypt's north coast on Sunday, and in his remarks commemorated the 47 victims of two bomb attacks on Palm Sunday 2017. Pope Tawadros led the service at the Virgin and Saint Marina Church near El-Alamein, in the north-coast governorate of Matrouh, one year after two terrorist bombs struck churches in Tanta and Alexandria. According to Al-Ahram Arabic website, Tawadros said that the Coptic Church remembered the victims of the attacks, referring to them as "martyrs". The pope also called on people to maintain innocence in their hearts, like children "who are simple and innocent". He slammed the world in general for losing its innocence. "Make your heart as white as palm heart," he told the assembled worshippers. In April 2017, two terrorist bombings at St George Cathedral in Tanta and St Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria killed a total 47 worshippers in near-simultaneous attacks. The Islamic State group claimed the attacks, which were timed to take place on Palm Sunday at the start of Holy Week. Short link: MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian Foreign Ministry asked the international agency that monitors chemical weapons for information Sunday about the investigation of the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in England. A list of questions submitted to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons includes what sort of assistance Britain requested from the watchdog agency and which sampling procedures were used to collect the substance that sickened Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. OPCW representatives were among a group of experts Britain asked to analyze the chemical agent involved in the poisonings. Britain claims it was the Soviet-manufactured nerve agent Novichok and has said Russia is likely responsible, which Moscow adamantly denies. A plane carrying Russian diplomats and their family members ordered to leave the U.S. is parked after landing at Vnukovo 2 government airport outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, April 1, 2018. The United States and more than a dozen European nations kicked out Russian diplomats on Monday and the Trump administration ordered Russia's consulate in Seattle to close, as the West sought joint punishment for Moscow's alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy in Britain. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) The Foreign Ministry's request came on the same day that Russian diplomats and their families returned to Moscow on two planes after being expelled from the United States, part of the international fallout from the March 4 attack on the Skripals. Following a wave of similar expulsions ordered by Britain and numerous allies, the United States ordered 60 Russian diplomats out of the country. Russian news agencies said the diplomats kicked out of the United States returned on two flights that landed Sunday at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. One carried diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Washington; aboard the other were diplomats from the Russian Consulate in New York and Russia's United Nations mission. More than two dozen countries and NATO have expelled Russian diplomats in support of Britain. Russia has ordered an equal number of most of those countries' diplomats to leave and for Britain to reduce the staff at its Moscow embassy to the same number that Russia maintains in London. Russia consistently has complained that Britain has not provided evidence to back up its claim of Russian involvement or that the poison that afflicted the Skripals was a Russia-developed nerve agent. The Russian Foreign Ministry also submitted questions to British and French authorities on Saturday. The ministry did not say what actions Russia might take if the parties do not answer the questions or provide partial responses. A bus carrying Russian diplomats and their family members ordered to leave the U.S. depart from Vnukovo 2 government airport, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, April 1, 2018. The United States and more than a dozen European nations kicked out Russian diplomats on Monday and the Trump administration ordered Russia's consulate in Seattle to close, as the West sought joint punishment for Moscow's alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy in Britain. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Two children embrace as people gather and board a bus at the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Buses carrying Russian diplomats and their family members who were ordered to leave the U.S. depart from Vnukovo 2 government airport, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, April 1, 2018. The United States and more than a dozen European nations kicked out Russian diplomats on Monday and the Trump administration ordered Russia's consulate in Seattle to close, as the West sought joint punishment for Moscow's alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy in Britain. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) A plane which carried Russian diplomats and their family members ordered to leave the U.S. stay on parking after landing at Vnukovo 2 government airport outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, April 1, 2018. The United States and more than a dozen European nations kicked out Russian diplomats on Monday and the Trump administration ordered Russia's consulate in Seattle to close, as the West sought joint punishment for Moscow's alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy in Britain. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) People gather around departing vehicles at the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) People gather around departing vehicles at the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) People gather as a bus and other vehicles are loaded at the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) A bus and other vehicles drive from the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Bus passengers hold up a Russian flag as they leave the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) People walk down the driveway from the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018, after a bus and other vehicles departed . A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Vehicles leave the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) People gather to board vehicles at the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) People gather and board a bus at the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) A woman takes a group photograph as people gather and board a bus at the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Vehicles leave the Russian Embassy in Washington, Saturday, March 31, 2018. A group of Russian diplomats, who earlier in the week were ordered by the US Administration to leave the country, and their families have left Russia's embassy and will fly to Moscow. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Consulate employees remove the U.S flag at the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and said it was closing a U.S. consulate in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain, a tit-for-tat response that intensified the Kremlin's rupture with the United States and Europe. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Military cadets walk past the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and said it was closing a U.S. consulate in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain, a tit-for-tat response that intensified the Kremlin's rupture with the United States and Europe. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Consulate employees remove the U.S flag at the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and said it was closing a U.S. consulate in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain, a tit-for-tat response that intensified the Kremlin's rupture with the United States and Europe. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Thomas Leary, the U.S. Consul General in St.Petersburg, 2nd right, observes as goods are loaded onto a truck outside the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and ordered the closing of the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg by Saturday evening in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Thomas Leary, the U.S. Consul General in St.Petersburg speaks as goods are loaded onto a truck outside the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and ordered the closing of the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg by Saturday evening in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Thomas Leary, the U.S. Consul General in St.Petersburg, centre, loads a sack onto a truck at the U.S. consulate as a Russian police officer guards the entrance, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and ordered the closing of the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg by Saturday evening in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Goods are loaded onto a truck outside the U.S. consulate as a Russian police officer guards the entrance in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and ordered the closing of the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg by Saturday evening in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Goods are loaded onto a truck outside the U.S. consulate as a Russian police officer guards the entrance in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and ordered the closing of the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg by Saturday evening in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Goods are loaded onto a truck outside the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and ordered the closing of the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg by Saturday evening in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Goods are loaded onto a truck outside the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and ordered the closing of the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg by Saturday evening in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Goods are loaded onto a truck outside the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and ordered the closing of the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg by Saturday evening in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Zlatan Ibrahimovic insists the lion is hungry as he embarks on a fresh challenge with LA Galaxy. The former Sweden striker completed a move to the MLS side last week, announcing his arrival in style by taking out a full-page advert in a local newspaper, after securing an early release from his contract at Manchester United. The 36-year-old, who has battled back from a serious knee injury, is heading towards the latter stages of his career. But Ibrahimovic still believes he has plenty to offer in a Galaxy shirt. I feel young. I said once before I feel like Benjamin Button, he told a press conference screened live on the Galaxys official website. I was born old, now I will die young. Dont worry about my age. When I came to England they all said I was old and I came in a wheelchair. After three months I conquered England and they said I was flying. This is only numbers. I know what I am able to do and I know what I will do. I come here to win. I feel excited. The lion is hungry. Ibrahimovic arrived in Los Angeles to a heros welcome on Friday, becoming the latest in a long line of superstars to sign for the Galaxy. Zlatan Ibrahimovic met his new team-mates on Saturday (Lionel Hahn/Empics) David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane and Ashley Cole have all represented the Galaxy. And Ibrahimovic believes that was one of the main reasons why he joined the club. They called and I answered, the Swede said. They are the most successful club in the US, the MLS, and I think it is the right environment for me. They are used to getting players from Europe in this situation and there are good people behind the club. I see the potential. I am just an extra puzzle in the big puzzle. I choose LA Galaxy because I wanted it. I know what I can bring it, and I will bring it. I am not arrogant, I am confident. Ibrahimovic has met his new team-mates and had his first training session in Galaxy colours, putting him in the frame for a debut in the LA derby on Saturday. This thing was supposed to happen a couple of years before but it didnt, he added. I am here now. The destiny was that it was supposed to happen, the question was only when. I am happy to be here. Finally I am here, I am excited and looking forward to playing. I am looking forward to getting on the field. Champions League winner Vladimir Smicer sees similarities between Liverpools 2005 side and Jurgen Klopps current team. When former Reds midfielder Smicer and his team-mates lifted the trophy for the fifth time under Rafael Benitez, they finished 37 points adrift of Premier League champions Chelsea. There is a significant gap this season, albeit only half what the final totals were 13 years ago, to table-toppers Manchester City. Vladimir Smicer (pictured) sees similarities between his 2005 Liverpool team and Jurgen Klopps current squad (Adam Davy/EMPICS) But Smicer does not think the gulf between the two will be that evident as they meet in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Anfield on Wednesday. Of course I didnt like them drawing Manchester City, it was the last team I wanted to play but we can beat them because we already beat them in the league, he told Press Association Sport at an event to promote the LFC Foundation, Liverpools official charity. I think it is great motivation for the lads and our players to show they are as good as anyone else and if they can beat them then I think we have a good chance to go all the way. For us we were not doing so well in the league in 2005 but we felt it was our chance in the Champions League. We knew we were a good team but were quite far away from the first in the league and we couldnt win the league. But the Champions League, we saw as a chance to do something special and it is similar with the current team. An attacking game is expected between the top-flights two highest-scoring teams this season and Smicer believes Liverpool have the firepower to match Pep Guardiolas all-conquering side, whose only Premier League defeat came at Anfield in January. They knew they are a very good team and can score good goals and are very strong going forward and now with Virgil van Dijk at the back we are even stronger so our form is getting higher and higher, he added. I am enjoying the way they are playing with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. Salah is unbelievable. The amount of goals he has scored is incredible. But it is not just about these three. They need support and as a team it is really enjoyable to watch. I am a big fan of Jurgen Klopp because he is doing this work with the team where we try to play offensive. They might not be first in the league but I like the way they are playing and that is important for me. Klopp has been criticised for not reining in his all-out style when the occasion demands it, especially when they have looked fallible at the back. However, the club-record signing of Virgil van Dijk in January for 75million appears to have made them more solid and former Czech Republic international Smicer believes that could have a bearing in the outcome of the quarter-final. He added: I think defence is important. When we won the Champions League in 2005 we did not concede too many goals: we didnt concede in the semi-final, in the quarter-final we conceded only one goal. It is vital to be strong at the back and then if you can score something it is a bonus but defence is important. I think Van Dijk has made a difference. Liverpool are stronger with him than without and he is definitely making a difference. Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has joined calls for a senior official at the centre of an anti-Semitism row to step down from the partys ruling body. Mr Watson said he hoped Christine Shawcroft would explore her own conscience and voluntarily give up her position on the national executive committee (NEC). He also said he believed it was highly likely that former London mayor Ken Livingstone who remains suspended over comments suggesting Hitler supported Zionism in the 1930s would be permanently expelled from the party. Tom Watson has joined calls for a senior Labour official at the centre of an anti-Semitism row to quit the partys ruling body (Mark Runnacles/PA) His intervention came as an opinion poll found around three quarters of Labour members believed the partys problems with anti-Semitism were being exaggerated to damage Jeremy Corbyn. As Jews across our country start to prepare for #Passover, I would like to wish everyone in the Jewish community a Chag Sameach. pic.twitter.com/vUmxnJHWGw Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) March 30, 2018 The You Gov survey for The Times found that just 19% thought it was a serious issue while 77% believed it was being used to undermine the leader or stop criticism of Israel. The findings follow a tumultuous week that has seen fresh recriminations within the party as well as a protest outside Parliament led by Jewish leaders. Ms Shawcroft was forced to quit as chairwoman of the partys disputes panel after it emerged she had opposed the suspension of a council candidate accused of Holocaust denial, although she retains her place on the NEC. She caused further anger with a Facebook posting subsequently taken down claiming the row was being stirred up to attack Jeremy, as we all know. Although she has since said that she was deeply sorry to the way she handled the complaint of Holocaust denial and that she will not stand again for the NEC when her post comes up for re-election in the summer, Mr Watson said she should go now. There is a problem with Christine Shawcroft who tried to hold up an inquiry into someone accused of Holocaust denial and then said the accusations were whipped up against Jeremy, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. I think that is disgusting. I actually think it undermines Jeremy. I am afraid she is elected by our members. I am not in a position to remove her from the committee and neither is Jeremy. I hope she can explore her own conscience and realise the damage she has done to her own party and to Jeremy personally and make the right decision. Mr Watson also called for the partys new general secretary Jennie Formby to ensure there was a swift resolution to the case of Mr Livingstone a long-time ally of Mr Corbyn who was first suspended in 2016. He is subject to disciplinary procedures. Given what he has said I think it is highly likely he will (be expelled). He is entitled to due process on that. I just hope that the new general secretary will make sure that that inquiry is very quick, he said. On Friday, Mr Corbyn issued a Passover message insisting he is an ally in the fight against anti-Semitism. But a Jewish Labour peer said the party leader had encouraged and endorsed anti-Semites. Lord Winston said hostility to Jews has infected the Labour Party so its become endemic. YouGov interviewed 1,156 Labour members between Tuesday and Thursday. Juan Cuadrado helped Juventus open up a four-point lead at the top of Serie A with a goal against AC Milan on his comeback, but the winger warned the title race is not done yet. On a huge day in the battle for the Scudetto, Napoli squandered the chance to temporarily move ahead of Juve by drawing 1-1 at Sassuolo, with the Bianconeri then overcoming Milan 3-1 later in the day to increase their advantage. Though Juventus led through Paulo Dybalas strike from range, their former defender Leonardo Bonucci levelled for Milan, who were then on top and hit the crossbar through Hakan Calhanoglu. Juan Cuadrado made his comeback on Saturday night (Steven Paston/EMPICS) Yet Cuadrado, who came off the bench for his first appearance of 2018, headed in Sami Khediras cross to put Juve back ahead before Khedira himself then scored a third to give Massimiliano Allegris men a huge victory. Lets stay calm weve not won anything yet, Cuadrado said in quotes published on Juventus website. Now we look towards Real (Madrid in the Champions League). For now we can be really happy Napoli only drew so weve been able to extend the gap. Are we favourites? No. We need to stay calm. Theres still a long way to go in the league and we need to keep doing our best in every game. It was a similar message from Allegri as he conceded his side, who had drawn 0-0 with SPAL prior to the international break, found a way to win despite being below par for long periods. Weve got back the lead that we had and theres now one less game left to play, Allegri said. However, weve still got a long way to go in the league we cannot afford to let up, not for a single minute, because everyones going strong. It was important for us to get back to winning ways and against a team in good physical shape. Once we went ahead we dropped off a bit and struggled to keep hold of the ball, but credit also to Milan for that. However, a result like this was important to begin this final stretch of the league campaign. It is important to understand moments in games and we did that, showing our desire to keep going, to go as far as we can and achieve our objectives. The Missing star Tcheky Karyo will reprise his role of Julien Baptiste in a new spin-off show about the investigator, the BBC has said. Baptiste will be penned by The Missing creators Harry and Jack Williams and will follow the dogged detective and his wife on a visit to Amsterdam, where the chief of police who is an old girlfriend seeks out his help in solving a crime. Baptiste is rapidly embroiled in a case that looks beyond the beautiful streets, canals and houses of Amsterdam to the seamy underworld beneath. Tcheky Karyo will get his own spin-off (Matt Sayles/AP) Karyo said: Julien Baptiste is very dear to me, so Im really excited to be following his journey to the streets of Amsterdam and seeing what dark secrets he unveils this time. No doubt hell continue to take great risks all in the name of justice. The Williams brothers said: Julien Baptiste lives! Its an absolute pleasure to be writing the character of Baptiste again, and working with the utterly brilliant Tcheky Karyo, who brings such depth and individuality to Julien. The two series of The Missing saw Baptiste investigate two different complex cases. Piers Wenger, controller of BBC drama, said: Julien Baptiste played by the exceptional Tcheky Karyo is one of the Williams brothers greatest creations and utterly deserving of his own show. This first series of Baptiste will allow us to discover more about Julien than ever before as he is parachuted into the centre of a shocking and wide-ranging crime story. Filming on the show will start later this year in Amsterdam and Belgium. Chinas defunct Tiangong 1 space station is hurtling towards Earth and expected to re-enter the atmosphere within the next day. Most of it should burn up on re-entry, so scientists say it poses only a slight risk to people on the ground. The European Space Agency has forecast that the station will re-enter sometime between Sunday night and early Monday GMT. A model of Chinas Tiangong-1 space station (Kin Cheung/AP) #Tiangong1 forecast for 1 April from ESA's Space Debris Office: the reentry window has stabilised and shrunk to the period from midnight 1 April to the early morning of 2 April (UTC time) Read more & FAQs: https://t.co/H8NDGiUUrA pic.twitter.com/OtBA2aNGNB ESA (@esa) April 1, 2018 The Aerospace Corp predicted re-entry seven hours either side of 0200 GMT on Monday. Tiangong 1 is expected to come to Earth somewhere between 43 degrees north and 43 degrees south, a range covering most of the United States, China, Africa, southern Europe, Australia and South America. Out of range are Russia, Canada and northern Europe. Only about 10% of the 8.5-tonne spacecraft is likely to survive re-entry. Actress Leslie Mann has said her latest comedy helped her deal with the sadness she felt about her teenage daughter leaving home for university. The Hollywood star, best known for her roles in This Is 40 and Knocked Up, has two children with writer and director Judd Apatow and said it was painful when their eldest, Maude, 20, moved away. She will next be seen in Blockers, playing a mother desperate to stop her daughter from losing her virginity on prom night and coming to terms with the fact she will soon be leaving home to go to university. Leslie Mann (Ian West/PA) Mann told the Press Association: Its exactly what Im going through right now in my life and so it was fun for me to do it and tell my part of the story. Where do you keep your toothbrush? #Blockers In Cinemas Friday Book Tickets Now: https://t.co/U8m9JCQdRL pic.twitter.com/ePDW6xHEZT Universal Pictures UK (@universaluk) March 27, 2018 It was important to me that it was honest and that it felt right for parents like me, who are going through the same thing, and I think we pulled it off. I think its truthful to that story and its also really fun and I think parents watching it will be able to laugh at how much Im suffering. Sometimes youve gotta be to the point about these things. #Blockers See It First This Weekend In Cinemas March 30 pic.twitter.com/6QudYMSthA Universal Pictures UK (@universaluk) March 23, 2018 She added: It is hard for parents to be on that train and you dont want to imagine those things happening necessarily, even though you know they are going to. You know your children are smart enough hopefully to make the right decisions and that youve raised them well enough to be independent thinkers and independent women but still you want to put it off as long as you can. Mann made the film shortly after Maude started college and she said: It was kind of nice at the end of the movie that we were doing some voiceover stuff and it was the last thing and I was like OK I feel I can close that chapter. Working on this movie helped me get over my pain that my daughter was leaving me and going to college. Blockers is out in UK cinemas now. Jeremy Corbyn is under intensifying pressure to take early action to tackle anti-Semitism in Labour amid fresh claims of abuse by his supporters. The party has moved to distance itself from a series of pro-Corbyn social media groups after an investigation by The Sunday Times found they contained hundreds of violent and abusive messages. The claims came as a Labour frontbencher warned there was real alarm at the scale of the problem -while comedian Eddie Izzard, who became a member of the partys ruling national executive committee (NEC), said they needed to make amends to the Jewish community. Shadow digital minister Liam Byrne said Mr Corbyn now needed to make good his promise to Jewish leaders to tackle the issue, pointing to the backlog of round 70 cases of anti-Semitism which have still to be dealt with. Heres my statement on stepping up to represent Labour Party members on the National Executive Committee. pic.twitter.com/GhhlNuSS2X Eddie Izzard (@eddieizzard) April 1, 2018 He echoed deputy leader Tom Watson in highlighting the case of former London mayor Ken Livingstone a long-time ally of the Labour leader who remains suspended over comments suggesting Hitler supported Zionism in the 1930s. I personally do not think that Mr Corbyn is an anti-Semite, I dont think he has an anti-Semitic bone in his body, Mr Byrne told BBC Radio 4s The World this Weekend. But the reality is now that we need action and not simply words. We have got a lot of disciplinary cases stacking up. Mr Livingstone is at the top of that queue. In a statement, Izzard said the issue had to be dealt with for the good of the people Labour seeks to represent. His appointment to the NEC followed the resignation of Christine Shawcroft, a left wing supporter of Mr Corbyn, who quit amid criticism of her opposition to the suspension of a council candidate accused of Holocaust denial. As the runner-up when she was elected last year, he now automatically takes her place. This is a very important time for the Labour Party and we must stamp out completely the stain of anti-Semitism from a minority of members. It has no place in our party, Izzard said. We must make amends and repair the damage with the Jewish community as Jeremy Corbyn has promised to do. Labour MP Luciana Berger has said she has reported anti-Semitic abuse to the police (Yui Mok/PA) The latest developments follow a tumultuous week that has seen fresh recriminations within the party as well as a protest outside Parliament led by Jewish leaders who accused Mr Corbyn of repeatedly siding with anti-Semites. The Sunday Times said its investigation into 20 of the biggest pro-Corbyn Facebook groups had uncovered routine attacks on Jewish people, including Holocaust denial. It reported that 12 senior staff working for Mr Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell were members of the groups which contained more than 2,000 racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, violent and abusive messages. A Labour source said such sites routinely received hundreds of postings a day, most of which were perfectly innocent messages about party policies or events. Many of the staff concerned were either no longer active on Facebook or were unaware they were members of these groups and had not seen the content highlighted by the paper. A Labour Party spokesman said: These groups are not run by the Labour Party or officially connected to the party in any way. The Labour Party is committed to challenging and campaigning against anti-Semitism in all its forms. Any complaints of anti-Semitism are taken extremely seriously. These are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate disciplinary action taken. However the Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger who is a regular target for abuse said she and her staff had gone to the police over the abuse they had suffered from left-wingers, including one email urging her to kill herself. Where people indulge in illegal racist activity I will always use the full force of the law to pursue a prosecution, she said in an article for The Sunday Times. I will continue to do that even when they are people from the left. The Bishop of Salisbury has described the Salisbury poisoning as an act of violation in his Easter sermon. The Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam said there has been anxiety, puzzlement and anger in the community after Sergei and Yulia Skripal were attacked with a nerve agent. The last four weeks have been very strange in Salisbury, he added. Two people were attacked, but Salisbury has been violated. Bishop Holtam praised the brilliant emergency services and the hospital for their response to the incident. There has been some anxiety, puzzlement and anger but people in this community are resilient, he added. After an act of violation we need to rebuild relationships and confidence in one another and the people and place we love. Police outside the Salisbury home of Sergei Skripal (Ben Mitchell/PA) The UK has expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the poisoning, with its allies also calling on embassy staff to leave, and Russia taking similar measures in return. Bishop Holtam said: The significance of events in Salisbury has gone way beyond this city. The local has become global. NEWS: Bishop Uses Easter Sermon in @SalisburyCath to Call for Cleansing and Reconciliation After Attack https://t.co/CGPmHQElwt pic.twitter.com/IlhYV0eAys Diocese of Salisbury (@DioSalisbury) April 1, 2018 Over 20 countries have expelled Russians from their embassies and Russia has retaliated. This is not good news. The Russian Embassy has said it insists on the right to see Ms Skripal, 33, after it emerged she was improving rapidly. Mr Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Sunday with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman El-Safadi for discussions on the escalation of tensions along the Israel-Gaza border that saw the Israeli military kill 16 Palestinian protesters at the weekend. On Friday, Israeli military snipers opened fire on Palestinians protesting along the border as part of the annual "Land Day" demonstrations against Israeli settlements. In a press conference in Cairo after their meeting, Shoukry said that he and El-Safadi were working on a solution for the Palestinians while seeking to protect their human rights. He also demanded that the international community take responsibility for improving the Palestinians' situation. El-Safadi said that Jordan rejects the Israeli escalation in Gaza, adding that there are no signs of a just peace settlement being near at hand. However, he said that coordination on the part of Arab nations continued to help the Palestinians in demanding their rights. Shoukry said that he and El-Safadi had also discussed the issue of Egyptian workers in Jordan, as well as other challenges in the region. Preparations for the upcoming Arab summit in Riyadh were also discussed, with the war on terrorism high on the agenda. The Jordanian FM said that the he had discussed the situation in Syria with Shoukry, expressing his hopes for a political solution and his sorrow for the inhumane situation in Ghouta. Search Keywords: Short link: Michelle ONeill has called for an Irish unity referendum within five years. Addressing republicans at an Easter commemoration in Belfasts Milltown cemetery, the Sinn Fein deputy leader said: Ending partition has now taken on a new dynamic because of Brexit Because Brexit exposes the undemocratic nature of partition. Sinn Feins Michelle ONeill (Brian Lawless/PA) Sinn Fein believes there should be a referendum vote on Irish unity within the next five years. A very happy Easter everyone. Beannachtai na Casca oraibh pic.twitter.com/5mAFskMG1d Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) April 1, 2018 Her wide-ranging speech also touched on the Good Friday Agreement, which marks its 20th anniversary this month, and the current Stormont impasse. Ms ONeill said republicans had engaged in political talks for over a year and repeated criticisms of the DUP for walking away. She said: The leadership of both parties reached a fair and balanced accommodation a draft agreement which we felt could address our concerns, and provide a basis to restore the Executive without further delay. However, Arlene Foster and the DUP leadership failed to deliver on this and chose to withdraw from the talks and collapse the process. For now, they are under no pressure from the British Government to move, because Theresa May is in hock to the DUP. Its no surprise the British Government has put its self-interest before ours. But lets be very clear here today the rights issues are not going away. We are not going away. FREE PALESTINE Day of Action! Tomorrow 3.30pm Falls Road International Wall! Today Israeli soldiers massacred Palestinian civilians, killing 17 & injuring over 700. Show your solidarity tomorrow!Please attend, bring flags and stand with the people of Palestine. Ogra Shinn Fein pic.twitter.com/G52gBCd4OR Belfast Sinn Fein (@belfastsinnfein) March 30, 2018 Northern Ireland has been without a government since January 2017. The devolved Stormont institutions fell when Martin McGuinness resigned amid a row over a botched green energy scheme. However divisions between the two biggest parties have widened to include Irish language rights, the ban on gay marriage and dealing with the legacy of Northern Irelands toxic past. Meanwhile, Ms ONeill also spoke about the recent violence in Palestine and called for the Irish government to expel the Israeli ambassador. So the Taoiseach should send the Israeli ambassador home and move immediately to recognise the state of Palestine. Somalias al Shabab Islamic extremists launched an attack on African Union troops in the countrys south, killing four Ugandan peacekeepers, said Ugandan army spokesman Brigadier Richard Karemire. Four others Ugandans were injured, Brig Karemire said. At least 22 of the attackers were killed and the rest were repelled, he said. File picture of an armed guard iin Mogadishu, Somalia (Lewis Whyld/PA) The attack started when two suicide car bombs exploded at the entrance to the heavily fortified base in Bulo-Marer, an agricultural town in Somalias Lower Shabelle region, said Somali army Colonel Ahmed Hassan. Nearly 100 fighters firing propelled grenades and machine guns attacked the base occupied by the Ugandan soldiers. That attack was repulsed but several soldiers have lost their lives to the bomb, said Col Hassan. Residents reported explosions and sustained gunfire, sending hundreds of terrified villagers to the bush. We had a frightening day but the situation is calm now, said Nur Yusuf, a local elder by phone saying that African Union and Somali troops were patrolling the town in the evening. Somalias Islamic extremist group, al Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack. Al Shabab, which is fighting to impose Shariah law across Somalia, was pushed out of the capital, Mogadishu, and other major urban cities more than two years ago, but the group still carries out suicide attacks across Somalia. Carrie Fishers daughter has paid tribute to her late grandmother Debbie Reynolds on what would have been her 86th birthday. Actress Billie Lourd, 25, posted a photograph on Instagram of herself with Singin In The Rain star Reynolds, adding star and heart emojis. A third woman, possibly Fisher, is standing between the pair with her head down. Debbie Reynolds (PA) Star Wars actress Fisher died on December 27 2016, after having a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. She was 60. The following day her mother Reynolds died after suffering a stroke. Devanayagam Eswaran, Chairman of Eswaran Brothers, was a unique human being who had elevated himself to a high level of mindfulness. Following in the footsteps handed down by Hindu and Buddhist philosophies, he had reached a level of mindfulness where one gives up traits such as greed, lust and jealousy. While a deeply religious Hindu, he is someone who will be remembered for his great contribution forwards Buddhism. After the destruction of the colossal Bahamian Buddha statues in Afghanistan in 2001, there was a pale of gloom over the entire Buddhist world. This sad news reverberated across the world and in a quaint town of Rambadagalle in the Kurunegala District, many questions were raised among the Buddhists as to what they could do to at least in some small measure to make up for this loss. Instead of choosing revenge, the Buddhist clergy in the area suggested that a bigger statue be built to compensate the loss. It was a mighty task and one which could never have been achieved if not for Devanayagam Eswaran. A devout Hindu, he had commissioned the building of the statue of Lord Hanuman in Ramboda. Upon hearing of the uphill task undertaken to build a Buddha statue in Rambadagalla, Mr Eswaran enthusiastically extended his assistance by personally inviting Muthu Muthiah Sthapathi a world-renowned Indian sculpture to undertake the project. Thus started our strong friendship and close association during which Mr Eswaran did all he could to assist in the project. The 65 feet tall Samadhi Statue of the Buddha in Rambodagalle Viharaya is a reality today and a lasting tribute to Mr Eswarans selfless contribution towards Buddhism. It is because of the effort and support by this Hindu friend that this ambitious project became a reality. Our friendship started in 2002 and continued till he passed away in January this year. In the desert of humanity, he was an oasis, someone who brought peace and tranquillity relief to anyone who associated him. -Ven. Egodamulle Amaramoli Maha Nayake Thera Moneragala Temple, Rambadagalle BEng(Hons), PGDip(UK), LCGI, DTLLS, Member of Revenue Society UK, Member of philatelic Society SL More Information: dulshan49@yahoo.co.uk The first stamp for Ceylon was issued on 1 April 1857. The stamp features a portrait of Queen Victoria and is brown in colour. It is a 6 Pence value used to send a half-ounce letter from Ceylon to England The image illustrates Ceylons first postage with all for margins (Below Left). A special feature of this stamp is, its printed in a blued paper with a star watermark. The back image of the stamp clearly indicates the blued colour and the star watermark. (Below Right) Sir Rowland Hill proposed an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage. At the time it was normal for the recipient to pay postage on delivery, charged by the sheet and on distance travelled. The first postage stamp was printed in the United Kingdom in 1840. Since Ceylon was a British colony in those days letters was transmitted in between both countries. As a result, Ceylon first postage stamp was designed in London and printed by Perkins Bacon & Co. Sir Rowland Hill According to the statistics 65,000 of the stamp were printed. Printing plates contained 240 impressions in twenty rows of twelve and its was imperforated. Image of the Perkins press, printing machine is seen far left, is now in the British Library Philatelic Collections. Postal reforms came to Ceylon in 1856. An Ordinance published that year established postal rates effective April 1, 1857, at 1d. for oz. and an additional 1d. for the next oz. with each additional ounce being 2d. Newspapers and printed matter for domestic destinations was d. and for foreign destinations was 1d. The first pound of a parcel was 8d. with each additional pound at 4d. Prepayment was to be made by stamps, however, until stamps became available, prepayment could be made in cash. The letter (Left, Middle) from Colombo to Trieste, sent in 1857 (26 June) bearing very fine 6d. a purple-brown pair, was sold in an auction for $21,000. To punish unfavourable Governments- Russian Ambassador Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yury B. Materi, in an interview with the Daily mirror, speaks about bilateral relations, Russias role in international affairs and the recent controversy surrounding the asbestos. Excerpts: Why Russia is against country-specific resolutions on human rights? We are strongly condemning the use of human rights issues as an excuse for interfering in domestic affairs of countries as well as undermining the basic principles of International Law. We oppose the adoption of the politicized country-specific resolutions, especially taking into account the successful functioning of the Universal Periodic Review mechanism in the UN Human Rights Council. The adoption of country-specific resolutions has only one goal to punish unfavourable governments. This is utterly counterproductive because the patronizing tone has never contributed to improvements in the human rights situation and labelling countries on the basis of political motives discredit the United Nations agencies. What is your view on the emerging world order? A. We are witnessing the emergence of a polycentric system of international relations and the development of a rejuvenated democratic and fair multi-polar world order. New centres of economic growth, financial power and political influence are emerging in the course of objective historical development. The international system should be adjusted to involve these new centres of power in an equal dialogue and to develop constructive and widely acceptable solutions. The process of the development of a polycentric world order takes a long time, and it will be painful for those who are losing their positions for the simple reason that the global economy develops in cycles. International relations are becoming increasingly more complicated and complex. It is obvious that no one country or even several countries alone can effectively deal with terrorism, cybercrime, drug trafficking, climate change and other major modern threats and challenges. More and more countries seek to pursue a pragmatic foreign policy based on their own national interests. The countries want to be free to choose their socioeconomic development model and their destiny. This is why the polycentric architecture and the multipolar world order are not anyones whim but objective reality, which the majority of experts in international affairs accept. There is a trend whereby new emerging centres of power are assuming responsibility for ensuring security and stability in their regions and in the world arena as a whole. It is impossible to stop this process because by and large multi-polarity reflects the truly existing cultural and civilisational diversity of the modern world and, of course, the desire of nations to determine their destinies themselves. The key world powers have taken an interest in Sri Lankas strategic positioning. How does Russia view it? As I said, of course, we never interfere in the decision making of any country. Only the Sri Lankan government can decide with whom they should cooperate. We never give any advice to Sri Lanka how to develop its foreign policy. Some countries were trying to teach your country how to pursue your foreign policy. It is not the policy of the Russian Federation to give advice on this matter. If it is to the benefit of your country, you are developing relations with some countries depending on the economic potential. That is our attitude. In the development of bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Russia, the visit of your President Maithripala Sirisena is the main thing. The decisions taken by the two Presidents are the guidelines for the development of our relations. They agreed upon different issues. We are just trying to implement what was decided by the Presidents in terms of trade, economic cooperation, and others including military-technical cooperation. As a follow-up, there was the second meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation which was held in Colombo on 24-26 October 2017. It is very important to increase the volume of trade. In our view, it does not correspond to the level of our relations. It should be much more. We should attract more Russian businessmen to Sri Lanka. We hope Sri Lankan businessmen will be interested in dealing with our companies. The main task set up by the Presidents is to increase trade. What are the potential areas for expansion of trade? I can speak only about the Russian side. If you speak about our exports, we can increase the export of machinery and equipment. For example, medical equipment, equipment for electric power stations, chemical products, and other value-added products can be taken. There is cooperation in the power sector-thermal power generation. There was the visit of representatives from the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom. We discussed the possibility for interaction with Sri Lanka for the peaceful use of atomic energy. There were a lot of proposals given to Sri Lankan side for considerations by the line ministries and agencies. We are ready to advance this cooperation. There was a proposal for credit facilities from Russia if there was a big project in this case. There is big cooperation in terms of tourism. A lot of Russians are coming here as tourists for recreation, to spend their vacation on the beautiful beaches of your country. Russia-Sri Lanka trade volume does not correspond with the level of bilateral relations Ambassador speaks about the current status of tea trading between two countries Explains scientific aspect of Russian asbestos Spells out Russian policy on country-specific UNHRC resolutions Recently, there was a crisis in tea trade with Russia over a ban on such imports from Sri Lanka. How is tea trading now? Actually, the tea issue was resolved within one week. All the parties were interested in solving this issue. There was a cooperative attitude from the Sri Lankan side. We solved this issue very quickly. Now tea trading takes place as usual. There is no problem. We hope this will continue. The Sri Lankan side agreed to look into all the quarantine issues. Yet, there was the public perception here that Russia slapped such a ban because of Sri Lankas move to ban the import of roofing asbestos from Russia. What is the reality? It is absolutely a separate issue. Sri Lanka suspended the ban on the import of Chrysotile asbestos from Russia. Yet, it has not cancelled the ban. There is the possibility of introducing the ban from January 1, 2024. If the two issues were connected, we could not have lifted the ban on tea until the final decision was taken. But, still, the possibility of banning the import of Chrysotile asbestos remains. It is possible from January 1, 2024. In this instance, we are only talking about Chrysotile asbestos, not other kinds of asbestos. It is proved by scientists of Sri Lanka and Russian researchers Chrysotile asbestos was not dangerous for human health. When you talk about other kinds of asbestos, it may be dangerous. Chrysotile asbestos is safe. This asbestos is used in many countries such as the United States, India, China, Pakistan, Canada, Indonesia, Brazil, etc. Your President Vladimir Putin was re-elected for the fourth time. What is the way forward now? Our President won the elections. It is a landslide victory. His victory was approved by our Central election commission. He got 76.69 percent of votes. His nearest competition only got 11.77 percent. It showed that a vast majority of our people supported his internal and external policies. He received congratulations from many leaders. We also appreciate congratulations sent by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. What are your thoughts on the recent developments surrounding the Salisbury incident? The actions of the British authorities raise many questions. No information has been provided about the activities of Britains secret research facility in Porton Down near Salisbury, where chemical research was conducted. No information has been provided about Operation Toxic Dagger, an annual chemical warfare exercise conducted at the Porton Down facility together with the UK military, which was completed shortly before the Skripals poisoning. Meanwhile, London has initiated a worldwide campaign to spread the presumption of Russias guilt. We see a deliberate and purposeful escalation of confrontation and a demonstration of military force on Russias border. It is an obvious effort to undermine the political and diplomatic interaction to achieve an objective and comprehensive investigation of the Salisbury incident. The analysis of all these circumstances shows that the UK authorities are not interested in identifying the real causes and the real perpetrators of the crime in Salisbury, which suggests a possible involvement of the UK intelligence services. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today said Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs will work with the other ministries such as Finance and National Enterprise Development to assist small and medium business which keeps the economy going. Ministry of National Polices and Economic Affairs will work with the other ministries such as Finance and National Enterprise Development to assist small and medium business which is the life blood of countrys economy, he said during the opening of Entrepreneur Sri Lanka 2018 Exhibition at the BMICH yesterday morning. Prime Minister pledged to increase assistance to SMEs in the future. Banks in this country had not assisted the SMEs the way we expected them to and we will see to it that they will assist the businesses this year and in 2019, he said. Mr. Wickremesinghe said the objective of the government is to see emerging of SMEs which could cater to international markets. He said some SMEs have managed to attract the international markets and the others will have to follow through. He said innovativeness will help the SMEs to attract foreign markets and they will be trained to face such challenges in the future. (Yohan Perera) Egypts Court of Cassation on Sunday upheld a death sentence for a man convicted of murdering Alexandria liquor store owner Youssef Lamei. The court's decision confirmed the death sentence by rejecting an appeal from the 48-year-old man Adel Abdel-Nour, known as Assaliya. Sundays decision, which cannot be appealed, comes nearly a year after an Alexandria criminal court sentenced Abdel-Nour to death a few months after the same court issued a preliminary death sentence pending the non-binding consultative opinion of the countrys grand mufti, as per Egypt's penal code. Footage of the killing went viral on social media last year. In the video, the bearded Abdel-Nour slashes the storeowner's throat twice from behind with a knife as the victim was smoking hookah in front of his store. Investigators at the time said Abdel-Nour confessed to the killing, and said that he had warned Lamei against selling alcohol multiple times. The sale of alcohol in Egypt is permitted and regulated by state authorities. Short link: When Miguel de Cervantes wrote "Don Quixote" in the 17th century, he couldn't have imagined that the novel would be used as a weapon in a modern battle over freedom of speech in Spain. In defiance of a court order banning a book that investigates drug trafficking in Spain, the Madrid Booksellers' Guild has launched an online tool that automatically pulls some 80,000 words from the classic novel to piece together the contents of the banned work. "We feel that this prohibition of a book, which is something that hasn't happened in Spain for more than 30 years, is an attack on our freedoms," Fernando Valverde of the Booksellers' Guild told The Associated Press. The booksellers' move is the latest flare-up in a wider legal and political dispute over freedom of expression that has been rumbling in Spain in recent months. Other flashpoints include the cancellation of a photo exhibition on political prisoners, and prison sentences for rappers over lyrics deemed insulting to the Spanish royals. The banned book controversy centers on "Farina" ("Flour," a slang term for cocaine,) published in 2015 by journalist Nacho Carretero. The book investigates drug smuggling in Galicia, a region in the northwestern corner of Spain, and was made into a Spanish TV series which premiered last month. Among other things, the book recounts charges and court proceedings in cocaine investigations that involved a former Galician politician, Jose Bea Gondar. Gondar accuses Carretero and his publisher, Libros del KO, of tarnishing his reputation. He wants references to him taken out of the book and 500,000 euros ($620,000) in damages. A judge last month ordered a temporary ban on sales, which had reached around 35,000 copies, while the court considers the case. The Madrid Booksellers' Guild this month launched "Finding Farina in Don Quixote," an online tool which it calls "a way of defending liberty and freedom of expression." Clicking on a link on the www.findingfarina.com website gradually pulls up the first page of the book as the tool visibly grabs the words it needs from "Don Quixote" on the right hand side of the web page. It does the same for each new page of "Farina." For people's names and for words not used in Cervantes' time, it picks out syllables and sticks them together. It's not an easy read but Valverde, of the Madrid Booksellers' Guild, says that's not the point. The tool "demonstrates how ridiculous and anachronistic" the judge's decision was in a digital age, he said. The court has not yet reacted to the website's launch, he said. It's one of several recent controversies about freedom of expression in Spain. Many were outraged that artistic license was being censored when prison sentences were slapped on Spanish rappers last month over lyrics that were deemed to be praising terror groups, encouraging violence and insulting the Spanish Crown and the police. Also last month, a government-funded body running the venue for the prestigious Madrid's International Contemporary Art Fair was accused of censorship when it pulled a photo exhibition called "Political Prisoners in Contemporary Spain." It argued that controversy over the exhibit was hogging public attention, but later apologized for the move and insisted it wasn't intended as censorship. In another case, many people cheered when the European Court of Human Rights rebuffed the Spanish judiciary in a ruling against protections afforded by Spanish courts to the royal family. The European court earlier this month sided with two Spaniards who set fire in public to a photograph of Spain's king and queen, saying their protest amounted to freedom of expression. They were initially sentenced in Spain to 15 months in prison. Some other similar controversies in Spain have stemmed from a crackdown on perceived terror threats and echo a debate that has been repeated in recent years across Europe. Article 578 of the Spanish Criminal Code, punishing anyone who "glorifies terrorism," was expanded in 2015 after terror attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. It cast its net so wide that puppeteers purveying political satire, journalists, musicians and everyday users of social media have fallen foul of the law. Some believe the law went too far. "Spain is emblematic of a disturbing trend which has seen states across Europe unduly restricting expression on the pretext of national security and stripping away rights under the guise of defending them," Eda Seyhan, Amnesty International's campaigner on counter-terrorism, said in a report earlier this month. "People should not face criminal prosecution simply for saying, tweeting or singing something that might be distasteful or shocking," Amnesty International's report said. "Spain's broad and vaguely-worded law is resulting in the silencing of free speech and the crushing of artistic expression." Short link: Syria's regime moved closer Sunday to fully retaking the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta after its Russian ally agreed with rebels to evacuate hundreds of civilians from a final pocket. Tens of thousands people are thought to remain in the battered town of Douma, the last rebel holdout and their one-time bastion east of the capital Damascus. Russia-backed regime forces have seized more than 95 percent of Eastern Ghouta in a six-week air and ground blitz that has displaced tens of thousands from their homes. People have fled the fighting into regime-held territory, while so far more than 45,000 fighters and civilians in total have been bussed out under evacuation deals. "A partial agreement was reached to evacuate hundreds of civilians who wish to leave for Idlib", a northwestern province still largely outside regime control, a Britain-based war monitor said on Sunday. In all, around 1,300 people would be evacuated from Douma under the deal, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP, adding that talks on the fate of rebels who hold Douma were still underway. "Negotiations were continuing for a full agreement, including concerning the Jaish al-Islam" rebel faction, Rami Abdel Rahman said. In other parts of the bastion, Russia-brokered accords have already seen thousands of fighters and civilians climb onto buses and head north to Idlib. More than 4,000 people left the devastated town of Harasta last week under a deal with the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group. And more than 41,000 evacuated a southern pocket including the town of Arbin this week under another deal with the Faylaq al-Rahman opposition faction. But talks have dragged on in Douma, with Jaish al-Islam insisting it would not leave the town, the main one in Eastern Ghouta. A civilian committee taking part in the negotiations with Russia on Saturday said a deal had been reached "to evacuate humanitarian cases to northern Syria". It gave no further details nor did it say when the planned evacuations would start. As talks have stalled for Douma, residents there have grown nervous about their fate. "Of course I would rather leave. There are no more homes here, not a single place to settle," said Abu Rateb, 30. "But I won't go to regime-held areas to join ranks with the Syrian army," he said, adding he would prefer to go to Idlib. Haitham, 38, a media activist who did not give his surname, said he would rather stay in his hometown. "To abandon your home is to abandon your soul," he said. "But if they give us the choice of dying or leaving, it will be another matter." Reports of the planned evacuations come after Syria's army on Saturday vowed to finish off rebels in Douma, the main town in Eastern Ghouta. A statement said the military would press on with "fighting in the area of Douma to rid it of terrorism", in reference to the rebels. That announcement came after Syria's state news agency SANA reported the southern pocket of Eastern Ghouta was "empty of terrorism" as the last buses left it on Saturday afternoon. The regime assault since February 18 has killed more than 1,600 civilians, the Observatory says, and devastated entire neighbourhoods. Tens of thousands of people have hit the roads, with their belongings stuffed into bags or carrying blankets, to flee out of the enclave into regime-held territory. Short link: Russian diplomats expelled from the United States arrived in Moscow on Sunday, with post-Cold War tensions peaking in the wake of a nerve agent attack on a former spy in Britain. A deepening crisis in ties between Russia and the West has over the past weeks seen the biggest wave of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions in recent memory. In further signs of tension, Russia warned its nationals on Saturday to think twice before travelling to Britain, where it said they could be singled out for harassment by local authorities. By expelling 60 Russian diplomats, the US joined a score of Britain's allies in responding to the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4. Two planes arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Sunday, bringing home a total of 171 people -- the 60 diplomats and their families -- from Washington and New York. Russian television showed passengers disembarking from a government plane while several buses waited to pick them up. More than 150 Russian diplomats have now been ordered out of the US, EU members, NATO countries and other nations. Britain has said it is "highly likely" that Russia was responsible for the Skripal attack using the Soviet-designed Novichok nerve agent. Russia has angrily denied any involvement. The US alleged the 60 diplomats were "spies" and sent them home from posts around the country and at the Russian mission to the United Nations, as well as closing Russia's consulate in Seattle. However Washington has since said that Russia is free to apply to accredit more diplomats to replace those expelled. Moscow responded by expelling 60 US diplomats and closing Washington's consulate in Saint Petersburg on Saturday. US President Donald Trump has often appeared reluctant to criticise Russian leader Vladimir Putin and has said the two could meet for a summit in the near future. "Now the consulate is closed but our work to improve Russian-US ties is continuing," the US embassy in Moscow said on Twitter. Moscow also issued further retaliatory measures against Britain on Saturday, demanding that London further slash its diplomatic presence. "Russia suggested parity. The British side has more than 50 more people," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told AFP. The call came after 23 British diplomats were expelled from Russia last month. Moscow also closed a British consulate in Saint Petersburg and suspended all projects of the British Council for the first time in nearly 60 years. The Russian embassy in London urged Russians to think carefully before travelling to the UK or sending children to summer school there. The embassy warned that British authorities including police could single out Russians for additional checks, citing "the anti-Russian policies and an escalation of the British side's threatening rhetoric". Britain acknowledged Saturday that border officials had searched an incoming Aeroflot flight from Moscow in what Russia blasted as an act of "blatant provocation". Britain said it conducts routine checks on aircraft to protect the UK from organised crime and people attempting to bring harmful substances into the country. Earlier this week Moscow summoned British ambassador Laurie Bristow, giving London a month to cut the number of diplomatic staff in Russia to the same number Russia has in Britain. He was handed a protest note over the "provocative and unfounded actions of the British side which instigated the unwarranted expulsion of Russian diplomats from a variety of states," the Russian foreign ministry said. Bristow was summoned along with the heads of missions from 23 other countries -- most of them EU member states -- who were told that some of their diplomats had to leave. France, Germany, Canada and Poland each said that Russia was expelling four of their diplomats. Other countries including Australia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania and Norway were also told to pull their envoys. Short link: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wants to resume dialogue with Russia and gradually improve ties after diplomatic expulsions over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in England that Britain blames on Russia, he said on Sunday. Conservative German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Maas have joined the United States and other European countries in standing with Britain in a major standoff over the attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Maas, a member of the Social Democrats (SPD) who are split on how tough to be on Moscow, told Bild am Sonntag much trust had been lost in the last few years due to Russia's behaviour. "At the same time, we need Russia as a partner to settle regional conflicts, for disarmament and as an important pillar of multilateralism," he was quoted as saying in the paper. "We are therefore open for dialogue and are trying to rebuild trust bit by bit if Russia is ready." He also, however, defended the decision to expel diplomats. "to show solidarity with Britain but also as a signal of unity". In the last week, as part of mass expulsions on both sides, Germany expelled four Russian diplomats and Moscow has reciprocated with the same number, prompting talk of a crisis in relations between Russia and the West. Some Social Democrats have urged the 'grand coalition' of their party and Merkel's conservatives to ensure a new Cold War does not start, and business groups are also worried. Germany relies on Russia for roughly a third of the gas it uses and, before Western states imposed sanctions on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis, Europe's biggest economy exported about 38 billion euros of goods to Russia. London accuses Moscow of being responsible for the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two and Germany has repeatedly called on Moscow to cooperate more with the investigations. Short link: The Supreme Court has given the Delhi University the last opportunity to respond to a plea that research scholars be also allowed to contest and represent students in student union polls in the varsity. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A M Khanvilker directed authorities, including the DU and the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU), to file their replies by May 5 on the petition of Abhishek Verma, a research scholar (PhD) in the Department of Chemistry. "Why research scholars who admittedly are 'students' of the university cannot become members/affiliate of the students' union? The research scholars (PhD) cannot be discriminated without any intelligible basis. "The provisions of the constitution of DUSU are in clear contravention of the recommendation of the Lyngdoh committee approved by the Supreme Court, in as much as, the age limit for participating in the elections of DUSU for research scholars stipulated in the constitution of DUSU is (25) twenty-five years as against the age of (28) twenty-eight years recommended by the Lyngdoh Committee and accepted by the apex court," the petition said. It added that even otherwise, there was no provision in the Constitution of the DUSU which prohibited research scholars from getting affiliated to DUSU. The petitioner had earlier filed a writ petition before the Delhi High Court seeking implemention of recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee to enable eligible research scholars to participate in DUSU elections and become its members. The high court's single bench and later a division bench dismissed the petition, after which an appeal was filed before the Supreme Court. The petition claimed that most of the central and state universities across the country allow research scholars to participate in elections unlike the Delhi University. The Supreme Court order banning automatic arrest and registration of cases for alleged harassment of SCs and STs will dilute the law which aims to protect the marginalised, the government is likely to tell the top court. In its review petition to be filed in the apex court this week, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is likely to say that the SC order will weaken the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, sources in the government said. The ministry could also plead that the latest order would reduce the fear of law and may result in more violations, the sources said. The top court had recently banned automatic arrests and registration of criminal cases under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The law protects the marginalised communities against discrimination and atrocities. A delegation of NDA's SC and ST MPs, led by LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Union Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, had last week met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the apex court's judgement diluting provisions of the SC-ST atrocities act. Gehlot recently wrote to Prasad about a review plea against the Supreme Court verdict. He noted that there were concerns that the order would make the law "ineffective" and adversely impact dispensation of justice to Dalits and tribals. Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat was arrested here today in connection with a case related to the recent communal clashes in Bhagalpur, police said. The development came barely a few hours after a Bhagalpur court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Shashwat against whom an arrest warrant was issued on March 24. Shashwat is the son of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. "We had information that Shashwat was at the famous Hanuman temple in the vicinity of Patna Junction. A police team reached the spot and arrested him and he has been sent to Bhagalpur", Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Manu Maharaj told PTI. On his arrest, Shashwat told reporters "I have given myself up to police in deference to the court order. I have been wrongly accused of evading arrest. I was not absconding as I have not committed any crime. If raising slogans in praise of 'Bharat Mata' and 'Sri Ram' is a crime then I may be called a criminal". Shashwat has been named, besides eight others, in one of the two FIRs lodged at Nathnagar police station of Bhagalpur following communal riots that broke out on March 17 after some people objected to playing of loud music during a procession led by him. It had been taken out allegedly without permission to celebrate the New Year as per the Hindu calendar. Several persons, including two police personnel, were injured in the clashes that witnessed heavy stone-pelting, arson and exchange of fire. The alleged delay in arrest of Shashwat had invited strong criticism from opposition parties in Bihar, especially the RJD-Congress combine, which accused the Nitish Kumar government of soft-peddling the matter while Choubey had dubbed the FIR against his son as a piece of garbage. Reacting to Shashwat's arrest, ruling JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said it was a fitting reply to the Opposition while Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said the whole episode showed the "helplessness" of Kumar before the BJP. The Congress' new Gujarat team will ensure that it wins more seats than the ruling BJP on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home turf in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party's state in-charge Rajeev Satav has said. Led by Modi, the BJP had won from all the 26 parliamentary seats in Gujarat in the 2014 General elections. The Congress, however, will seek to carry forward the momentum from its impressive outing in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls to see to it that the BJP does not "repeat" its 2014 election performance in the state, Satav said. The BJP managed to retain power in Gujarat by winning 99 seats in the last year assembly polls, while the Congress increased its tally to 77 from 61 seats in the 2012 elections. The 43-year-old MP from Maharashtra also stressed that his priority will be to strengthen the party organisation in Gujarat along with new state Congress chief Amit Chavda and Opposition leader in the state assembly Paresh Dhanani. Both Chavda and Dhanani are contemporaries of Satav. "It will be a straight fight between the Congress and the BJP...We will ensure that the Congress will get more seats than the BJP in the next general elections," said Satav, who was appointed in-charge of the party's Gujarat affairs last Friday. The Congress' during its campaign for the General elections will highlight the alleged poor performance of the BJP-led state and central governments, he said. Satav said the Congress is raising issues concerning people and undertaking mass contact initiatives for the polls. "The BJP has not been able to keep promises made to the people, while each of our MLAs is highlighting issues concerning people," he said. Satav also said party president Rahul Gandhi had given a glimpse of his "will break wall between party workers and leaders" statement in Gujarat by appointing Dhanani and Chavda to their respective posts. Gandhi had made the statement during the recently held Congress plenary session in an apparent bid to energise the party workers. "Both Dhanani and Chavda are more of workers than leaders. They are grounded and are always ready to listen to the people. I am sure this will reflect positively on our performance in the next general elections," Satav added. Britain's opposition Labour party was facing fresh turbulence on Sunday over an ongoing anti-Semitism row which has seen a donor pull out and a comedian appointed to its governing body. Property tycoon David Garrard, who has donated around 1.5 million ($2.1 million, 1.7 million euros) to Labour since 2003, hit out at the way party has been run by leader Jeremy Corbyn. "I have watched with dismay and foreboding the manner in which the leadership has, in my view, over the last two years, conducted itself," he told the Observer newspaper. "I consider that it has supported and endorsed the most blatant acts of antisemitism," Garrard added. Corbyn has been under increasing pressure to address multiple allegations of anti-Semitism within the party, which last week saw Jewish campaigners hold a protest outside parliament. Just days later the official in charge of Labour's disputes panel, Christine Shawcroft, resigned over allegations she opposed the suspension of a candidate accused of Holocaust denial. On Saturday Shawcroft stepped down from the party's national executive committee. She was replaced by comedian Eddie Izzard, who called on Labour to "stamp out completely the stain of anti-Semitism from a minority of members". "We must make amends and repair the damage with the Jewish community as Jeremy Corbyn has promised to do," he said. Meanwhile an investigation by The Sunday Times into 20 of the biggest pro-Corbyn Facebook groups found more than 2,000 anti-Semitic, racist, misogynistic, violent and abusive messages. A Labour spokesman said none of the groups were run by or officially connected to the party, while British media reported Sunday that Corbyn's personal Facebook account had been deleted. His professional page remains and on Friday was used to post a Passover message by the veteran politician. "It's easy to denounce anti-Semitism when you see it in other countries, in other political movements. It's sometimes harder to see it when it's closer to home," Corbyn said in the video. "We all need to do better. I am committed to ensuring the Labour party is a welcoming and secure place for Jewish people," he added. On Thursday Corbyn told Jewish News that there had been 300 internal party referrals for anti-Semitism since 2015, around half of which led to expulsions or resignations. Short link: A civilian protester was killed while dozens others were injured in security forces action near encounter sites at Dragad and Kachdora areas of southern Shopian district on Sunday. A police official said a youth identified as Zubair Bhat suffered injuries near encounter site at Kachdora when security forces fired upon the protesters. He was shifted to a hospital, where he succumbed. Reports said intense clashes between stone pelting youth and security forces were going on in most parts of south Kashmir including Shopian and Anantnag. Over 50 protesters received injuries after police and paramilitary forces used tear smoke shells and fired pellet guns on them, local media reports said. Reports of clashes and spontaneous shutdown were received from other parts of the Valley including old city Srinagar. The clashes erupted in the backdrop of multiple encounters between militants and security forces in south Kashmir, in which 12 ultras have been killed so far. The killing of a civilian and militants has put Kashmir Valley on the boil again. The latest civilian killing comes nearly a month after four civilians were killed in army firing in the same district on March 5. Tamil Nadu's principal Opposition DMK and its allies like Congress and MDMK on Sunday gave a call for a day-long shutdown across the state on Thursday to condemn the Centre's inaction in constituting Cauvery Management Board (CMB). Announcing the shutdown after chairing a meeting of like-minded parties, DMK working president M K Stalin and TNCC chief Su Thirunavukarasar among others held a flash protest in Valluvar Kottam in Nungambakkam with cadres even squatting on the busy road. Immediately after announcing the fast, Stalin led the leaders and his own cadre to Valluvar Kottam and launched a flash protest. With their protest affecting traffic, police asked Stalin and others to call off their protest. When they refused to put off their agitation, police took them into custody. "Police can arrest us, but they cannot stop us from protesting against Centre. Tamil Nadu has been punished by the Centre despite Supreme Court clearly asking the Centre to constitute CMB," Stalin told reporters. The Opposition leader also announced that they will undertake Cauvery Rights Retrieval walk from the Delta region. However, he did not specify when and where the march would begin. The DMK's flash protest comes two days after the ruling AIADMK is to hold a day-long fast with the same demand. Stalin also appealed to the public to participate in the day-long shutdown. A 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by seven men in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh, the police said, adding that three of the accused were arrested. The incident took place in the Sandana area on Saturday when the girl, accompanied by a male cousin, was returning home from a fair, the police said. The seven accused surrounded the duo, beat up the girl's cousin and raped her, they added. On reaching home, the girl narrated her ordeal to her family members, who informed the police. Superintendent of Police Anand Kulkarni said an FIR was lodged against the seven accused, adding that three of them, identified as Himanshu (18), Dhannu (20) and Kanta (20), were arrested. A hunt was on to nab the other accused, the SP said. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today asserted that every rupee of the central aid to the state for the last five years has been accounted for before the assembly with Leader of Opposition Jagadish Shettar being well aware of it. The Karnataka CM made the remarks in response to BJP president Amit Shah's persistent demand for the accounts of the central aid to Karnataka for implementing the central schemes. "Where did the money go? The answer is that it went into irrigation, schools, hospitals, roads and highways, railway lines, crop insurance, farm loan waiver and the list goes on. Account for every rupee has been presented before the legislature," he said in a tweet. The Leader of Opposition in the assembly Jagdish Shettar (BJP) too is aware of it, the chief minister said. Shah has been reiterating that the Central government had increased the aid to Karnataka from Rs 88,583 crore to Rs 2,19,506 crore over a period of time and has been asking Siddaramaiah to furnish the detailed accounts on the spending. Siddaramaiah said these funds are not a special grant to Karnataka and they go into the state budget. He said the BJP should stop "lying and fooling people" as all these accounts were presented, debated and approved through 15 legislature sessions. "Was the BJP sleeping for five years? Did they sleep through the 15 legislature sessions where all these accounts were presented, debated and approved? So, please stop fooling the people. Repeating a lie does not make it true," he said. Siddaramaiah said the Centre reduced its share in central schemes despite the percentage of devolution being changed from 32 to 42 percent. Eight persons sustained grievous injuries while a few others suffered minor injuries in a mishap during the car festival of a village deity in Ballari district on Saturday evening. Over 30 people were witnessing the rathotsava of Vishwanath Swamy at Somasamudra in Kuragodu taluk from the terrace of a house. The terrace caved in bringing down more than 20 people. The villagers rushed the injured to a local hospital. The injured are said to be out of danger. The Kuragodu police have registered a case. Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat was arrested here today over his alleged involvement in recent communal clashes in Bhagalpur, and remanded to 14-day judicial custody, the police said. The arrest came barely a few hours after a Bhagalpur court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Shashwat against whom an arrest warrant was issued on March 24. "We had information that Shashwat was at the famous Hanuman temple in the vicinity of Patna junction. A police team reached the spot and arrested him and he has been sent to Bhagalpur", Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Manu Maharaj told PTI. The police produced Shashwat at the residence of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate A R Upadhyay, who sent him to 14 days judicial custody, public prosecutor Satya Narayan Prasad Sah said. Shashwat is the son of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. On his arrest, Shashwat told reporters "I have given myself up to police in deference to the court order. I have been wrongly accused of evading arrest. "I was not absconding as I have not committed any crime. If raising slogans in praise of 'Bharat Mata' and 'Sri Ram' is a crime then I may be called a criminal." Shashwat has been named, besides eight others, in one of the two FIRs lodged at Nathnagar police station of Bhagalpur following communal riots that broke out on March 17 after some people objected to playing of loud music during a procession led by him. It had been taken out allegedly without permission to celebrate the New Year as per the Hindu calendar. Several persons, including two police personnel, were injured in the clashes that witnessed heavy stone-pelting, arson and exchange of fire. The alleged delay in Shashwat's arrest had invited strong criticism from opposition parties in Bihar, especially the RJD-Congress combine, which accused the Nitish Kumar government of soft-peddling the matter while Choubey had dubbed the FIR against his son as a piece of garbage. Reacting to Shashwat's arrest, ruling JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said it was a fitting reply to the Opposition while Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said the whole episode showed the "helplessness" of Kumar before the BJP. It's merely around eight months since he dumped the grand alliance charging the top RJD leadership with corruption. But Chief Minister Nitish Kumar now appears to be feeling suffocated in the company of his new combative ally - the BJP. Known to enforce the rule of law and establish good governance in his earlier stints as CM, Nitish never looked so helpless and rudderless in the last 13 years since he donned the mantle of chief-ministership in 2005. In the last fortnight, sporadic incidents of communal flare-ups were reported from seven out of 38 districts. And it took the Bihar police 15 days to arrest Arijit Shashwat, son of senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ashwini Choubey, on Saturday midnight. Choubey, a Minister of State for Health, had termed the FIR against his son as "raddi ka tukda" (waste paper), while his son (found brandishing sword during Ramnavmi in Patna) openly dared the police to arrest him. Now, contrast this scene with the previous Nitish regime (with the support of RJD and Congress). The RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, charged with rape, was soon arrested. So was Md Shahabuddin, former RJD MP. Even Rocky Yadav, son of JD (U) MLC Manorma Devi, was jailed in a road rage case. But with the same Nitish at the helm (with BJP's crutches), the police found it difficult to arrest Choubey's son against whom an FIR was lodged in Bhagalpur on March 17 for taking out procession without police permission and raising provocative slogans which led to stone-pelting incidents causing injuries even to cops. "Nitish has been trapped. He is in a catch-22 situation. Given the animosity with Lalu, he can't dream of returning to the RJD fold. Nor is he feeling comfortable in the company of a combative BJP, which is hell-bent on increasing its base," said former Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwary explaining about the spurt in communal violence in seven districts of Bihar. "We had warned Nitish Chacha (Uncle) when RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat visited Bihar for ten days in February. Is it a coincidence that communal violence incidents began in Bihar barely a fortnight after Bhagwat left the state? A probe should be conducted how thousands of swords were purchased and brandished during Ramnavmi procession," said former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. Tejashwi, who is realigning all those who are inimical to the BJP, however, said, "Barring Nitish Chacha and Ram Vilas Paswan, all are welcome to join the grand alliance." Leaders are, no doubt, the proverbial apple of the eye to workers of their respective parties. And workers of the Congress and the JD(S) in the Mysuru-Mandya belt are saying it with, you guessed it right, apples. The trend has picked up in the two districts, of late, and leaders are being adorned with garlands of apples, weighing hundreds of kilograms. The leaders, who are on a campaign trail in the two districts are offered apple garlands, costing thousands of rupees. As the garlands are very heavy, cranes are used to put them around the necks of the leaders. This has turned into a competition of sorts among the party workers as they are increasing the weight of the garlands each time. It all started when Energy Minister D K Shivakumar visited the residence of Srirangapatna constituency Congress ticket aspirant S Sachidananda on March 15. The supporters of Sachidananda decorated him with an apple garland weighing 250 kg, using a crane. Not to be left behind, JD(S) workers started adorning their leaders with apple garlands at party conventions, using cranes. They went a step forward and are now using seven to eight excavators, to shower petals on their leaders. On March 26, JD(S) workers decorated H D Kumaraswamy with an apple garland, weighing 500 kg, during his roadshow as part of Vikasa Parva in Maddur. At the same event, hundreds of youth offered him a garland of apples, weighing 300 kg. On March 29, he was offered a 400-kg apple garland at Nagamangala, followed by a garland of flowers. At Pandavapura on Sunday, he was showered with flowers using excavators, during the Raitha Chaitanya yatre. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was welcomed by Congress workers with a huge garland of apples weighing 750 kg, during his visit to Chamundeshwari constituency at Hootagalli in Mysuru on Sunday. Soldier Zubair who had recently fought against terrorists at Karan Nagar in Jammu and Kashmir, was accorded a rousing welcome during his visit to native village at Koila on Sunday. He was a part of the Army personnel that had captured two terrorists at Karan Nagar in Jammu and Kashmir on February 12. The 28-year-old Zubair, a native of Puttur taluk, serves with the 49th battalion of CRPF at Karan Nagar Battalion headquarters. He was also honoured with the Commendation Disc and Certificate. Lecturer Dr Mohammed Musthafa Athooru said, "Zubair is a model for the youth. By serving the country, one should display patriotic fervour." Speaking after accepting the honour, Zubair said, "Citizens should love their mother land. The soldiers are ready to serve the nation at all situations." Speaking further, he said, "The community should honour the soldiers and come forward to serve the nation. The honour at my native place has increased my responsibility." Union Information Technology Minister Ravishankar Prasad on Sunday charged that the Congress had forfeited the trust of the people of the state and said the BJP would put Karnataka on the development track once voted to power. Speaking after releasing three 'chargesheet' booklets against the ruling Congress - on the government's apathy towards farmers, the collapse of law and order in the state and misgovernance of Bengaluru - Prasad said the BJP would put in place an effective development plan for Karnataka. "BJP will act like a double-barrel engine and work with full force," the union minister said. People of the state were waiting to vote the Congress out of power, he added. 'Follow Rahul, go wrong' He said the Siddaramaiah government had hardly three to four concrete achievements to speak of during the last five years. "I cannot entirely blame Siddaramaiah because he has to follow his boss (Congress chief) Rahul Gandhi. Those who follow Rahul are bound to go wrong," Prasad said. He said BJP and its allies were in power in 22 states and Congress had hit a new low, reduced to being an 'April Fool joke'. In the booklets, BJP has accused the Congress of ruining Bengaluru and turning the state capital into a 'garbage' and 'crime' city. It also lists out 'large-scale corruption' in city-related works. The 'chargesheet' on law and order mentions the increase in crimes like chain-snatching, assault on innocents and children, murders and atrocities on women. As many as 3,500 farmers have committed suicide during the last five years due to the apathy of the government, party state general secretary Shobha Karandlaje said. CM, will bite the dust: BSY BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday said both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his son Yathindra will bite the dust in the Assembly polls as people want to teach them a lesson, reports DHNS from Bengaluru. Speaking to reporters here, Yeddyurappa said, "Siddaramaiah has announced that he will contest from Chamundeshwari and is planning to field his son from Varuna. I challenge to defeat both of them. Only then the BJP will be satisfied," he said. In fact, the BJP is planning to field Yeddyrappa's second son B Y Vijayendra from Varuna against Yathindra. Yeddyrappa said BJP president Amit Shah will tour the districts of Belagavi, Bagalkot and Haveri for two days from Monday. In the next leg, Shah will tour the districts of Raichur, Ballari and Koppal for two days from April 12. The winners of the second edition of the Adam Henein Prize for sculpture were announced at an exhibit at the Hanager Arts Centre on Saturday. The prize aims to promote and support contemporary artists under the age of 35 from Egypt and across the Arab world. The event showcases both the competition and a group exhibition of selected projects. From among the 30 participating artists this year, Alaa Yehia won first prize, worth EGP 50,000. Second prize, worth EGP 10,000, went to Therese Antoine, while the third prize, worth EGP 5,000, was awarded to Samar Magdy El-Bassal. The jury award was given to Abdel-Rahman Alaa El-Agouz, which includes a scholarship trip to Italy to learn the art and technique of Italian sculptors. The annual award has expanded from last year. Previously, there was only first prize worth EGP 50,000 and second prize of an apprenticeship under Adam Henein at the renowned artist's studio. 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 Search Keywords: Short link: With the SC/ST communities in a churn over the dilution of the anti-atrocities act by the Supreme Court, the Congress has decided to reach out to the Dalits, who once formed the key support base of the party. Congress leaders are planning a massive rally at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday to press for a demand for the review of the Supreme Court directives on the dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. "About 8,000 protestors would converge on Parliament Street on Wednesday," Nitin Raut, the newly-appointed chairman of the All India Congress Committee SC Department said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also expected to address a conference on Dalit issues, which will be organised by the party on April 23 at the Talkatora Stadium. The Supreme Court had on March 20 issued guidelines diluting the stringent provisions of the anti-atrocities law mandating the immediate arrest of a person, including government servants, on charges pressed under the law. Arrests in such cases should be made only after approval from the appointing authority and senior superintendent of police, the court had ruled. Dalits constitute almost 17% of India's population. If one adds STs, the total population of SCs and STs combined, as per the 2011 census, comes to 25% of the total population. Over the years, Dalits had moved to Mayawati's BSP in Uttar Pradesh and later to the BJP. The Congress retains its hold over Dalits in certain pockets but mostly the community has moved on to other political parties. Last week, Gandhi had led a delegation of Opposition leaders to petition President Ram Nath Kovind on the dilution of the anti-atrocities act. The BJP is facing the heat from the Dalit community over the Modi government's perceived lethargy on the issue of the anti-atrocities law. The battle for special category status for Andhra Pradesh will shift to the national capital next week with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expected to meet Opposition leaders to rally support for the demand after a bitter parting of ways with the BJP. YSR Congress, the arch-rival of Naidu's TDP, is also expected to step up pressure on the issue with its MPs set to tender their resignations on April 6, the last day of the Budget Session. YSR Congress leaders are expected to sit on an indefinite hunger strike at the Andhra Bhawan in the capital thereafter to press for their demand for a special category status for the state. Naidu, meanwhile is expected to reach out to Opposition leaders, including the Congress, to and seek their support for pressuring the Centre to deliver on the 19 promises in the AP Reorgnaisation Act and back the TDP over the no-confidence motion against the Modi government on the issues. This will be Naidu's first visit to the capital after the TDP pulled out of the NDA on March 16, as the YSRCP queered the pitch over the special category status issue by moving a no-confidence motion against the Modi government. The TDP leaders expect that the notices for no-confidence motion given by six political parties could be taken up for discussion sometime next week. The issue of special category status for Andhra Pradesh has rocked Parliament since it re-convened for the Budget Session on March 5. Both the Houses of Parliament have witnessed repeated adjournments on the issue and other matters such as the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board and rights of states to decide on reservations in jobs and educational institutions. The Budget Session of Parliament is scheduled to conclude on April 6. The government will file a review petition before the Supreme Court tomorrow, challenging its order banning automatic arrest and registration of cases for alleged harassment of SCs and STs. The petition will be filed by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry tomorrow, a senior government official said. Meanwhile, Union Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot had on Friday appealed to organisations and individuals opposing the Supreme Court's verdict on the SC/ST Act to withdraw their protests in the wake of the government's decision to file a review petition challenging the order. Top law officers are constantly brainstorming with officials of the ministry of social justice to prepare a credible review plea, sources in the government said. The top court had recently banned automatic arrests and registration of criminal cases under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989. The law protects the marginalised communities against discrimination and atrocities. A delegation of NDA's SC and ST MPs, led by LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Gehlot, had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to discuss the apex court judgement diluting provisions of the SC/ST atrocities act. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) have also conveyed their views and demanded a review of the verdict, saying the original Act, as it existed before the SC verdict, should be restored. The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) Prevention of Atrocities (PoA) Act, 1989 was amended recently to include new offences and to ensure speedy justice to victims. The amended law had come into effect from January 26, 2016. Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi is committed to investing further in the Indian market, but is also keeping a sharp eye on "eventual profitability", as the US-based cab aggregator ramps up operations in the country. Khosrowshahi said that India is already among the top three markets (besides the US and Latin America) for Uber, and accounts for 10% of its trips globally. "I can tell you that India is a key component of our growth plan. In fact, it is one of our healthiest markets in terms of growth rates. We have over three lakh active drivers, and we currently do over 10 million weekly trips. We think, we can increase that by 5X or 10X, over the next 10 years," he said. Khosrowshahi emphasised that this expansion will require investment, "but as you mature, you also want to combine that investment with eventual profitability". "We think, we're on a good road there, we just don't have a specific timeline in mind (for hitting profits). If anything, we're leaning forward in India," he said, adding that the company is confident about its competitive position in the country. Uber has been pumping in substantial funds to fuel its growth in India. In 2015, it announced an investment of $1 billion in the country to expand its services. It has also set up a response and support centre in Hyderabad, with an investment of $50 million. Asked about a merger with Ola on the cards, Khosrowshahi said the company will "look at any deals that can add value to its partners and shareholders, but we believe in controlling our own destiny in India". There have been reports about Uber and Ola joining forces in India. The speculations have gotten stronger after SoftBank - an investor in Ola - joined Uber as an investor, committing over $1 billion. Apart from India, the two now compete in Australia, with Ola recently launching its services in Perth and Sydney. The defence ministry has proposed the creation of an aeronautical university in partnership with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to promote "design, development and manufacturing" in the Indian aviation sector. The six-year-old idea of creating a National Aeronautical Commission - in the line of the Space and Atomic Energy Commission - has now also been revived by the NDA government. Both proposals are part of the draft defence production policy that was released recently by the defence ministry in order to prepare a roadmap to spur indigenous defence manufacturing. The aim is to achieve a turnover of Rs 1,70,000 crore in defence goods and services and an export of Rs 35,000 crore by 2025. "An aeronautical university will be set up as an autonomous institution to promote design, development and the manufacturing industry in the country on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis between the government and HAL," it said. The department of defence production said it would explore the possibility of setting up an autonomous National Aeronautical Commission, whose primary task would be to exploit the mutually benefitting links between military and civil aviation for expansion and indigenisation. Other tasks cut out for the commission were to bring together diverse agencies for technology development and create a defence economy through a competitive environment. The idea for such a commission, first pitched six years ago, was recommended by a working group on aerospace sector set up by the Planning Commission, to strengthen the aerospace industry and harness the capabilities existing in HAL, National Aerospace Laboratories; IISc-Bangalore, IITs and Defence Research and Development Organisation units. The new policy identifies 13 technology platforms, ranging from fighter aircraft, helicopters and warships to electronic surveillance system and night-fighting enablers, where India needs to become self-reliant with the involvement of the private sector. To facilitate FDI of up to 74% through automatic route has been proposed in certain niche technical areas. The draft, which was open for public comments till March 30, will be discussed at the upcoming Def-Expo 2018, the biennial defence exposition that was being held near Chennai between April 11-14. A cold war is being waged across the world's most advanced industries. And it just got a lot chillier. Recent tit-for-tat trade actions could deepen what has become a global contest for technological dominance between the United States and China, home to the planet's largest population of internet users and a flourishing community of startups and innovative companies. The Trump administration last week accused Beijing of stealing valuable technological know-how from US companies as it proposed tariffs on $60 billion in Chinese goods and curbs on Chinese investments. China responded with its own set of penalties aimed at US products. The fight between the two countries is cleaving the high-tech realm. The world's two biggest economies have each become increasingly protective of their own leading-edge industries, and mistrustful of the other's. Reconciliation looks difficult. And the rising tensions could further undercut US influence in a huge and fast-changing market. Both sides have been putting up defensive walls for years. To stay in business in China, Apple has had to set up a data centre there to store Chinese customers' personal information. Amazon recently had to sell equipment to its Chinese cloud services partner to comply with new Chinese rules. Facebook and Twitter are blocked in the country; newer US players, such as Snap, are not even trying to enter anymore. In the US, regulators have repeatedly thwarted attempts by Chinese tech groups to acquire US firms. And espionage concerns have for years kept Huawei - one of the world's biggest suppliers of telecom gear, and a powerhouse of China's tech scene - largely out of the US market. The Trump administration says it wants to level the playing field, dishing out to Chinese companies the kind of treatment that US ones have been receiving in China for some time. "China's abilities and ambitions have shifted much further up the value-added chain, to tech that represents our crown jewels economically and that is relevant for national security," said Scott Kennedy, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "So there's no way to kick this can down the road anymore." Still, as much as US companies complain about how they are treated in China, it could get even worse if Beijing amplifies its retaliation beyond the tariffs, announced this month, on $3 billion worth of goods. China could require that foreign tech companies undergo costly additional tests for new products, or simply make it more difficult to operate in the country. Apple, whose iPhones remain coveted among well-off Chinese, made nearly $18 billion in the country in the last quarter of 2017. Qualcomm, the San Diego microchip maker, has earned half its revenue in China in recent years. It could also devise new regulatory hoops for foreign companies to jump through. China's Ministry of Commerce has not yet approved Qualcomm's proposed, $44 billion purchase of NXP Semiconductors, a Dutch chipmaker. The deal, more than a year in the making, needs a signoff from Chinese antitrust authorities because the two companies count a large number of electronics makers in China as customers. Both countries' efforts to kneecap each other's tech champions are as much about national security as economic might. Likewise with the race to dominate frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and next-generation wireless internet. Trump recently blocked a hostile bid by Broadcom to buy Qualcomm. He did so not because the bidder was Chinese - Broadcom is headquartered in Singapore - but because the administration said the deal would weaken Qualcomm, leaving Huawei with a stronger hand to shape 5G, or fifth-generation mobile technology. This is why the present tensions are so difficult to resolve. In a previous era, Japan was a technological rival but a military ally. The Soviet Union was a tech rival in defence, though a laggard in the commercial sphere. "The US and China have so intertwined their science and technology systems through trade and investment and cooperative research - but d continue to see each other as strategic competitors and adversaries," said Adam Segal, a tech and security expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. "That hasn't happened before." China's angst about foreign tech dominance runs deep. For most of the past decade, Beijing has blocked many US internet services, including Facebook's and Google's, to control the flow of information and head off social media-fuelled movements such as the Arab Spring. Another great paroxysm of worry came in 2013, when Edward J. Snowden leaked documents showing ties between US technology providers and the National Security Agency's vast surveillance program. For China, "one of the major takeaways was, 'We are overly reliant on American technology over which we have very little control,'" said Rogier Creemers, a scholar of Chinese tech policy at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Damage control A Communist Party-linked newsmagazine singled out the US companies that it said had penetrated most deeply into China's information infrastructure. The "Eight Guardian Warriors," as they were called - Apple, Cisco, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle and Qualcomm - had been able to "drive right into China," the article said, whereas Huawei and another Chinese equipment maker, ZTE, had been kept out of the United States. Beijing swung into action. It banned government offices from installing the most recent version of Microsoft Windows, and antitrust investigators raided Microsoft's offices. Cisco, Apple and Intel products were removed from state lists that officials use as guides when buying equipment. Qualcomm got slapped with a $975 million fine for anti-competitive behaviour. The political pressure sent US companies scrambling to link up with Chinese partners, leading to joint ventures of the sort that the Trump administration, and some in the US business community, have decried as unfair. Cisco partnered with a Chinese firm to sell networking systems. Microsoft, in conjunction with a state company closely tied to the Chinese military, developed a version of Windows more suitable for China's government. Advanced Micro Devices, Intel and Qualcomm began working with Chinese organizations in microchips, which China imports in huge quantities to put into smartphones, computers and other electronics. Despite the boost from America's giants, and hefty doses of state funding, China's semiconductor push is still in its early days. But most observers believe that it is only a matter of time before Chinese factories catch up to those at industry leaders in the US, South Korea and Taiwan. One stumbling block for China: attempts to scoop up foreign chip makers mostly have not worked out. State-owned Tsinghua Unigroup tried to buy Micron Technology, a memory chip maker based in Idaho, for $23 billion in 2015, but regulatory worries scuttled the deal. In Washington, concern about the rivalry with China has been reflected in a number of reports, from the likes of the Pentagon, that warn about the country's growing tech capabilities. Still, shorter-term considerations could mean that Washington would back down before Beijing in an all-out trade war. "If the markets take a nose-dive as we move closer to the midterm elections," Kennedy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said, "that would put some pressure on Trump to look for face-saving solutions, even if final problems haven't been addressed." Earlier, only Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's photos were removed from these canteens. After the code of conduct came into effect, District Election Officer and BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad had said that as per the Election Commission guidelines, the images of late political leaders need not be removed. At a few canteens in Dasarahalli zone, Indira's pictures, which have been carved on the walls of the canteen, was closed using white sheets. In Mallasandra ward number 13, Indira's picture and the name 'Indira' written on top of the picture were covered. A canteen staff told DH: "Senior officials first asked us to close the pictures of the chief minister. Two days ago they asked us to cover Indira Gandhi's picture too." The Indira Canteen is a flagship programme of the state government which provides food at subsidised rates. The canteens serve lunch and dinner for Rs 10 and breakfast for Rs 5. Mayor R Sampath Raj told DH: "The guidelines only state that the photos of present politicians should be pulled down. Displaying Indira Gandhi's pictures is not a violation of the code of conduct." "I will discuss the issues with officials concerned and find out the reason," he added. Frustration with high private school fee has bubbled over to the internet. An online petition against this on change.org has received nearly 27,000 signatures in a week. The petition, addressed to the chief minister of Karnataka, was started by A B Suresh, a volunteer with a group called Mission Education Federation. In the plea, he argues that education is a fundamental right and expresses frustration against the state government for not introducing the revised fee norms that were to be published in January. The petition suggests the government make it compulsory for schools to get its approval before hiking their fee. Fee regulation has been a long-pending demand of parents across the state. The Mission Education Federation is also collecting information on the fee hike in schools across Bengaluru. This information will be used to file a complaint with the District-level Education Regulatory Authority (DERA), the committee headed by the deputy commissioner of the district which looks into violations of fee regulations. Karnataka has continued to face a shortage of psychiatrists despite a steady increase in the number of patients suffering from psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, substance abuse and depression. There are just around 50 psychiatrists for a whopping 4 lakh patients across the state. The demand-supply gap between patients and psychiatrists may not be filled as according to doctors there is no provision for recruitment of more psychiatrists at taluk and district hospitals. The Report of Technical Committee on Mental Health (TCMH) 2016, constituted by National Human Rights Commission to evaluate mental health services in India, recommends to employ at least one psychiatrist in every taluk hospital. Dr Rajani, deputy director, mental health, department of health and family welfare, Karnataka, told DH: "Karnataka has around 50 psychiatrists which is much higher than many other states. There is no provision to employ psychiatrists at 146 taluk hospitals and 2,500 Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Getting specialists in psychiatry is more difficult. We have psychiatrists in 28 out of 31 district hospitals across the state." The number of patients across the state in 2015 was 60,000 which went up to 1.5 lakh in 2016 and around 4 lakh in 2017. Dr Prathima Murthy, a psychiatrist from NIMHANS who was a part of TCMH, pointed out that psychiatrists in the state were unevenly distributed with low numbers in rural areas. Lucrative jobs abroad "Nimhans produces 36 psychiatrists annually. However, many of them go abroad due to lucrative jobs," she said. The government has been taking steps since 2016 to ensure medical services for patients suffering from various psychological disorders. According to the department of health and family welfare, about 3,000 doctors serving in PHCs, 35,000 ASHA workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and paramedical staff have been trained for mental health, besides 11,000 school teachers to identify disorders among students. The beautiful dark-skinned girl with wide eyes smiles widely. Her trademark scarf in hues of green, yellow and orange cascades around her hair and shoulders. Saleema needs no introduction. Her story has always captivated listeners, as it did during a screening of a small documentary in a workshop on social norms, held by the UNICEF and Rain Barrel Research Center in Amman, Jordan. The film opened with the words of a different Sudanese girl as she narrated her experience of undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM), her encounter with the midwife, and how her grandmother encouraged the procedure. In our village, every girl must be circumcised so she can get married, the grandmother said. Its our tradition. Performed on both Muslim and Christian girls, FGM is very common in Egypt and Sudan, and also in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia - though it is very rare elsewhere in the Arab world. But Saleema's story, which began in 2008 as an initiative by the Sudanese society, has brought hope to efforts to stop FGM. In Sudan, former efforts to stop FGM where either tackled by civic society, individual research efforts or scattered media coverage. All of them were top down, talking primarily about health hazards, or distinguishing the practice from religion and calling for stricter laws against the practice. The Saleema Initiative grew out of the recognition of the importance of language in addressing the issue of FGM and changing mindsets. It tackled FGM without talking explicitly about it ,but rather introducing a brighter alternative. Ahram Online discussed the initiative with Dr. Samira Amin, one of the founders. Amin spent almost two decades working with UNICEF Sudan, gaining vast experience from work with government, international and national NGOs, agencies and civil society organisations. It all starts with the right words Amin explained how selecting the right words have always been critical in addressing social issues. In the colloquial language in Sudan, people have always chosen to describe FGM as 'tahoor,' which means pure. Needless to say how this represented a challenge, as Sudanese culture accordingly associated the act of FGM with a much respected value: purity," she explained. In addition to that, the colloquial word that described women and girls who did not undergo FGM was 'ghalfaa,' which has a very negative meaning of impurity and obscenity, Samira added. So the idea was to present the new initiative by carefully choosing a name: Saleema. "Saleema is a picture of a girl that is uncut, and her name in Arabic means: pure, complete, unharmed and intact, all of which conform to the highly cherished values of preserving the purity of a girl," Samira continued. "The success of Saleema was based on many factors, most importantly is the fact that her name created a paradigm shift in terms of acknowledging purity of the girl without contradicting the core values of the community. It emerged from the community itself without being imposed," she said. The idea was to provide communities with a "toolkit," including various communication activities and materials to encourage rethinking about FGM. We said that 'God created the girl Saleema, so let her grow Saleema,' so the same values were preserved, but were linked with the Saleema tools, Samira explained. These tools would come to play a powerful role in the initiative's efforts. They came in two forms: multimedia materials broadcast on TV and radio, and small print materials with training activities aimed directly at the communities. A starting point The initiative's success in part stemmed from the discontinuation of the use of criticism and pointing out the harmful effects of FGM. "Instead, we heard people, let them talk and express their troubles, then we went ahead to present the picture of Saleema, portraying her as a joyful, happy and successful alternative. This clicked with the community on the spot," Samira said. "The whole idea was not to create a sudden improvement in the situation at once, but rather to create a discussion, and prompt minds to question and argue. This eventually created change," she explained. "It was enough with the gruesome pictures in campaigns, enough with blood; it was time to talk about an appealing alternative, for listeners. We lent an ear, heard their anguish and stories unfold, before we talked about a Saleema." "A new, consistent mass media -- appealing to a wide audience -- was created, avoiding top-down talk, as well as polarised debates. Saleema became a household name, and that was when success began." According to UNICEF, a survey in 2014 showed that now more than 50 percent of Sudanese women believe the practice should be discontinued amid growing awareness about its health dangers. According to the World Health Organization, more than 200 million girls and women have been cut in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In Egypt, the procedure was banned in 2008, but a UNICEF study in 2016 showed that 87 percent of women between the ages of 15 to 49 in Egypt have been subjected to the procedure, which is still viewed as a method to promote chastity. In the same year, Egypt's House of Representatives approved a cabinet bill amending the law criminalising FGM, and declaring the practice a felony, as well as imposing stricter punishments for those convicted of performing the procedure. Although FGM by its very nature leads to deformity, Egyptian law does not consider the act in itself as leading to "permanent deformity." Samira is optimistic regarding the future. Egypt and Sudan have always been intertwined, their history and roots are linked together and I am sure that both countries endeavours to put an end to FGM will pay off and succeed at the end." "The success of Saleema stems from the fact that the name became a household name in Sudanese society. The beginning of the change was when debate began, and discussions were spurred," she said. "Saleema was a starting point, and now younger generations must finish what we started, she concluded. Short link: PORTLAND, Oregon, 1 March 2018 (CBD) Within the next two years, more than 60 million acres of monarch habitat will be sprayed with an herbicide thats extremely harmful to milkweed, the only food for monarch caterpillars, according to a new analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity.Monarch populations have already fallen by 80 percent in the past two decades due to escalating pesticide use and other human activities. Now the Centers report A Menace to Monarchs shows that the butterfly faces a dangerous new threat from accelerating use of the notoriously drift-prone and highly toxic weed killer dicamba across an area larger than the state of Minnesota.Americas monarchs are already in serious trouble, and this will push them into absolute crisis, said Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center. Its appalling that the EPA approved this spraying without bothering to consider the permanent damage it will do to these butterflies and their migration routes.Todays report found that by 2019, use of dicamba will increase by nearly 100-fold on cotton and soybean fields within the monarchs migratory habitat across the heart of the United States.Other key findings include: Accelerating harm: In addition to 61 million acres of monarch habitat being directly sprayed with dicamba, an additional 9 million acres could be harmed by drift of the herbicide. In addition to 61 million acres of monarch habitat being directly sprayed with dicamba, an additional 9 million acres could be harmed by drift of the herbicide. Deadly timing: The timing and geographical distribution of dicamba use coincides precisely with the presence of monarch eggs and larva on milkweed. The timing and geographical distribution of dicamba use coincides precisely with the presence of monarch eggs and larva on milkweed. Double trouble: Dicamba degrades monarch habitat both by harming flowering of plants that provide nectar for adults as they travel south for the winter and by harming milkweed that provides an essential resource for reproduction. Dicamba degrades monarch habitat both by harming flowering of plants that provide nectar for adults as they travel south for the winter and by harming milkweed that provides an essential resource for reproduction. Greater menace to milkweed: Research has shown that just 1 percent of the minimum dicamba application rate is sufficient to reduce the size of milkweed by 50 percent, indicating it may have a greater impact on milkweed growth than the already widely used herbicide glyphosate. The Environmental Protection Agency in 2016 approved new dicamba products for use on genetically engineered cotton and soybeans. In 2017 there were reports of at least 3.6 million acres of off-target, dicamba-induced damage to agricultural crops and an unknown amount of damage to native plants and habitats, including forests. The EPA has refused to take necessary action to address the harms caused by the chemical.Theres no question that use of dicamba across tens of millions of acres will deepen risks to our dangerously imperiled monarch populations, said Donley. When dicambas use on GE cotton and soybeans comes up for reapproval later this year, the only responsible thing for the EPA to do is allow that approval to expire. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Among diseases, diabetes is unique in its effects on the general health of the human being. It creeps silently, gradually causing complications that, if left untreated, can lead to complete deterioration of the body. Every year experts seek new ways of preventing the complications before they become inevitable, constantly highlighting the utmost importance of early detection. Through drawing workshops and illustrative plays, school children in Egypt's Fayoum this week learned more about protecting their health in an a light and fun atmosphere through the artistic diabetes awareness initiative simply called Kids. Kids was first launched in November 2017 with the aim to create a welcoming and supportive environment for school children with diabetes type one, as well as to raise awareness of prevention methods for type two. Since then, the initiative had branched out to to 12 schools in various Egyptian governorates, with the aim of supporting school children, staff and health personnel. Kids was launched by the Egyptian Association for Comprehensive Developments (EASD), Egyptian Society for Pediatric Diabetes (ESPED) and Sanofi, a private sector organization that aims to bring healthcare access to the underserved. The initiative is held under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Solidarity. Dr. Mona Salem, manager of ESPED, stressed that the campaign's target is to reach 6,000 students, 66 teachers and more than 8,000 parents. "Focusing on awareness throughout the school year is of the utmost importance, and involving participants in the seamless and convenient inclusion of diabetic children is pivotal," she said. Magdi Seydhom, deputy head of EASD, said that the training and art activities help students explore healthier choices of food, and teaches them the importance of constant measuring of glucose in the blood as a means of prevention. According to the WHO, the number of diabetics worldwide is 366 million. It is expected to reach 500 million by 2030. The prevalence of the disease among Egyptians is shockingly high, almost 17 percent. Egypt has the ninth highest prevalence of diabetes worldwide and is expected to be the eighth by the year 2030. Short link: Were on the verge of a historic catastrophe Is Donald Trump unhinged or unleashed? And is there any difference? Thats the question that the Washington Posts well-sourced reporters Philip Rucker and Robert Costa are currently ruminating over: This is now a president a little bit alone, isolated and without any moderating influences and, if anything, a president who is being encouraged and goaded on by people around him, one Trump confidant said. It really is a president unhinged. Trump is making hasty decisions that jolt markets and shock leaders and experts including those on his own staff. Some confidants are concerned about the situation, while others, unworried, characterize him as unleashed. The idea that a guy who bet his entire media presence on deciding to be the most famous guy who didnt believe the first black president could be a citizen is only now becoming unhinged is ridiculous. But the real danger is that hes increasingly unleashed. He knows he has GOP Congress willing to obstruct for him and a state-run media willing to turn any of his tantrums into Gospel. How Americas largest local TV owner turned its news anchors into soldiers in Trumps war on the media: https://t.co/iLVtKRQycL pic.twitter.com/dMdSGellH3 Deadspin (@Deadspin) March 31, 2018 But he also sees that Republicans have suffered what appears to be a historic trouncing in both special elections and the regular scheduled Virginia elections. His businesses are under siege. And, unlike us, hes seen the questions Robert Mueller has for him. So what is he doing? Hes speeding us toward two wars one that could be nuclear and one that could only be resolved by an invasion of a country four times the size of Iraq. Hes bringing in a Secretary of State and National Security Advisor who have rarely hidden their antipathy for Muslims and their lust for a war in Iran. And hes creating a diplomatic moment that is likely to manufacture the sort of crisis that could be used to justify the deadliest war in decades. How could North Korea ever make a deal to constrain its nuclear program as Iran is being punished for making a deal to constrain its nuclear program? As if the trail of deposed leaders in countries who gave up nukes or abandoned nuclear ambitions in Iraq, Libya and Ukraine isnt disincentive enough. Trump loves the drama of meeting with Kim Jong-Un and his new National Security Advisor loves using the pretense of diplomacy as the justification for war. Here is John Bolton, in his memoir, admitting that he supported talks with North Korea in 2002 only because he expected them to fail, which he could then use to discredit diplomacy and pursue more hawkish policies on North Korea. pic.twitter.com/6nVcDuUuzW Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) March 25, 2018 Trumps strategy has always to be to grab the attention he needs to silence the voices of humiliation screeching in side his head. When the voices on the outside match his daddys condemnation on the inside, hell try anything. Thats worked for him for a long time. But increasingly his options are being reduced to war and and tyranny, so thats what we should expect. And until we vote, our only hope is a dismal one: We have to get this complicit/captured GOP Congress to at least debate the horrors he has planned. 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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. President Erdogan retorts Netanyahu Erdogan said that Israel was a terror state, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Turkeys Afrin operation in northwest Syria. Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) congress in southern Adana province, Erdogan responded Netanyahu's remarks targeting Turkey's military operation in Syria's Afrin against YPG. "He said our soldiers were persecuting innocents in Afrin. Netanyahu, you are very weak, you are very strange. First, pull yourself together. We are dealing with terrorists, but your issue isnt terrorists. Because you are a terror state. I do not need to tell the world how cruel the Israeli army is. We can see what this terror state is doing by looking at the situation in Gaza and Jerusalem." President stated. On Saturday, Erdogan had criticized Israel's "inhumane attack" on Gaza, after sixteen Palestinians were killed by Israeli military forces."I strongly condemn the Israeli government over its inhumane attack." Erdogan had said during a speech in Istanbul. Netanyahu had responded Erdogan after his statements and claimed that Israel forces are "the most moral army in the world. Teen Mom OG star Maci Bookout is doing everything in her power to protect her family, especially when it comes to ex Ryan Edwards. Order Of Protection People Magazine has reported that Bookout and her husband, Taylor McKinney, have filed two separate orders of protection in Hamilton County, Tennessee. McKinney was the first to submit his request of protection against Edwards. Meanwhile, Bookout used her order of protection for herself and her 9-year-old son with Edwards, Bentley. Bookout also listed in her legal document her two children that she shares with McKinney, 2-year-old Jayde and 22-month-old Maverick. US Weekly stated that a Hamilton County judge is expected to hear the case on Monday, April 2. Ryan's Horrible Week On Tuesday, March 27, the Teen Mom OG star was arrested at his home at around 3 p.m. The Red City authorities that arrested him stated that Edwards violated his parole regarding a previous offense that involved heroin. Radar Online received information from the Hamilton County regarding Edwards' ability to make bail. "He was held on $5,000 bond. He was bonded out at 10:15 pm," said the Hamilton County Jail spokesperson to Radar Online. A Baby Preview Edwards' arrest and release from jail comes at the worst possible time. His wife, Mackenzie Edwards, had just revealed in a preview to an upcoming episode of Teen Mom OG that she took a pregnancy test and it was positive. This would be Mackenzie's first biological child with Edwards, as he is a stepfather to Mackenzie's 4-year-old son, Hudson. All About Kailyn In addition to the Edwards family, several other Teen Mom stars have made headlines. Outspoken Teen Mom 2 star Kailyn Lowry admitted that she wanted to have a fourth baby. On the March 22 episode of her podcast, Coffee Convos With Kali Lowry And Lindsie Chrisley, Lowry revealed that she was looking at different options to expand her family. She even admitted to considering using a sperm donor and freezing her eggs. The Lowell-Baltierra Update Meanwhile, on March 14, Catelynn Lowell released her first social media message following her stint in rehab. She shared with 3 million Instagram followers a quote from Molly Mahar that showcased her positive outlook in the latest chapter of her life. Lowell was at an Arizona mental health facility where she received help with her battle with mental illness. Meanwhile, her husband, Tyler Baltierra, was forced to defend himself on social media after critics made fun of his weight loss. Baltierra addressed his critics and stated that he did not like that they made him a bad guy. He added that he would not wallow in self-pity and instead focus on bettering himself as his wife faced her demons. There could soon be a new crop option for Faribault County farmers to plant, if some recent information from winter ag meetings is correct. Frozen peas. While sweet peas are a popular crop already in the county, and are already readily available in the frozen foods aisle at grocery stores, these frozen peas are different. Local farmers say they have been contacted about planting a special variety of peas later in the growing season that will not be harvested until winter when they are already frozen. It will enable the canning factory to produce frozen peas without all the equipment necessary now to freeze them after harvest, says one Faribault County farmer who wished not to be identified. A representative of the local Seneca Foods canning plant declined to comment on whether the frozen pea idea was a viable option or not, but local residents noticed that the companys pea picking machines came out of storage last month and seemed to be experimenting with operating in the snow and cold of winter. A spokesman from Senecas headquarters in Seneca, New York, would only say that Seneca is always experimenting with new crops, canning techniques and types of food products. Elias Grayne, chairman of the North American Frozen Pea Growers Association, confirmed their scientists have been working on a new type of pea that was genetically engineered to withstand any effects of cold temperatures on the pea pods themselves. This makes it possible to leave the peas in the field until they are frozen hard, and then harvest them, he said. They basically go right from the field to the freezer. Grayne says it is important the peas be planted in a climate where a fast hard freeze happens every year. He confirmed that Faribault County, Minnesota, would fit the bill. However, one concern for the new crop is the possibility of wind farms in the county. Grayne says both his group and the canning company do not yet know what effect these giant wind towers will have on the frozen pea crop. I understand they are worried that the wind turbines might either keep the peas from freezing hard, or maybe cause them to freeze too hard too fast, he says. They might have to be planted away from any wind turbines. Another unanswered question is when the frozen pea crop will start. Many farmers are saying it could still be this coming planting season, but Grayne says it might just be test plots this year, with full field planting coming the following year. This is not the first time some innovative crops have been planted in Faribault County. There have been sugar beets, giant radishes and even cannabis (marijuana) grown here over years past. The cannabis, of course, was not grown as marijuana to smoke, but as hemp to be made into rope. Remnants of that long ago hemp plantings can be seen sprouting up around the county to this day, in road ditches and around farmsteads and barns. Another innovative farm crop that was introduced back in 1968 was pretzels. Farmers were told to plant small sticks of pretzels in the ground and they would grow into the large curly-Q pretzels everyone loves to eat, especially with beer. No, wait. That was an April Fools Day story and was not true. Just like this one. Wells Steven Richard Nehring, age 60, of Wells, died Saturday, March 24, 2018 at his home. A memorial service was held Wednesday, March 28, 2018, at United Lutheran Church in Walters, Pastor Don Rose officiated. Interment will be at a later date at Rice Lake Cemetery. Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells assisted the family. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.brussheitner.com He is survived by his parents, Richard and Arlene Nehring, of Walters; sister, Diane Manske (special friend, Jim Skogen), of Blue Earth; several aunts, uncles, and cousins and nephews. David Beca is the new chief operating officer for the Harmony Agriculture and Food Company. HARMONY Agriculture and Food Company (HAAFCO) is strengthening its leadership having announced the appointment of David Beca as chief operating officer last week. Mr Beca has a history in the dairy industry and has a wealth of executive and industry experience, locally and internationally, having completed professional stints in London, South America and Africa, according to HAAFCO executive director Richard Pearce. Mr Pearce said Mr Beca had an active history of building businesses and working in the agricultural investment sector. He will be responsible for the operational management of Harmonys Australia-based operations, including livestock buying, farm management (both backgrounding and finishing livestock on pasture), feedlot management and delivery of livestock to market, Mr Pearce said. Coming from a leadership background in international agribusinesses, including specialist knowledge of the dairy industry a sector known for its thorough application of data analysis David has the ideal skill set. He understands the rigorous collection and application of data, which he will use to help Harmony capture and analyse customer data. David will ensure that the whole supply chain is set up to deliver to marketing specifications, including the quality, volume and timing of product. HAAFCO has invested in an asset base across Australia. The only way those assets will be effective is through them operating to a market pull model, not a supply push approach, Mr Pearce said. David is coming in to take control of that, which is very much about gathering high-quality data and then utilising this to empower management. HAAFCO has also announced the purchase of the Gerang Gervng feedlot in Victoria, that will know be known as Dimboola. Mr Becas appointment comes at the same time as the acquisition of the feedlot, ensuring that the growth of HAAFCOs operational capability was matched by its internal capabilities. We were confident to do that because David was coming on, Mr Pearce said. The bigger you get operationally, the more capability you need to focus on that. Mr Beca will be the fifth leg of the executive team and the first appointment at this level, outside of HAAFCOs original founding team. Mr Pearce said Mr Beca would be able to challenge the team, setting up the business for further success and growth. David is a highly experienced executive, he said. Beyond his direct operational capabilities, he brings a mature and experienced head into our senior executive team to complement the founding group. On what compelled him to join the team, Mr Beca said, I was impressed by the calibre and character of the people working in the business. I believed their business plan had the potential to deliver a highly profitable business that could be scaled to substantial size, Mr Beca said. I was excited about moving back into the beef industry, which is where I started my career. I am immensely excited to be joining the Harmony leadership team and having the opportunity to further develop the working environment so that people can realise their potential. One of the biggest challenges in any fast-growing business is to develop the operating and reporting processes so that people are clear about what is expected of them and confident about their position in the company. Ensuring we have strength in these areas will provide the platform for continuing success. FEDERAL Agriculture and Water Resources Minister David Littleproud has written to fast food outlets urging them to voluntarily display Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) information. Mr Littleproud has outlined a new push to advance CoOL measures already introduced by the Federal government on retail food packaging, in an effort to inform consumers about imported products that can potentially damage the viability of local farmers and industry. Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) and Australian Pork Limited (APL) are already lobbying the government for CoOL on food service menus, to build awareness about the impact of cheap imports, versus locally produced products. Mr Littleproud said the government planned to discuss the issue of voluntary CoOL labelling with the fast food industry in the near future. Consumers and farmers fought for years for a simple label showing the consumer where their food comes from, Mr Littleproud said. He said consumers deserved to know where their food came from. Aussie farmers deserve the chance to collect on their hard work to produce clean, green food and the way to do that is to give consumers the chance to buy it, he said. Many major fast food outlets already use very high proportions of Aussie farm produce. No business has anything to fear from consumers knowing where their food comes from accurate information to consumers is what creates a pure market. Mr Littlprouds call came ahead of a report being released by a working group led by the Assistant Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Craig Laundy into options on CoOL in the food service sector, amid the SIA and APL push. SIA chief executive officer Jane Lovell said the voluntary push by Mr Littleproud was welcomed but the only option for voluntary CoOL on food service menus was mandatory. I agree with everything Mr Littleproud has said except for the word voluntary and it cant just be fast food outlets it needs to be restaurants and cafes also, Ms Lovell said. I look forward to discussing it with him because weve got a good handle on what will actually work. Its good that hes talking about it but hes talking about it because of compulsory labelling being introduced, for retail food products. Were on the record as saying we dont believe voluntary labelling is the solution and have always argued in favour of a mandatory labelling regime. National Farmers Federation chief executive officer Tony Mahar did not say whether CoOL in food service outlets should be mandatory or voluntary. The NFF has a vision for Australian agriculture to be a $100 billion industry by 2030, up from its 2016-2017 value of $63b, Mr Mahar said. To achieve this, the sector will require growth across a number of fronts. One such front could well be a move by big fast food chains to source more produce from Australian farmers. McDonalds spends more than $1b on food, packaging and other Australian goods and services each year and has a reputation of working with farmers to develop long-lasting, mutually-beneficial relationships. Customers value that their meal is made from home-grown produce and often there is a cost benefit of local procurement. IT was a well supported, well catered and interesting day of knowledge sharing and discussion at the Department of Primary Industries and regional Development (DPIRD) Farmer Wants A Life sheep industry research open day recently. Held at the DPIRD Katanning Research Facility, the event saw a mixture of producers, industry representatives, researchers, consultants and DPIRD staff in attendance. Animal science students from Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia numbered about 50 or more, as lecturers took advantage of the hands-on day to get a feel for where the industry is, in terms of the latest research and innovation. DPIRD Sheep Industry Development director Dr Bruce Mullan welcomed all to the 2000 hectare facility and stated in his forward remarks that the event was focussed on the latest technology, emerging research and management techniques for sheep, to help producers run their sheep enterprise more efficiently and profitably. DPIRD is committed to research as an essential part of growing the WA sheep industry, and recognises the potential to drive innovation and advance productivity along the supply chain, Dr Mullan said. By investing in commercially-relevant research and development, collaborating and partnering with industry and universities, we boost the productivity, profitability and international competitiveness of our industry. Dr Mullan said the sheep industry contributed $1.4 billion per year to the WA economy, and forms a cornerstone of the State economy. Attendees were divided into three groups and rotated through a series of workshops and presentations that covered a range of topics from benchmarking using DNA flock profiling, sheep parasites, sheep energy stores and the importance of fat, the AskBill app, the importance of meat colouring to consumers, lean meat yield, forward contracts and more. DPIRD research officer Beth Paganoni presented the findings of research done using Bluetooth sensors to match ewes with their lambs. Ms Paganoni said due to the new technology labour efficiency on-farm was improving. She said the results of the research from 10,000 ewes and lambs across 30 different flocks revealed a 96 per cent to 100pc accuracy in mothering up ewes with lambs. Results so far have blown us away, Ms Paganoni said. We were hoping for 90pc and we got better than that. The real benefit is that its potentially cheaper and easier with 30 hours of wear time we have got that result. In a very short time period we can accurately assess dam pedigree with the new technology. Ms Paganoni said one of the defects of the system was that you dont get day of birth yet, although as the technology improved that data could be available in the future. It also didnt help with information about the sire you would have to know the sire that was used at joining. Ms Paganoni said they were currently assessing the cost of the Bluetooth sensors as opposed to blood sampling. A final Sheep Industry Business Innovation report will contain the details at the end of the financial year. Achieve Ag Solutions consultant Nathan Scott discussed how there was a perception that farmers wont change, but that the sheep industry needed to change if it was to continue to be profitable and attractive to new comers. Mr Scott focused on the use of new technology to improve on-farm efficiency and profitability, to make work life more enjoyable for producers who want a life. EID (electronic identification) tags are more accurate, faster and easier, Mr Scott said. Those three things make it more likely to happen across the whole industry which will make life easier and more productive. He said if you are not excited about the sheep industry now what will excite you? Theres so much new technology out in the market now and well see more changes in the next 10 years, Mr Scott said. What people need to remember is that data doesnt make money, decisions do. Kojonup sheep producer Tamesha Gardner shared her businesss use of EIDs and how after 10 years the results were magnificent. There were teething problems when they first started in 2009 but tags were now cheaper and better and producers were able to pinpoint where they wanted to start and even hire gear to try before getting started. Knowing what we are doing and what is not working is really important, Ms Gardner said. She said generally what they had was working well for them but they would update their technology when they thought they needed something in particular. 2017 was the first year we found that we had really been making good decisions about our ewes and it was a tough year, Ms Gardner said. In regards to worms, DPIRDs Danny Roberts said 42 flocks were studied over two years across 14 farms in the southern agricultural region from Kulin to Pingelly, Darkan, Esperance and Kojonup. Mr Roberts said worms were a very individual thing that people could get a good control over one year and not so good another year. It is one aspect of prime lamb production that you can control, Mr Roberts said. He said those with poor control lost $5 a head at slaughter due to lost weight. Worm control starts now, he said That 1-2kg difference in carcase weight makes a difference in price return for producers. Mr Roberts said lambs worth a slow rate of worm pick up had a low contamination, with not much difference at the end result. He encouraged a combination drench, at weaning, with an aim to be 98pc effective. Mr Roberts said worm control was better with prime lambs, but Merinos also had a greater survival rate over summer. Sheep CRC representative Mary Goodacre said what if you could predict problems before they happened? as she highlighted the work being done to bring Bureau of Meteorology data into the AskBill app. We have forecasts up to three months, and will soon be six to seven months, Ms Goodacre said. She said the app was developed to work with genetics data as well as others and was a useful tool for producers. The Sheep CRC will have AskBill on display at the LambEx conference in August, at Perth. The Farmer Wants A Life sheep industry research open day was sponsored by DPIRDs Sheep Industry Business Innovation project in partnership with the Sheep Alliance of WA. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Fethiye Times Charity News our pick of recent news and events from local charities. The Uzumlu Group Cake and Bake with an Easter theme The Uzumlu Group are a childrens charity based in Yesiluzumlu. They hold fundraising events to help children in Uzumlu and the surrounding area. One of these events is a Cake & Bake held at the Wine House Uzumlu on the last Friday of every month. The March event fell on Good Friday so inevitably, it was a Cake & Bake with an Easter theme. Beautiful sunshine and a great turn out made the morning a huge success and the total amount raised, with the sale of cakes and a raffle, was 1910 TL. How will the money be used? The money will go towards providing a wood store for Nif School. Currently, the wood they use in their wood burners during the winter is stored outside in the playground and gets damp and wet. This makes it extremely difficult and unhealthy to burn. The Uzumlu Group will also be providing gifts for the school children to on 23rd April to celebrate National Sovereignty and Childrens Day in Turkey. They have also recently supported the family of a child suffering from cancer by contributing to the cost of transport and accommodation during treatment. We couldnt do it without the help of local residents The Uzumlu Group are quick to sing the praise of the local residents and local businesses, without whose help and support they wouldnt be able to achieve what they do. If you would like to make a donation, the Uzumlu Group will have a stall at the Yesiluzumlu Mushroom Festival next weekend. Alternatively, donations can be left at the Wine House or Eddys Place Find us on Facebook Email us at theuzumlugroup@outlook.com Call us on 00 90 534 910 07 96 Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 31, 2018) - RT Minerals Corp. (TSXV: RTM) (OTC Pink: RTMFF) (the "Company") announces the resignation of Mr. Paul Antoniazzi as President, Chief Executive Officer and director of the Company for personal reasons effective immediately. The Company would like to thank Mr. Antoniazzi for his many years of service to the Company. The Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Edmond Hatoum as the new Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective immediately. Mr. Hatoum has been a director of the Company since February 2015. ABOUT RT MINERALS CORP. RT Minerals Corp. is a junior resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and evaluation of primarily gold and diamond properties in Canada. The Company's principal mineral properties include the 100% optioned Norwalk and Dill River gold properties that are respectively contiguous to the southern and eastern borders of Red Pine Exploration Inc.'s Wawa Gold Project near Wawa, Ontario; the 100% owned Golden Reed Mine gold property that is staked within Red Pine's Wawa Gold Project; the 100% owned South Wawa gold property that is bordered to the north by Red Pine; the 100% owned Ballard Lake diamond and gold property located ~50 km ENE of Wawa, Ontario; and the 100% owned Dog Lake gold property located ~59 km NE of Wawa, Ontario. The Company's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "RTM" and on the OTC Pink Market under the symbol "RTMFF" with DTC eligibility for trading in the United States. For more information on the Company and its properties, please visit the Company's website at www.rtmcorp.com. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edmond Hatoum Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer RT Minerals Corp. Telephone: 604-681-3170 Fax: 604-681-3552 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release. Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh on Sunday left for Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of the 39 Indians, killed in the war-torn country, officials said. New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh on Sunday left for Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of the 39 Indians, killed in the war-torn country, officials said. The minister is expected to bring back the bodies by Monday. "The minister left around 1 pm from the Hindon airbase and is expected to return with the bodies tomorrow," an official said. After coming back, he will first go to Amritsar followed by Patna and Kolkata to hand over bodies to their relatives, official sources said. Families of some of these victims had met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here on 26 March. Earlier in March, Swaraj had told Parliament that as many as 40 Indians were abducted by terror group Islamic State from Mosul in Iraq in June 2014, but one of them escaped posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh. The remaining 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed, she had said. The West Bengal government is revamping its intelligence wing to help avert incidents of violence in the state, a senior home department official said. Kolkata: The West Bengal government is revamping its intelligence wing to help avert incidents of violence in the state, a senior home department official said. Caught off guard during the recent Asansol-Raniganj violence, the state is also planning to strengthen its ground-level intelligence gathering mechanism, the official told PTI. The revamp has been necessitated owing to inadequate infrastructure in the present set up. "We are strengthening the local intelligence gathering mechanism so that such kind of incidents can be averted," the official said. After the Khagragarh blast in 2014, which unearthed a terror module of a Bangladeshi militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, the need for strengthening the local intelligence gathering mechanism was first felt. Following the incident two years ago, the state government had mooted the idea of setting up Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) in every police district of the state for gathering information at the grass root level which will help in gaining information about terrorists and subversive activities in the state. But apart from deputing officers in LIU unit, this special intelligence cell is yet to take off fully due to lack of office space and other infrastructure in most districts. "The officers for LIU have been deputed in most of the areas but due to lack of office space and infrastructure, their functioning is getting affected as they can't operate sitting in local police stations. In that case their identity will be revealed," said a senior police official, on condition of anonymity. Although the stress was initially laid on bordering districts, it was later decided that the LIU would be expanded to all districts. According to a senior police officer privy to the development, apart from the traditional posting of DIB (District Intelligence Branch) officer in each police districts, the local civic volunteers of the police will also be used to collect information. But the state police, following widespread violence in Purulia, Murshidabad, Raniganj and Asansol over Ram Navami celebrations, has decided to pull up their socks and ensure that this newly formed LIUs have all the facilities to function properly. According to the state home department official, there are specific inputs that the riots that took place in Bengal after 2016 were "pre-planned and are not sporadic incidents as projected by a section of political parties and media". "If you are witnessing one communal incident, then please keep it in mind that before this one incident we have been able to tackle more than 20 such small incidents which have not made headlines," he said. According to data complied by the Union Home Ministry, communal violence had sharply increased over the past three years in West Bengal. While the state recorded 27 incidents of communal violence in 2015, the number almost doubled by 2017 when 58 incidents of violence were recorded. Both West Bengal police and Kolkata police are also keeping a close watch on social media after communal clashes broke out last year in Basirhat area of North 24 Paraganas over an "objectionable" post on Facebook. Union Minister Ashwini Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat, accused of inciting communal violence in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, has surrendered. Patna: Union Minister Ashwini Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat, accused of inciting communal violence in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, has surrendered after evading arrest for over a week, police said on Sunday. Arijit surrendered at around 12.30 am outside the famous Mahavir temple near the Patna railway station. He shouted slogans like "Jai Shri Raam", "Bharat Mata Ki jai" before surrendering, district police official Rakesh Dubey said. Arijit will appear before a Bhagalpur court on Sunday. Last week, a case was lodged against Arijit, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, on charges of taking out a procession without prior permission, inciting communal sentiments and roaming with arms on the streets of Bhagalpur. He had moved a bail plea in a civil court, following which the court on 27 March sought the case diary from the police to ascertain his role in the communal flare-up on 17 March. The court then issued an arrest warrant against Shashwat. Choubey has already described the FIR as "a piece of garbage" that was registered by "corrupt police officers in Bhagalpur". Arijit unsuccessfully contested the last assembly polls as the BJP candidate from Bhagalpur, considered a stronghold of Choubey, who was elected MP from Buxar in 2014. On April Fool's day, the Congress party tweeted a video in the format of news bulletins to mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. On April Fool's day, the Congress party mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party with a video news bulletin and a series of pictures poking fun at government schemes of the government such as demonetisation and Swachh Bharat. In response, BJP accused the grand old party of providing only "spoof governments" in India. "An amount of Rs 15,00,000.00 has been CREDITED to your A/C on 01/04/2018 towards Acche Din. Ref No. http://BJP00000420. Total available balance Rs 0.00. Here are some other BREAKING NEWS stories trending this hour (sic)," the party tweeted in apparent jibe on demonetisation along with the following video: PM-MyGovt An amount of INR 15,00,000.00 has been CREDITED to your A/C on 01/04/2018 towards Acche Din. Ref No. https://t.co/Se1tLgez25 Avail.bal INR 0.00 Here are some other BREAKING NEWS stories trending this hour: #HappyJumlaDivas pic.twitter.com/N5SPnQIlsY Congress (@INCIndia) April 1, 2018 The video claims that India has become free of corruption after demonetisation and that even aliens are coming to work in India after the government released 200 crore jobs. It goes on to claim that Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have "boosted" the prime minister's Swachh Bharat campaign by 'cleaning out' the government-owned Punjab National Bank. Congress also mocked the government over rising prices. It tweeted "Worried about price rise? The Modi govt has just shared a tip on how to tackle it" with this image: Worried about price rise? The Modi Govt has just shared a tip on how to tackle it. #HappyJumlaDivas pic.twitter.com/nYOIELlIwI Congress (@INCIndia) April 1, 2018 The tweets were shared with the hashtag #HappyJumlaDiwas referring to its previous allegations against the Centre of making only tall claims and not fulfilling its promises. The BJP reacted to the video and party leader Sambit Patra told India Today that Congress only provided "spoof government" in all the years it ruled India. The biggest jumla, he said, was "gareebi hatao" launched by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. He added that now that 18,000 villages are getting electrified and there's financial inclusion because of Jan Dhan scheme, the Congress is unnerved ahead of the 2019 general elections. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the BJP-RSS of 'spreading hatred' in the country and vowed that his party will not let their ideology win. New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the BJP-RSS of "spreading hatred" in the country and vowed that his party will not let their ideology win. In a tweet, Gandhi gave his message of love and harmony and cited the statements of Yashpal Saxena and Imam Imdadul Rashidi, who lost their sons in recent communal violence. Rashidi's 16-year-old son died in communal violence in West Bengal's Asansol Sunday after Ram Navami celebrations. Rashidi has said that as an Imam for 30 years, he would always spread the message of peace and harmony to everyone. Yashpal Saxena's son, Ankit Saxena, was killed in Delhi on February 1 by the family of a girl he was in a relationship with, allegedly because they belonged to different communities. Yashpal Saxena had said he did not want to blame anybody. "After having lost their sons to hatred and communal violence, Yashpal Saxena and Imam Rashidi's messages say that in India, love will always defeat hatred. Congress's foundation is also based on compassion and brotherhood. We will not let the BJP/RSS ideology of spreading hatred to win," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. Gandhi has often attacked the BJP and the RSS for being communal and for spreading hatred in society. The Dalai Lama called on his people to remain united as the Tibetan community gathered on Saturday in a small hill town to mark 60 years of political asylum in India. Dharamsala: The Dalai Lama called on his people to remain united as the Tibetan community gathered on Saturday in a small hill town to mark 60 years of political asylum in India although just one federal minister appeared at the event. The Thank You India event had been scheduled for Indias capital, New Delhi, but was shifted to Dharamsala, a small town in the countrys north where Tibetans run a government in exile, as India tries to avoid a confrontation with China, which views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist. Officially, New Delhi says its policy toward the Dalai Lama remains the same, and the Tibetan government in exile says it moved the event to Dharamsala out of respect for Indias foreign policy needs. Indias culture minister was the only minister present at the event. Today we are celebrating 60 years in exile and we are confident, and we can see how our future shapes up, the Dalai Lama said at the event. He emphasised the strong bond between India and Tibet, saying the two shared a deep connection of culture and literature. China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what it called a peaceful liberation. In March 1959, the Dalai Lama, then 23 years old, fled to India along with his followers. Then-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru welcomed the monk and allowed him to make Dharamsala his seat. But the ties have weakened as India tries to improve relations with China and avoid a standoff such as a 73-day military face-off along a stretch of their disputed border in 2017. From Nehru to Modi, we have followed a one-China policy, Ram Madhav, the general secretary of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party said. The links between India and Tibet were very little political but more spiritual, religious and cultural, he added. Earlier in march, India issued an unprecedented ban on Tibetans holding a rally with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi to mark the 60th anniversary of the start of a failed uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama also cancelled a visit to the Indian border state of Sikkim this week, hosted by authorities there, officials say, lest it offended China. That is in contrast to the Dalai Lamas free movement within India, including the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as its own. Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Tibetan government in exile, was critical of Chinas Tibet policy at Saturdays event. Its been 60 years since Chinas illegal invasion and occupation of Tibet, 60 years of destruction of Tibetan civilisation, Tibetan culture and Tibetan identity, Sangay said, thanking India for its support. Angry over the recent incidents of desecration of B R Ambedkar's statues, BJP MP from Bahraich Savitribai Phule demanded that cases of treason be filed against those indulging in such acts. Lucknow: Angry over the recent incidents of desecration of BR Ambedkar's statues, BJP MP from Bahraich Savitribai Phule demanded that cases of treason be filed against those indulging in such acts. "Cases of treason must be registered against those found desecrating, vandalising or damaging the statues or busts of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. Babasaheb gave the country its Constitution. An insult to Babasaheb is virtually an insult to the country's Constitution. A person who damages the idols of Babasaheb is a traitor, and accordingly adequate action must be taken against him," Phule said. At the "Aarakshan Bachao Maha Rally" organised here by a non-government organisation, she demanded that a caste census be conducted. This will help in ascertaining the actual condition of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes across the country. There are many departments in which there are vacancies pertaining to Scheduled Castes which must be filled up at the earliest, the BJP MP said. "Whether I remain an MP or not, I will not allow anyone to tamper with the Constitution of India in the name of review of reservation... We, the members of the Bhujan Samaj, have to unite, and not allow such plans to succeed," she said. Later speaking to reporters, Phule said, "I am not complaining to anyone. All I want is that reservation should be given to SCs, STs and OBCs as mentioned in the Constitution." Mahinda Rajapaksa has expressed hope that Maithripala Sirisena will support a no-confidence motion backed by the Joint Opposition against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Colombo: Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has expressed hope that incumbent Maithripala Sirisena who was responsible for his ouster in 2015 will support a no-confidence motion backed by the Joint Opposition against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The motion scheduled for 4 April was handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya by the Joint Opposition last week against Wickremesinghe, accusing him of financial mismanagement and failing to tackle anti-Muslim riots early in march in the central Kandy district. "It is now up to the President (Sirisena) to ensure the victory of the motion by getting his SLFP members to support it," Rajapaksa told reporters. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which is part of the unity government with Wickremesinghe is yet to decide on the way they will vote on the motion. Wickremesinghe, 68, had resisted a call from Sirisena to resign following a crushing defeat to Rajapaksa's new party Sri Lanka People's Front in the 10 February local election. It is no secret that Sirisena wants Wickremesinghe's ouster so that he could replace him with his own choice. Wickremesinghe was recently replaced as law and order minister after clashes erupted in the Kandy district. Last week, the president also removed key institutions, including the Central Bank, from the control of Wickremesinghe. Sirisena in 2015 quit the Rajapaksa government to join hands with Wickremesinghe, the then main opposition leader, to defeat Rajapaksa in the presidential election ending his 10-year rule. Rajapaksa said if Wickremesinghe were to be defeated in the motion on 4 April, the Joint Opposition would press Sirisena to dissolve parliament to hold a fresh election for parliament. Constitutionally, the current parliament could not be dissolved before February 2020. It requires a motion adopted with two-thirds in the 225 member assembly to call for snap elections. Rajapaksa is constitutionally barred from contesting for the presidential election for a third time. However, he can become the prime minister. The remains of 38 Indian construction workers captured and killed by the Islamic State group in northern Iraq were handed over to Indian authorities in Baghdad to be flown home later on Sunday. Baghdad: The mortal remains of 38 Indian construction workers captured and killed by the Islamic State group in northern Iraq were handed over to Indian authorities in Baghdad to be flown home later on Sunday. Indian Ambassador Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit said the bodies had been taken to Baghdad International Airport and would be flown back on a military flight, arriving in India tomorrow. India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Vijay Kumar Singh, saluted the remains at the airport as workers loaded the caskets on the aircraft. Singh condemned terrorism and expressed his government's stance in fighting it. "We are against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he told reporters, describing Islamic State as "very cruel terrorist organisation and our people have fallen to their bullets." Islamic State abducted and killed the workers shortly after seizing the northern city of Mosul in the summer of 2014. Iraqi authorities discovered the remains in a mass grave last year after retaking Mosul, and positively identified the bodies last month. The militants initially abducted 40 workers. One managed to escape, while the presumed remains of another have yet to be positively identified. Authorities are awaiting DNA samples from a first-degree relative. The workers, most from northern India, had been employed by a construction company operating near Mosul. Around 10,000 Indians lived and worked in Iraq at the time. Islamic State may have viewed the workers as polytheists deserving of death because of their Hindu or Sikh faith. Islamic State swept across northern and central Iraq in 2014, eventually seizing a third of the country. Iraqi forces backed by a US-led coalition eventually drove the militants from all the territory under their control in a gruelling three-year campaign. The militants are still carrying out insurgent-style attacks. Dozens of mass graves have been found in areas held by the extremist group, which boasted about massacring its enemies and posted videos and photos of many of the mass killings online. Iraq has only managed to excavate a few of the sites due to a lack of funding and specialised staff. Ten people died as a three-story building collapsed near Sarvate Bus Stand in Indore, Madhya Pradesh around 10 pm on Saturday night. Ten people including two women died while six others were injured as a three-story dilapidated building collapsed near Sarvate Bus Stand in Indore, Madhya Pradesh around 10 pm on Saturday night. The building housed MS Hotel, a lodge-cum-eatery. The district administration ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. #Visuals -- At least 8 dead and 7 people rescued after the building of a private hotel collapsed in Indore. Rescue operations are underway pic.twitter.com/SCZEGguJTG News18 (@CNNnews18) April 1, 2018 The building collapsed as it was around 60 years old and in a bad shape, Choti Gwaltoli police station inspector Sanju Kamle told PTI on Sunday. We rushed 12 people to the hospital. Doctors there declared ten dead since [Saturday] night, he said, adding, two women were among the dead. Eyewitness accounts claimed that the dilapidated structure came crashing down after a speeding car hit the building, according to News18. The police, however, has not confirmed it. When Kamle was asked whether the collapse was caused after a car crashed into the main pillar of the building bringing it down like a pack of cards, he said investigations are on. The police had to reportedly use mild force to disperse the crowd which had gathered on the spot after the building collapsed. As per NDTV, till 7 am on Sunday two to five people were feared trapped under the debris. The TV news channel also claimed that nine people had been evacuated so far. Two persons, who were injured in the incident, are being treated at the government MY Hospital. Superintendent of MY Hospital, VS Paul, told PTI on Saturday night that seven injured were brought to the hospital and the treatment of three persons was underway. ANI tweeted visuals of the site of the accident: Early morning visuals from #Indore building collapse site, the incident has claimed 10 lives. #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/rFOLYGMADO ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 Police said while the rescue operation was still underway. It will take another hour to remove the debris, Kamle added. Shivraj Chouhan announces Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted his condolences and said: "We are monitoring the rescue effort. I pray that everyone survives and those wounded recover soon." ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) March 31, 2018 Chouhan also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of deceased, and Rs. 50,000 each for those injured, reported CNN-News18. 'Repair work was going on inside' Indore Municipal Corporation commissioner Manish Singh was asked why the building was not declared as dangerous and no steps taken to evacuate the premises in time. To this, Singh said, "The hotel building was old. Its construction technique was also old. But its owner had tried to make it look spic and span by keeping it well painted and decorated from outside." "It has come to light that some repair work was going on inside the building for the last few days and that just before the mishap, a wall of the building collapsed following which the entire structure came crashing down," he told PTI. He said the civic body was trying to find out as to how much illegal construction had been done in the premises by its owner. While it was yet unclear how the structure collapsed, eyewitnesses claimed that a car rammed into a pillar of the hotel, following which there was a loud sound and the building came crashing down like a pack of cards. The civic commissioner said this version could not be ruled out as of now and a detailed investigation was on into it. He also said that two buildings adjoining the hotel also suffered damage and their residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Collector Nishant Warwade said a detailed inquiry into the incident will be conducted by an additional district magistrate (ADM)-rank official. The incident was also captured on a CCTV, the video of which has gone viral on social media. The CCTV footage, which is of a few seconds, purportedly shows the building collapsing and some two and four-wheel vehicles getting trapped under the rubble. Following the collapse, there was a huge cloud of dust and debris in the area, as per the footage. Four of those who died in the mishap were identified as Rakesh Rathore (26), Raju Sen (40), Anand Porwal (27) and Harish Soni (65). The identities of the other six deceased, including the two women, were yet to be established. According to a police official, names of about 40 guests were mentioned on some recent dates in the hotel's register, and seven to eight employees were working. However, it was not yet clear as to how many people were present in the hotel at the time of the mishap, he said. With inputs from PTI The Hizbul Mujahideen, which draws its cadre mostly from the Kashmir Valley, has been dealt a serious blow by security forces on Sunday. The Hizbul Mujahideen, which draws its cadre mostly from the Kashmir Valley, has been dealt a serious blow by security forces on Sunday. At least six of its cadres were killed in a counter-insurgency operation in Dragad village of Shopian district in south Kashmir. At least 13 militants were killed in all on Sunday in three separate encounters. One of the operations took place at Brunty Dialgam in Anantnag district in the intervening night between Saturday and Sunday. Altaf Ahmad Khan, Superintendent of Police, Anantnag, said that a joint team of police, army and CRPF personnel had launched a cordon there. During the operation, a militant, Rouf Bashir Khanday, was killed. Khanday, a resident of Dehruna village of Dooru, was said to have joined Hizbul Mujahideen last week. Another militant, Imran Rashid, was captured alive. Among the militants killed at Druggad, two were involved in the killing of Lt Ummer Fayaz, according to the army. Lt Fayaz was killed by militants in 2017 at a wedding, according to AK Bhat, the corps commander of the Chinar corps. We have avenged his death, Bhat said. Two army soldiers also lost their lives in two encounters at Dialgam and Kachidoora villages, Bhat said in a press conference held at the military base of Victor forces in Awantipora. "I appeal to the youths to not get lured by weapons. Anybody who uses weapons will be dealt with in the same manner that we dealt with the terrorists today," he added. Three security personnel are said to have lost their lives in all. After news of a third encounter broke out in Kachidoora village, hundreds of protesters came out on the streets and threw stones at the forces, hoping to free the trapped militants in a residential area. Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police SP Vaid tweeted on Sunday evening that three bodies of militants were recovered in Kachidoora. Three bodies of terrorists recovered in Kachidoora Shopian. https://t.co/N4tm9iBv69 Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) April 1, 2018 In the course of the day, over 100 civilians were injured in clashes near two gunfight sites in Shopian, as people tried to move towards gunfight sites to help the militants escape the cordon. The government forces used live ammunition to disperse protesters, triggering massive clashes, which also left four civilians dead. At least 50 people were brought to the district hospital in Shopian for treatment. Twenty of them were referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment. More than thirty people were brought to the district hospital in Kulgam. Out of them, 22 were referred to Srinagar, as they were hit by bullets. One of the civilians killed during the encounter at Kachidoora was Zubair Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Gopalpora village of Kulgam. After being injured during the clashes, he was admitted at the district hospital at Kulgam. He later succumbed to his injuries there. SP Vaid said in a press conference that one encounter is still ongoing. He further stated that 25 civilians received pellet injuries. This was arguably one of the biggest anti-militancy operations in a single day in the last seven years. The fresh killings are part of a massive crackdown launched by forces in south Kashmir. The Hizbul Mujahideen has suffered heavy casualties after security forces launched an all-out operation last year in south Kashmir to wipe out militancy from the area. The operations are likely to put a brake on the continuous trend of local youths joining militancy in the area. However, the new face of insurgency in the Kashmir Valley is becoming deadlier by the day, as new young boys regularly join the ranks of militancy. In 2017, the government forces launched 'Operation All Out' to wipe out militancy from the region and killed at least 213 militants in 2017. Despite that, around 124 locals joined the militant ranks in 2017. In the first three months of 2018, 27 people turned to militancy. The Jammu and Kashmir government ordered the closure of all schools and colleges on Monday, in view of the situation in south Kashmir. The government also shut mobile internet services across the valley on Sunday as a 'precautionary measure,' officials said. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayers of militants in different areas of south Kashmir. Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Sunday: More havoc for #Kashmiris who are at the receiving end of execution and repression as the toll of civilians brutally killed has risen to 2 while 8 militants have been martyred,100s of people injured and many hit in the eye by pellets used by Indian forces in #Shopian. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) April 1, 2018 Normal life in Kerala is expected to be affected on Monday in view of a 24-hour general strike called by various trade unions demanding the rollback of a central government order allowing fixed-term employment across sectors. Thiruvananthapuram: Normal life in Kerala is expected to be affected on Monday in view of a 24-hour general strike called by various trade unions demanding the rollback of a central government order allowing fixed-term employment across sectors. The strike call given by 16 trade unions under the banner of United Trade Union will begin on Sunday night, CITU State President Anathalavattom Anandan said in a statement. Employees of the state and central government offices such as banks and BSNL are expected to take part in the stir. Public transport vehicles including state-owned KSRTC buses will stay off the roads on Monday.CITU, INTUC, AITUC, STU, HMS, UTUC are among the major unions that have joined the protest call. Workers would take out protest demonstrations in different places across the state as part of the agitation against the new labour law of the Centre.The Centre had amended the Industrial Employment (Standing Order) Central Rules, 1946, through a gazette notification on 16 March that virtually gives the employer the right to 'hire and fire' workers, Anandan alleged. Meanwhile, Kerala Union of Working Journalists extended support to the strike call. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said his government would create one lakh jobs in various departments and abolish the contractual employment system soon. He also said that the retirement age of employees of government departments, civic bodies, corporations and courts would be raised to 62 years from the current 60. Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said his government would create one lakh jobs in various departments and abolish the contractual employment system soon. He also said that the retirement age of employees of government departments, civic bodies, corporations and courts would be raised to 62 years from the current 60. The announcements come at a time when state Assembly elections are slated for later this year and data tabled in the House recently showed only 19,226 jobs were created in government departments in 14 years of BJP rule. "The contractual employment system is unjust. And it is going to be abolished (in government departments)," he told representatives of employees' unions who had called on him at his residence in Bhopal. He, however, did not give a time frame for the abolition but stated that a meeting with contractual employees would be convened soon. Chouhan said one lakh jobs would be generated in various government departments. Recruitment of 31,000 teachers, assistant teachers and professors would be made soon and the vacancies would be advertised this month, he said. The government had, on Saturday, issued a statement claiming that it would recruit 89,000 people over the next a few months. The decision to increase the retirement age has drawn criticism from the opposition Congress, and other parties, which said it amounted to "deceiving" the 1.5 crore educated, unemployed youth in Madhya Pradesh. According to data tabled in the Legislative Assembly recently, only 19,226 people have got jobs in different government departments in the past 14 years of BJP rule, an average of 1,373 jobs per year. The Opposition Congress alleged that increasing the retirement age did not amount to much, with its chief spokesperson KK Mishra claiming that just 27 per cent of the 4.5 lakh government employees would benefit. Mishra said the retirement age for doctors and nurses in the health department was already 65 years and 62 years respectively, while it was 62 in a few other departments. He alleged that it had been increased because the state government was short of Rs 20,000 crore to pay retirement benefits to staffers on the verge of superannuating. A 'false propaganda' is being carried out in Maharashtra over the closure of 1,300 schools with low enrollment in the state, Education Minister Vinod Tawde said on Sunday. Thane: A "false propaganda" is being carried out in Maharashtra over the closure of 1,300 schools with low enrollment in the state, Education Minister Vinod Tawde said on Sunday. A few months ago, the government decided to close down over 1,300 zila parishad (ZP)-run schools owing to the reduced number of students and poor education standards. The move drew criticism from various quarters. Defending the decision, Tawde said some of these schools had just a couple of students and it was not viable for the government to run them. Students from these schools are being adjusted in nearby schools, the minister said, adding a "false propaganda" is being carried over the issue. Some political leaders with vested interest made a "hue and cry out" over the issue and are misleading people, he said. "The fact is we have adjusted students from these schools in other schools and ensured they don't suffer." It may be noted that NCP leaders like Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule had criticised the decision to shut down these schools, saying the move will hit students from disadvantaged sections of the society. Tawde was speaking to reporters after inaugurating a day-long meet of the management of libraries in the state. Speaking at the meet, Tawde said the government has decided to hold exams for recruitment of teachers in all schools in the state, including those run by private bodies. Only deserving candidates will be considered for appointment, he said, adding the new system has been introduced from this year. This will check "all kinds of misdeeds" currently being carried out by some educational institutions, the minister said. Asked about the leakage of question papers of the CBSE in Delhi and also of the HSC and the SSC in the state, Tawde said the government will take steps to prevent any such incident in future. To a question, he said the government is committed to the promotion of Marathi at all levels. A 16-day-old boy was on Saturday snatched by a monkey from his home in Odisha's Cuttack district, prompting authorities to launch a massive search operation. Bhubaneswar: A 16-day-old boy was on Saturday snatched by a monkey from his home in Odisha's Cuttack district, prompting authorities to launch a massive search operation. The baby was sleeping next to his mother at their home in Talabasta village when the monkey snatched him, sources in the forest department, which is involved in the rescue mission, said. The mother saw the monkey fleeing with her baby and raised an alarm. Thereafter, the villagers reported the incident to the authorities. Forest department and fire services personnel reached the village and launched a massive operation to trace the baby. A forest department official engaged in the rescue operation said, "As the child has trouble crying, we cannot hear his voice. It has, therefore, become difficult for us to trace him in the forest." He said 30 forest department personnel in three teams led by Sangram Keshari Mohanty, the ranger of the Damapada Forest Range, are combing the nearby forest along with the villagers. Several persons were injured in attacks by monkeys in the area a few days ago. Locals alleged inaction on the part of the forest department despite repeated complaints in this regard. The 16-day old baby, who was snatched by a monkey from his home in Odisha's Cuttack district on Saturday, was found dead in a well near his home in Talabasta village on Sunday. The body of a 16-day-old baby, who was snatched by a monkey from his home in Odisha's Cuttack district on Saturday, was found in a well near his home in Talabasta village on Sunday. Most probably, the monkey dropped the baby in the well soon after it took off, Hindustan Times quoted Biswaranjan Sahoo, inspector of Banki police station, as saying. A massive search operation was launched on Saturday following the incident, with 30 forest department personnel in three teams led by Sangram Keshari Mohanty, the ranger of the Damapada Forest Range, combing the nearby forest along with villagers. The baby was sleeping next to his mother at their home in Talabasta village when the monkey snatched him, sources in the forest department said. The mother saw the monkey fleeing with her baby and raised an alarm. A forest department official engaged in the rescue operation said that as the child had trouble crying, it made it difficult for the forest officials to hear his voice. It, therefore, became difficult to trace him. The body has been sent to Banki hospital for postmortem to establish the cause of death, The Times of India reported. Several persons were injured in attacks by monkeys in the area a few days ago. Locals alleged inaction on the part of the forest department despite repeated complaints. With inputs from PTI Pakistan on Sunday accused India of carrying out a 'brutal crackdown' on protesters in Kashmir and said the Indian security forces are 'deliberately and systematically' targeting them. Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday accused India of carrying out a "brutal crackdown" on protesters in Kashmir and said the Indian security forces are "deliberately and systematically" targeting them. The Foreign Office (FO) in a statement said, "There were reports of continuing brutal crackdown especially the use of pellet guns on protestors and the suspension of Internet services, in an attempt to subjugate and further repress the innocent Kashmiris." "We have repeatedly pointed out that Kashmiri youths are being deliberately and systematically targeted with a view to breaking the will of the Kashmiri people," the statement said. The Foreign Office's statement came as terror groups in Kashmir suffered a major setback after 11 terrorists were gunned down in counter-insurgency operations in three different areas in South Kashmir in which three army jawans and two civilians were also killed. Pakistani troops targeted forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir with mortar shells and gunfire in violation of the ceasefire Jammu: Pakistani troops on Sunday targeted forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir with mortar shells and gunfire in violation of the ceasefire, police said. Indian troops guarding the LoC fired in retaliation and the firing between the two sides continued for nearly half-an-hour from 13:00 hours, a police officer said. He said there was no report of any casualty in the Pakistani firing and shelling in Khari Karmara area. This is for the second time in the past week that Pakistani troops targeted Indian positions in the area. On 27 March, Pakistani troops fired mortar bombs ending a 10-day long lull in the cross-border firing along the LoC in the state. Earlier on 18 March, five members of a family were killed and two others injured when a mortar shell hit their residential house in Balakote sector of the district. There has been a spurt in ceasefire violations along the LoC and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir this year, resulting in the death of 26 people including 12 security personnel. In view of a bandh called by a number of Dalit organizations on Monday to protest the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act, the Punjab government has ordered a security clampdown as a precautionary measure Chandigarh: In view of a bandh called by a number of Dalit organizations on Monday to protest the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act, the Punjab government has ordered a security clampdown as a precautionary measure, while the army and paramilitary forces have been asked to be on standby. Schools will remain shut and buses off the road on Monday. A spokesperson of the Punjab government said mobile internet services in the state will remain suspended from 5 pm on Sunday till 11 pm on Monday in a bid to check rumormongering on social media. All public and private transport will stay off the road during the bandh to prevent any untoward incident, the spokesperson said. The orders were issued after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh reviewed the security arrangements with top police and administration officials in the evening. It was followed by a video conference involving the chief secretary, deputy commissioners and other senior officials of all districts, the spokesperson said in a statement. Security forces conducted flag marches at some places in the state on Sunday as a precautionary measure. Elaborating on the precautionary measures taken by the government, the spokesperson said four battalions each of the Rapid Action Force and the Border Security Force, and 12,000 additional police personnel will remain on duty tomorrow to maintain law and order. Buses run by the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), Punjab Roadways, PunBus, and private operators would remain off the road during the bandh, the spokesperson said. Banks will also remain closed, he said. According to an order by the DPI (Colleges), all "government colleges, government-aided colleges, private colleges, government and private universities", will remain closed on Monday in view of the proposed bandh. Likewise, all government, non-government/private, aided and recognized schools would also remain shut on Monday. The final practical examinations of classes X and XII of the Punjab School Education Board will be conducted on 11 April instead of 2 April, according to the directions of the education department. Asking security forces to deal with an iron hand any attempt to disturb peace and harmony in Punjab, the chief minister appealed to the organisations, which have called the bandh to protest the alleged dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, not to take the law into their own hands, obstruct transport movement or harass commuters. The armed forces and the paramilitary will be on standby to render any assistance as needed, the spokesperson said, adding that the chief minister had directed the police to crackdown on anyone found trying to disrupt peace and harmony. "Punjab being a key route for transportation of essential provisions to the armed forces at the borders, any disruption on the highways could seriously hamper the supply of the necessary supplies," he said. The chief minister also appealed to the protestors to ensure that the mortal remains of the Iraq victims, which are expected to arrive in Amritsar on Monday, are allowed to be transported to their native villages without any impediment. He also directed the Punjab Police to provide security for the same along the route from the airport to the respective native villages of the victims. Noting that the central government had already announced its decision to file a review petition against the Supreme Court order diluting the provisions of the SC/ST Act, the chief minister said the SC/ST communities should defer their protest till a final decision on the petition. Meanwhile, the Department of Home Affairs, Justice and Jails has through a notification authorized all district magistrates to "declare any place to be a special jail under the Punjab Jail Manual in view of the bandh call". The government has also appointed special executive magistrates for the maintenance of law and order, up to 3 April, in their respective districts under Section 21 of the CrPC. The apex court had on 20 March diluted the provisions of the act, in a bid to protect honest public servants discharging bona fide duties from being blackmailed with false cases under the act. Social activist Teesta Setalvad has been booked for allegedly securing central government funds worth Rs 1.4 cr fraudulently for her NGO Sabrang between 2010 and 2013, the police said on Sunday. Ahmedabad: Social activist Teesta Setalvad has been booked for allegedly securing central government funds worth Rs 1.4 cr fraudulently for her NGO Sabrang between 2010 and 2013, the police said on Sunday. A case has been filed against Setalvad and Sabrang trustees by Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Friday night on the basis of a complaint lodged by her former close associate Raees Khan Pathan, the police said. "We had received a complaint alleging that Setalvad and the trustees of her NGO, Sabrang Trust, used fraudulent means to get funds of Rs 1.4 crore from Union HRD Ministry between 2010 and 2013. Based on that, we registered an FIR against her and trustees of the NGO," said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rajdeepsinh Zala. According to the complainant, Setalvad's NGO, which was given the grant for educational purposes, also distributed printed materials that could cause communal disharmony, Zala said. The accused were booked under various sections of the IPC including 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) besides under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, he said. Pathan had alleged that Setalvad and Sabrang Trust tried to "mix religion with politics" and spreading disharmony through the curricular material prepared for the erstwhile UPA government which had given it a grant of about Rs 1.4 crore. The complaint had taken into account the report of a panel of the Ministry of Human Resource Development which in its finding has claimed that a prima facie case existed against her under section 153A and 153B of the IPC for promoting enmity on grounds of religion and making imputations and assertions, prejudicial to the national integration. The sources said the Crime Branch of Ahmedabad Police had sent a communication to the deputy secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Union HRD Ministry, urging it to "furnish a point-wise reply on the application/ complaint at the earliest." The HRD Ministry in 2016 had sought the opinion of the top law officer endorsing the report of its three-member committee, saying "the report of the inquiry committee is exhaustive and deals with every aspect of the matter and that action as suggested in the said report may be undertaken in terms of fixing liabilities/lapses, action for inciting disharmony and hatred and also for recovery of the money as is stipulated in the scheme itself". Pathan had filed the complaint last November with the Ahmedabad Crime Branch on the basis of the report against Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand, officials of the Sabrang Trust and unknown officials of the HRD Ministry. He had sought an investigation into the alleged offence of criminal conspiracy, criminal misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust by public servants, promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, among others. Pathan had alleged that a large amount from the HRD funding was used during 2008 to 2014 on 'Khoj' project of the Sabrang Trust under the scheme of 'National Policy on Education' in Maharashtra and Gujarat as well as on the 'Peace Building and conflict resolution' project. The project was launched by Setalvad's NGO in some districts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Pathan had also claimed that a three-member panel, comprising Supreme Court lawyer Abhijit Bhattacharjee, Gujarat Central University Vice-Chancellor S A Bari and HRD ministry official Gaya Prasad, had confirmed that the then officials of HRD Ministry in connivance with the trustees of Sabrang Trust illegally sanctioned the funds under the 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan'. "Large amounts were also transferred as donation from Sabrang trust to Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), another NGO of Teesta Setalvad which too was used for various activities such as payment of salary to office staff in Gujarat, travelling expenses to riot victims of Gujarat, advocate fees and on various campaigns launched in Gujarat against the state government," Pathan's complaint had alleged. Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat was arrested on Sunday over his alleged involvement in recent communal clashes in Bhagalpur Patna: Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat was arrested on Sunday over his alleged involvement in recent communal clashes in Bhagalpur, and remanded to 14-day judicial custody, the police said. The arrest came barely a few hours after a Bhagalpur court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Shashwat against whom an arrest warrant was issued on 24 March. "We had information that Shashwat was at the famous Hanuman temple in the vicinity of Patna junction. A police team reached the spot and arrested him and he has been sent to Bhagalpur", Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Manu Maharaj said. The police produced Shashwat at the residence of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate AR Upadhyay, who sent him to 14 days judicial custody, public prosecutor Satya Narayan Prasad Sah said. Shashwat is the son of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. On his arrest, Shashwat told reporters "I have given myself up to police in deference to the court order. I have been wrongly accused of evading arrest. "I was not absconding as I have not committed any crime. If raising slogans in praise of 'Bharat Mata' and 'Sri Ram' is a crime then I may be called a criminal," he said. Shashwat has been named, besides eight others, in one of the two FIRs lodged at Nathnagar police station of Bhagalpur following communal riots that broke out on 17 March after some people objected to playing of loud music during a procession led by him. It had been taken out allegedly without permission to celebrate the New Year as per the Hindu calendar. Several persons, including two police personnel, were injured in the clashes that witnessed heavy stone-pelting, arson and exchange of fire. The alleged delay in Shashwat's arrest had invited strong criticism from opposition parties in Bihar, especially the RJD-Congress combine, which accused the Nitish Kumar government of soft-peddling the matter while Choubey had dubbed the FIR against his son as a piece of garbage. Reacting to Shashwat's arrest, ruling JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said it was a fitting reply to the Opposition while Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said the whole episode showed the "helplessness" of Kumar before the BJP. A wanted man was arrested in an encounter, police said on Sunday. A sub-inspector and the suspected criminal were also injured in the encounter that took place on Saturday. Badaun: A wanted man was arrested in an encounter, police said on Sunday. A sub-inspector and the suspected miscreant were also injured in the encounter that took place on Saturday. Pappu alias Ramchandra Das, carrying a reward of Rs 10,000 on his head, was surrounded by a police team on a tip-off and during an exchange of fire he was injured, Superintendent of Police, Kamal Kishore said. The injured have been rushed to a hospital where their condition was stated to be stable. A four-member BJP delegation on Sunday left for Asansol to take stock of the situation in the coal city in the wake of the violence over Ram Navami processions. Kolkata: A four-member BJP delegation on Sunday left for Asansol to take stock of the situation in the coal city in the wake of the violence over Ram Navami processions. The delegation comprising BJP national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Om Prakash Mathur, national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, Palamu MP and former director-general of Jharkhand police Vishnu Dayal Ram and Rajya Sabha member Roopa Ganguly left for Asansol on Sunday morning. "We are going to Asansol to take stock of the situation. If the administration tries to stop us we have ways to get in there. They must give us a proper logic why we'll not be allowed there, else we'll go there," Roopa Ganguly said before leaving for Asansol. The state government on Saturday had said that with the dates for the panchayat polls announced and the model code of conduct implemented, it would not be able to provide ample security cover for the BJP delegation visiting riot-hit Asansol and Raniganj. "It's up to the police to decide on this matter. If they think that presence of these leaders may hamper peace there they may take a decision of not allowing them. This is absolutely logical," a senior official at the state government said. "We are keeping a watch on the situation," he added. The team, which was formed by BJP chief Amit Shah, will submit a report to him on their return. West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Saturday had paid a visit to violence-hit areas of Asansol and Raniganj. He had held a meeting with senior police and administration officials and appealed for peace. The Asansol-Raniganj belt saw clashes between two groups of over Ram Navami celebrations resulting in the death of one person. Two police officers were also injured in it. Internet services have been suspended and prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC are still in force in both towns, a senior police officer said. In what appears to be a bid to shift the political onus on DMK on the Cauvery issue, senior AIADMK leader M Thambidurai said his party would consider moving a no-trust motion in Parliament against the NDA government if Congress supported it Chennai: In what appears to be a bid to shift the political onus on DMK on the Cauvery issue, senior AIADMK leader M Thambidurai on Sunday said his party would consider moving a no-trust motion in Parliament against the NDA government if Congress supported it. "Stalin says AIADMK should bring a no-trust motion (on Cauvery issue). We are ready to bring it," he told reporters at the airport. In the same breath, the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker said Congress support was needed to facilitate such an initiative. "Let Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi issue a statement (indicating support), they (DMK) are in alliance with them (Congress)... only if they (Congress) support, we will get the (requisite) numbers," he said. Seeking to make his party's position clear, Thambidurai, a senior AIADMK leader from Western Tamil Nadu, said such a no-trust move would, however, be only for the Cauvery issue. "Only on the Cauvery issue... not for any other general issue. To urge constitution of the Cauvery Management Board, and since the Centre has failed to do that, we will consider that if other parties like Congress support it." Thambidurai's assertion comes against the backdrop of Congress ruled Karnataka going to the polls next month, where Cauvery is an emotive issue like in Tamil Nadu. Days ago, Stalin had demanded that the ruling AIADMK support the no-trust move of the TDP to mount pressure on the Centre to set up the Cauvery Management Board. DMK, the principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, has been relentless in its attack on the ruling AIADMK over Cauvery. The Stalin-led party said it would hold continuous protests like the one on Sunday at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai, till the CMB was constituted. With the support of its ally the Congress, and friendly parties, including CPI, CPM, DMK has also announced a state-wide shutdown on 5 April. Farmers organisations and a traders body have given a bandh call on 3 April over the Cauvery issue and on the same day, the ruling AIADMK will hold hunger strike across Tamil Nadu. Barring Chief Minister K Palaniswamy and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, all other party leaders would participate, the AIADMK had said. Following a visit to the violence-hit areas of Raniganj and Asansol, a BJP delegation accused the West Bengal government of lack of initiative in handling the unrest and demanded strict action against the culprits Kolkata: Following a visit to the violence-hit areas of Raniganj and Asansol, a BJP delegation on Sunday accused the West Bengal government of lack of initiative in handling the unrest and demanded strict action against the culprits. The BJP also strongly criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for going to Delhi at a time when parts of Bengal were facing communal tension. "Almost seven days have passed since the violence but there have been no initiatives either from the state or the ruling party to help out the victims. They also showed complete lack of will in handling the unrest," BJP vice-president Om Mathur, who led the four-member party committee to the affected areas, told reporters in Kolkata. "When such a big incident happened in Bengal, the chief minister is sitting in Delhi for five-six days, looking for political benefits. The BJP strongly condemns this and demands immediate and strict action against those involved in the violence," he said. Mathur said there should not be one-sided action against a specific community. "The actions of the government should not be one-sided. I have heard that people from a certain community are being charged under the Indian Penal Code and harassed. Surely, the people of Bengal will give the Trinamool Congress the punishment it deserves at the right moment," Mathur claimed. He urged the state government to start a relief fund for the affected, compensate for losses and provide proper shelter to those who lost their homes in the violence. Echoing Mathur, BJP's spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain claimed the Mamata Banerjee government is causing pain to the people of Bengal while the BJP is "giving them the remedy". "When Bengal is burning with communal tension and police is playing the role of a spectator, instead of helping the state's people she is holding a meeting with leaders in Delhi. Instead of leading Bengal, she is dreaming about leading Delhi. People of Bengal will not forgive her for this," he added. Defying prohibitory orders, the four-member BJP team visited parts of Asansol in West Bardhaman district that witnessed large-scale violence and arson during a Ram Navami procession about a week ago. A person was allegedly hacked to death while a deputy commissioner of police lost a hand after being hit by a bomb during a clash. Several houses and shops were also vandalised. The committee said it would prepare a report based on ground-level feedback and send it to the party leadership for scrutiny. Members of a four-panel BJP delegation reached Asansol on Sunday to visit relief camps and violence-affected areas in Asansol, media reports said Members of a four-panel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation reached Asansol on Sunday to visit relief camps and violence-affected areas, according to several media reports. The delegation consisted of BJP national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Om Prakash Mathur, national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, Palamu MP and former director-general of Jharkhand police Vishnu Dayal Ram and Rajya Sabha member Roopa Ganguly. Members of BJP delegation visit relief camp and violence affected area in #Asansol. BJP President #AmitShah had constituted a four-member committee to visit affected areas & submit a report; OM Mathur, Shahnawaz Hussain, Roopa Ganguly & BD Mathur are members. pic.twitter.com/BMspgB9HAE ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 The team, which was formed by BJP chief Amit Shah, will submit a report to him on their return. "We have met the affected people and listened to their problems they went through during the time of clash. It is a complete failure of the state government to stop the violence. (Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee is roaming around in Delhi but kids here are getting tortured and murdered," said BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, who was part of the team. "We have come here for peace. We will prepare a complete report and submit it to the party president as directed," he added. Police accused the BJP delegation of violating the prohibitory orders and said legal action would be taken against them. "They have violated the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) Section 144 imposed in the area. We will take action against them according to law," Superintendent of Police, Asansol-Durgapur, LN Meena told IANS. The state government on Saturday said that with the dates for the West Bengal panchayat polls announced and the model code of conduct implemented, it would not be able to provide ample security cover for the BJP delegation visiting riot-hit Asansol and Raniganj. The police stopped local MP and BJP leader Babul Supriyo from visiting the area a few days ago, saying it would add to tension in the area. A Congress delegation led by state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury was also barred from entering Asansol while Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sujan Chakraborty and his associates were stopped by police from going to Raniganj on Saturday. The Asansol-Raniganj belt saw clashes between two groups of over Ram Navami celebrations resulting in the death of one person. Two police officers were also injured in it. Internet services have been suspended and prohibitory orders under Section 144 OF CrPC are still in force in both towns, a senior police officer said. With inputs from agencies Condemning the Narendra Modi government and the Tamil Nadu government for 'betraying' the state on the Cauvery river issue, major Opposition parties on Sunday decided to hold a statewide shutdown protest on 5 April Chennai: Condemning the Narendra Modi government and the Tamil Nadu government for "betraying" the state on the Cauvery river issue, major Opposition parties on Sunday decided to hold a statewide shutdown protest on 5 April. A meeting of the parties was held at the DMK headquarters in Chennai. The DMK said in a statement issued here that the Central government had failed to set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) within six weeks of the apex court's order of 16 February. The six-week deadline ended on 29 March. The meeting also decided to organise a 'Securing Cauvery Rights March' from the Cauvery Delta region in the state to Raj Bhavan here. Leaders of all political parties and people from other walks of life would participate in the march. According to the statement, black flags would be shown to Prime Minister Narendra Modi whenever he comes to Tamil Nadu for not constituting the CMB. The meeting denounced the BJP-led central government for acting in the narrow interests of the party vis-a-vis upcoming Assembly elections in Karnataka and squeezing the rights of Tamil Nadu by misusing its powers in the Cauvery issue. Karnataka does not want the CMB to be set up. The meeting also condemned the Tamil Nadu government for being an "inseparable partner" of the Central government in the latter's act of taking away the state's rights. It flayed the AIADMK for not putting pressure on the Modi government despite having 50 MPs. Later, speaking to reporters, DMK leader MK Stalin said he requested traders associations to postpone their strike from 3 April to 5 April. Tamil actor and Makkal Neethi Mayyam chief Kamal Haasan on Sunday expressed solidarity with the protest against Vedanta's copper making unit Sterlite near Tuticorin, and sought its closure. Tuticorin/Chennai: Tamil actor and Makkal Neethi Mayyam chief Kamal Haasan on Sunday expressed solidarity with the protest against Vedanta's copper making unit Sterlite near Tuticorin, and sought its closure. "The expansion (of Sterlite Copper, a unit of Vedanta) should not at all be allowed... if possible it will be good to close down this (existing) unit," he told reporters in Tuticorin. Staunchly opposing the copper smelter plant's proposed expansion, he said lives of people were more important than producing copper. The Makkal Neethi Maiyam chief asked "what is the necessity to put up the plant near residential and agricultural zone? ...to say that the location is close to the port is not acceptable." He said he would reverberate the voice of the people against the plant wherever he went. To a question, he said legal experts would also be consulted to see if there was any possibility for legal intervention in the issue. Asked if his party had planned any protest over the Cauvery issue, Haasan said a meeting has been convened on 4 April at Tiruchirappalli to deliberate the matter. Earlier, he visited A Kumarareddiapuram village in Tuticorn district and expressed solidarity with the people for their protest which entered the 49th day Sunday. Residents of the village have been demanding that the plant be shut down immediately alleging that they faced serious health issues due to pollution from the unit. Haasan, addressing the protesters, said he visited them as an individual and not as a party head. "My humble view is that a business need not be run by ruining your lives," he said. He said for him being humane was more important than being an actor. "I am a Tamilian first. I have not come as a politician. I have not come for publicity. I have had enough publicity already," he said. Haasan, apparently pointing to allegations of health issues due to the copper unit, said "the injustice that is being perpetrated on you is a reflection of the ugly face of commercial greed." He said the Central and state governments had not heard the voice of the people and that "the people should make them hear the same now." Sterlite Copper's unit was shutdown on 29 March for 15 days for "maintenance work." The firm has since placed advertisements in dailies claiming that it has not violated any norms against the background of continuing protests. Meanwhile, a protest demonstration was held in Chennai on Sunday by people of Tuticorin district. Several men painted their faces showing 'blood' oozing out from their eyes to symbolically represent the alleged sufferings of the Tuticorin people due to pollution from the copper unit. They shouted slogans against the unit and held placards seeking government action to close it down. On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu government had said that it was examining complaints of residents against the copper maker. A leading copper producer, Sterlite Copper represents the copper unit of Vedanta Limited which operates a 400,000 tonnes per annum plant in Tuticorin. The company had recently said that the plant received the necessary regulatory clearances for expansion and its primary commitment was to ensure the development and well-being of all the communities around its operations. Actor Rajinikanth on Saturday took a dig apparently at the ruling AIADMK over the issue of the expansion of the copper plant, saying the government was not responding to the protests by locals. The Shiv Sena would contest around 60 seats against its alliance partner, the BJP, in the next month's Assembly polls in Karnataka, party MP Sanjay Raut said on Monday. Mumbai: The Shiv Sena would contest around 60 seats against its alliance partner, the BJP, in the next month's Assembly polls in Karnataka, party MP Sanjay Raut said on Monday. Earlier, the Sena had fielded candidates against the BJP in the elections held in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat last year. "Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had already announced that our party is going to contest elections independently and as a part of it, we have decided to go solo in Karnataka as well. We will contest around 50-60 seats but will support the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which represents the Marathi people living in disputed areas between Maharashtra and Karnataka," he told reporters. In a party resolution, Thackeray had announced that Sena would contest the 2019 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on its own without a truck with the BJP. The Sena, the oldest member of the NDA, shares power with the BJP in the Union and Maharashtra governments. Maharashtra has been demanding handing over of Belgaum, Karvar and around 800 villages and hamlets currently in Karnataka, claiming that they are dominated by Marathi-speaking people. The issue, festering since 1960 when the Centre adopted Linguistic Policy for the formation of states, is pending before the supreme court. Raut also appealed to Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis not to campaign for the BJP in the disputed areas in Karnataka. "In every speech given by Maharashtra governor, the state government mentioned resolving the issue with Karnataka. If Fadnavis campaigns in this disputed area for the BJP, it would send a wrong message in Maharashtra as this act would be perceived contradictory to the official stance of the state government on the pending issue," he said. Raut had recently demanded Belgaum and other border areas be declared as a Union Territory. However, his comments did not go down well with a section of people who filed a police complaint against him. Referring to the controversy, the Rajya Sabha MP said, "I was talking in the interest of 20 lakh Marathi people who reside there". Appealing political parties from Maharashtra to press for resolution of the Belgaum issue, the Sena leader said he was not bothered about a police case against him. A day after Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate talks with Pakistan, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said the decision to hold or not to hold a dialogue with Islamabad is purely the Centre's prerogative. Jammu: A day after Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate talks with Pakistan, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said the decision to hold or not to hold a dialogue with Islamabad is purely the Centre's prerogative. The BJP on Saturday hit back at the PDP for its remarks that delay in resumption of a dialogue between India and Pakistan has the potential of undermining the Agenda of Alliance of the PDP-BJP government and said such remarks could lead to mistrust and add to confusion among the people. "The decision to hold or not to hold talks with Pakistan is purely the Centre's prerogative and only the Government of India is in a position to take a call on this," Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, told reporters on the sidelines of the BJP State Working Committee meeting at Suchetgarh, near border. Asked to comment on Mehbooba's statement that India should hold talks with Pakistan at the earliest, Singh said he "is not qualified to answer whether or not and when India should hold talks with Pakistan because he is not privy to the sensitive inputs and confidential reports, based on which, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs take a view". He, however, said, any decision in this regard is beyond the purview of the Jammu and Kashmir government. Without naming any political party, Singh said even going by the ideological positions taken by Kashmir-centric political parties espousing demands such as autonomy, these parties have also, in their policy documents, left the management of foreign affairs to the central government. Lauding the security forces for eliminating eight militants in a single operation in the Kashmir valley on Sunday, Singh said, "Our security forces are doing a commendable job and the nation is eternally indebted to them. "We are approaching the last phase of militancy," he said, claiming the common man in Kashmir, particularly the youth, has already moved ahead. On the deliberations at the BJP State Working Committee meeting, the minister said the coalition government in the state has completed three years in office, even though it was being claimed by the opposition parties, particularly the Congress and the National Congress, that this government will not last even three days. He said the working committee meeting, held every three months, was a part of the BJP's traditional curriculum offering an opportunity to review the activities and experiences and to chalk out the future road map accordingly. At a function on Saturday organised by a group of Kashmiri Pandits owing allegiance to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba said that war was never an option. Reconciliation is the mantra which we need to follow and therefore, I request Modiji to engage with Pakistan, she said. In a statement, BJP spokesperson Anil Gupta on Saturday said, "The BJP has refuted the repeated claims being made in the media by Sartaj Madani, PDP vice-president, that dialogue with Pakistan was the first and last condition for forging an alliance with the BJP." Madani had on Friday said that delay in resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan has the potential of undermining the Agenda of Alliance (AoA) of the PDP-BJP government. He had said the AoA was a commitment to the people to resolve the Kashmir problem through "reconciliation and dialogue". The AoA, which formed the basis for PDP-BJP forming a government in Jammu and Kashmir, was an express commitment to the people of the state on the resolution of Kashmir problem through reconciliation and dialogue, he had said. Madani also said that a delay in resumption of sustainable dialogue and revival of peace initiatives between India and Pakistan were causing worries and had the potential of undermining the AoA. Gupta responded by saying that such "selective quoting from the AoA can lead to mistrust and add to confusion among the people". The BJP spokesman said the coalition government was formed without any pre-conditions to provide a stable and representative government that would work towards providing smart governance, ensuring self-sustaining and balanced development across the three regions of the state and to create conditions to facilitate resolution of all issues of Jammu and Kashmir. Amidst controversies surrounding Cambridge Analytica and Facebook on the data breach issue, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government would not tolerate any unauthorised use of data for abuse or to influence elections Bengaluru: Amidst controversies surrounding Cambridge Analytica and Facebook on the data breach issue, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday said the government would not tolerate any unauthorised use of data for abuse or to influence elections. Speaking at an interactive event "Bengaluru IT Global Hub Road Ahead", organised by BJP's Karnataka unit, Prasad warned that the government would act tough against anybody abusing data for collateral purposes. "The Narendra Modi government is very clear. Any unauthorised use of data without the consent of the owner for abuse and collateral purposes or influencing the elections will not be tolerated. We are very clear about it," he said. He said five important points are associated with data (data) availability, utility, innovation, anonymity and privacy. Prasad said data is important if India wished to grow. "In a particular area if people are getting infected, because of data we can have a good policy for that. But it should be an anonymous data. If innovation is to be done, data availability is important. "Let there be privacy in terms of your health condition, your official preferences, relationships which are matrimonial in nature and family matters. But the issue of privacy is overblown by those who talk of Right to Information and also talk of privacy," he added. He said the government had issued show cause notices to Cambridge Analytica and Facebook on the data breach issue. Prasad on 29 March said the government had given notices to Facebook and Cambridge Analytica on the data breach issue and would decide on the action to be taken after receiving their responses. The IT Ministry had on 28 March issued a notice to social networking giant Facebook, seeking its response over the user data breach and details of steps it has put in place to ensure safety and prevent misuse of personal data. It raised five questions for Facebook, including whether personal data of Indian voters and users has been compromised by Cambridge Analytica or any other downstream entity in any manner and gave the networking giant a deadline of 7 April to send a detailed response. A similar notice was earlier sent to Cambridge Analytica over media reports of questionable practices attributed to the UK-based firm in their efforts to influence elections by harvesting data of Facebook users. To a question on the misuse of the digital platform, Prasad emphasised that he advocated free media and free speech. "But if anyone abuses social media to encourage extremism, terrorism and communalism, that becomes a matter of concern," he said. The minister said that a committee, headed by retired judge Sri Krishna, has been asked to submit a report on data protection law which would come out soon. The IT Minister also rejected the suggestion to link Aadhaar with voter ID, saying though he was personally not in favour of it, those opposing Aadhaar would accuse the Narendra Modi government of snooping on everyone. The Aadhaar and Voter ID cards operate in different fields, he said, adding a voter ID has much more details, which is lacking in the Aadhaar card. "Both of them (Aadhaar and voter ID) operate in different fields.You go to cast your vote...if you show your Aadhaar card, you will not be allowed to cast your vote unless you show your voter ID card." "The larger issue is that if everything is linked to Aadhaar, then the great supporters of anti-Aadhaar will say that the Narendra Modi government is snooping on everything, boarding, what you are eating, which cinema you are going. I don't want that," said the union minister. Prasad said that Aadhaar during UPA government did not have any legal backing, whereas the NDA government brought a separate law for it. He also expressed anguish over the 'pathetic infrastructure' in Bengaluru, despite the city being the IT hub of India. He said the enormous delay in Metro rail project and flooding in Bengaluru had hit the headlines. There is no clash between the leaders in Congress over the post of chief minister in Rajasthan, says state party chief Sachin Pilot as the party high command appointed veteran leader from the state Ashok Gehlot to a crucial post in the All India Congress Committee Jaipur: There is no clash between the leaders in Congress over the post of chief minister in Rajasthan, says state party chief Sachin Pilot as the party high command appointed veteran leader from the state Ashok Gehlot to a crucial post in the All India Congress Committee (AICC). "It's not an issue, and the credit for blowing it (reported differences between him and Gehlot) out of proportion goes to our opponents, who are busy cooking up stories," he says. "We are working as a team and there is no such clash in the party for the coveted post," Pilot told IANS in an interview. There have been reports of infighting between Pilot and former chief minister and strongman Ashok Gehlot over who will be the chief minister if the party wins the next elections due this year end. On Friday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi appointed Gehlot as general secretary in charge of organisation and training, replacing Janardhan Dwivedi. Interestingly, however, Gehlot said in a newspaper interview that young leaders should learn to wait in the queue and not try to jump it, remarks seen as a message to his younger rivals in the state unit of the party. Pilot, who is the president of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee, said that the party has a tradition in which, once it wins an election, the newly-elected MLAs meet and elect their leader. On his likely appointment as a general secretary, he said: "I am yet to get any information in this regard. What I know is that I have been sent here to lead the party. "When I took charge, there were only 21 MLAs. I, along with my team, have struggled hard to build the party and ensure that our party wins the Assembly elections." At 26, Pilot became the youngest MP. Five years later in 2009, he became the youngest Union Minister. Under his watch, Congress this year won crucial by-polls to the Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary constituencies and the Mandalgarh Assembly seat. But the credit, he said, goes to the workers. On Congress' electoral performance in the state, he said: "In the last four-and-a-half years, there have been by-elections in 22 seats and our party has snatched 20 of them, which speaks volumes about our growing credibility among voters." He held that the success of the Congress is not only because of the BJP government's failure. "We are winning because of our sustained efforts and for standing by the people. People believe in us." "Me, Rahul and other workers have been trying continuously to represent what Congress stands for a democratic, secular party which stands by the people when they need it." On the recent aggressive campaign by the BJP to reconnect with grassroots-level workers, he said: "Those who sweat in peace times, don't bleed in war times. People who study round-the-clock are better prepared for exams and are better able to take the test." On the change of guard in the Congress leadership at the national level, Pilot said change is the only constant. "All presidents come with their vision. Rahul has come with the vision of bringing in more young people into the party. More younger people will reflect present India, they also reflect their dreams and aspirations and hence we will build a newer India making their dreams and aspirations as our foundation. "However, the experience of seniors who have worked for decades will definitely be recognised and used as and when required, unlike the BJP's Margadarshak Mandal, where seniors are being asked to sit aside." He declined comment on reports of seniors resigning after Rahul Gandhi's recent speech where he kept the stage vacant for youngsters. "Revamping and reorganising are the crucial tasks Rahul Gandhi is working on," Pilot said. Pilot also tore into the BJP's working model. The party has introduced many campaigns, such as Standup India, Digital India, Swasthya India and others but where is development, he wondered. "Are the youngsters getting jobs, are the farmers happy? Is the country growing economically? Changing the names of monuments, temple politics, gauraksha politics can never ensure development of the nation," he said. "The real agenda is polarisation and communalising people." He said that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje made 611 promises when she formed the government, and there is no clear picture on their fulfilment. "Even now, their government continues making promises with a view to garner more votes. "In the next few weeks, we will declare our agenda for the forthcoming elections; we won't be complacent or overconfident, rather we will be confident. Hence, we are travelling and meeting people to get their blessings." Talking about a recent event where Raje was shown black flags by some people in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pilot stressed that the people are angry. "When you promise and don't deliver, this becomes an issue and then you start terrorising people. This is not democracy; start communicating with people and half the problems are solved. But here, the government is becoming revengeful and arresting people who marked their silent protest." A prominent Hindu lawyer in Bangladesh who fought the state's case in high-profile murder trials against Islamist extremists has disappeared, prompting authorities to launch a massive search operation to trace him. Dhaka: A prominent Hindu lawyer in Bangladesh who fought the state's case in high-profile murder trials against Islamist extremists has disappeared, prompting authorities to launch a massive search operation to trace him. Ratish Chandra Bhowmik, a leading minority rights activist, went missing after he left his home in northwestern Rangpur district on Friday morning. When the lawyer did not return home and his mobile phone was found switched off, his family reported about his disappearance to police and Hindu community leaders. The lawyer's disappearance came a fortnight after seven operatives of outlawed Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were sentenced to death for murdering the caretaker of a Sufi shrine in November 2015. Bhowmik also appeared as a key prosecutor against five JMB extremists, who were sentenced to death for the murder of a Japanese farmer in 2015. Bhowmik was also a crucial witness to the trial of senior Jamaate-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, who was sentenced to death by a special tribunal for committing crimes against humanity siding with the Pakistani troops during Bangladesh's 1971 liberation war. Police said that Bhowmik had earlier refused the offer of an armed escort during the high-profile trials.Bangladesh's elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and intelligence agencies have been mobilised to trace the lawyer. "We have launched a coordinated campaign to trace him...all-out efforts are underway, Rangpur's regional police chief Khondker Golam Faruk said. Another police official said they have launched the massive search operation in view of possible militant links to Bhowmik's disappearance. "But his professional activities could have earned him enmity of others as well," the official said. Lawyers in Rangpur staged protests, demanding intensified police action to trace Bhowmik. Bangladesh has been waging a campaign against JMB and other homegrown militant outfits after a re-grouped faction of JMB called Neo-JMB, stormed a Dhaka cafe in 2016 and massacred 23 people, mostly foreigners. Hundreds of militants were arrested as part of a crackdown. Many of them have already been sentenced to death for terror attacks. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday praised troops for 'guarding the country's borders' after a mass Gaza frontier protest led to clashes that left 16 Palestinians dead Jerusalem: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday praised troops for "guarding the country's borders" after a mass Gaza frontier protest led to clashes that left 16 Palestinians dead. "Well done to our soldiers," he wrote in a statement. "Israel acts vigorously and with determination to protect its sovereignty and the security of its citizens." Tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied on the Gaza side of the border fence on Friday, some hurling stones and rolling burning tyres at Israeli troops on their side of the wire. The Israeli army said it opened fire only when necessary, against those taking an active part in violence. It said there were attempts to damage the fence and break through into Israel, as well as an attempted gun attack against troops. Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force, saying the soldiers opened fire on protesters who did not pose a threat, while human rights groups questioned Israel's use of live fire. UN chief Antonio Guterres called for an "independent and transparent investigation" and European Union diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini followed suit, calling in a statement for a probe into Israel's use of live ammunition. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared a day of national mourning on Saturday and in a speech said he held Israel fully responsible for the deaths. Thousands attended funerals for 14 of those killed two were buried on on Friday with mourners holding Palestinian flags and some chanting "revenge" and firing into the air. The angry funeral scenes came as the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation into the clashes. Gaza City: Gazans buried their dead on Saturday with calls for "revenge" a day after a mass protest led to clashes that saw Israeli forces kill 16 Palestinians in the bloodiest day since a 2014 war. The angry funeral scenes came as the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation into the clashes. Only several hundred protesters returned to tents erected at sites near the Gaza Strip's border with Israel to resume demonstrations planned to last six weeks in the blockaded enclave. On the diplomatic front, UN chief Antonio Guterres and European Union diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini called for an "independent and transparent investigation" into Israel's use of live ammunition. But a motion put forward before the UN Security Council by Kuwait late Saturday calling for such a move was rejected by the United States, a Security Council diplomat told AFP. Israel defended the army fire at Palestinians who broke away from the main protest of tens of thousands and neared the heavily fortified fence around the Gaza Strip. "Well done to our soldiers," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a statement on Saturday. "Israel acts vigorously and with determination to protect its sovereignty and the security of its citizens." An Israeli military spokesman said Friday's events were "not a protest demonstration" but "organised terrorist activity" by Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. "If it continues, we shall have no choice but to respond inside the Gaza Strip against terrorist targets which we understand to be behind these events," said Brigadier General Ronen Manelis. Gaza's health ministry said 35 people suffered wounds that were not life-threatening in low-level clashes along the border on Saturday. Thousands attended funerals for 14 of those killed two were buried on Friday with mourners holding Palestinian flags and some chanting "revenge" and firing into the air. Pressure for inquiry The armed wing of Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, said five of those killed were its members who were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people." The Israeli army said in a statement on Saturday night that 10 of the dead had "documented terror backgrounds" in Hamas and other groups and were killed "whilst carrying out acts of terror." In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded Friday, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, according to the health ministry in Gaza. The Israeli military says its forces opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers. It said there were attempts to damage the fence and break through into Israel, as well as an attempted gun attack against troops. No casualties were reported among Israelis. Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force, saying its soldiers opened fire on protesters who did not pose a threat, while human rights groups questioned Israel's use of live fire. Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman issued a scornful rejection of demands for a probe. "I do not understand the chorus of hypocrites who want a commission of inquiry," he posted in Hebrew on his Twitter account. "They got confused and thought Hamas organised a Woodstock Festival [on Saturday] and that we should give them flowers." Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared Saturday a day of national mourning and in a speech said he held Israel fully responsible for the deaths. US 'cover for Israel' The six-week protest is in support of Palestinian refugees and the timetable holds significance for a range of reasons that have added to tensions. It began on Land Day, when Palestinians commemorate the killing of six unarmed Arab protesters in Israel in 1976. Protests will continue until the United States opens its new Jerusalem embassy around 14 May, a move that has enraged Palestinians, who see the city's annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state. 14 May will also mark 70 years since the creation of Israel, while Palestinians will mark what they call the Nakba, or "catastrophe," the following day. The Nakba commemorates the more than 7,00,000 Palestinians who either fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948. US president Donald Trump has harshly criticised the Palestinians in the past, but the State Department said only that it was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and urged steps to lower tensions. Human Rights Watch called calling the number of killed and wounded "shocking". "Israeli allegations of violence by some protesters do not change the fact that using lethal force is banned by international law except to meet an imminent threat to life," the New York-based group said. Israel had deployed troop reinforcements along the border, including more than 100 special forces snipers, saying it would prevent attempts to break through the fence. Protests along the border are common, often involving young Palestinian men throwing stones at Israeli soldiers who respond with tear gas along with rubber and live bullets. But the "March of Return" protest that began on Friday is on a larger scale and intended to involve families with women and children camping in tent cities near the border for weeks. US blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation of clashes on the Gaza-Israel border that left 16 dead. United Nations: The United States on Saturday blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation of clashes on the Gaza-Israel border that left 16 dead, diplomats said. Clashes erupted as tens of thousands of Gazans protested near the border on Friday, with Israeli forces using tear gas and live fire to force back smaller numbers of demonstrators who approached within a few hundred yards (meters) of the heavily fortified border fence. In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, according to the Gazan health ministry. Kuwait, which represents Arab countries on the council, presented the proposed statement, which called for an "independent and transparent investigation" of the violence. The draft council statement also expressed "grave concern at the situation at the border." And it reaffirmed "the right to peaceful protest" and expressed the council's "sorrow at the loss of innocent Palestinian lives." The draft statement was circulated to the council on Friday, but on Saturday the United States raised objections and said it did not support its adoption, a Security Council diplomat told AFP. The US mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request from AFP for comment. The proposed statement also called "for respect for international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including protection of civilians," according to the draft seen by AFP. Council members "called upon all sides to exercise restraint and prevent a further escalation," the draft said. The proposed statement stressed the need to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that political decisions should be taken in polling booths, not courts, in an apparent reference to ouster of Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court. Islamabad: Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that political decisions should be taken in polling booths, not courts, in an apparent reference to ouster of his predecessor Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court. Sharif, 68, was disqualified as the prime minister by the apex court in the Panama Papers case in July 2017 under Article 62 for failing to declare a receivable salary as an asset. "Let the voters make political decisions," Abbasi said while addressing a crowd in Dera Ghazi Khan on Saturday. "Political decisions are taken in polling booths, not courts," he was quoted as saying by Dawn News. Abbasi's remarks came days after his meeting with Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar. The meeting, and Justice Nisar's subsequent referring of the prime minister as a supplicant, had irked Sharif, who later publicly asked Abbasi to explain his position on the meeting. "It is a strange tradition that whosoever solves the country's problems is dragged into the courts, removed from posts and attempts are made to push (him) away from the people," Abbasi said. This tradition is not Pakistan's tradition. This tradition will not give respect to politics in Pakistan," he warned. The prime minister said the decisions of the people always prevail over court's verdicts some of which, he claimed, are controversial or not accepted by history. "We continued to work despite severe opposition and gave respect to your vote," Abbasi told the gathering, outlining PML-N's achievements since it reclaimed power in 2013. "You made a decision in 2008 and you got Asif Ali Zardari, and what he did to Pakistan, you all know. But in 2013 you sent him back home; this was the people's decision," he said. "The people then chose Nawaz Sharif, whose era saw unprecedented development. I have complete faith that the enlightened people of Pakistan will respond to the conspiracies and overthrow of governments at the polling stations (in upcoming general elections)," he added. Sharif has held several rallies in different parts of Pakistan since his ouster. He has targeted the judiciary for removing him from the office of the prime minister and also come up with 'give respect to the ballot' slogan. The political future of Sharif, who leads the country's most powerful political family, has been hanging in balance since his disqualification. If convicted, Sharif could be jailed. Sharif's family alleges that the cases are politically motivated. Israel's defence minister says troops acted appropriately by only firing on Palestinian protesters who charged toward Gaza's border with Israel. Jerusalem: Israel's defence minister says troops acted appropriately by only firing on Palestinian protesters who charged toward Gaza's border with Israel. Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday that those who protested peacefully were not harmed, and he rejected accusations of excessive use of force in the mass protests Friday in which 15 Palestinians were killed. It was the area's deadliest violence in four years. Gaza's ruling militant Hamas group has touted the protests as the launch of a six-week campaign against the territory's decade-old blockade. Israel says thousands of Palestinians approached the border, with hundreds engaged in acts of violence ranging from rock-throwing to hurling firebombs to opening fire at Israeli troops guarding the border. The Israeli military has identified and named ten of the dead as militants from Hamas and other groups. Pope Francis called Sunday for an end to 'carnage' in Syria and 'reconciliation' in West Asia in his traditional Easter message. Vatican City: Pope Francis called Sunday for an end to "carnage" in Syria and "reconciliation" in West Asia in his traditional Easter message. "Today we implore fruits of peace upon the entire world, beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria," the pontiff said in the "Urbi et Orbi" (To the City and the World) address. Appealing to the "consciences of all political and military leaders," Francis urged "that a swift end may be brought to the carnage" as tens of thousands of pilgrims listened in St Peter's Square and millions watched the speech broadcast live around the world. The head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics asked that "provisions be made to facilitate access to the aid so urgently needed by our brothers and sisters, while also ensuring fitting conditions for the return of the displaced" to Syria. As he spoke, a final deal was reportedly reached for fighters and civilians to leave the last opposition-held pocket of eastern Ghouta. That would mark a major milestone in Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's efforts to regain control of territory seized by rebel factions during the seven-year civil war which has left some 350,000 dead and displaced millions. The 81-year-old Francis said the Holy Land was "also experiencing... the wounds of an ongoing conflict that do not spare the defenceless," singling out the conflict in Yemen where some 10,000 people have died since March 2015. Praying for the "fruits of peace upon the entire world", Francis then called for the "fruits of dialogue for the Korean peninsula," that the "discussions under way may advance peace and harmony within the region." 'Relationships of trust' "May those who are directly responsible act with wisdom and discernment to promote the good of the Korean people and to build relationships of trust within the international community," the Argentine pope said. February's Winter Olympics triggered a fast-moving rapprochement that will see the North's Kim Jong-un sit down with the South's president Moon Jae-in in late April, with a US summit with President Donald Trump planned for May. Earlier Sunday the pontiff celebrated Easter mass in the flower-bedecked square, which was under tight security. Tourists and clergy alike had formed long queues to have their belongings checked and pass through metal detectors. "Rome is the centre of the Catholic faith," anti-terror prosecutor Federico Cafiero de Raho said Saturday. "For those who believe in the radical form of holy war, Rome represents so many things put together there's the pope, the Vatican..." Italian authorities are concerned that some of the estimated 120 radicalised Italians who left for Syria or Iraq to fight with jihadist groups could be returning to the country posing as migrants. Last week saw a wave of anti-terror arrests, with Interior Minister Marco Minniti warning of a high risk of an attack. Syria's regime moved closer Sunday to fully retaking the rebel enclave of eastern Ghouta after its Russian ally agreed with rebels to evacuate hundreds of civilians from a final pocket. Douma: Syria's regime moved closer Sunday to fully retaking the rebel enclave of eastern Ghouta after its Russian ally agreed with rebels to evacuate hundreds of civilians from a final pocket. Tens of thousands people are thought to remain in the battered town of Douma, the last rebel holdout and their one-time bastion east of the capital Damascus. Russia-backed regime forces have seized more than 95 percent of eastern Ghouta in a six-week air and ground blitz that has displaced tens of thousands from their homes. People have fled the fighting into regime-held territory, while so far more than 45,000 fighters and civilians in total have been bussed out under evacuation deals. "A partial agreement was reached to evacuate hundreds of civilians who wish to leave for Idlib", a northwestern province still largely outside regime control, a Britain-based war monitor said on Sunday. In all, around 1,300 people would be evacuated from Douma under the deal, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP, adding that talks on the fate of rebels who hold Douma were still underway. "Negotiations were continuing for a full agreement, including concerning the Jaish al-Islam" rebel faction, Rami Abdel Rahman said. In other parts of the bastion, Russia-brokered accords have already seen thousands of fighters and civilians climb onto buses and head north to Idlib. More than 4,000 people left the devastated town of Harasta last week under a deal with the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group. And more than 41,000 evacuated a southern pocket including the town of Arbin this week under another deal with the Faylaq al-Rahman opposition faction. 'No more homes' But talks have dragged on in Douma, with Jaish al-Islam insisting it would not leave the town, the main one in eastern Ghouta. A civilian committee taking part in the negotiations with Russia on Saturday said a deal had been reached "to evacuate humanitarian cases to northern Syria." It gave no further details nor did it say when the planned evacuations would start. As talks have stalled for Douma, residents there have grown nervous about their fate. "Of course I would rather leave. There are no more homes here, not a single place to settle," said Abu Rateb, 30. "But I won't go to regime-held areas to join ranks with the Syrian Army," he said, adding he would prefer to go to Idlib. Haitham, 38, a media activist who did not give his surname, said he would rather stay in his hometown. "To abandon your home is to abandon your soul," he said. "But if they give us the choice of dying or leaving, it will be another matter." Reports of the planned evacuations come after Syria's army on Saturday vowed to finish off rebels in Douma, the main town in eastern Ghouta. A statement said the military would press on with "fighting in the area of Douma to rid it of terrorism", in reference to the rebels. That announcement came after Syria's state news agency SANA reported the southern pocket of eastern Ghouta was "empty of terrorism" as the last buses left it on Saturday afternoon. The regime assault since 18 February has killed more than 1,600 civilians, the Observatory says, and devastated entire neighbourhoods. Tens of thousands of people have hit the roads, with their belongings stuffed into bags or carrying blankets, to flee out of the enclave into regime-held territory. A plane carrying Russian diplomats who were expelled from the United States and their families has landed in Moscow. Moscow: A plane carrying Russian diplomats who were expelled from the United States and their families has landed in Moscow. Russian news agencies say the plane that landed today at Vnukovo Airport was carrying diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Washington. A separate flight with diplomats and families from the New York consulate and Russia's United Nations mission was expected later in the day. The United States last week ordered 60 Russian diplomats to leave, part of a widespread expulsion of diplomats by Britain and some of its allies in connection with the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in Britain. Britain alleges Russian involvement in the nerve agent poisoning. Moscow adamantly denies that and has ordered tit-for-tat expulsions of Western diplomats. Two men had a 'scary' tryst with the cheetahs on the Grand Ruaha Safari in Tanzania. Two American men on safari in Tanzania had a hair-raising moment after two cheetahs got closer than they expected. As the men were photographing one cheetah on the Grand Ruaha Safari, another decided to jump onto the backseat of the vehicle and a third decided to climb the hood of their jeep. According to a report in Daily Mail, Britton Hayes from Seattle, Washington, was with a tourist group when he had this unique experience in the Gol Kopjes of Serengeti National Park. Hayes' mother tweeted the video of him remaining still as a cheetah explored the back of the jeep. My son waited until returning from the Serengeti to tell me a cheetah jumped in his Jeep during their photo #safari. And there's video!!! pic.twitter.com/Fbn8vS0AHb Elisa Jaffe (@ElisaJaffe) March 28, 2018 Hayes' stepfather Peter Heinstein, who was accompanying him on their first trip to Africa, filmed the video, according to the Daily Mail report. Hayes told the newspaper The Sun this was 'the scariest moment of his life' and he tried to slow his breathing so the animal wouldnt sense his fear. Heistein, posting the picture on social media, wrote, "Britt credits our experienced guide Alex Mnyangabe with helping him stay calm and asked me to film him. While Britt was frightened we never felt any threat coming from the cheetah. After a short exploration, the three of them moved away to continue their hunt. An amazing experience we will never forget." UK politicians sparred with immigration officials over a data-sharing agreement that gives the government access to personal information collected by the country's family doctors. London: To track down people in Britain who may have broken immigration rules, the government is turning to a new and controversial source of information: doctors. Doctors who work with refugees and asylum-seekers have described the move as a major breach of medical ethics, saying it isn't up to physicians to enforce immigration rules. In letters recently made public, politicians sparred with immigration officials over a data-sharing agreement quietly signed in 2016 that gives the government access to personal information collected by the country's family doctors. Medical details are excluded. A parliamentary health committee condemned the situation as "unacceptable," calling for the agreement to be suspended. But Britain's immigration department has dismissed those concerns, arguing that such data sharing allows the UK to remove people "who might pose a danger to the public." Medical workers back the health committee's viewpoint. "We understand the government has a job to do, but going into health records to get patient information is not OK," said Lucy Jones, director of programs at Doctors of the World UK. "The idea that any patient information is being shared with a government body immediately breaks their trust in a doctor-patient relationship." Several leading medical organisations, including the Royal College of General Practitioners, Public Health England and the General Medical Council, have all slammed the data-sharing deal, saying it could worsen the health of vulnerable people and drive disease outbreaks underground, hurting health care for all. Dalia Omer, a refugee from Sudan who was granted asylum in the UK in February after nearly two years, sought medical help several times while awaiting the government's decision. She said had she known about the data sharing arrangement, she would not have been as forthcoming. "If I knew the doctors could share information with the Home Office, I would not tell them everything," she said, referring to the British department that oversees immigration and security. She said she might even lie about certain details to protect herself. Dr. Kitty Worthing, a London-based doctor with the group Docs Not Cops, said "the cornerstone of the doctor-patient relationship is confidentiality and this data-sharing is a direct breach of that." She said when she's advised people that their personal information could be shared with immigration officials "their reaction is always fear." Elsewhere in Europe, many countries have a strict firewall that stops information gathered by health services from being disclosed to other government agencies. Germany's data protection office said regulations prohibit any blanket sharing of such information. In France, no data obtained by doctors is shared with the Interior Ministry. Some health experts said it was critical that some types of health care are available to everyone in the UK, regardless of their immigration status. "With HIV treatment, it makes much more sense to treat everybody with HIV, because treatment lowers the level of virus in your blood so you can't pass it on," said Kat Smithson of the National AIDS Trust. "If people are not diagnosed because they're not accessing health care, they're not aware they're living with HIV, which means they're far more likely to pass it on to somebody else." The British government, however, says protecting its borders outweighs those concerns. "We believe that the release of (patient) information is lawful and proportionate action in pursuit of the effective enforcement of the UK's immigration policy," wrote Caroline Noakes, the minister of state for immigration, and James O'Shaughnessy, parliamentary undersecretary of state for health, responding to lawmaker's concerns. They cited the case of a Pakistani citizen who overstayed a visitor's visa. After the Pakistani was refused residency in 2013, contact with the Home Office was broken off. Immigration officials sent a request to health services, which revealed a new address. "The Home Office visited the address and arrested the individual, a convicted sex offender, who is now complying with the Home Office and will leave the UK," Noakes and O'Shaughnessy wrote, describing patients' non-medical data as being "at the lower end of the privacy spectrum." From last November to January, health officials agreed to nearly 1,300 requests for information. Of those, health officials found 501 cases where patients had a different address from the one in Home Office records. Some Londoners said it was OK for immigration officials to get data from doctors under certain conditions. "If the Home Office needs the information for a good reason, I guess it's OK, but they should ask the people for permission," said Farooq, outside an east London clinic that provides health care largely for migrants. He declined to give his last name because he was worried about the immigration status of his father, originally from Afghanistan. Farooq said data sharing could make migrants nervous about getting medical attention. "It could put people in a risky situation if they're worried about their visa and they need to see a doctor," he said. . , , , . , , 13 . , . ... - : 94% 14 , . , , - . ? ? , ? - , () : - , ? - : , 28 , 5 , 6 . 116 93-94% 14- . 6 . : ? - : . . , . : ? - : , . , , , . , , . , . 1 . . : ? - : . , . , , . . , 400 . , . . : , ? - : . . . . . . : ? - : -. 30 40 , - 50 . : 3 , , ? - : . 3 : 0-1-6, .. 6 . : 30 ? - : . 100 . : ? - : , , . , , , . - . 20 . , , , . , , . . Flipkart today started its two-day No Kidding Days Sale that offers deals on several products including accessories, wearables and more. All these offers are available through the site, mobile site as well as Flipkart app. Best Deals on Tablets, wearables, accessories and more on Flipkart Offers on Laptops, Hard disks, Power banks, Speakers and more on Flipkart Flipkart is also offering 10% Instant Discount (up to Rs.750) on HDFC Bank Debit & Credit Cards on purchase of Rs. 1,999 across all categories except Mobiles and 15% Cashback (up to Rs.125), on purchase made using your PhonePe wallet or credit card/debit card/UPI via PhonePe on the first eligible transaction per user. The limited period offer ends tomorrow, April 2nd or till stocks last. We have listed out the best deals, you can check out more details on Flipkart No Kidding Days Sale page here. It is that time of the year, when even the tech world goes overboard with April Fools Day pranks. Every year geniuses at top tech companies, thanks to their creative juices, come up with the coolest and weirdest ideas and innovations. Lets dive in and see what the great minds have for us this year! Reliance Jios JioJuice JioJuice charges the phone just by inserting the Jio SIM using wireless Jio network. This creates wireless electromagnetic field between the transmitter and receiver that turns 4G data packets into energy packet to charge the phone. OnePlus Pei Coin PeiCoin is a peer-to-peer digital currency created exclusively for OnePlus users. This can be mined with OxygenOS, is lightning quick with no-fee transactions supported by a secure open-source framework and the PeiCoin wallet is seamlessly integrated with the OnePlus device, making it easier to complete transactions, manage your wallet, and transfer funds. Xiaomi Mi A1 with 6 camera setup Xiaomi MiA1 with 6 rear cameras takes a dig at Huawei P20 Pro with three rear cameras. Not 1, 2 or even 3! Get your first look at the new #MiA1 Do you it? pic.twitter.com/A3voceYZDx Mi (@xiaomi) April 1, 2018 Uber Eats worlds 1st Anti Aging Ice Cream They say it also works on 8 signs of aging and it is event taking pre-orders for the ice cream. Wheres Waldo? in Google Maps Each of Googles division has unique products for April fools day this year. This time Google Maps division has introduced new Wheres Waldo game on Android, iOS and desktop that lets you find waldo in the crowd. You need to find him and his friends as they travel, and you youll be transported to places all around the world, where you can him over and over again. You can win wonderful and wacky badges throughout your journey by finding him and his friends. Waldo and his friends just left Google in California for an awesome adventure. Can you spot them with Google Maps? When you find him, dont forget to let us know with #WaldoMaps! https://t.co/jIFTOOgrUm pic.twitter.com/bparGZOWw4 Google Maps (@googlemaps) March 31, 2018 Bad Joke Detector in Google Files Go app Files Go now lets you all the bad jokes from your phone with Files Go with Bad Joke Detector. It also takes a dig at good morning memes sent in India. The Bad Joke Detector uses a custom-built deep neural network that scans your smartphone for jokes with your permission, identify the bad ones and delete all of them with a single tap, freeing up space for more important thingslike better jokes! Gboard Hardware Keyboard Google Japanese input team has introduced Gboard Hardware Keyboard. Once you have connected your keyboard to the physical handwritten converter, you are ready. All you have to do is write the letters on the keyboard. The physical handwritten converter analyzes the input signal sent from the keyboard and identifies the character you wrote. Google Cloud Hummus API Google Cloud Hummus API is the latest Google Cloud groundbreaking technology. After enabling our customers to address senses through Speech & Vision API, we are now releasing a subset of Taste APIs started with a dish we all love Hummus, says Google. Razer Project Venom v2 Razer Project Venom V2 that lets you play longer and level the playing fields between yourself and pro-gamers. Proprietary Razer Nano-Mechanical Bots are far from venomous they are safe for consumption and navigate your body to manipulate and interact with you at a molecular level. Expertly programmed and calibrated for esports, these nanobots stretch your meaty shell to its limits to deliver maximum gaming performance with minimal harm and fatigue says Razer. Check out the hilarious specs sheet: Recommended Serving Size: 1 Vial Recommended dosage: not more than 1 serving every 2 hours Contains no artificial preservatives or flavors B Vitamins and antioxidants L-Carnatine Ginseng extract Guarana extract Mild dosage of Baclofen Green tint result of active Nanobots in the mixture Pokemon GO with cutting graphics Starting today you will experience this all-new graphics engine with cutting-edge 8-8-bit graphics. Registering approximately twice the definition of 4K, the chunky squares of each pixel provide realistic detail and unbelievable definition. Your Pokedex will feel lifelike in ways previously unimagined on any handheld device ever created, says Nintendo. NVIDIA GeForce Academy of Gaming NVIDIA GeForce Academy of Gaming prepares students to make meaningful contributions to the gaming world as engaged players, personalities, and leaders. T-Mobile Sidekicks: The Worlds First Smartshoephone T-Mobiles Sidekick smartphone re-imagined in the form of shoes. Inspired by the past but stepping boldly into the future, it has revolutionary AI, headphones that double as chargers, personalized GPS guidance by John Legere, and more, says T-Mobile. Logitech Business Speak (BS) Detection software Logitech BS Detection revolutionizes meeting capabilities with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) that flags the BS in business communications cutting out unclear and superfluous language. BS Detections razor-sharp optics monitor and evaluate speakers facial expressions, catching and alerting meeting participants insincere business speak in real time. The software also monitors the audio stream in for subtle vocal clues signaling BS. Roku Happy Streaming Socks Roku Happy Streaming Socks with built-in motion sensors, plus toe-toasting and anti-loss technology to perform all commands available on your Roku remote hands-free with the Socks. It costs .01 Bitcoin. CORSAIR GPURescue Over 3 million graphics cards are sold to cryptocurrency miners every year which are being abused. CORSAIR is taking an initiative to rescue these abused graphics cards from miners to give them home. Charge your Chromebook with renewable energy Chrome OS team says that they have worked hard to generate renewable ways to keep your Chromebook running anywhere with Wind power, Solar power and Compost power. ASUS Zenbook AI ASUS ZenBook AI comes with a bezel-less display and a host of ASUS intelligence features to make multi-tasking both effortless and enjoyable says ASUS. The Worlds Most Prestigious Laptop, Enhanced. The #ASUS ZenBook AI comes with a bezel-less display and a host of ASUS intelligence features to make multi-tasking both effortless and enjoyable. pic.twitter.com/hHgqFRfI8a ASUS North America (@ASUSUSA) April 1, 2018 We will be updating the post with more pranks. Tesla Goes Bankrupt Elon Musk says Tesla has gone completely and totally bankrupt. He also tweeted a picture of him saying that Elon was found passed out against a Tesla Model 3, surrounded by Teslaquilla bottles, the tracks of dried tears still visible on his cheeks. Tesla Goes Bankrupt Palo Alto, California, April 1, 2018 -- Despite intense efforts to raise money, including a last-ditch mass sale of Easter Eggs, we are sad to report that Tesla has gone completely and totally bankrupt. So bankrupt, you can't believe it. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 1, 2018 Elon was found passed out against a Tesla Model 3, surrounded by "Teslaquilla" bottles, the tracks of dried tears still visible on his cheeks. This is not a forward-looking statement, because, obviously, what's the point? Happy New Month! pic.twitter.com/YcouvFz6Y1 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 1, 2018 LineageOS LOSCoins LOSCoins is the new game-changer currency for LineageOS and beyond: users are given a simple yet safe way to pay, send and receive money on their favorite OS. And with the newly introduced LineaGenuine, they will know their data is safe. Moreover everything remains on your local storage: you wipe your data, your money is wiped away too, says LineageOS . Source 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. Tesla shareholders have approved a plan that could be worth over $55 billion to company CEO Elon Musk, if he meets a series of ambitious targets. A source familiar with the vote told the Associated Press that it passed by a wide margin. The official public tally will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission later today. Musk could make nothing if the companys market capitalization doesnt increase, but if it reaches $650 billion and hits income and revenue targets laid out in the 10-year plan hell earn the full amount. Musk is currently on vacation in the Middle East. If the goals are reached, Tesla would be fourth-most-valuable U.S. company and Musk would be among the richest people in the world. Two firms that evaluate proxies for investors recommend that shareholders vote against the pay plan, which they say is unprecedented in size for a U.S. public company. The firms, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, both peg the current value of Musk's package at $3.7 billion. Tesla has yet to turn a full-year net profit even though it's been in business for 15 years. At least two large shareholders and Tesla's board supported the plan, saying it's necessary to keep Musk in the fold and reach the goal of switching the world from burning oil for transportation to sustainable electric vehicles. "We believe as a board and executive team that we can actually achieve these milestones," said board member Antonio Gracias, who points out that under a 2012 incentive package, Musk raised Tesla's market capitalization by 17 times to more than $50 billion last year. "It's very important to think about the specifics of Tesla and what we have already achieved." For each of 12 milestones Tesla achieves, Musk, who already owns over 20 percent of the company, will get stock worth 1 percent of Tesla. "The shareholders get 99 percent, Elon gets 1 percent," Gracias said. To get there, Musk will have to expand Tesla's product lineup to include previously announced semis, a new SUV and a pickup truck. Plus the company's solar roofs will have to be successfully integrated into its energy storage business. There's also the issue of production delays, which have occurred on all of Tesla's current vehicles. The company currently is trying to raise production to meet demand of its Model 3, a mass-market electric car that starts at $35,000. Gracias says shareholders realize that Tesla is often optimistic about hitting production milestones and is working hard to achieve them. "We always hit our goals eventually. We are sometimes late," he said. "Sometimes the application of engineering takes longer than we think." The package is an incentive for Musk to focus on Tesla, which has been a concern for investors. Musk also is the founder and CEO of rocket company SpaceX and co-founder of OpenAI, a nonprofit that researches artificial intelligence. He also recently started The Boring Co., a tunnel-building firm. ISS, in recommending against the plan, wrote that Musk could get a substantial portion of the award even if Tesla doesn't reach sustained profitability. The plan would be suspended but not automatically forfeited if Musk takes a leave of absence, the firm wrote in a note to investors. "These issues both potentially undermine the board's given objectives of retaining Musk and further aligning his interests with those of shareholders," ISS wrote. The special meeting of shareholders took place in California, where Tesla is based. With AP The father-in-law of Pippa Middleton, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridges sister, was arrested Tuesday in France and charged with raping a minor in the late 1990s. David Matthews, 74, the father of Middletons husband, James Matthews, was arrested at the Orly Airport in Paris, The Telegraph reported. Matthews was charged with rape of a minor by a person with authority over his victim Thursday by a French magistrate. The incident allegedly occurred sometime between 1998 and 1999 while the family was vacationing in the country. Matthews' niece reportedly filed a complaint to police in 2017 regarding the alleged incidents, the Daily Beast reported. She reportedly told authorities that she was not quite of legal age when the alleged abuse occurred in Paris and St. Barts. MARTHA STEWARTS SMOKING HOT THROWBACK SETS INSTAGRAM ABUZZ Investigators will study the allegations for six months to determine if the case needs to be brought to trial. A spokesperson for Matthews told the Daily Mail that he categorically denies the allegation and unequivocally contests the untrue and scandalous accusation. Matthews, a multimillionaire and father of James and Spencer, a reality television star, was a race car driver but retired in 1973 following a brutal crash. He is a successful hotelier and owns the Eden Rock hotel in St. Barts, where celebrity guests have included Elton John and Leonard DiCaprio. JIM CARREY SUBMITS SEMI-NUDE TRUMP PAINTING TO NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, SPARKS REACTIONS James Matthews, 42, a hedge fund manager, married Pippa, 34, in May 2017. Middletons sister, Catherine, her brother-in-law, Prince William, and their two children, George and Charlotte, attended the ceremony. Prince Harry was at the high-profile event, and his now-fiance, Meghan Markle, joined the reception. Matthews youngest son, Michael, died in 1999 while descending Mt. Everest. His body was never found. The Kensington Palace did not immediately comment on the report. BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday urged Japan to adopt a correct historical view when educating the youth and stop provocations in Diaoyu Islands issue. The Japanese government on Friday endorsed a revised high school textbook guideline, obliging students to be taught that Diaoyu Islands are Japan's inherent territory with no territorial disputes. "China resolutely defends its territorial sovereignty and any attempt to infringe upon China's sovereignty over Diaoyu Islands will be futile," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said, adding that Diaoyu Islands and its adjacent islets have been an inherent part of Chinese territory since ancient times. The Chinese side has lodged stern representations with the Japanese side on this, Lu said. "We urge the Japanese side to face up to the history and reality, adopt a correct historical view when educating the youth, and stop stirring up trouble on the issue," he said. NBCs Chuck Todd has been slammed online after he took to Twitter last week to offer his thoughts about Good Friday. The Meet the Press host said that he was a a bit hokey about the religious occasion. I dont mean disrespect to the religious aspect of the day, but I love the idea of reminding folks that any day can become good, all it takes is a little selflessness on our own part, he wrote. Works EVERY time. Todds words drew ire online from some. The day of Jesus crucifixion is considered a victory of Good over Evil, Chuck, one critic responded. Your ignorant and insensitive comment should get you fired. Another account claimed the journalists tweet was clearly meant to mock Christianity. CHUCK TODD RESPONDS TO TRUMP'S 'SON OF A B----' JAB Chuck, you just don't get it, another example of Media snobbery and dis'ing Christians in your own subtle way, a different account tweeted. Others had different responses to Todd's tweet. Foot in mouth, but how uncharitable people can be about it, a commenter said. I dont get what yall are upset by, Chuck said regular days become good when people are selfless. Jesus was selfless on Good Friday, a user chiming in to the discussion said. Chuck may not have meant it religiously, but it fits fine with faith and it works. NBC representatives did not immediately return a request by Fox News for comment on Sunday afternoon. A 25-year-old paddleboarder was hospitalized in critical condition with multiple wounds after getting bitten by a shark Saturday morning near one of Hawaii's exclusive, white-sand resort areas. The attack happened around 9:30 a.m. local time at the beach in Kukio, which is considered to be a crown jewel along Hawaii's gorgeous Kona Coast. Fire officials said the unidentified man was stand-up paddleboarding about 100-150 yards offshore, KHON-TV reported. The victim was flown to North Hawaii Community Hospital with multiple injuries to a hand and a leg. A hospital spokeswoman said the man was undergoing surgery, the station reported. Kukio Resort offers a 10-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course, a full service spa and clubhouse, a beautiful beach bar, watersports center and breathtaking Pacific Ocean views. The beach had no county lifeguards on duty, but a private safety team was present, KHON reported. "Apparently they had heard a scream from the ocean and they took a four-man canoe out to find a male individual who had been bumped off his paddle board about 100-150 yards offshore," Fire Capt. Michael Grace told the station. "They recovered him from the ocean. He had injuries to his right side extremities." People on the beach were reportedly able to apply multiple tourniquets to his right arm and leg before paramedics arrived. The beach in the area was closed after the attack, KHON reported. Details about the shark were not immediately available. Dan Dennison with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said that, per standard procedure, beach closure signs warning visitors about the presence of sharks are displayed for a mile on either side of the attack for the rest of the day whenever such an incident occurs. A decision will be made Sunday morning on whether to reopen the beach, he said. Fox News' Christopher Carbone and The Associated Press contributed to this report. A woman who thought she had bad Chinese food had the surprise of her life when she discovered that her excruciating pain wasn't the result of too much MSG or a two-day-old egg roll. She was actually pregnant. Very pregnant. Crystal Gail Amerson thought she was suffering from food poisoning early Sunday when she awoke to stomach pains that had her running to the bathroom, according to the Pensacola News Journal. The 29-year-old told the Journal, "I had Chinese food the night before and I kind of figured maybe I had food poisoning or something like that." It turns out, the Pensacola woman was 37 weeks pregnant and about to give birth to her second son. WOMAN USES FLIGHT CREW, CAPTAIN TO HELP TELL HUSBAND SHE'S PREGNANT "The stomach pains were just excruciating and I could hardly move," Amerson said. "I think it was about 6:30 [a.m.] when [the ambulance] got there. ... It escalated so quickly that I was having contractions and we figured out kind of what was going on because at first we really didn't know what was going on." During her first pregnancy, Crystal told the Pensacola News Journal she never felt a lot of pregnancy symptoms. "I gained a little bit of weight, but I think with my first baby I didn't notice either," Amerson said. "I never gained that pregnancy shape, really. And then I wear scrubs to work because I work at a retirement home for Alzheimer's and dementia patients. So I guess the way they fit me as well, it was hard to notice anything or tell anything." Dr. Julie DeCesare, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Sacred Heart Hospital, told the Journal it is possible for a woman to learn of her pregnancy just hours before going into labor, but not common. "Sometimes a woman doesn't have a normal menstrual cycle so they don't notice when they don't have a period," DeCesare said. "Or they use a method of contraceptive so they think they can't get pregnant, but then that method fails. Or some I've seen are just flat out in denial." SURPRISE BABY: WOMAN WHO THOUGHT SHE HAD KIDNEY INFECTION WAS IN LABOR Dr. DeCesare said Amerson was a rare exception, and when it comes to warning signs, "usually by 20 weeks you can feel the baby kicking." Little Oliver James was born in the back of an ambulance at 6:59 a.m. on Sunday, weighing 5.27 pounds and measured 18.9 inches long. California Rep. Brad Sherman on Sunday defended against criticism about his and fellow Democrats' hysteria over President Trump adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census, saying that getting immigrants from oppressive Latin American countries to fill out the federal questionnaire is going to be difficult. Immigrants come from countries with oppressive governments in many cases, Sherman said on Fox News Sunday. And to convince them that a man who stands there and says these are rapists and murderers and must be pushed out of our country (and that I) should get information about whos in your family is going to be difficult. Sherman was almost certainly referring to Trump vowing at the start of his presidential campaign to build a wall along the southern U.S. border to keep drug dealers and rapists from entering from Mexico. And last week, the Trump administration announced that it would add the citizenship question to the upcoming federal census, sparking concern among Democrats that immigrants will dodge the survey, which will dilute political representation for states that tend to vote Democratic and rob many communities of federal dollars. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TOWN STANDS UP TO STATE, VOTES TO REJECT SANCTUARY LAW I dont want California to miss out on anything, but I think the hysteria that answering questions is somehow going to force people away from a census -- I just don't buy it, Shawn Nelson, vice chairman of Californias Orange County Board of Supervisors, said on Fox News Sunday, in response to Shermans argument. Nelson also argued that the federal government is precluded from sharing such information for 72 years after a person answers the census. California, which has roughly 9.9 million immigrants, the most among states, is again at the center of the debate on illegal immigration. Attorney General Jeff Session in early March sued California over three state immigration laws -- including one related to so-called sanctuary cities that bars local law enforcement officials in many cases from turning over prisoners to immigration authorities. Last week, Orange Countys all-Republican voted to condemn the state law on police cooperation with federal immigration authorities and to join the Trump administration lawsuit that seeks to overturn it. MORE CALIFORNIA CITIES LOOKING TO REJECT STATE'S SANCTUARY LAW We are put in an untenable position where our sheriffs deputies are precluded from talking to federal authorities if they know the authorities want to pick someone up because the person is here illegally, is charged with a crime, Nelson said Sunday. Our people cant even talk to the federal government unless there are some exceptions that are met, like they are a prior convicted felon. But we have people getting out every day that we dont want released without the federal government at least having an opportunity to put hands on and make their own decision whether these people ought to be released into the streets. Nelson said the county as of last week had released 244 such people. The Associated Press contributed to this report. U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan has been accused of using his official position to get his baby mamas son out of a heroin arrest on Staten Island in New York City. Donovan, a former district attorney who now represents Staten Island and part of South Brooklyn, stepped in after his domestic partners son was arrested with a friend for criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance (heroin), according to an allegation filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics last week. Timothy OConnell, son of Serena Stonick, was detained with the female friend after the bust, the allegation states. The friends name is being withheld by The Post. Later that evening, Donovan, while serving in Congress and as a former District Attorney, visited the 122 Precinct and used his position to illegally request that officers issue OConnell and [the friend] a desk appearance ticket instead of proceeding with normal arrest protocols, the allegation says. This intervention allowed the detained to be immediately released from custody, as well as the records to be sealed. A desk appearance ticket lets an arrested person show up in court at a later date to answer a summons and avoid being sent to central booking, jailed or arraigned. While one NYPD source said DATs are possible in heroin cases if the amount of the drug is small and the suspect has no prior arrests, another expert said such tickets are rare in heroin busts. DATs are reserved for minor offenses smoking marijuana in public or jumping a turnstile, said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD detective and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. But heroin? Absolutely not. Especially with the opioid crisis going on. Police confirmed OConnell and the woman, both 19 at the time, were arrested on Dec. 3, 2015, in the 122nd Precinct, but no other information was available because the cases were sealed. Donovan denied the charge and characterized it as a political hit. Like many families, Dan has been dealing with a loved ones opioid addiction in private until now. These allegations are not only 100 percent false, but Dan has a long history of recusing himself from matters involving close friends and family, said Donovan spokesman Pat Ryan. Neither Dan nor anybody at his direction or suggestion or wink or nod in any way, shape or form, intervened, interfered, inserted themselves in any way into this judicial process, Ryan added. Ryan noted that when Donovan first began dating Stonick in 2011, she told him that her daughter also struggled with addiction and was in drug-treatment court. As the DA at the time, Donovan requested and was granted a special prosecutor in that case. Donovan and Stonick now have a young daughter together. This is a disgusting, vicious and false attack on a young mans struggle with addiction to score political points two months before an election, Ryan said, referring to Junes GOP congressional primary in which Donovan will face ex-con former Rep. Michael Grimm. Ryan pointed to OConnells arrest report, which shows the young man did not make a phone call after being collared. OConnells attorney, Joe Mure, said his client was charged with seventh-degree criminal drug possession, not sale. The misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail. The charge was dismissed in March 2016. Mure claimed four glassine bags of heroin were found in the womans wallet when police pulled her and OConnell over and that marijuana was later found in her shoe at the station house. But the arrest report indicates OConnell was seen buying heroin. Ryan said, Were not saying [OConnell] was charged without any cause. OConnell denied doing drugs. No marijuana, no heroin. I dont even drink . . . I go to church every Sunday, he said. He denied Donovan helped him get out of trouble. His friend would not comment on the case. The tipster who made the allegation to the Office of Congressional Ethics said multiple sources contributed to the account, including a retired cop and an active detective on Staten Island, elected officials and someone close to the female friend. The source close to the friend said the woman was driving OConnell when he asked to go to a house in Great Kills. The source was told that he went in, he came out. They continued driving. They were pulled over. They were found with drugs. The source said that if Donovan did quash the arrests, he made the wrong decision. I thought if these kids went through the system and you get a taste of prison . . . Thats going to scare you some, and maybe it was a chance to keep these kids off drugs, the person said. Citing confidentiality rules, the ethics office would not comment on the allegation. Additional reporting by Shawn Cohen and Dean Balsamini California Rep. Darrell Issa said Sunday that existing probes into the Obama administrations FBI and Justice Department could and will likely lead to a special investigator, while fellow Republican and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested the time is now for a special counsel to lead such an investigation. Issa, a member and former chairman of the House Oversight Committee, the chambers top investigative panel, made his comments to Fox News Sunday Morning Futures, after Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last week he would not immediately appoint a new special counsel to investigate Republican concerns involving the FBI and Justice Department. Sessions instead directed U.S. attorney John W. Huber, a senior federal prosecutor from Utah, to evaluate "certain issues" including whether a special counsel appointment was necessary. The attorney generals announcement Thursday came one day after the Justice Department's internal watchdog said it would examine the Republican complaints of FBI misconduct in the early stages of the Russia investigation, which has been led by special counsel Robert Mueller. That watchdog investigation, led by Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz, was requested by Sessions and congressional Republicans. They have been urging the inspector generals office to review whether FBI and Justice Department officials abused their surveillance powers in using information from the controversial anti-Trump dossier, compiled by a former British spy and funded by Democrats, as part of the basis to justify monitoring a former campaign adviser to President Trump. Issa said Sunday that second-guessing Sessions decision would be easy. However, he said getting Huber and Horowitz involved gave such probes credibility and showed they were looking for truth. He also expressed confidence that the inspector general would inform the attorney general about anything that would need a subpoena or be prosecuted. I have no doubt about it, said Issa, who also urged Congress to give the inspector general the benefit of the doubt on such matters. Earlier in the day, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was more direct about his desire for a special counsel. My belief is it should be a special counsel, he told Fox News Sunday. I want a special counsel with the same determination and resources to look at the abuses of the FISA process, was the Clinton email investigation a sham, were there conflicts of interest in the Justice Department? He continued, I want a special counsel to be appointed with the same resources and the same determination to look at those issues as 'is Mueller looking at the Trump campaign,' and I dont see that yet. The announcement of Horowitz's review came weeks after Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee released a declassified memo that detailed the use of political opposition research to obtain a warrant to monitor Carter Page, the former adviser to Trump's campaign. The GOP memo described the department's use of information compiled by Steele in obtaining a secret warrant to monitor Page's communications. Steele's anti-Trump research was funded in part by Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee. As the Republicans suggested the FBI may have conspired against Trump, Democrats countered with their own memo that claimed the FBI only made narrow use of that research. Sessions referred the Republican complaints to the inspector general's office, a move that enraged Trump, who denounced it as disgraceful and said Sessions should have ordered his own investigation. Sessions insisted he had taken the appropriate step. The FBI already has been under intense political pressure. Horowitz's office has been examining for more than year the FBI's handling of the Clinton email investigation, an inquiry focused not only on specific decisions made by FBI leadership but also on news media leaks. That investigation formed the basis of former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's firing. That inspector general's report has not been released but is expected soon. Some Republicans praised Horowitz's latest move, including Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who has criticized the process for obtaining secret surveillance warrants and had sought an inspector general review. Democrats have said the investigations have been a waste of money and time. Under pressure from lawmakers to move more quickly, FBI Director Christopher Wray said last week he had assigned 54 FBI staff to collect documents for separate congressional investigations into the Justice Department initiated by the House Judiciary panel's Republicans. The staff, he said, have been working from 8 a.m. to midnight. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The pressure on Connecticut Rep. Elizabeth Esty to resign over her handling of harassment and abuse claims against a top staffer mounted this weekend, with fellow Democrats calling on her to leave office. The three-term House member has been under fire since Thursday, following reports in The Connecticut Post and the Washington Post that state Esty allowed a chief of staff to remain employed despite knowledge of allegations that he physically harmed and threatened to kill another staffer. According to the allegations, then-Chief of Staff Tony Baker called a female staffer with whom he had a romantic relationship nearly 50 times on May 5, 2016, and once punched the woman while in Estys Washington office. In addition, the woman, Anna Kain, provided a voicemail tape to The Washington Post in which Baker purportedly said: You better f-----g reply to me or I will f-----g kill you. Esty reportedly became aware of the situation within a week but met with lawyers instead of firing Baker. She acknowledged that she did not adequately protect Kain, has vowed to "do better" and has apologized but says she would not resign. On Saturday, Connecticut Senate President Martin Looney was among at least six state Democrats calling for Esty to resign, following such calls from Republicans and others. Congresswoman Esty has long been a conscientious leader in the fight against harassment and abuse in the workplace, Looney told the Connecticut Post. However... if the facts of this matter involving former staff of the congresswomans office are as they are alleged to be in recent news articles, then Congresswoman Esty should do the right thing and resign. Mae Flexer, a Democratic state senator, was among the first to call on Esty to resign. It was devastating to learn about the situation, Flexer told the newspaper. The congresswoman failed her staff on every level when she decided to protect an alleged abuser instead of them. Its completely unacceptable. The others state Democrats asking Esty to resign reportedly include state Sens. Cathy Osten and Paul Doyle; Susan Bysiewicz, a Democratic candidate for governor; and Chris Mattei, a Democratic candidate for state attorney general. Esty fired Baker in 2016, but gave him a $5,000 severance and a positive job recommendation. First and foremost, let me say to this survivor that I am so sorry, Esty last week in a statement. I am sorry that this incident in my office hurt (Kain), her friends and family, and many of my present and former staffers. Esty also reportedly repaid the $5,000 and said she demanded counseling for Baker. Among the Republicans quick to call for Estys resignation was Manny Santos, a former Republican mayor in Connecticut and Estys presumptive opponent in Novembers election. There are two people that share the blame in this tragedy: Tony Baker, the abuser, and Elizabeth Esty, the boss, he reportedly said Friday. The Trump administration announced last year its plan to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) which provides a level of amnesty to certain undocumented immigrants, many of whom came to the U.S. as children with a six-month delay for recipients. But a federal appeals court ruled against the proposal in early November, declaring the government couldn't immediately end the program. The Executive wields awesome power in the enforcement of our nations immigration laws, the ruling said. Our decision today does not curb that power, but rather enables its exercise in a manner that is free from legal misconceptions and is democratically accountable to the public. Trump had initially set a March 5 deadline for the program and called on Congress to pass legislation pertaining to the young immigrants. But the deadline came and went, with no congressional action but several lawsuits challenging the administration's decision to end the program. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ON DACA Federal judges in New York and Washington also have ruled against President Trump on DACA. President Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for inaction. Heres a look at the DACA program and why the Trump administration wants to dismantle it. What is the DACA program? The DACA program was formed through executive action by former President Barack Obama in 2012 and allowed certain people who came to the U.S. illegally as minors to be protected from immediate deportation. Recipients, called Dreamers, were able to request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, which was subject to renewal. Deferred action is a use of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated. Deferred action does not provide lawful status. Individuals were able to request DACA status if they were under the age of 31 on June 15, 2012, came to the U.S. before turning 16 and continuously lived in the country since June 15, 2007. Individuals also had to have a high school diploma, GED certification, been honorably discharged from the military or still be in school. Recipients could not have a criminal record. It did not provide legal status. How many people are affected by DACA? Nearly 800,000 youth, called Dreamers, are under the program's umbrella. Daniel Garza, president of the conservative immigration nonprofit Libre Initiative, told Fox News that DACA offers a reprieve from a life of uncertainty for innocent kids who didnt break the law. Its rather disappointing to think they could return to a state of anxiety and fear, he said. What did the Trump administration do? The Trump administration announced in September 2017 that it planned to phase out DACA for current recipients, and no new requests would be granted. But a lower court order required the administration to continue accepting renewal applications for those under the DACA program, and the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's request to intervene. Since the announcement, Trump had offered to work with lawmakers on a solution for the hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. who fell under DACAs umbrella of protections. But at the same time, he has repeatedly blamed Democrats on social media for lack of a solution. Earlier this year, Trump released his four pillars of immigration reform, which included a provision for legal status for DACA recipients and others who would be eligible for DACA status. The White House estimated that total to be 1.8 million people. The Senate rejected the plan. Republicans and some Democrats opposed Obamas directive establishing DACA from the start as a perceived overreach of executive power. Obama spoke out on social media after the Trump administration announced a plan to dismantle the program, stating that it's "self-defeating ... and it is cruel" to end DACA and questioned the motive behind the decision. Do any DACA recipients serve in the military? Despite some rumors circulating online to the contrary, Dreamers were eligible to serve in the U.S. military since 2014 when the Pentagon adopted a policy to allow a certain amount of illegal immigrants to join. In fiscal year 2016, 359 DACA recipients had enlisted in the Army which is the only branch to accept immigrants of this category. Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Florida man thought there was an intruder in his backyard pool on Friday but found out the suspect he was looking for was an 11-foot alligator. Rob Carver told FOX13 he heard noise in the backyard of his Sarasota home and thought it was a "two-legged intruder" lurking around. I thought a two-legged intruder, Carver said. I turned on the lights and looked out the bedroom window, and I saw something outside the lanai and at first I thought it was a bobcat, but then I looked at it and said, Oh my God, thats a large alligator. Next thing I know the gator comes right through the screen like butter, he added. Carver called trappers who used ropes to pull the gator out of the pool as the reptile thrashed around. The gator was eventually taken away later that night. It wasnt like just this little creature, but it was not [sic] quite a monster, Carver said. "Just when you think your #TweetFromTheBeat is off to a slow start... you get a call for a #gator in a swimming pool #Florida #OnlyInSarasota #SOS #SendHelp," the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook, which received more than 2,000 reactions and 3,000 shares as of Sunday morning. The Florida Fish and Wild Conservation Commission told FOX13 captured alligators are usually processed for its hide and meat. On some occasions the alligators are sold alive to an alligator farm, exhibit or zoo. No, this isn't a joke. China's runaway space lab, Tiangong-1, is set to fall to Earth sometime on Sunday, which is April Fool's Day, or by early Monday. In an update posted on April 1, the European Space Agency (ESA) said it expects the current estimated reentry window runs from "stabilised and shrunk further to a time frame running from the night of 1 April to the early morning of 2 April (in UTC time)." The Virtual Telescope Project also has a live, real-time look at the space lab as it makes its descent towards Earth. CHINA'S SPACE STATION EXPECTED TO HIT EARTH SOON -- POSSIBLY IN EUROPE "The Tiangong-1 Chinese space station is re-entering our atmosphere soon," representatives for the project wrote in a statement obtained by Space.com. "The Virtual Telescope Project and Tenagra Observatories offer you the unique chance to see it during one of its very last passages across the skies. You can join us online, via the internet, from the comfort of your home." In a post on its website, Holger Krag, Head of ESAs Space Debris Office, said that the craft could fall anywhere across a vast swathe of the globe, encompassing much of North America and most of South America. Owing to the geometry of the stations orbit, we can already exclude the possibility that any fragments will fall over any spot further north than 43N or further south than 43S, Krag said. This means that reentry may take place over any spot on Earth between these latitudes, which includes several European countries, for example," Krag added. Tiangong-1 could also re-enter Earth's atmosphere over Africa, much of Asia, most of Australia and part of New Zealand. Reuters, citing statements from the ESA, reports that the probability of someone being hit by a piece of debris from Tiangong-1 is 10 million times smaller than the chance of getting hit by a bolt of lightning. This is due to the fact that approximately 71 percent of the Earth is covered by water. Tiangong-1 stopped responding to Chinas commands 2016, according to Space.com. Scientists have since anticipated the space station returning to Earth as a sort of manmade 'meteorite,' but are unsure where it will land. METERORITE HUNTERS: SCIENTISTS SET TO SCOUR ANTARCTICA FOR RARE SPACE ROCKS In recent months, scientists have had a better approximation of where the station may land. According to the Washington Post, theyve warned that Spain, Portugal, France and Greece may see the 19,000-pound meteorite plummet within their borders. Scientists say the Tiangong-1 is currently spinning around Earth at 17,500 mph, which amounts to a trip around the planet every 90 minutes. As the station descends closer to Earth and gains momentum, the thicker air will cause friction to surround the craft in superheated plasma, the Post reported. Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report. Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia File photo shows the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force conducting a high-sea training mission. Shen Jinke, spokesperson for the PLA Air Force, said a formation, including H-6K bombers and Su-30 fighters, carried out a real combat training mission in the West Pacific via the Miyako Strait. The PLA Air Force has sent another team consisting of combat aircraft, including H-6K bombers and Su-35 fighter jets, for a joint combat patrol mission in the South China Sea area, according to Shen. By Yin Han China's air force has grown stronger in combat capability and will reinforce its military presence in both the high seas and the air, a Chinese military commentator said on Sunday after the PLA Air Force released a video promoting its H-6K bomber. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force released "China's H-6K bomber spreads its wings," a 3-minute-and- 12-second promotional video displaying the development of the newly commissioned bomber in the last three years, the PLA Daily reported on Saturday. "Confidence to fight and win battles," "Courage to accept and fulfill tasks" and "Will to gain and show greater strength" read the English subtitles for the video. H-6K is China's first home-made strategic bomber with the longest range and maximum bomb capacity, Cao Weidong, a military commentator told the Global Times previously. During wartime the H-6K can drop bombs and launch missiles, Cao said, and because of its long flight time, it can fly over the Nansha Islands for reconnaissance, surveillance and patrols. "The H-6K can achieve high accuracy when it arrives at the target," Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator told the Global Times. H-6K is capable of releasing a nuclear strike bomb and it would be used in patrolling the East China Sea when facing a threat from countries including the US and Japan. And the South China Sea would be H-6K's main stage, Song said. New technologies have been applied and tested for the H-6K, which aided research and development of a new generation long-range strategic bomber, the H-20, Song noted. A squadron of 12 H-6K bombers was sent from China's Guanzhong Plain region to conduct a long-range combat drill, according to an article posted on the PLA Air Force official Sina Weibo account on March 27. The PLA Air Force unit also performs missions including routine high-seas drills in the West Pacific, regular patrols in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone and military patrols in the South China Sea, according to the article. "China's PLA Air Force has and will continue to carry out regular patrols over the high seas just as the video shows," Song said. "Other countries should consider patrolling as normal and not be surprised. Considering that China's air force has become stronger, some countries should think twice before provoking China." A nudist campground site in Rhode Island is reportedly seeking a new lifeguard for the upcoming summer and the dress code is pretty casual. Applicants seeking the job at the Dyer Woods Nudist Campgrounds are not required to wear a swimsuit, The Providence Journal reported, but Jim Johnson, the campgrounds president, said they can wear their suit if they want to. They just might be the only ones. Were a nudist campground. Were not clothing-optional, Johnson told the outlet. We found over the years, with clothing-optional places, you get more gawkers, people who just want to show up and look. The business, located in Foster, shared the job listing on its Facebook page, which says it's aiming to fill a part-time slot for the summer with someone who has qualifications -- lifeguarding and first aid training, amongst other things. Applicants need to be 18 or older by May 26, the day the job starts, and should be good with children and families, the listing said. They should also have excellent communication skills, and the ability to work as part of a team. Some maintenance to the campgrounds pond is also reportedly required. As per the main duty of the job and the lack of attire for campground visitors, Johnson told The Journal that he doesnt think it will be a big factor in deterring or bringing in applicants. He said there's "really no difference" between Dyer Woods and a regular campground. It's a family campground and people just show up to relax," he said. Johnson added that he thinks people who want to test out being naked in nature will "fall in love with it." Campground features reportedly include swimming, hiking, volleyball and a sauna for people who aren't afraid to bare it all. The job runs through Sept. 3 and pays between $12 and $14 per hour, the job listing said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. An Arizona trooper gave an emotional last radio call to his colleagues, capping off a nearly four-decade career patrolling the highway and serving the people in the state. Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper Mark Gilberg finished his shift Thursday with call to dispatch on Wednesday, recalling his career when it began on March 11, 1981. His emotional sign-off was captured on video that was posted on YouTube. Badge 2988 began his career March 11, 1981 this will be my final 10-7, Gilberg said, referencing the radio code used to signal the trooper is signing off duty. The dispatcher is heard saying back: 10-4, and youre making me cry too, did everyone copy that? I just wanted to thank everybody for everything that theyve ever done. Its been an honor and a privilege. And a great career, its been a great adventure, Gilberg said to the dispatcher and other troopers listening. Thirty-seven years and three weeks later its been a great ride, thank you very much and keep smiling. BODY CAM FOOTAGE SHOWS OHIO POLICE OFFICERS SAVING CHOKING BABY "We appreciate everything you have done," the dispatcher said. Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman, Bart Graves, said Gilberg is the longest-serving Arizona DPS trooper and is a work horse with incredible work ethic, 3TV/CBS5 reported. He recalled the now-retired trooper taking on various work schedules throughout the years to patrol the highways and help people. Gilberg worked 25 of his 37-year career in northwest Arizonas DPS district one, according to 3TV/CBS5. Arizona DPS posted the video of Gilbergs goodbye on Twitter, writing: Trooper Mark Gilberg of our Kingman District gives his last call as he completes 37yrs and 3 weeks of service to the department and citizens of AZ. Thank you Mark for your dedicated service. (You might want tissues) The video on YouTube received more than 6,500 views as of Sunday. The brother of a Florida school shooting victim said he wasnt included in last weeks March for Our Lives because his speech didnt fit into the agenda, despite organizers blaming his lack of inclusion on miscommunication. Hunter Pollack, the brother of Meadow Pollack who was one of the 17 killed in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School pushed back on fellow student David Hoggs claim Saturday that a miscommunication barred the Florida school shooting survivor from speaking at the rally in Washington, D.C. Thank you, I appreciate you pushing out my video but there was no miscommunication my speech didnt fit In to the agenda, Pollack tweeted in response to Hogg promoting the students speech that would have been read during the march. Pollack told local10.com last week he was set to give a speech, but wasnt allowed to put is voice out. "I was going to give a speech about Meadow and how devastated I am and how we need to make change, but they won't allow me to put my voice out," he told the local news site. STUDENTS AT FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL STAGE WALKOUT IN SUPPORT OF SECOND AMENDMENT Ryan Deitsch, a March for Our Lives organizer, said Pollack never showed up despite being invited. "We openly invited a lot of people, and some people just turned it down," Deitsch said. Pollack and his father, Andrew Pollack, have been vocal advocates for safer schools since 18-year-old Meadow died in the Valentines Day massacre. Pollack got a chance to give his speech on Saturday, speaking to a crowd of more than 1,000 gathered in his Coral Springs backyard for the Ride for Meadow event, held in honor of his sister, the Miami Herald reported. A fundraiser was also set up to build a new playground in honor of shooting victims. The one common denominator we all share is the desire to live, Hunter Pollack said. It took a while but at least I can say it now, he added. We as the students of this country must take our anger and take our pain and our desire to live this life to the fullest and we must channel it into a mission that is obtainable, one that can be achieved without heavy debate. More than 600 motorcyclists drove about 40 miles from the Harley Davidson dealership in West Palm Beach to the Pollack residence, a week after the March for Our Lives rally. Pollack questioned if it was their political agendas that caused him to be left out of the D.C. rally, where many shooting survivors gave powerful speeches on gun control and violence. 'RIDE FOR MEADOW' RAISES MONEY IN HONOR OF PARKLAND VICTIM Hogg, who attended Saturdays gathering for Meadow Pollack, also asked his followers retweet a video of Pollacks speech, adding: We need an intersectional approach to this issue to save as many lives as we can. This isnt left or right, its about saving lives. Through unity and love we will win and end gun violence. Andrew Pollack was appointed to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission by Florida Gov. Rick Scott. He previously said his daughter's death gave him extra strength to push for change. He said he hopes his daughter is the last child to die in a deadly school shooting. The speedometer of a Washington state familys SUV was pinned at 90 mph when the vehicle was found Monday afternoon, crushed along the rocks of a Northern California shoreline, court documents say. Authorities included the information in an affidavit for a search warrant for the home of Jennifer and Sarah Hart, adoptive parents of six children -- all of whom are believed to have perished when the vehicle plunged off the Pacific Coast Highway, Fox 12 Oregon reported. The two women and three of the children were found dead at the crash site Monday, but it was unclear how much time had elapsed between the accident and the discovery. Three other children are missing and may have been carried out to sea, authorities have said. The family had been living in Oregon until last year when they moved to Woodland, Wash. Meanwhile, law enforcement officers believe "a felony has been committed" in the case, the court documents say. The exact nature of the suspected felony was not known, but according to the documents, "Based upon the California Highway Patrol investigation, it is their belief a felony has been committed, Fox 12 Oregon reported. However, authorities maintain theres no evidence to suggest the crash was intentional, the Oregonian reported. The court documents indicate that CHP investigators found no acceleration marks, tire friction marks or braking furrow marks at the scene, and there was no evidence the car collided with the embankment as it traversed towards the tidal zone below, Fox 12 reported. According to the Oregonian, friends depictions and social media posts of the Hart family are at odds with police records. According to accounts of the familys neighbors in Washington state, one child had shown up at a neighbors doorstep alleging abuse while another had asked neighbors for food because it was supposedly being withheld as punishment. Another child reportedly told police that Sarah Hart had hit her repeatedly with a closed fist and put her in a cold bath. According to the Oregonian, Hart pleaded guilty to the abuse in April 2011 and was sentenced to a year of probation. In another July 2013 incident, authorities responded to a call at the familys residence. Days before the fatal crash, the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services opened a case into the family because the children had been identified as potential victims of alleged abuse or neglect, the Oregonian reported. The agency had attempted to contact the family but they had reportedly left home that day. A counselor at a $20,000-per-year South Carolina day school was fired and arrested after admitting she had sex with an underage student, police officials said. Kenleigh Prendergast, who worked at Spartanburg Day School, was arrested just after midnight Saturday and charged with sexual battery for having an inappropriate relationship with a student who was 16 or 17 years old. Investigators said the relationship began in January 2018 and ended a few days before it was reported to deputies on March 25. Fox Carolina reports that Prendergast admitted to deputies that she was texting, calling and using Facetime with the student before eventually meeting the student at her private counseling practice and home. ALABAMA MAN DIRECTS GIRLFRIEND TO RAPE HIS 11-YEAR-OLD SON WITH AUSTIM HE BELIEVED WAS GAY In a statement, Spartanburg Day School, which is a nationally accredited independent school for students in grades 3K to 12, said Prenergast was hired as a school counselor in August of 2017. Effective immediately, Ms. Prendergasts employment with the school has been terminated. SDS puts the safety and wellbeing of our students above all things, and will cooperate fully with the Sheriffs Office throughout this process, the school said. The investigation is ongoing, officials said. It is one of the most important weeks of the year for Christians. Today, on Easter Sunday, more than a billion people around the world will pause to recognize the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From his residency at St Patricks Cathedral in New York City, Cardinal Timothy Dolan -- Roman Catholic archbishop of New York -- spoke with Fox News Bill Hemmer about his message for millions of American Catholics this Holy Week and specifically, his Easter Sunday sermon. "In my mind, I have been mulling over the Easter Message for the 40 days of Lent. Because Easter is the summit of everything we do and mean," the cardinal said. Hemmer who anchors "Americas Newsroom" weekdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Fox News asked Dolan for his reflections on how quickly the world moves today. "You can't keep up. I'm afraid the great temptation is to distract, because of the quick pace of everything, because of the bad news we hear," he said. "Pope Francis has spoken about this. As much as he praises technology and social communications, he says 'Thank God we've got those because they can bring us together.' But he said the temptation is we become distracted and we become reactive to these things. "And he would suggest, we always have to step back, we need a reflective posture, and that can only really come with some silence." Delving into how that impacts faith and religion, the cardinal said: "A lot of the things we used to do that encouraged silence and reflection, they're gone. I'm glad we got it because we can communicate, but they can turn us inward, they can make us in a term that Pope Francis uses they can make us self-referential. "Where, the essence of faith and really the essence of healthy, wholesome, productive human life, is to make God and other people the center of our lives." Dolan, 68, also discussed with Hemmer how his Midwestern childhood prepared him to serve as a leader of the Catholic Church in America, and the "Pope Francis effect" five years into the papacy. Listen to the full interview on the latest episode of "Hemmer Time" here, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. The search a Wisconsin teen who disappeared last week after getting pulled underwater in a rip current in the Gulf of Mexico -- while on a spring break vacation with his family -- intensified over the weekend, as locals pledged they wouldn't give up. Jevon Lemke, 17, was swimming in the Gulf off the coast of Alabama's Fort Morgan, near Gulf Shores, on March 25 reportedly trying to save his father and stepmother from rough waves when he was pulled under. His body has yet to be recovered, but search and rescue efforts press on. Volunteers and investigators have been searching Dauphin Island, roughly two miles east of Fort Morgan's coast, in the hunt to find Lemke's body, Fox 10 reported. "We have a saying here that's 'Island Lives Matter,' and that's the way it is," search organizer and retired U.S. Coast Guardsman George Ruiz told WKRG. "If people come to the island and something happens like this, we treat them as family." SPRING BREAKER, 17, VANISHES IN GULF OF MEXICO Ruiz said rough and choppy waters in the area have made the search difficult for volunteers, but noted that organizers wouln't stop looking, because, "We want to bring the family closure. We want them to be able to have the mom and dad take their son home." Lemke's mother, Carrie Holton, told WKRG that when she received the call about her son she "collapsed, screamed." "I really don't remember much," she said. "I close my eyes and I see things that I don't want to see. I imagine what he went through he was alone, and I was supposed to protect him." Holton described Lemke as a wonderful child, and added "that there's still hope." "I don't know if it's hope that I'll just find him so I can bring him home or hope that he may even still be alive," Lemke's mother said. "There's something in my soul that tells me I will find him." A man was arrested Friday on suspicion of fatally stabbing of his mother and critically injuring his father in a family fight at their San Juan Capistrano home in Southern California, authorities said. Yihong Peng, 30, was booked on murder charges and remained jailed on $1 million bail, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a statement from the Orange County Sheriffs Department. The deadly encounter began outside their home and ended in the death of mother Wei Ping Shen, 59, of San Clemente, Calif., and the critical injury of his father, in his 50s. He is expected to survive, the report said. The fathers name was not yet released. Neighbors reported seeing a man on the street with a knife, and Orange County sheriffs deputies saw a suspect attempting to flee, the Orange County Register reported, citing a news release. The man was then taken into custody following a short foot chase, and a knife was recovered at the scene, the release reportedly said. The motive for the stabbing was still under investigation, sheriffs officials said. Peng is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday, the report said. A woman protesting last month's fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark was hit by a Sacramento County Sheriffs Department vehicle Saturday evening that allegedly drove away from the scene. The woman sustained minor injuries after she was hit by the patrol vehicle around 8:40 p.m., Sacramento Sheriffs Department said in a news statement on Sunday. Police said the woman was hit while the vehicle was traveling at slow speeds. During the incident, the Sheriffs Department vehicle sustained scratches, dents, and a shattered rear window. The damage to the vehicle was not a result of the collision involving the pedestrian but was caused by vandals in the crowd, police said in a statement. The Sheriffs deputies were driving in two separate cars when the group of protesters surrounded the vehicles. An officer inside the police vehicle is heard shouting at the protesters through a loudspeaker to back away from the vehicle, before the woman was struck. Video footage posted by FOX40 Sacramento captured the tense scene leading up to the collision. As a police SUV lurches through a hostile crowd, a sign-carrying woman crosses in front of the vehicle motioning for the driver to stop. The SUV then accelerates and hits the woman who falls to the ground. Screams are heard in the wake of the collision. Guy Danilowitz, a Sacramento-based legal observer for the National Lawyers Guild, told the Sacramento Bee that the vehicle just sped off. It was a hit-and-run, and that the drivers didnt even stop to see how she was doing. Sundays statement from the police did not mention the officer leaving the scene. Police said the protesters that surrounded the vehicles began yelling while pounding and kicking the vehicles exterior prior to the incident. Traffic in all directions was shut down. A group of protesters reportedly assembled across the street from the nearby Sacramento County Sheriffs Department station, chanting Hit and run!, the Sacramento Bee reported. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision. The Sacramento County Sheriffs Department said Sunday it will be conducting an internal review of the incident. Fox News' Katherine Lam contributed to this report. President Xi Jinping's special representative Yang Jiechi (L) meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, March 30, 2018. Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the head of the General Office of the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs, held talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House in Seoul on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua] All parties involved should grab the chance and work together to make sure that Pyongyang's upcoming summit meetings with Seoul and Washington are successful and yield outcomes, President Xi Jinping's special representative, Yang Jiechi, told Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in on Friday. The Korean Peninsula situation is in a key phase for relief and improvement, and all parties should work to restart the substantive process to politically settle the peninsula nuclear issue, Yang said in a meeting with Moon at the presidential Blue House in Seoul. Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, was on a visit to the ROK from Thursday to Friday, and he reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to denuclearizing the peninsula. Moon said the ROK speaks positively of China's hosting of the recent visit by Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and it endorses China's constructive role in the peninsula issue and appreciates China's contribution to easing the tension. In another development, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will make a working visit to Russia on April 4 and 5 as President Xi's special envoy, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang announced on Friday. Analysts in the United Kingdom and Europe have hailed Xi's meeting with Kim in Beijing this week as a milestone in global denuclearization efforts, and they said China's proactive engagement with the DPRK demonstrates its growing influence as a responsible global power. During his visit to Beijing from Sunday to Wednesday, Kim reaffirmed his willingness to meet with US President Donald Trump and reiterated his commitment to denuclearization. "China hopes, its seems, to play a critical role in ensuring that the talks between Trump and Kim will reach a satisfactory agreement and to avoid a failure of the talks in May that might in turn increase the risk of military action," said John Nilsson-Wright, a senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the think tank Chatham House. The US has requested that the DPRK denuclearize but said it will retain all sanctions against the DPRK in the meantime. Although the DPRK has agreed to denuclearize, it also made clear that Washington should take reciprocal steps to remove the military threat against it. Within this context, China could act as a conduit, urging both sides to take reciprocal steps to achieve a middle ground, said Colin Alexander, a senior lecturer on political communications at Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Francois Godement, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations' Asia and China program, said that "China is taking a more visible position in keeping the Korean Peninsula stable", and its proactive engagement is positive for showing Pyongyang the importance of participating in international dialogue. Two people have died after a home-built plane crashed into a shed just outside the Southern California city of Santa Paula. The two-seat aircraft went down Saturday afternoon despite clear weather, Ventura County Fire Capt. Stan Ziegler said. Two people were aboard the plane when it went down, just under a mile from Santa Paula Airport. The deceased were two unidentified males, according to the TV station KABC. Ziegler said that both individuals were pronounced dead when firefighters arrived. No one on the ground was hurt, officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. Ian Gregor, spokesman for the FAA, said that the plane caught fire after it crashed into the shed. He confirmed that the craft, a Van's RV-6A aircraft, was home-built. Santa Paula is roughly 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed to this report. British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson warned of a new era of warfare as the fallout from the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy and his daughter on U.K. soil continues to grow. The war of words between Russia and the U.K. escalated as Williamson penned a scathing op-ed in the Sunday Telegraph calling out Russia's role in last month's poisoning attack in Salisbury. The United Kingdom has expelled 23 Russian diplomats and at least 15 other countries followed suit in the wake of the poisoning of 66-year-old Sergei Skirpal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia with the Russian-made nerve agent novichok. A total of 100 Russian diplomats have been expelled. Williamson said if there was ever any doubt over the threat posed by Moscow we only have to look at events in Salisbury, where our Armed Forces, including the RAF, have been responding to a cold-blooded chemical attack. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph to mark 100 years since the British Royal Air Forces formation, Williamson said Russian President Vladimir Putin is using more hybrid capabilities to subvert, undermine, and influence countries around the world. We have entered a new era of warfare. UK CONSIDERS RUSSIA'S REQUEST TO SEE EX-SPY'S DAUGHTER British authorities have said its highly likely the poison has Russian origins. But Moscow has strongly denied any involvement in the March 4 poisoning. United Kingdom officials also said an "extensive" disinformation operation after the Salisbury attack involved over 2,800 online bots that spread doubt and conspiracy on the web, the Sunday Times reports. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that it is ready for a substantive and responsible interaction both within international legal formats and bilaterally in order to establish the truth as well as look for and find the individuals involved in the Salisbury incident. However, Williamson said the Russian response to the incident has been to unleash a tidal wave of smears, lies and mockery and called the poisoning illegal and contemptuous. It's vital for UK defense to keep evolving to meet the threats of tomorrow to keep our country safe and protect the hard-earned freedoms and way of life we enjoy today, Williamson wrote in the British publication. He had previously told Russia it should go away and shut up, reports the BBC. Pope Francis celebrated Easter Sunday Mass in a call for peace in a world marked by war and conflict, "beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria," and extending to the entire Middle East, the Korean peninsula and parts of Africa. Pilgrims from around the world and Italy gathered in the Vatican City square decorated with spring flowers to hear Francis deliver the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world) Easter message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. Francis opened Easter festivities with a tweet to his global flock that said "Our faith is born on Easter morning: Jesus is alive! The experience is at the heart of the Christian message." The pontiff said the message of the resurrection offers hope in a world "marked by so many acts of injustice and violence." "It bears fruits of hope and dignity where there are deprivation and exclusion, hunger and unemployment; where there are migrants and refugees, so often rejected by today's culture of waste, and victims of the drug trade, human trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery," the pope said. POPE FRANCIS IN EASTER VIGIL BAPTIZES 8, INCLUDING BEGGAR TURNED HERO He also called for a "swift end" to carnage in Syria, demanding that aid be delivered to the needy there and calling for "fitting conditions for the returned and the displaced." The pope also urged reconciliation in Israel and hoped that mutual respect would "prevail over divisions" in Yemen and the entire Middle East. As President Trump is expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un by next month, Francis said he hoped that talks underway could bring peace to the Korean peninsula, urging "those who are directly responsible act with wisdom and discernment to promote the good of the Korean people." For Ukraine, the pope urged more steps to bring harmony to that divided nation. He also called for peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, urging the world not to forget victims of conflict, especially children. "May there be no lack of solidarity with all those forced to leave their native lands and lacking the bare essentials for living," said the pope who has often championed the cause of migrants and refugees. CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN SHARES HIS EASTER MESSAGE WITH BILL HEMMER The church's first pontiff from Latin America cited in particular the problems in Venezuela, voicing hope the country would "find a just, peaceful and humane way to surmount quickly the political and humanitarian crises that grip it." Earlier, tens of thousands of faithful underwent heavy security checks to enter St. Peter's Square to participate in Easter Sunday Mass celebrated by the pope. Elsewhere, hundreds of Christians marked Easter by flocking to Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site where they believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. The Associated Press contributed to this report. In an Easter Vigil homily Saturday, Pope Francis urged Roman Catholics to not remain paralyzed in the face of injustices. He also baptized eight adults, including a Nigerian man who was initially a beggar but became a hero in Italy. John Ogah reportedly disarmed a thief with his bare hands when he witnessed a supermarket robbery on Sept. 26. Ogah had been begging for spare change outside the Carrefour market in a Roman neighborhood when a masked thief, armed with a meat cleaver, tried to make off with 400 euros ($493) stolen from cashiers, according to Italian news reports. Security cameras showed him confronting the thief, wresting the cleaver away and holding him by the collar until police arrived. Ogah then disappeared, fearing he would be deported because he didn't have his papers in order. But Rome police sought to reward his courage and gave him a coveted Italian residency permit that had been denied him when his asylum bid failed. He now reportedly has a job with the Italian Red Cross and a place to call home. Ogah told La Repubblica newspaper that his dream was to be a legal resident in Italy and have a job so he wouldn't have to beg to support his child back home in Nigeria. He had left Nigeria and, after a stay in Libya, set off for Italy on a migrant smuggler's boat in May 2014. "If Pope Francis or the president of the republic could do something for me I would be the happiest man in the world," he reportedly said. "I don't want to be a hero. I just want to be legal, work and have a dignified life in Italy." In Ogah's baptism, he chose as his baptismal name to be "Francesco." Previously, in a Holy Thursday ritual, Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 prisoners of the Regina Coeli prison in Rome. The pope, 81, urged the inmates to never let their hopes be clouded like cataracts cloud the eyes, revealing that he suffers from the condition and has to have surgery next year. He said the same thing happens with life, when disillusionment, errors and fatigue cloud the soul. Francis urged the inmates to do a daily cleansing of their view on life a "cataract surgery for the soul" so they can see and spread hope. During the ceremony, Francis knelt down and one by one, poured water over the feet of the 12 inmates, wiped them dry and kissed them. Francis said in the homily that the ritual is meant to show his willingness to serve others "like a slave," as Jesus did. "Your chief must be your servant," he said. "So often I think ... how many wars would have been avoided if all those kings, emperors and heads of state had understood this teaching of Jesus rather than command and be cruel and kill people." The 12 inmates included Catholics, Muslims, an Orthodox Christian and a Buddhist, the Vatican said. They hailed from Italy, the Philippines, Morocco, Moldova, Colombia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Vietnam and China have called for restraint in resolving disputes in the South China Sea. Speaking to reporters at a joint press briefing with his Chinese counterpart Sunday, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the two countries should manage the disputes and not expand them. For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said settling maritime disputes is very important for the development of bilateral relations. Wang's visit comes a week after Vietnam reportedly halted a major oil drilling project following pressure from China. Home Just In Energy Minister says he will promote Nepalis investment in hydropower Kathmandu, April 1 Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun says he will promote investment of Nepali citizens in hydropower projects. Informing that his predecessors including Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Janardan Sharma of his own party and Bishnu Paudel of CPN-UML have created foundations to let Nepalis invest in the industry, Pun says he will also follow their path. We have been handing over big projects to either China or India or other countries, he says, But, this is not right. Now, we need to create an environment in which Nepali citizens can invest their money in hydropower. In an interview with Onlinekhabar, he says people who do not have money to buy shares can contribute their labour to the project to acquire shares. In another context, Pun says he has not yet decided how the hyped Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project is constructed after the previous Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government decided to scrap the contract of China Gezhouba Group and authorised the Nepal Electricity Authority for it. It is suspected that the current left alliance government might withdraw the decision and give the project back the Chinese company. I have joined office just few days ago, and I will work to serve our national interests after consulting the Prime Minister, the party Chairman and other stakeholders. With the official announcement of Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis state visit to India beginning April 6, newspapers are gradually providing more space to the issue. Major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Sunday have covered the topic from different perspectives. Some newspapers have suggested what agendas he should take to New Delhi. Besides this, other issues that have appeared on the front page of major Kathmandu newspapers are also about politics. The CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre are struggling hard to iron out differences between them on various issues and as in past weeks, it also has become a hot topic for the press. As the third anniversary of the 2015 earthquake is just 24 days away, Republica and The Kathmandu Post have published reports about the slow pace of reconstruction works on their front page today. Important PM says he wants Indias support in development Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is leaving on a three-day state visit to India this Friday, has said he has expected the southern neighbours supportive role in Nepals development projects, according to The Himalayan Times lead story. Gorkhapatra anchor story features opinions of three foreign affairs experts including Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, Lok Raj Baral, Rajan Bhattarai and former foreign affairs minister Upendra Yadav about PMs India visit. The report says they want the visit to be centred on strengthening mutual trust while maintaining nationalism and the countrys best interests. Meanwhile, officials of Nepal Rastra Bank have hoped that the Prime Minister will hold talks with Indian authorities about exchanging banned Indian banknotes of denomination Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 that have been stuck in Nepal after Indian PM imposed the ban in November 2016, according to The Kathmandu Post. Forum to join govt after PMs India trip The Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal led by Upendra Yadav is likely to join the incumbent government after PM Oli returns from his India visit, reports Naya Patrika. The Madhesh-centric party is preparing to be a part of the government after PM Oli agreed to amend the constitution in consensus. The report claims that the two sides have already drafted an agreement to sign between them whereas the number of ministries the party will get in the government has also been fixed. Republica gives a different angle to the issue that PM Oli wants to take India into confidence before making any promise to revise the constitution as suggested by leaders of the left alliance. Ignored Internal democracy weak in major parties The lead story in Annapurna Post expresses concerns over the miserable status of internal democracy in three major political partiesCPN-UML, Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre. The report claims that chairs of the partiesrespectively KP Sharma Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal are so powerful in the party that no one dares to protest their moves, enabling them to take decisions without any discussion in the party. PM stresses zero tolerance against corruption Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that his government will adopt the policy of zero tolerance against corruption, reports Republica, adding that the PM also stated that the government was trying to create an environment favourable before for achieving th goals of development and prosperity. Oli was speaking at the anniversary function of Reporters Club Nepal in the Capital yesterday. Kin of Vice-President, Home Minister accused of operating illegal sand mines Nagarik lead story for the day says two key family members of Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun and Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa are also involved in the operation of illegal sand mine in Dukuchhap, Godavari Municipality-6 of Lalitpur district. Quoting the ward chairman Suka Bahadur Lama, the report claims that Puns son Dipesh and Thapas brother Naresh have invested in a mine which is not registered at the concerned government agency and involved in smuggling of sand. Interesting New law to control anarchy in transport sector The government is preparing to issue a new directive to transport entrepreneurs in a bid to regulate the sector including operations of vehicles, vehicle workshops and driving training centres, according to Karobar. The Department of Transport Management has already prepared the draft, the report says. Once the new law comes into effect, the transporters should register themselves as a company, but not business committees so that the existing anarchy would be controlled. CIAA to open engineering lab to investigate development projects A brief report in Kantipur states that Nepals anti-corruption constitutional watchdog, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, is preparing to establish a civil engineering lab in order to investigate into reports of corruption in various infrastructure development projects including construction of roads and public buildings. The CIAA officials say an efficient team has already been set up for the new unit. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Kathmandu, April 1 The Supreme Court on Sunday has ordered the Presidents Office, Sheetal Niwas, to furnish it with documents about decisions related to the oath of President Bidya Devi Bhandari. After being elected for the second term on Marhc 13, President Bhandari had taken the oath of office and secrecy from then Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli on March 14. However, the Judicial Council had sent a letter to Parajuli the same day informing that he was already past retirement. Therefore, challenging the legality of the oath, a petition was filed at the Supreme Court. Responding to the writ today, a single bench of Justice Kedar Prasad Chalise made the order. Now, the Presidents Office is also required to send the court documents related to Parajulis resignation and acceptance. Meanwhile, the Judicial Council has also been order to send documents related to Parajulis date of birth and retirement. The court also summoned a copy of the decision of Constitutional Council to recommend Parajuli for the post. 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. News Housing Authority balks at state's scattered-site plan GALVESTON Galveston Housing Authority, instead of third-party organizations, will be obliged to own, operate and maintain 287 scattered-site public housing units planned for the island, a spokeswoman for the Texas General Land Office said. The chairman of the authoritys governing board said he opposed the plan, arguing the organization lacked money to absorb that many units scattered across the island. The Galveston City Council in 2012 approved a resolution based on a plan drafted by the land office and Austin-based housing advocates calling for the units to be owned and operated by qualified nonprofit groups. Housing authority leaders had not anticipated being involved at all in the scattered-site part of a program to replace 569 units of public housing demolished after being flooded during Hurricane Ike in 2008. A spokeswoman for the Texas General Land Office this week said the agency had about $66 million earmarked to build units either single-family homes or apartments or a combination of the two still required to be built under an earlier agreement. The money is in addition to the $22.3 million set aside for an initial 97 units, which are under construction, land office spokeswoman Brittany Eck said. Those units are slated to be completed in May, she said. We are using the funds to build the units per the stipulations agreed to in the conciliation agreement, Eck said. The GLO will then turn the units over to the Galveston Housing Authority. Irwin Buddy Herz, the local housing authority chairman, objected to the plan this week, arguing the local public housing authority doesnt have the money to maintain and operate additional public housing. The land office had used a special kind of voucher for the first 97 units to have third parties operate the homes, but the land office has said that is not an option for the remaining 287 units, Herz said. Now there are no more vouchers available, so if any more scattered sites were done, we meaning GHA would have to do them, Herz said. We dont have the money to fix them up after theyre open. We might as well declare bankruptcy. Only four developers, none of them nonprofits, bid for the first 97 units and the land office selected three of the four, according to the land office. The fourth had backed out for personal reasons, according to the land office. At least two of the three contractors selected started their businesses within the past year. Proponents of scattered-site public housing argued it de-concentrates poverty and gives low-income people a chance to live in more affluent neighborhoods. Opponents have said they fear subsidized housing in general, particularly public housing, threatens property values and community safety. Even some supporters of public housing in general said scattered-site housing removes low-income residents from the services they need. Those supporters have primarily argued for mixed-income properties, of which Galveston now has two. And other local housing authority officials have echoed Herzs concerns about the financial and logistical burden of operating almost 300 scattered-site units. Stanley Lowe, who was executive director of Galveston Housing Authority during the initial debate about how to replace the units lost to Ike, told The Daily News no housing authority director in his right mind would agree to that many scattered sites. Its the road to bankruptcy and ruin. On Friday, one of the primary advocates for scattered-site public housing defended the concept as the best option, despite the apparent difficulties the land office has had finding qualified organizations to build and manage the units. Local opposition to public housing was one possible reason nonprofits hadnt stepped in, said John Henneberger, co-director of the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service. Qualified nonprofits with experience in public housing likely had not stepped forward to compete for money to build the units because of acrimony and resistance in the community against public housing, he said. I can only speculate because Im not one of those nonprofits, but I would certainly imagine that I would be wary of trying to operate housing where the people who were paying me the rent didnt want that housing operated in their community, Henneberger said. Theres this notion being peddled that this problem is the fact its scatter site, Henneberger said. Scatter site has become kind of a boogeyman or an excuse for not doing it. Scatter site is not the issue, its the resistance of various parties to rebuilding the public housing. A 2010 legally binding agreement mandates the city rebuild its 569 government-subsidized apartments lost during Ike. After the 2010 agreement, former Mayor Joe Jaworski and the housing authority board laid out a plan to rebuild public housing using mixed-income developments throughout the community, but Galveston City Council nixed it. Then in 2012, Jaworski lost his seat to former Mayor Lewis Rosen, who, along with several city council members, ran a campaign largely based on promises to fight the public housing rebuilding effort. The new council bloc dramatically changed the makeup of the housing board, bringing in commissioners who were more hostile toward mixed-income developments and project-based scattered sites. The new board advocated for tenant-based vouchers, arguing low-income people would take the vouchers and move off the island. But public housing advocates countered that such a plan would violate the one-for-one provision in the original agreement. They also said giving a qualifying person a voucher for subsidized housing and sending them into the free market to search for a place would lead to people being driven off the island because theres not a large enough stock of affordable housing. All the wrangling led to threats from the land office and the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development that the city would be forced surrender almost $590 million in federal disaster aid allocated to Galveston after Hurricane Ike, much of which already had been spent. That resulted in an eventual plan signed by the city and the housing authority and approved in September 2012 to rebuild the 569 homes with scattered-site and mixed-income developments. Niramala Dahal recalled the days when her first daughter coughed incessantly. Dahal, now in her 40s, lives with her two children in Bakhreldihi, Kavre, around 50 kilometers east of Kathmandu. She and her husband had rushed the one-year-old to the doctor, who had diagnosed a chest infection. The doctor prescribed some antibiotics and within a few days, she was back to normal. She now studies in high school in Kathmandu, Dahal said. In hindsight, we believe that the smoke from our kitchen caused the infection. Their daughter was lucky. She survived the infection, and never contracted it again. However, other children are not so lucky in Nepal, where 66% of households in the country use biomass fuels (wood, crop residues, and dung) for cooking. According to the recently published Yale Environment Quality Index 2018, Nepal ranks 145th in the world when it comes to using clean sources of energy in the kitchen. Although LPG was available, we would cook indoors burning fuelwood, explained Dahal. Food cooks fast on a gas stove, but in a rural household like ours where fuelwood is abundant, it does not make financial sense. She added that, the older generation believed that food prepared using fuelwood is tastier, and in winter the fire keeps us warm. Electricity was just too expensive an option for them. She had many reasons to want to use wood. But the list of harmful effects of the gases emitted by biofuels considered the least clean and efficient of all available sources of energy is even longer, and mothers like Dahal are not fully aware of them. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in poorly ventilated households, indoor smoke can have fine particle concentrations up to 100 times higher than acceptable levels. The smoke from the fireplace, rich in carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, formaldehyde, benzene and many other toxic organic compounds, does not have anywhere to go in Nepali kitchens where chimneys are a rarity. The World Health Organization has already declared that pollutants in the air are the leading environmental cause of cancer. But for mothers like Dahal, and her daughter, there are additional risks. They are exposed to smoke for a longer period than men, since children in their early years spend most of their time with their mothers, who carry out their daily chores in the kitchen. Over the years a great deal of research has gone into the effects of household air pollution, especially among Nepali children. A number of studies have suggested that biofuel smoke increases the risks of breathing-related ailments such as acute lower respiratory infections, as well as having adverse effects on birth weight. Stunted growth new revelations A study published recently now suggests, probably for the first time in the case of Nepal, that kitchen smoke might also be associated with stunting, one of Nepals perennial child health issues. Stunting refers to impaired development and growth from conception to the age of two. According to the latest National Demographic Health Survey, more than one-third of children under five in Nepal are too short for their age. The chronic condition not only hinders the physical development of children but also restricts their cognitive abilities. The problem is more severe in rural areas (40%), compared to urban (32%). During the late 1970s, it was believed that more than 70% of Nepali children were too short for their age. Studies commissioned by the government, along with global experience, suggested that the root cause of stunting among Nepali children was food insecurity. They were eating too little food and irregularly. Limited access to clean drinking water and poor sanitary conditions added to the problems. To address the problem, Nepals government set up a number of initiatives, with ministries from agriculture to sanitation cooperating. By 2016 only around 36% of Nepali children were reported to be short for their age. Researchers believe that this was achieved through improved prenatal and neonatal care and improved nutrition. Most of what we have achieved in terms of reduction in stunting can be attributed to improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, said researcher and nutritionist Atul Upadhyay. Improvement in the food safety situation has also helped reduce stunting, he added. The relationship between stunting and kitchen smoke A limited number of studies have been conducted in South Asia to examine the association between stunting and kitchen smoke. A pioneering study from India showed a positive association between biofuel smoke and stunting in children (035 months) using the data from a national family health survey in India. The authors of the study had said that the prevalence of severe stunting remained high even after adjusting for other factors including environmental and tobacco smoke. A similar approach was taken by researchers who analysed data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011 to see to what extent the link can be established in Nepal. The results estimated that stunting prevalence among children with exposure to biofuel smoke was about twice as high as the children without exposure. The effect of biofuel smoke remained significant even after controlling for the childs age and birth size, mothers body mass index, education and smoking, and other environmental and geodemographic factors. This finding was consistent with the study in India, say the authors of the report. The study observed a high prevalence of stunted children in the Nepali population using biofuel for cooking and provides further evidence that supports the existent knowledge, the authors reported. Is it really a surprise? MK Piya, one of Nepals leading chest physicians, said the findings do not surprise him. He believed that children who are exposed to kitchen smoke contract chest infections easily and unlike Dahals daughter, do not recover easily. When a child contracts an infection time and again, all of the bodys energy is used in fighting the infection, and growth suffers, he said. Nutritionist Atul Upadhyay also believed that the association between kitchen smoke and stunting is possible and needs further exploration. While focusing on nutrition and sanitation helped Nepal reduce stunting significantly, identifying more factors and acting on them could help us achieve even more gains, he added. Rajkumar Pokharel, Chief Nutrition Section at the Child Health Division, said that the governments focus still remains on improving nutrition and sanitation and that kitchen smoke has not been considered an important factor in dealing with stunting. We have focused on clean toilets and hygiene to reduce infections, and controlling air pollution is a part of hygiene, he added. Nutritionist Upadhyay, however, cautioned that although the report found a link between kitchen smoke and stunting, an epidemiological study is needed to establish the relationship more strongly. Upadhyay said that the study gives the government one more reason to introduce programs to encourage people to use smokeless stoves. But that may not be so easy. Government policies are based on years of research. We would have to conduct randomized trials to see if kitchen smoke has a significant effect on stunting before policy decisions can be taken, added Rajkumar Pokharel. Meanwhile, guests arrived at Dahals home and she went to her kitchen to prepare tea. The guests were in a hurry, and she places her teapot on her gas stove. We use gas whenever we dont have time. The guests cant be kept waiting. It may be that traditions of hospitality trump mere health reports, and points to how important social change is in shifting the way people use fuel. This story was first published on thethirdpole.net BREAKING! Federal Government Releases Second Batch Of Alleged PDP Looters & The Amount Embezzled bohlah at 1-04-2018 09:30 PM (3 years ago) (m) The Federal Government has reacted to the barrage of attacks by some of the named alleged treasury looters and has gone further to name 23 others, most of them members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Federal Government has reacted to the barrage of attacks by some of the named alleged treasury looters and has gone further to name 23 others, most of them members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In a press statement, Minister of Information and Culture, ALhaji Lai Mohammed said the list of alleged looters which Government released earlier was based on verifiable facts, including the amount involved, the date the amount in question was collected and from where it was taken. Mohammed, also said those complaining that the list was too short apparently did not understand that it was strategically released as a teaser. At the press conference where the list was released, I did say it was a tip of the iceberg. Apparently, this does not mean anything to people whose style is to comment on issues they barely understand, or just to shoot down anything coming from the government, he said, adding that the Federal Government has a large number of alleged looters on its list. Alhaji Mohammed slammed the PDP for daring to challenge the Federal Government over an issue that the party knows is its weakness: Looting of public treasury. What was the PDP expecting when it challenged the FG to name the looters of the public treasury under the partys watch? Did the PDP actually believe that the massive looting under its watch was a joke? Did they think it is April Fool? he queried. The Minister said the PDPs reaction to the looters list has shown that its recent apology is an election-induced act, contrived to deceive unsuspecting Nigerians to vote for the party in the 2019 general election, even when it has not come clean on its looting spree during its time in office. The hysterical and panicky reaction from the PDP has shown that the party is not at all sincere about its choreographed apology. Were it not the case, the party would have followed in the footsteps of one of its leaders, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, who simply owned up to his role in the partys rigging in the past elections and said he had turned a new leaf. It is said that a true confession is done in humility with an attitude of repentance. It is clear that the PDP does not know this, hence its resort to hubris instead of humility and genuine penitence, he said. Alhaji Mohammed said the Federal Government will neither be intimidated nor blackmailed into silence, adding that it will also not rest until all those who looted the public treasury have been brought to justice. SECOND BATCH OF ALLEGED LOOTERS AND THE AMOUNT ALLEGEDLY EMBEZZLED 1. Former NSA Sambo Dasuki: Based on EFCC investigations and findings alone (this is beside the ongoing $2.1billion military equipment scandal), a total of N126 billion, over $1.5 billion and 5.5 million British Pounds was embezzled through his office. A good number of these monies were simply shared to persons and companies without any formal contract awards. 2. Former Petroleum Resources Minister Dieziani Alison-Madukwe: In just one of the cases the EFCC is investigating involving her, about N23 billion is alleged to have been embezzled. She is also involved in the Strategic Alliance Contracts of the NNPC, where the firms of Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko got oil blocks but never paid government taxes and royalty. About $3 billion was involved. The Federal Government is charging Omokore and Aluko and will use all legal instruments local and international to ensure justice. 3. Rtd. Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah: N13.9 billion. N4.8 billion recovered by EFCC in cash and property 4. Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika: N4.5 billion. N29m recovered by the EFCC so far. 5. Alex Barde, former Chief of Defence Staff: N8 billion, and EFCC recovered almost N4 billion in cash and property already. 6. Inde Dikko: former CG Customs: N40 billion, and N1.1 billion in cash recovered in cash and choice properties. 7. Air Marshal Adesola Amosun: N21.4 billion. N2.8 billion recovered in cash. 28 properties and 3 vehicles also recovered. 8. Senator Bala Mohammed, former FCT Minister: N5 billion. Interim forfeiture order on some property secured. 9. Senator Stella Oduah: N9.8 billion. Interim forfeiture order on some property secured. 10. Former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu: N1.6 billion from NSA. 11. Senator Jonah Jang, former Plateau State Governor: N12.5 billion. 12. Bashir Yuguda, former Minister of State for Finance: N1.5 billion. $829,800 recovered. 13. Senator Peter Nwaboshi: N1.5 billion 14. Aliyu Usman: Former NSA Dasukis aide: N512 million 15. Ahmad Idris: Former NSA Dasukis PA: N1.5 billion 16. Rasheed Ladoja: Former Oyo Governor: N500 million 17. Tom Ikimi: N300 million 18. Femi Fani-Kayode: N866 million 19. Hassan Tukur, former PPS to President Goodluck: $1.7 million 20. Nenadi Usman: N1.5 billion 21. Benedicta Iroha: N1.7 billion 22. Aliyu Usman Jawaz: Close ally of former NSA Dasuki: N882 million 23. Godknows Igali: Over N7 billion In a press statement, Minister of Information and Culture, ALhaji Lai Mohammed said the list of alleged looters which Government released earlier was based on verifiable facts, including the amount involved, the date the amount in question was collected and from where it was taken.Mohammed, also said those complaining that the list was too short apparently did not understand that it was strategically released as a teaser.he said, adding that the Federal Government has a large number of alleged looters on its list.Alhaji Mohammed slammed the PDP for daring to challenge the Federal Government over an issue that the party knows is its weakness: Lootingof public treasury.he queried.The Minister said the PDPs reaction to the looters list has shown that its recent apology is an election-induced act, contrived to deceive unsuspecting Nigerians to vote for the party in the 2019 general election, even when it has not come clean on its looting spree during its time in office.he said.Alhaji Mohammed said the Federal Government will neither be intimidated nor blackmailed into silence, adding that it will also notrest until all those who looted the public treasury have been brought to justice. Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 1-04-2018 09:30 PM (3 years ago) | Addicted Hero slimber at 1-04-2018 09:56 PM (3 years ago) (f) Then what will happen later after this Posted: at 1-04-2018 09:56 PM (3 years ago) | Hero Then what will happen later after this Reply james987 at 1-04-2018 10:00 PM (3 years ago) (m) Where are those monies??. And where is buhari's name on that list? $2.8million dollars as far back as in the 80s? How many billions would that translate to now? Stupid People Posted: at 1-04-2018 10:00 PM (3 years ago) | Hero Where are those monies??. And where is buhari's name on that list? $2.8million dollars as far back as in the 80s? How many billions would that translate to now? Stupid People Reply zumata at 1-04-2018 11:28 PM (3 years ago) (f) LIE LIE GOVERNMENT WITH SATAN LIA MOHAMED THE INFORMATION MINISTER,WITH ALL THIS LOOTERS NONE OF YOUR PARTY MEMBER MAKE THE LIST Posted: at 1-04-2018 11:28 PM (3 years ago) | Upcoming LIE LIE GOVERNMENT WITH SATAN LIA MOHAMED THE INFORMATION MINISTER,WITH ALL THIS LOOTERS NONE OF YOUR PARTY MEMBER MAKE THE LIST Reply zumata at 1-04-2018 11:33 PM (3 years ago) (f) Quote from: zumata on 1-04-2018 11:28 PM LIE LIE GOVERNMENT WITH SATAN LIA MOHAMED THE INFORMATION MINISTER,WITH ALL THIS LOOTERS NONE OF YOUR PARTY MEMBER MAKE THE LIST. THERE IS GODOOOOOOOOO,YOU OLD GUYS THOUGHT NIGERIANS ARE STUPID OK NO PROBLEM BY THE GRACE OF GOD WATCH AND SEE 2019. Posted: at 1-04-2018 11:33 PM (3 years ago) | Upcoming Reply EDDYPRINCE at 1-04-2018 11:47 PM (3 years ago) (m) where are the APC thiefs Posted: at 1-04-2018 11:47 PM (3 years ago) | Addicted Hero where are the APC thiefs Reply osarobo62 at 2-04-2018 12:32 AM (3 years ago) (m) expose dem all, and let their tribal supporters be ashamed. Posted: at 2-04-2018 12:32 AM (3 years ago) | Hero Reply WhaleDog at 2-04-2018 12:41 AM (3 years ago) (m) Quote from: james987 on 1-04-2018 10:00 PM Where are those monies??. And where is buhari's name on that list? $2.8million dollars as far back as in the 80s? How many billions would that translate to now? Stupid People They sharing your unborn children future abs you here playing and mixing up that with politics .Sorry ! I wonder when you will understand what it takes to build Europe ,where majority of u guys now seek refuge bcaz of the decayed caused by politicians.Instead of you putting tribal and politics aside and fight for your right you are there blindfolded by ignorance.May God safe your soul man! Spare me Posted: at 2-04-2018 12:41 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac They sharing your unborn children future abs you here playing and mixing up that with politics .Sorry ! I wonder when you will understand what it takes to build Europe ,where majority of u guys now seek refuge bcaz of the decayed caused by politicians.Instead of you putting tribal and politics aside and fight for your right you are there blindfolded by ignorance.May God safe your soul man! Reply ficull at 2-04-2018 12:47 AM (3 years ago) (m) A thief is a thief, a looter is a looter, no matter the party they belong to. All the people indicted have not been proven innocent. When Obasanjo went after the looters, some people criticized him for going after his opponents. But were those 'opponents' innocent of the crimes? It's just Quite unfortunate that we have supporters of looters. Same people who will complain about none availability of basic infrastructural facilities in Nigeria. You can't have it both ways folks. Posted: at 2-04-2018 12:47 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac A thief is a thief, a looter is a looter, no matter the party they belong to. All the people indicted have not been proven innocent. When Obasanjo went after the looters, some people criticized him for going after his opponents. But were those 'opponents' innocent of the crimes?It's just Quite unfortunate that we have supporters of looters. Same people who will complain about none availability of basic infrastructural facilities in Nigeria.You can't have it both ways folks. Reply yomiaba at 2-04-2018 02:41 AM (3 years ago) (m) How stupid can APC be, you named everybody belonging to another party, but never named nigeria biggest looter Asiwaju Tinunbu. Posted: at 2-04-2018 02:41 AM (3 years ago) | Newbie How stupid can APC be, you named everybody belonging to another party, but never named nigeria biggest looter Asiwaju Tinunbu. Reply warribimboye at 2-04-2018 04:24 AM (3 years ago) (m) Almost everything here is northern part, when will our own come,?na we get oil ooooo Posted: at 2-04-2018 04:24 AM (3 years ago) | Upcoming Almost everything here is northern part, when will our own come,?na we get oil ooooo Reply angesco at 2-04-2018 07:58 AM (3 years ago) (f) So who do we BLAME - the BRITISH? Posted: at 2-04-2018 07:58 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac So who do we BLAME - the BRITISH? Reply Mashbol at 2-04-2018 08:12 AM (3 years ago) (m) Looters deserve death sentence...what we need in Nigeria is REVOLUTION Posted: at 2-04-2018 08:12 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac Looters deserve death sentence...what we need in Nigeria is REVOLUTION Reply smart61 at 2-04-2018 08:44 AM (3 years ago) (m) Most comments here are just over the bar. It is like they are angry that names of those who stole public money are being published. Instead of them to give supporting voice and ask for more and prosecution, they are criticizing buhari for exposing looters. That nation may never recover. Posted: at 2-04-2018 08:44 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac Most comments here are just over the bar. It is like they are angry that names of those who stole public money are being published. Instead of them to give supporting voice and ask for more and prosecution, they are criticizing buhari for exposing looters. That nation may never recover. Reply Wazubia at 2-04-2018 09:09 AM (3 years ago) (m) AND NOW WHERES THE RECOVERING MONEY. RELOOTED. BY BUHARI AND LAI MUHAMMED. IT IS STILL WELL. Posted: at 2-04-2018 09:09 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac AND NOW WHERES THE RECOVERING MONEY.RELOOTED. BY BUHARI AND LAI MUHAMMED.IT IS STILL WELL. Reply Wazubia at 2-04-2018 09:11 AM (3 years ago) (m) Quote from: osarobo62 on 2-04-2018 12:32 AM expose dem all, and let their tribal supporters be ashamed. ONE SIDE JUDGMENT. WITHOUT APC LOOTERS IN THE LIST, IT IS NONSENSE. Posted: at 2-04-2018 09:11 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac ONE SIDE JUDGMENT. WITHOUT APC LOOTERS IN THE LIST, IT IS NONSENSE. Reply Wazubia at 2-04-2018 09:12 AM (3 years ago) (m) Quote from: slimber on 1-04-2018 09:56 PM Then what will happen later after this NOTHING, COZ EVERYBODY IN YOUR GOVERNMENT IS A THIEF. INCLUDING BUHARI. Posted: at 2-04-2018 09:12 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac NOTHING, COZ EVERYBODY IN YOUR GOVERNMENT IS A THIEF. INCLUDING BUHARI. Reply Wazubia at 2-04-2018 09:14 AM (3 years ago) (m) Quote from: Mashbol on 2-04-2018 08:12 AM Looters deserve death sentence...what we need in Nigeria is REVOLUTION [/quote GBAM...YOUR ON POINT. Posted: at 2-04-2018 09:14 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac Reply cypanyahucha at 2-04-2018 09:48 AM (3 years ago) (m) Lopsided list. What of APC looters? This list is not credible and a sham. It's a show of how the government is shiellding members of the ruling party. It's a shame. What is the fight against corruption then? Posted: at 2-04-2018 09:48 AM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac Lopsided list. What of APC looters? This list is not credible and a sham. It's a show of how the government is shiellding members of the ruling party. It's a shame. What is the fight against corruption then? Reply Waukesha, WI (53187) Today Sun and clouds mixed. High 66F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Step One: Contact the media. Public safety officials would search their files for contact information for a local media rep. It may take a few indirect attempts to reach someone in the newsroom who can assist, particularly if the active shooter event occurs outside of regular business hours. Once in contact with an appropriate resource, a public safety official would need to provide all relevant details so that the media can share the story on television and their website. Time investment: 15 20 minutes. Step Two: Post a message on the local governments website. Depending on the complexity of the communitys municipal website, this step may be something that a public safety official can accomplish, or he or she may need to get in touch with a website development vendor to post the message. Time investment: 5 20 minutes (if a needed web vendor is immediately accessible). Step Three: Post a message to social media: Public safety officials would need to log in to each social media account separately to share the emergency message. This repetitive process would likely include at least Facebook and Twitter. Time investment: 10 minutes. Step Four: Send a citizen email alert. In communities that have a database of citizen emails and a system that allows mass communications, public safety officials will need to draft a message, link it to an opt-in email list, test it, and then send it out to subscribers. Time investment: 20 30 minutes. 2017 was a devastating and terrifying year for public safety officers. It brought some of the most severe, and the most devastating natural disasters in modern American history and saw the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Sadly, the Las Vegas shooting was only one of 317 active shooter events that took place last yearthe equivalent of almost one shooter event for each day of the year. With 2018 just a few months in, the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida has left Americans bereft and distraught, and public safety officers desperately hoping their community is not the next to fall victim to an active shooter event.As a public safety manager, your job is to protect citizens before, during, and after a local emergency event. No matter where your community is located, every single city, county, village, and township across the nation needs to have a plan in place in the event of a local emergency or act of terrorism. While no municipality can fully protect its citizens from dangerous situations, all are empowered to put systems in place to notify citizens when active shooters and other community threats have been identified, helping to reduce the risk of citizen exposure to life-threatening situations.To help local governments prepare for the possibility of an active shooter, Ryan Strait, Director of Public Safety at CivicPlushas been working to educate public safety officers and local government communication teams on the importance of having a proactive communication plan in place in the event of an active shooter event in your community.Unfortunately, its not a matter ofa local emergency will impact your community, said Strait, but when.In this article, Strait provides tips and best practices for developing an active shooter communication plan, and explains how leveraging a mass notification system can help communities expedite life-saving information and instructions during a terror event.The first factor Strait urges public safety officials to understand is that every community is at risk, and every municipality needs a proactive communication plan.No facility or venue is completely safe from an active shooter event, said Strait. All public spaces are what are known as soft targets, and many active shooter events are seemingly random with little to no warning signs that can tip off law enforcement officers before the shooting.With an increasing number of active shooter events occurring across the nation in colleges, schools, restaurants, shopping malls, places of worship, and even government offices, citizens fear unexpected disaster at every community corner and familiar location. Strait says that now more than ever, local governments need to invest in tools that will enable them to send actionable, multi-channel safety messages.It is the responsibility of civic leaders to use all available means to communicate threats, safety measures, and available safe resources to their citizens in times of emergency, said Strait. A proactive plan is especially critical when an active shooter threat is imminent or an event is in progress. She adds that the first step in forming a crisis plan is to ensure your community has access to one-to-one and one-to-many communication channels.Imagine there is an active shooter event at your local mall, said Strait. Contacting the media and issuing a statement will take too long when every second could mean the loss of lives. A media statement wont happen fast enough, and it wont reach far enough. You need direct communications methods that will send emergency messages directly into the hands of those who could be in danger.Strait recommends thinking of your communication strategy priorities as concentric rings around the location of the event.Staying with the example of an active shooter at a mall, the people you need to communicate to first are those at the mall, said Strait. From there, the next priority is those people who live nearby, or who are traveling near the mall, as they could be in the path of the shooter should he try to flee the scene.To accomplish the type of one-to-one and one-to-many, geo-targeted messaging needed to warn citizens and visitors of immediate danger quickly, Strait suggests using a mass notification system that allows messages to be distributed via text, phone, email, and social media.Citizen mass communication systems allow civic leaders to quickly and efficiently communicate with citizens in times of danger or disaster. They provide a trusted, official source of safety information that keeps citizens informed at every critical stage of an emergency event, from early warnings, through event duration, and recovery. When every second counts, mass notification systems allow public safety officers to draft a single message to be distributed across multiple channels.Strait emphasizes that it is critical to choose a mass notification system that integrates with your social media channels.Only about 20 percent of organizations include social media in their crisis communication plans, she said. Yet, 81percent of the population has at least one social networking profile, and 62 percent of adults report that they get their news from social media. Incorporating social media into your communication plan is critical to achieving a maximum reach for your message.Strait also suggests choosing a mass notification system that integrates with the Federal Emergency Management Agencys (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). IPAWS allows for the distribution of messages to national emergency communication channels, such as the emergency alert system (EAS), weather radios, and the wireless emergency alert (EAS) system. Through the use of these non-subscription based channels, public safety officers can reach travelers and other non-citizens who may be in danger.When asked to describe how a community without a mass notification system would respond to an active shooter event, Strait explains that a manually implemented multi-channel communication strategy could take over an hour.Considering law enforcement are typically able to reach the scene of an active shooter event only minutes after theyre notified, a communication plan that takes an hour to implement is not acceptable, said Strait. She breaks down the potential necessary communication steps as follows:As new information becomes available, public safety officials would repeat steps one through four as many times as necessary, potentially adding hours to the process.According to Strait, a mass notification system can accomplish greater reach that the traditional methods outlined above, and can do it in a fraction of the time. She describes a potential response plan that utilizes a mass notification system as follows:Draft your message within your IPAWS connected mass notification interface. Ideally, you already have templated starter messages prewritten to communicate various phases of an active shooter situation. Identify the geographic region for your warning message, based on the location of the event. Test, approve, and deploy the message, notifying citizens via radio, television, mobile push notification, email, social media, and phone. Your mass notification system should include a translation feature so that all recipients can receive safety instructions, even if English is not their first language.Send updates as new information becomes available, and to a broader audience.According to Strait, not only does leveraging a multi-channel notification system allow for more expedited communications, it enables greater reach to more citizens and travelers and more precise targeting of those in the immediate path of danger.In working with local governments weve found that you can reach 40 to 50 percent of your residents with a mass notification system that incorporates local citizen database and citizen opt-in methods, said Strait. She adds a system with IPAWS integration amplifies that reach further. Strait explains that that 77 percent of Americans own a smartphone and can potentially be reached via the IPAWS WEA channel, 75 percent have a television subscription with access to local channels and can likely be reached via the IPAWS EAS channel, and 81 percent have at least one social networking profile.According to Strait, with technology that exists to expedite life-saving instructions, local governments owe it to their citizens to utilize the most effective methods available in the event of any local emergency.When every second counts, civic leaders should use multiple communication channels to distribute life-saving information to citizens using a mass notification system, said Strait. With updates distributed as close to real-time as possible to the greatest number of citizens possible, and as targeted as possible, it is the most effective way to keep citizens safe and informed if the unthinkable occurs.About Ryan Strait- As the Product Director for CivicReady, Ryans focus is on understanding the communication challenges faced by local governments in times of disaster, and ensuring the CivicReady solution offers the most efficient, and effective capabilities to allow governments to keep citizens safe and informed.CivicReady is the mass notification solution built specifically for local governments to communicate emergency alerts and routine information with citizens. CivicReady is a product of CivicPlus, THE integrated technology platform for local government. CivicPlus has more than 20 years of experience focused exclusively on local governmets. Over 55,000+ local government employees use CPs software solutions. Learn more about CivicReady at www.civicready.com and CivicPlus at www.civicplus.com Haiti - Politic : Follow-up meeting of the declaration of intent of Wallonia-Brussels On March 27th, the Directorate of External Cooperation (DCE) of the Ministry of Planning organized an intersectoral meeting to follow the declaration of intent between the Republic of Haiti, the French community of Belgium and Wallonia. https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-22760-icihaiti-politic-strengthening-of-the-cooperation-with-wallonia-brussels.html This meeting brought together representatives of various sectoral ministries and autonomous organizations, including the State University of Haiti (UEH) and the Electricity of Haiti (EDH), whose objective was to collect files stemming from the Call for proposals for projects for the new five-year period (2018-2023) as part of the preparation of the 5th Standing Joint Commission Haiti / Wallonia-Brussels scheduled June 11 and 12 in Port-au-Prince. As a reminder, in this declaration of intent, signed on November 20, 2017, the parties undertook to develop a 5-year cooperation program that will have an impact on sustainable development in Haiti and more particularly on training and youth employment in rural areas. Indeed, in accordance with the recommendations made in Haiti's Strategic Development Plan (PSDH), Haiti and the Wallonia region intend to implement their future cooperation for the period 2018-2023 in the field of vocational and technical training and this in complementarity with the program of the Association for the Promotion of Education and Training Abroad (APEFE) of Belgian development cooperation and other initiatives aimed at self-employment, particularly in the field of Agriculture. See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-22760-icihaiti-politic-strengthening-of-the-cooperation-with-wallonia-brussels.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-22752-icihaiti-belgium-visit-of-the-minister-president-of-the-wallonia-brussels-federation.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20855-haiti-politics-20-years-of-fruitful-cooperation-wallonia-haiti.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Venezuela : The support of the brotherly people of Haiti is worthy of admiration dixit Nicolas Maduro On March 31, Venezuela commemorates the 202 years of the Les Cayes expedition to Haiti (1815), undertaken by Liberator Simon Bolivar to obtain Haiti's help and continue its struggle for independence and freedom in Venezuela. On this day, the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, on behalf of the Government and the Bolivarian people, "expresses to the sister Republic of Haiti its fraternal congratulations for this expedition which marked the independence and the libertarian process of Venezuela." Historians recall that Bolivar whose army was at the time in rout, after a few months in Jamaica, eager to resume the fight, decided to seek help in Haiti. He arrived in Les Cayes December 28, 1815, then went to Port-au-Prince where January 2, 1816, he was received by President Petion. At a second meeting, Petion promised Bolivar his unconditional help, allowing him to recruit Haitian volunteers to resume his liberation struggle. It was during this second meeting that Bolivar asked "Do I have to let know to the posterity that Alexandre Petion is the liberator of my country ?" Petion repl replied, "No, promise me to abolish the slavery of the blacks where you will command." Note that the late Commander Hugo Chavez on January 17, 2010, evoking the independence of Venezuela, had not hesitated to describe as "author of our freedom" Alexandre Petion. Maduro points out that President Petion "thanks to his revolutionary spirit" has provided Bolivar with essential assistance "to enable him to embark on a new stage in the liberation of Venezuela [...] This expedition is of historical importance for having allowed the liberation of the East of the country and paved the way for the final triumph of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," concluding "The support of the brotherly people of Haiti to our independence is worthy of admiration and that is why we will always have a historic debt with our Haitian brothers. " SL/ HaitiLibre Financial Planning for a $200M Per Year Deficit? by Tom Yamachika, President Tax Foundation Hawaii A recent news release from the Hawaii State Senate Majority Caucus says: The State Senate has drafted, discussed, and voted on SB508 , SB2415 , SB2484 , SB2489 , SB2699 , and SB2821 that are projected to generate approximately $72 million in revenues based on the Department of Taxation estimates. The current State Financial Plan shows the State is over spending by $208 million this fiscal year, $263.2 million in FY2020, $209.7 million in FY2021, and $105.4 million in FY2022. The additional revenues derived from the Senate bills will be added to the general fund which will allow the State to pay for government services, debts and liabilities, and to reduce financial shortfalls for the next five years. With the Senate voting on the final measures today, combined with the updated January 8th Council of Revenues forecast, the State revenues to the general fund will increase by $114.7M. Here, the Senate Democrats are talking about shoring up the States financial plan with $72 million in additional revenues, mostly new or increased taxes. Before we start thinking about how great or wise the Hawaii State Senate is, or isnt, we need to be asking a few questions. First, why do we have a current state financial plan that spends more than $200 million every year over available revenues? If I were teaching a class in financial planning and someone handed me a financial plan that didnt balance, Id hand it back saying, How can this be called a financial plan? Is the idea that someone just dropped this financial plan on the Legislatures lap and said to them, Fix this? The Hawaii Constitution requires a balanced budget, so doesnt the submission of a deficit financial plan burden the Legislature with making politically tough decisionscut programs or services, or raise taxes once againwhile the creators of the plan dodge any repercussions from constituents? In the past, the Governors Office has responded to financially critical situations with across-the-board spending restrictions. This means any department that receives general funds is required not to spend a certain percentage, perhaps 5% or 10%. Gov. David Ige's administration routinely imposed budget restrictions, even in years when the State had money, such as fiscal 2016 when the State finished up the year with a $1 billion budget surplus. Routine use of this kind of device is dangerous. Not only will it motivate government departments to over-budget in response to the anticipated restrictions and rely more on special funds that are not subject to those restrictions (although the State does skim 5% off special funds for a central services assessment), but it breeds distrust among other affected parties such as the unions. They, by the way, were visited the month after the $1 billion surplus announcement with news that all of the money was gone already, as we have mentioned before . Street Art from London and beyond Hookedblog is a London street art blog established in 2005 as a place to showcase the best in new street art, murals, and graffiti art from the streets of London and beyond. 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. #BTS Moon says BTS helped spread awareness of climate change, other global issues South Korean President Moon Jae-in thanked and praised South Korean superband BTS for using its powerful influence in encouraging people to act on various global issues, such as cl... #coronavirus S. Korea to begin inoculating pregnant women, younger children next month South Korea is poised to begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant women and younger children starting next month as part of its inoculation campaign. The Korea Disease ... iciHaiti - Miragoane : Official visit of Japanese Ambassador to Sainte-Therese Hospital Yoshiaki Hatta, the Japanese Ambassador to Haiti, made an official visit a few days ago to Sainte-Therese Hospital in Miragoane (Dept. of the Nippes) and took the opportunity to make the official delivery of the "Medical Equipment Supply Project at the Hospital Sainte-Therese de Miragoane" signed on March 27, 2014. Executed as part of the Assistance Program in the form of Donations to Local Micro-Projects Contributing to Human Security (APL), the project has received funding of more than 121,000 US dollars (121,785) in order to make available and accessible for the better functioning of the Hospital, equipment such as: hospital beds, pediatric beds, cardiac monitors, operating tables, operating lights, anesthesia machines and various accessories. This lot of equipment made available to the hospital since 2014, enabled worthily meet the needs for basic health care of the community of Miragoane. The Japanese Embassy recalls that this project, like so many others, demonstrates Japan's commitment to support the strengthening of the basic health services system and expresses the solidarity of the Japanese people towards Haiti for strengthening its resilience and its development process. IH/ iciHaiti Imperial Valley News Center New Study Shows What Interstellar Visitor Oumuamua Can Teach Us Greenbelt, Maryland - The first interstellar object ever seen in our solar system, named Oumuamua, is giving scientists a fresh perspective on the development of planetary systems. A new study by a team including astrophysicists at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, calculated how this visitor from outside our solar system fits into what we know about how planets, asteroids and comets form. On Oct. 19, 2017, astronomers working with the NASA-funded Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS1) at the University of Hawaii spotted an object zipping through our solar system at a very high speed. Scientists at the Minor Planet Center, funded by NASAs Near-Earth Object Observations Program, confirmed it was the first object of interstellar origin that weve seen. The team dubbed it Oumuamua (pronounced oh-MOO-ah-MOO-ah), which means a messenger from afar arriving first in Hawaiian and its already living up to its name. This object was likely ejected from a distant star system, said Elisa Quintana, an astrophysicist at Goddard. Whats interesting is that just this one object flying by so quickly can help us constrain some of our planet formation models. On Sept. 19, Oumuamua sped past the Sun at about 196,000 mph (315,400 km/h), fast enough to escape the Suns gravitational pull and break free of the solar system, never to return. Usually, an object traveling at a similar speed would be a comet falling sunward from the outer solar system. Comets are icy objects that range between house-sized to many miles across. But they usually shed gas and dust as they approach the Sun and warm up. Oumuamua didnt. Some scientists interpreted this to mean that Oumuamua was a dry asteroid. Planets and planetesimals, smaller objects that include comets and asteroids, condense out of disks of dust, gas and ice around young stars. Smaller objects that form closer to their stars are too hot to have stable surface ice and become asteroids. Those that form farther away use ice as a building block and become comets. The region where asteroids develop is relatively small. The total real estate thats hot enough for that is almost zero, said lead author Sean Raymond, an astrophysicist at the French National Center for Scientific Research and the University of Bordeaux. Its these tiny little circular regions around stars. Its harder for that stuff to get ejected because its more gravitationally bound to the star. Its hard to imagine how Oumuamua could have gotten kicked out of its system if it started off as an asteroid. The distance from a star beyond which water stays ice, even if its exposed to sunlight, is called the snow line or ice line. In our own solar system, for example, objects that developed within three times the distance between the Sun and Earth would have been so hot that they lost all their water. That snow line contracted a little as the Sun shrank and cooled over time, but our main belt asteroids are located within or near our snow line close enough to the Sun that it would be difficult to be ejected. If we understand planet formation correctly, ejected material like Oumuamua should be predominantly icy, said Thomas Barclay, an astrophysicist at Goddard and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. If we see populations of these objects that are predominantly rocky, it tells us weve got something wrong in our models. Scientists suspect most ejected planetesimals come from systems with giant gas planets. The gravitational pull of these massive planets can fling objects out of their system and into interstellar space. Systems with giant planets in unstable orbits are the most efficient at ejecting these smaller bodies because as the giants shift around, they come into contact with more material. Systems that do not form giant planets rarely eject material. Using simulations from previous research, Raymond and colleagues showed that a small percentage of objects get so close to gas giants as theyre ejected that they should be torn into pieces. The researchers believe the strong gravitational stretching that occurs in these scenarios could explain Oumuamuas long, thin cigar-like shape. The researchers calculated the number of interstellar objects we should see, based on estimates that a star system likely ejects a couple of Earth-masses of material during planet formation. They estimated that a few large planetesimals will hold most of that mass but will be outnumbered by smaller fragments like Oumuamua. The results were published March 27 in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The findings have already been partially confirmed by observations of the objects color. Other studies have also noted that star systems like our own would be more likely to eject comets than asteroids. Future observatories like the National Science Foundation-funded Large Synoptic Survey Telescope could help scientists spot more of these objects and improve our statistical understanding of planet and planetesimal formation even beyond our solar system. Even though this object was flying through our solar system, it does have implications for extrasolar planets and finding other Earths, Quintana said. Imperial Valley News Center Scientists report first results from CUORE neutrino experiment Cambridge, Massachusetts - This week, an international team of physicists, including researchers at MIT, is reporting the first results from an underground experiment designed to answer one of physics most fundamental questions: Why is our universe made mostly of matter? According to theory, the Big Bang should have produced equal amounts of matter and antimatter the latter consisting of antiparticles that are essentially mirror images of matter, only bearing charges opposite to those of protons, electrons, neutrons, and other particle counterparts. And yet, we live in a decidedly material universe, made mostly of galaxies, stars, planets, and everything we see around us and very little antimatter. Physicists posit that some process must have tilted the balance in favor of matter during the first moments following the Big Bang. One such theoretical process involves the neutrino a particle that, despite having almost no mass and interacting very little with other matter, is thought to permeate the universe, with trillions of the ghostlike particles streaming harmlessly through our bodies every second. There is a possibility that the neutrino may be its own antiparticle, meaning that it may have the ability to transform between a matter and antimatter version of itself. If that is the case, physicists believe this might explain the universes imbalance, as heavier neutrinos, produced immediately after the Big Bang, would have decayed asymmetrically, producing more matter, rather than antimatter, versions of themselves. One way to confirm that the neutrino is its own antiparticle, is to detect an exceedingly rare process known as a neutrinoless double-beta decay, in which a stable isotope, such as tellurium or xenon, gives off certain particles, including electrons and antineutrinos, as it naturally decays. If the neutrino is indeed its own antiparticle, then according to the rules of physics the antineutrinos should cancel each other out, and this decay process should be neutrinoless. Any measure of this process should only record the electrons escaping from the isotope. The underground experiment known as CUORE, for the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events, is designed to detect a neutrinoless double-beta decay from the natural decay of 988 crystals of tellurium dioxide. In a paper published this week in Physical Review Letters, researchers, including physicists at MIT, report on the first two months of data collected by CUORE (Italian for heart). And while they have not yet detected the telltale process, they have been able to set the most stringent limits yet on the amount of time that such a process should take, if it exists at all. Based on their results, they estimate that a single atom of tellurium should undergo a neutrinoless double-beta decay, at most, once every 10 septillion (1 followed by 25 zeros) years. Taking into account the massive number of atoms within the experiments 988 crystals, the researchers predict that within the next five years they should be able to detect at least five atoms undergoing this process, if it exists, providing definitive proof that the neutrino is its own antiparticle. Its a very rare process if observed, it would be the slowest thing that has ever been measured, says CUORE member Lindley Winslow, a member of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science, and the Jerrold R. Zacharias Career Development Assistant Professor of Physics at MIT, who led the analysis. The big excitement here is that we were able to run 998 crystals together, and now were on a path to try and see something. The CUORE collaboration includes some 150 scientists primarily from Italy and the U.S., including Winslow and a small team of postdocs and graduate students from MIT. Coldest cube in the universe The CUORE experiment is housed underground, in the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) Gran Sasso National Laboratories, buried deep within a mountain in central Italy, in order to shield it from external stimuli such as the constant bombardment of radiation from sources in the universe. The heart of the experiment is a detector consisting of 19 towers, each containing 52 cube-shaped crystals of tellurium dioxide, totaling 988 crystals in all, with a mass of about 742 kilograms, or 1,600 pounds. Scientists estimate that this amount of crystals embodies around 100 septillion atoms of the particular tellurium isotope. Electronics and temperature sensors are attached to each crystal to monitor signs of their decay. The entire detector resides within an ultracold refrigerator, about the size of a vending machine, which maintains a steady temperature of 6 millikelvin, or -459.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers in the collaboration have previously calculated that this refrigerator is the coldest cubic meter that exists in the universe. The experiment needs to be kept exceedingly cold in order to detect minute changes in temperature generated by the decay of a single tellurium atom. In a normal double-beta decay process, a tellurium atom gives off two electrons, as well as two antineutrinos, which amount to a certain energy in the form of heat. In the event of a neutrinoless double-beta decay, the two antineutrinos should cancel each other out, and only the energy released by the two electrons would be generated. Physicists have previously calculated that this energy must be around 2.5 megaelectron volts (Mev). In the first two months of CUOREs operation, scientists have essentially been taking the temperature of the 988 tellurium crystals, looking for any miniscule spike in energy around that 2.5 Mev mark. CUORE is like a gigantic thermometer, Winslow says. Whenever you see a heat deposit on a crystal, you end up seeing a pulse that you can digitize. Then you go through and look at these pulses, and the height and width of the pulse corresponds to how much energy was there. Then you zoom in and count how many events were at 2.5 Mev, and we basically saw nothing. Which is probably good because we werent expecting to see anything in the first two months of data. The heart will go on The results more or less indicate that, within the short window in which CUORE has so far operated, not one of the 1,000 septillion tellurium atoms in the detector underwent a neutrinoless double-beta decay. Statistically speaking, this means that it would take at least 10 septillion years, or years, for a single atom to undergo this process if a neutrino is in fact its own antiparticle. For tellurium dioxide, this is the best limit for the lifetime of this process that weve ever gotten, Winslow says. CUORE will continue to monitor the crystals for the next five years, and researchers are now designing the experiments next generation, which they have dubbed CUPID a detector that will look for the same process within an even greater number of atoms. Beyond CUPID, Winslow says there is just one more, bigger iteration that would be possible, before scientists can make a definitive conclusion. If we dont see it within 10 to 15 years, then, unless nature chose something really weird, the neutrino is most likely not its own antiparticle, Winslow says. Particle physics tells you theres not much more wiggle room for the neutrino to still be its own antiparticle, and for you not to have seen it. Theres not that many places to hide. This research is supported by the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) in Italy, the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy. NASA Accepting Applications for Mission Control Leaders Houston, Texas - How would you like to sit at the helm of human spaceflight, responsible for the success of missions and the highly trained teams of engineers and scientists that make them possible? NASA is hiring new flight directors for just this job at its mission control at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Flight directors play a critical role in the success of our nations human spaceflight missions, said Brian Kelly, director of Flight Operations at Johnson. The job is tough, the responsibilities are immense, and the challenges can seem insurmountable. But the experiences and personal rewards are incredible. Those chosen will lead human spaceflight missions involving the International Space Station, including integrating American-made commercial crew spacecraft into the fleet of vehicles servicing the orbiting laboratory, and Orion missions to the Moon and beyond. They will head teams of flight controllers, research and engineering experts, and support personnel around the world, and make the real-time decisions critical to keeping NASA astronauts safe in space. NASAs missions require strong, creative leaders as human spaceflight continues to evolve, said Holly Ridings, acting chief of the Flight Director Office at Johnson. We are looking for a mix of people with diverse backgrounds to play this critical role and add strength to our flight director team. To apply, flight director candidates must be U.S. citizens with a bachelors degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics. They also will need substantial related, progressively responsible professional experience, including time-critical decision-making experience in high-stress, high-risk environments. Although many flight directors have previously been NASA flight controllers, it is not a prerequisite to apply. Qualifying U.S. citizens have until April 17 to submit their applications at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/494941200 The agency expects to announce final selections in mid-2018, after which those selected will receive extensive training on flight control and vehicle systems, as well as operational leadership and risk management. Learn more about careers at NASA at: https://www.nasa.gov/careers What to Say to Someone With Cancer Imperial, California - As medical knowledge advances, more and more people are surviving cancer. With more than 15 million survivors and counting, chances are you know someone whos been told they have some type of cancer. Studies have found that cancer survivors with strong emotional support tend to better adjust to the changes cancer brings to their lives, have a more positive outlook, and often report a better quality of life. Often, however, family, friends, and co-workers of cancer patients want to help, but just dont know what to do. If someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness, you may be wondering how to help or what to say. Here are some ideas about where to start: Keep in touch. Write, text, email, or call often, and keep it short. Call at times that work best for your friend. When your friend calls or texts you, answer right away. Visit. Call before you visit, and be understanding if your friend cant see you at that time. Keep the visit short, and be understanding if the family decides its time to end the visit. Bring a movie to watch together, a snack to share, a book to read while your friend naps, or a newspaper to help your friend catch up on current events. Dont be afraid to touch, hug, or shake hands with your friend. Know what to say (and not to say). Gear the conversation to subjects that you know your friend likes to talk about. Be sensitive to your friends attention span, and understand that they may be too tired to participate actively. Help your friend participate in the conversation by asking questions: Ask for their advice, their opinions, and how theyre feeling. Give honest compliments, such as You look rested today. Allow your friend to be negative, silent, or withdrawn, if that is how theyre feeling. Dont urge your friend to be strong or fight the cancer if they dont feel up to it. Dont leave out your friend when talking to others in the room, or assume they cant hear you even if they appear to be asleep. Dont offer medical advice or your opinion on things like diet, vitamins, and herbal therapies. Offer to run errands. Organize family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to help complete regularly scheduled tasks. Helpful tasks may include making meals, cleaning the house, caring for the lawn and garden, baby-sitting, pet sitting, grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions, and driving family and friends to and from the airport. Do urgent errands right away. Remember caregivers. Your friend isnt the only one who may need help coping with cancer; the person (or people) taking care of them could also use your support. Caregivers often neglect their own needs because they are so busy taking care of their loved one. Helping your friends caregiver is another way to show you care. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form To understand Cambridge Analytica and its parent firm, Strategic Communication Laboratories, we need to get our heads round what Baudrillard meant, and what has happened since: how military propaganda has changed with technology, how war has been privatised, and how imperialism is coming home. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Baudrillards argument centred on the fact that NATOs action in the Gulf was the first time audiences in Western countries had been able to watch a war live, on rolling TV news CNN had become the first 24-hour news channel in 1980. Because camera crews were embedded with American troops, by whom they were effectively censored, the coverage had little resemblance to the reality of the bombardment of Iraq and Kuwait. The events known to Western audiences as The Gulf War symbolised by camera footage from precision missiles and footage of military hardware are more accurately understood as a movie directed from the Pentagon. They were so removed from the gore-splattered reality that its an abuse of language to call them the same thing. Hence, the Gulf War did not take place. Watch | Desert Storms First Apache Strikes Not long after Baudrillards iconic essay was published, Strategic Communications Laboratories was founded. SCL Group provides data, analytics and strategy to governments and military organisations worldwide reads the first line of its website. For over 25 years, we have conducted behavioural change programmes in over 60 countries & have been formally recognised for our work in defence and social change. Of course, military propaganda was nothing new. And nor is the extent to which it has evolved alongside changes in media technology and economics. The film Citizen Kane tells a fictionalised version of the first tabloid (or, as Americans call it, yellow journalism) war: how the circulation battle between William Randolph Hearsts New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzers New York World arguably drove the US into the 1889 Spanish American War. It was during this affair that Hearst reportedly told his correspondent, You furnish the pictures and Ill furnish the war, as parodied in Evelyn Waughs Scoop. But after the propaganda disaster of the Tet offensive in Vietnam softened domestic support for the war, the military planners began to devise new ways to control media reporting. As a result, when Britain went to war with Argentina over the Falklands in 1982, they pioneered a new technique for media control: embedding journalists with troops. And, as former BBC war reporter Caroline Wyatt blogged, The lessons from embedding journalists with the Royal Navy during the Falklands war were taken up enthusiastically by military planners in both Washington and London for the First Gulf War in 1991. The UK defence secretary during the Falklands War when the use of embedded journalists was pioneered was John Nott (who backed Brexit). As my colleague Caroline Molloy pointed out to me, his son-in-law is Tory MP Hugo Swire, former minister in both the Northern Ireland Office and the Foreign Office. Swires cousin with whom he overlapped at Eton is Nigel Oakes, founder of Strategic Communications Laboratories. Its not a conspiracy, just that the ruling class are all related. But back to our history: by the time of the 2003 Iraq War, communications technology had moved on again. As the BBCs Caroline Wyatt explains in the same blog, satellite communications are now much more sophisticated, meaning we almost always have our own means of communicating with London. That offers a crucial measure of independence, even if reports still have to be cleared for op sec [operational security]. The almost total control by the military of the means of reporting in the Falklands would be unthinkable in most warzones today. In February 2004, another major disruption in communications technology began: Facebook was founded. And with it came a whole new propaganda nightmare. As the same time as this history was unfolding, though, something else vital was happening: neoliberalism. Looked at one way, neoliberalism is the successor to geographical imperialism as the most extreme form of capitalism. It used to be that someone with a small fortune to invest could secure the biggest return by paying someone else to sail overseas, subjugate or kill people (usually people of colour) and steal them and/or their stuff. But they couldnt keep expanding forever the world is only so big. And so eventually, wealthy Western investors started to shift much of their focus from opening new markets in far off lands to marketising new parts of life at home. Neoliberalism is also therefore this process of marketisation: of shifting decisions from one person one vote, to one pound (or dollar or Yen or Euro) one vote. Or, as Will Davies puts it: the disenchantment of politics by economics. The first Iraq War the one that did not take place coincided with a key stage in this process: the rapid marketisation (read asset stripping) of the collapsing Soviet Union, and so the successful encirclement of the globe by Western capital. The second Iraq War was notable for the acceleration of another key stage: the encroachment of market forces into the deepest corner of the state. During the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, according to War on Want, private military companies burst onto the scene. The privatisation of war In a 2016 report, the campaign group War on Want describes how the UK became the world centre for this mercenary industry. You might know G4S as the company which checks your gas meter, but they are primarily the worlds largest mercenary firm, involved in providing security in war zones across the planet (dont miss my colleagues Clare Sambrook and Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmis excellent investigations of their work in the UK). In Hereford alone, near the SAS headquarters, there are 14 mercenary firms, according to War on Wants report. At the height of the Iraq war, around 80 private companies were involved in the occupation. In 2003, when UK and US forces unleashed shock and awe both on the Iraqi people and on their own populations down cable TV wires, the Foreign Office spent 12.6m on British private security firms, according to official figures highlighted by the Guardian. By 2012, that figure had risen to 48.9m. In 2015, G4S alone secured a 100m contract to provide security for the British embassy in Afghanistan. And just as the fighting was privatised, so too was the propaganda. In 2016, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed that the Pentagon had paid around half a billion dollars to the British PR firm Bell Pottinger to deliver propaganda during the Iraq war. Bell Pottinger, famous for shaping Thatchers image, included among its clients Asma Al Assad, wife of the Syrian president. Part of their work was making fake Al Qaeda propaganda films. (The firm was forced to close last year because they made the mistake of deploying their tactics against white people). Journalist Liam OHare has revealed that Mark Turnbull, the SCL and Cambridge Analytica director who was filmed alongside Alexander Nix in the Channel4 sting, was employed by Bell Pottinger in Iraq in this period. The psychological operations wing of our privatised military: a mercenary propaganda agency. Like Bell Pottinger, SCL saw the opportunity of the increasing privatisation of war. In his 2006 book Britains Power Elites: The Rebirth of the Ruling Class, Hywel Williams wrote It therefore seems only natural that a political communications consultancy, Strategic Communications Laboratories, should have now launched itself as the first private company to provide psyops to the military. While much of what SCL has done for the military is secret, we do know (thanks, again, to OHare) that its had contracts from the UK and US departments of defence amounting to (at the very least) hundreds of thousands of dollars. And a document from the National Defence Academy of Latvia that I managed to dig out, entitled NATO strategic communication: more to be done? tells us that they were operating in Afghanistan in 2010, and gives some clues about what they were up to: more detailed qualitative data gathering operation was being conducted in Maiwand Province by a British company, Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) is almost unique in the international contractor community in that it has a dedicated, and funded, behavioural research arm located in the prestigious home of British Science and research, The Royal Institute, London. In simple terms, the SCL Group Cambridge Analyticas parent firm is the psychological operations wing of our privatised military: a mercenary propaganda agency. The skills they developed in the context of warzones shouldnt be overplayed, but nor should they be underplayed. As far as we can tell, just as the Pentagon used simple tools like choosing where to embed journalists during the Gulf War to spin its version of events, so they mastered the tools of modern communication: Facebook, online videos, data gathering and microtargeting. Such tools arent magic (and Anthony Barnett writes well about the risks of implying that they are). They dont on their own explain either Brexit or Trump (I wrote a plea last year that Remainers in the UK dont use our investigations as an excuse for failing to engage with the real reasons for the Leave vote). I wouldnt even use the word rigging to describe the impact of these propaganda firms. But they are important. As the Channel 4 undercover investigation revealed, this work has often been carried out alongside more traditional smear tactics, and as Chris Wylie explained in partnership with another nexus in this world: Israels conurbation of private intelligence firms, a part of a burgeoning military industrial complex in the country which Israeli activist and writer Jeff Halper argues is a key part of the countrys parallel diplomacy drive. (Of course, this isnt unique to the UK and Israel. Until Cambridge Analytica achieved global infamy last week, the most prominent mercenary propaganda firm in the world was Peter Theils company Palantir (named after the all-seeing eye in Lord of the Rings). Theil, founder of PayPal (with Elon Musk) and an executive of Facebook, wrote a notorious essay in 2009 arguing that female enfranchisement had made democracy untenable and that someone should therefore invent the technology to destroy it. Palantirs most prominent clients are the United States Intelligence Community, and the US Department of Defence. Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Chris Wylie claimed this week that his firm had worked with Palantir. Its also noteworthy that one of Palantirs shareholders is Field Marshal Lord Guthrie, former head of the British Army, and adviser to Veterans for Britain, one of the groups which funnelled money to AggregateIQ ahead of the European referendum. Guthrie also works for Acanum, one of the leading private intelligence agencies, who, in common with Cambridge Analyticas partners Black Cube, listed Meyer Dagam, the former head of Mossad, as one of their advisers, until he died in 2016. Again, its not a conspiracy, its just that these guys all know each other. But I digress.) Back to SCL: why are NATOs mercenary propagandists getting involved in the US presidential election and if the growing body of evidence about the link between Cambridge Analytica and AggregateIQ is to be believed Brexit? The obvious answer is surely partly true. They could make money doing so, and so they did. If you privatise war, dont be surprised if military firms start using the tools of war on their own side. When Eisenhower warned of the Military Industrial Complex, he was thinking about physical weapons. But, just as unregulated semi-automatics invented for soldiers end up going off in American schools, it shouldnt be any kind of surprise that the weapons of information war are going off in Anglo-American votes. But in a more general sense, this whole history is exactly what Brexit was about for many of the powerful people who pushed for it. As weve been investigating the secret donation which paid for the DUP Brexit campaign, we keep coming across this web of connections. Priti Patel worked for Bell Pottinger in Bahrain. Richard Cook, the front man for the secret donation to the DUP, set up a business in 2013 with the former head of Saudi intelligence and a Danish man involved in running guns to Hindu radicals who told us he was a spy. David Banks, who ran Veterans for Britain, worked in PR in the Middle East for four years and Veterans for Britain more generally is full of these contacts. I could go on. My suspicion is that this isnt because theres some kind of conspiracy revolving around a group of ex-spooks. Its about the fact that power comes from networks of people, and the wing of the British ruling class which was in and around the military is moving rapidly into the world of privatised war. And those people have a strong ideological and material interest in radical right politics. The most corrupt country on Earth Another way to see it is like this: Britain has lost most of its geographical empire. And most of our modern politics is about the ways in which different groups struggle to come to terms with that fact. For a large portion of the ruling establishment, this involves attempting to reprise the glory days by placing the country at the centre of two of the nexuses which define the modern era. The UK and its Overseas Territories have already become by far the most significant network of tax havens and secrecy areas in the world, making us the global centre for money laundering and therefore, as Roberto Saviano, the leading expert on the mafia argues, the most corrupt country on earth. And just as countries with major oil industries have major oil lobbies, the UK has a major money laundry-lobby. Pesky EU regulations have long frustrated the dreams of these people, who wish our island nation to move even further offshore and become even more of a tax haven. And so for some Brexiteers this money laundry lobby there was always strong incentive to back a Leave vote: European Research Group statements going back 25 years show as much. But what the Cambridge Analytica affair reminds us of is that this is not just about the money laundry lobby (nor the agrochemical lobby). Another group with a strong interest in pushing such deregulation, dimming transparency, hyping Islamophobia in America and turning peoples against each other is our flourishing mercenary complex one of the only other industries in which Britain leads the world. And so its no surprise that its propaganda wing has turned the skills its learned in towards its desired political outcomes. In his essay, Baudrillard argued that his observations about the changes in military propaganda told us something about the then new post-Cold War era. Only two years after Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web, he wrote a sentence which, for me, teaches us more about the Cambridge Analytica story than much of the punditry that weve seen since: just as wealth is no longer measured by the ostentation of wealth but by the secret circulation of capital, so war is not measured by being unleashed but by its speculative unfolding in an abstract, electronic and informational space. Cambridge Analytica is what happens when you privatise your military propaganda operation. It walked into the space created when social media killed journalism. It is yet another example of tools developed to subjugate people elsewhere in the world being used on the domestic populations of the Western countries in which they were built. It marks the point at which neoliberal capitalism reaches its zenith, and ascends to surveillance capitalism. And the best possible response is to create a democratic media which cant be bought by propagandists. Top Photo | American tanks arrive in Baghdad in 2003, by Technical Sergeant John L. Houghton, Jr., United States Air Force. (Public Domain) Adam Ramsay is the Co-Editor of openDemocracyUK and also works with Bright Green. Before, he was a full time campaigner with People & Planet. You can follow him at @adamramsay. This is apparently not a good time for Nigerian comedian, Afametuna Klint Igwemma, popularly known as Klint da drunk. A lady, identified as Sandra Novo-Jacob, recently went on social media to call out the comedian for allegedly abandoning her and her baby girl. In a new post on social media, she further revealed that the comedian allegedly requested that she aborted the pregnancy. She wrote on Facebook during the week, Klint da drunk is the father of my child. I cannot hide it anymore because I am tired of caring for this child alone. I need him to play the role of a father to (our) child, Annora Uchechi Klint Igwemba. To show proof of the communication between her and the comedian, Jacob posted screenshots of her chats with Klint, bank credit alerts, and a photo of the childs birth certificate bearing Klints full name. The 26-year-old woman explained to Sunday Scoop, We were friends on social media for some years before we eventually met in Benin in 2013. Thats all I can say about that. When I told him about the pregnancy, he asked me to get rid of it. But I couldnt do that as I didnt want to abort the innocent baby. Lamenting about how hard it has been for her to solely take care of the baby, she said, The last time I saw him was in October 2017. Since I shared the story on Facebook, he has not reached out to me. He has not even seen the baby. I chat with him on WhatsApp, but he replies only whenever he feels like. Meanwhile, Klint, who is married with three kids, has not made any statement about the issue. All attempts to get Klints reaction to the story were abortive. The Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs has arrested one Chinyere Blessing for using rented children to beg for money in Benin, Edo State. The Enugu State indegene was arrested on Thursday, after the attention of the ministry was drawn to her at Ring Road. Upon searching her, the sum of N104,240 was recovered from her. . During further investigation by the police of Family Unit, State CID, the real mothers of two of the children were found and arrested at their hotel room in Benin. They all confessed to the crime and admitted that that was their 4th trip to Benin. Below are some comments culled from the online debate the report sparked ; One of the thousand reasons I find it hard to give beggars money.. Like the 2 in my area, those guys will be on the floor hammering beans & bread while I pass gently to hustle with empty belle.. With food in their mouth theyll still be begging smh! Chai na wa o why people dey like this na? We dont even know the real beggars on the street anymore Is this the problem of Nigeria ? Rented right ? The person rent pikin give am to do bizz, agreed and paid for so why arresting her ? Una give her money ? Leave a Comment comments The Oluwo of Iwoland in Osun state, Oba Adbulrasheed Akanbi Saturday made history when he dropped the the title of Oba and declared his resolve to adopt the Emir title popularly known with Northern traditional rulers. Speaking at the installation and turbarning ceremony of an Islamic scholar, Sheikh Yahquub Abdul-Baaqi Mohammed as first Waziri of Yoruba land, Oba Akanbi said he decided to now bear Emir of Iwoland because he wants to emulate the attitudes of northern Emirs. According to Oluwo, Northern traditional rulers are better behaved than his counterparts from the Southwest saying Yoruba Obas are full of bickering, acrimony and enmities. He said Yoruba traditional rulers lacks cooperation and expected royal characters saying the Yoruba Obas have been polarized owing to enmities. Oba Akanbi said until Yoruba Obas come together, shun enmities and backbiting, Hausas would continue to rule Nigeria. I have decided to officially adopt Emir title today because I want to emulate the attitudes of Northern Emirs. They dont begrudge themselves like Yoruba Obas. It will surprise you to discover that for the past two years, there has not been meeting of Yoruba traditional rulers just because of enmities. There is nothing strange in adopting Emir title. I am the Emir of Yorubaland, Oluwo said. Meanwhile, amid tight security presence, Oba Akanbi installed and turbarned an Islamic scholar, Sheikh Yahquub Abdul-Baaqi Mohammed as first Waziri of Yoruba land. At the well attended ceremony held at the palace of of the traditional ruler in Iwo on Saturday, Islamic scho)lars, Islamic organisations, Imams and Alfas, government functionaries among other notable personalities in the state were present. The installation of the Waziri was against warning served on Oluwo by the League of Imams and Alfas in Southwest Nigeria, Edo and Delta States asking Oba Akanbi to desist from installing Alhaji Mohammed as the Waziri of the Southwest. In a statement signed by the President, League of lmams and Alfas, Southwest Nigeria, Edo and Delta States, Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello urged Oba Akanbi to limit the title to Iwoland and not to the entire Yorubaland as being purported. The proposed installation of the said recipient by your Highness as the Waziri of Iwo land is no doubt the result of your avowed commitment to the development of lslam, the lwo Community and Osun State in general However, it is our considered hope that your Highness should as a matter of urgency correct the rumours making the round that the organisers of this event are trying to over blow the ceremony to capture the entire Yorubaland. This is not right. But Oba Akanbi shunned warnings by the Islamic leaders and installed the Waziri amid pomp and pageantry saying Iwo has used this Waziri title to announce to the world that truly Iwo is the citadel of Islamic knowledge. The traditional ruler added that Iwo has a unique and distinctive traditional history among the entire Yoruba race. And these peculiarities have made Iwo to be at the forefront in Yoruba land. The occasion of the installation of Waziri Yorubaland is another great opportunity to create the necessary awareness and promote to the entire world the deep Islamic culture and heritage in Iwo. Waziri did not come from Northern part of Hausa tribe but from God. So, there is nothing strange in installing Waziri. Yoruba has forgotten their history. Whoever is critisising me lacks history of Yorubaland, the monarch noted. The new Waziri promised to render selfless services that would promote religious growth and peaceful coexistence in Yorubaland. This collection features the arguments in favor of and against the renaming of Catt Hall on Iowa State's campus, which was named in Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. 94 Lite Air Defence Regiment Mailsi Jobs 2018 Latest Pakistan Army Army jobs Posts Mailsi 2021 94 Lite Air Defence Regiment Mailsi, Pakistan Army, Government of Pakistan required applications from experienced candidates for the posts of Mess Waiter. How to Apply on Pakistan Army 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. Official Website: https://www.ispr.gov.pk/ads 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. Ammunition Depot Sakrand Jobs 2018 for Assistant & CMD Latest Pakistan Army Army jobs Posts Sakrand 2021 Ammunition Depot Sakrand, Pakistan Army, Government of Pakistan required experienced candidates for the posts of Assistant, Gatekeeper, CMD ( LTV/ HTV Driver), Carpenter, USM (Labour) and Sanitary Worker. How to Apply on Pakistan Army 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. Official Website: https://www.ispr.gov.pk/ads 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. Army Burn Hall College ABHC Abbottabad Jobs 2018 Latest Army Burn Hall College for Boys Education Posts Abbottabad 2021 Army Burn Hall College For Boys ABHC Abbottabad, Pakistan Army, Pakistan required applications from experienced and professional candidates for the posts of Female Section Head Junior Campus. How to Apply on Army Burn Hall College for Boys 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. Official Website: www.abhc.edu.pk 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. Female Staff Nurses Job in Saudi Arabia Latest Dahlawi Manpower Recruiting Medical Posts Saudi Arabia 2021 Female Staff Nurses having Bachelor of Science in Nursing & Diploma in Nursing & Midwifery with 2 year Working Experience as staff nurses are required in Saudi Arabia. How to Apply on Dahlawi Manpower Recruiting 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. Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Jobs Latest Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Limited PASSCO Management Posts Lahore 2021 Supervisors, LTV Drivers with LTV Driving License, Carpenters, Plumbers and Cook are required in Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Limited PASSCO in Lahore. How to Apply on Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Limited PASSCO 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. Official Website: www.passco.gov.pk 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. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority CAA Jobs 2018 Latest Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority CAA Management Posts Karachi 2021 Deputy Director English Language having Master Degree MA in English with IELTS / TOEFL are required in Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority CAA in karachi. How to Apply on Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority CAA 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. Telephone: 021-99072068 Official Website: www.caapakistan.com.pk 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. Pakistan Railways Carriage Factory Islamabad Jobs Latest Pakistan Railways Management Posts Islamabad 2021 Assistant Works Manager AWMs, Foreman GR-II, Foreman GR-I and Junior Chargeman, SuB Engineers are required in Pakistan Railways Carriage Factory in Islamabad. How to Apply on Pakistan Railways 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. Company Address: Station Road, Rawalpindi Telephone: 042-99200511 Official Website: www.pakrail.gov.pk 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. PASSCO Pakistan Agricultural Storage Jobs 2018 Latest Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Limited PASSCO Management Posts Lahore 2021 PASSCO Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Lahore, Pakistan required candidates for the posts of Supervisor, LTV/ HTV Divers, Carpenter,Plumber and Cook. How to Apply on Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Limited PASSCO 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. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Police in Louisville, Kentucky, say a man was hospitalized after he fired a gun at one police officer and two officers returned fire. Louisville Metro Police Maj. Frank Hardison said 20-year-old Elijah Eubanks was in stable condition Saturday at University of Louisville Hospital. Neither officer was injured. Police quickly released body camera video of the incident. Chief Steve Conrad said they did so because it's imperative for the department to be "a model of transparency." The video shows an officer going to the passenger door. As it opens, footage shows Eubanks bringing up one hand and pointing it in the officer's direction. Although his hand is in shadows, he appears to be holding something dark. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) Walmart Canada apologized on Saturday for the "confusion and disappointment" it caused when it chose to end its involvement with a Quebec program that provides job training for people with intellectual disabilities. Signage at a Laval, Que., Walmart store is seen on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz A family bring flowers and a toy during a day of mourning for the victims of Sunday's fire in a shopping mall in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, in Manezhnaya square, near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) FILE - This is a Friday, June 9, 2017 file photo of Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn as he makes an address after he retained his parliamentary seat in Islington north London, Jewish groups in Britain on Monday March 26, 2018 were accusing the country's main opposition leader of failing to stamp out anti-Semitism within his left-of-center party. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council say Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party has shown a "repeated institutional failure" to address anti-Jewish prejudice. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File) In this photo taken on Thursday, March 29, 2018, a fresh row of graves have the marks of March 25, the date of the fire at a cemetery on the outskirts of the Siberian city of Kemerovo, about 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles) east of Moscow, in Russia. The deaths of over 50 people in the March 25, 2018, fire has torment their loved ones and left questions about the state of Russia. (AP Photo/Sergei Gavrilenko) EUGENE, Ore. - The North Bend Fire Department has come to Eugene for special, hands-on fire training for four years in a row. The Eugene-Springfield facility has a lot of training mechanisms and resources unseen in many other departments around the state. Assistant Fire Chief, Jim Brown, said this is an important annual event because it gives them opportunities that they don't have with their limited resources in their community. He said it also gives them a chance to become closer and work better as a team. "It's extremely important to have the proper training, because regardless of if a fire is Eugene, if a fire is in Los Angeles, or if it's in North Bend, it's still a very dangerous thing," said Brown. "We want to do everything we can to protect our people and the communities we serve as well." One of the most unique tools they get to use in this weekend is the burn facility. The burn facility is used for live-fire trainings. It can be caught on fire and remain undamaged for the most part. Assistant Chief Brown said they send down all of their personnel for this training, in shifts of around 10 or so. This means career, resident, and volunteer firefighters. The next set of North Bend firefighters will be up to go through the training starting Friday, April 6. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A Polk County man has been sentenced to life in prison for the fatal shooting of his girlfriend in the Des Moines suburb of Johnston. Television station KCCI reports that 39-year-old Abraham Roberts was sentenced Tuesday to the mandatory life term. Roberts was convicted in January of first-degree murder in the death of 34-year-old Agnes Yarlee, who was found April 15 in her apartment. Prosecutors say Yarlee had been shot five times as she sat on a couch following an argument with Roberts. Defense lawyers didn't dispute that Roberts killed Yarlee but argued he'd "lost it" during an argument, then blacked out with no memory of the shooting. Roberts was arrested at the Canadian border the day after the shooting. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An Iowa man threatened by city officials with legal action for saying on a website that his hometown smelled like "rancid dog food" won a free-speech lawsuit Thursday when a federal judge prohibited the city from further threats and awarded him damages. Josh Harms, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, filed suit in U.S. District Court earlier this month asking a judge to block Sibley officials from suing him. City officials said they'd sue if he didn't stop criticizing the town's odor problem from Iowa Drying and Processing, which makes a high-protein animal food supplement from pig blood. The company moved to a vacant building in Sibley in 2013 and Harms began publishing his protest website in 2015. In December, the city's attorney Daniel DeKoter sent Harms a letter saying Harms was hurting the community with his website and threated a lawsuit if he didn't stop. Judge Leonard Strand approved on Thursday a permanent injunction agreed to by the city and Harms. Attorneys for the city did not immediately respond to messages. Court documents indicate while city officials "do not admit to every allegation in the plaintiff's complaint, the parties jointly stipulate to the facts contained in the accompanying proposed stipulated injunction." The injunction prohibits the city from making further threats. It allows Harms to talk to reporters and continue to publish websites critical of the city odor issue. The city also agreed to pay Harms $6,500 in damages and $20,000 in legal fees, issue a written apology and hold First Amendment training for city staff. "Personally disagreeing with something that's been written is understandable, but threatening the writer with a lawsuit while representing the government is censorship. It violates the First Amendment and our freedom of speech," Harms said. Harms, 28, said he hopes to use his skills as a web developer to improve the lives of Sibley residents by calling attention to the community's problems. Harms operates a business, Nozzlegear Software, and works as a web developer for a local company. He said he's bought the rights to "sibleystinks.com" but hasn't decided whether he'll launch it yet. He continues to publish at his website entitled, "Should You Move to Sibley, Iowa?" "The right of the people to freely and openly criticize their government is the very foundation of democracy," said ACLU of Iowa Legal Director Rita Bettis. "In America, the government cannot threaten legal action against someone for speaking out against it." Sibley is a town of 2,600 people about 238 miles (383 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines. CRESTON, Iowa (AP) A memorial service has been held for an Iowa couple and their children who died at a Mexican resort. The service was held Saturday afternoon in the gymnasium at Southwestern Community College in Creston for 41-year-old Kevin Sharp and his wife, 38-year-old Amy Sharp, and their children, 12-year-old Sterling and 7-year-old Adrianna. The burial was closed to the public. A Mexican prosecutor says a gas leak in a water heater is suspected of killing them inside their rented condominium in Tulum. Their bodies were found March 23. The family was reported missing by relatives about a week after they left for vacation. OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn. - A 19-year-old girl is recovering after pulling out in front of a car on Highway 63 in High Forest Township. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Alexandra Vanderwerf, of Lakeville, was driving a Buick Riviera on the ramp from westbound Interstate 90 to Highway 63. She pulled out onto Highway 63 and hit a northbound Dodge Ram, with four passengers. Officials say Vanderwerf was transported to St. Marys Hospital by ambulance and is facing non-life threatening injuries. Other responding agencies include Olmsted County Sheriff's Department and Stewartville Fire Deptartment. Click the following link to watch video: Source: Thomson Reuters Description: President Donald Trump launched his second attack in a week on Amazon on Saturday, accusing the worlds biggest online retailer of getting unfairly cheap rates from the U.S. Postal Service and not paying enough tax. Short Link: Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. SEOUL, April 1 (Reuters) - South Korea's crude oil imports dropped 16.9 percent in March from a year ago to 79.7 million barrels, preliminary data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy showed on Sunday. Final data will be released later this month by state-run Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC). Details of preliminary imports and previous actual figures are as follows: (In millions of barrels) March 2018 Feb 2018* March 2017* Crude Oil 79.7 94.4 95.9 * Actual import figures Note: The ministry does not break down imports by country of origin. South Korea's total crude imports in February increased 6.6 percent to 94.4 million barrels year-on-year, according to KNOC data last month. (Reporting by Jane Chung; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) Messaging: jane.chung.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Messaging: jane.chung.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. DUBAI, April 1 (Reuters) - Qatar's stock index surged in early trade on Sunday because of plans to raise ceilings for foreign ownership in several more companies, while Saudi Arabia moved sideways in the wake of FTSE Russell's decision to upgrade it to emerging market status. The Qatari index added 0.9 percent as Qatar Fuel jumped 7.7 percent, Gulf International Services Co rose 5.7 percent, Mesaieed Petrochemical soared 10.6 percent and Qatar Electricity and Water Co gained 1.1 percent. They were among the market's most heavily traded stocks. Parent Qatar Petroleum said the companies would take necessary steps in coming weeks to approve an increase in their foreign ownership limits to 49 percent. Actual foreign ownership levels aren't close to the current ceilings, but higher ceilings will likely boost the stocks' weightings in emerging market indexes. The Saudi stock index , which had surged before FTSE's announcement on Wednesday night, moved sideways in the first 45 minutes. The decision will bringing billions of dollars of new foreign money to the market but actual inclusion in the index will only happen from March 2019, and in the meantime, many Saudi stocks are now fully valued. Real estate developer Jabal Omar dropped 4.3 percent after reporting it swung to an annual net loss of 601 million riyals ($160.2 million); it cited weak revenue from sales of residential units due to delays in obtaining marketing permits, and higher administrative and general expenses. Investment firm Kingdom Holding , chaired by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, rose 1.9 percent and touched its highest level in over a month after proposing a cash dividend of 0.50 riyal per share for 2017, the same as in previous years. The dividend appeared to be another sign that Kingdom's operations have not been seriously disrupted by the detention of chairman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in the country's corruption probe, though the firm may now be more inclined to invest in government projects as part of an understanding with authorities. Prince Alwaleed was freed in January and has insisted he is innocent of any wrongdoing, but Saudi officials said he signed an undisclosed settlement. Dubai was up 0.5 percent with Deyaar Development up 2.9 percent, continuing to rebound after hitting a 10-month low last week. Abu Dhabi was flat as the biggest bank, First Abu Dhabi , lost 1.3 percent. (Reporting by Davide Barbuscia; Editing by Andrew Torchia) Messaging: davide.barbuscia.reuters.com@reuters.net)) (Repeats story first published Friday with no changes to text.) By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - Nervous stock investors are hoping an unusually U.S. strong earnings season can restore some of the optimism that characterized equity markets last year. Imploding technology stocks and fears of a trade war have pummeled the market in recent days. Given the surge in volatility this year, there is no guarantee that worst is over. Analysts predict strong results when reporting season starts up next month, with first-quarter S&P 500 profit growth on track to be the highest in seven years, according to Thomson Reuters data. That follows a blockbuster fourth-quarter period, and recent corporate tax cuts that boosted forecasts for all of 2018. A robust earnings period would bring back the focus on fundamentals and possibly put a floor under prices, supporting views that the 9-year-old bull market will go on, strategists said. "It's going to be earnings," said Robert Pavlik, chief investment strategist and senior portfolio manager at SlateStone Wealth LLC in New York. "The market has given up so much that earnings can start to redirect attention back into a market that has gotten much cheaper relative to where we were." With this year's sell-off and rising profit forecasts, stocks also are near the cheapest on a price-to-earnings basis that they have been since late 2016. The S&P 500 is trading at about 16.5 times forward earnings, well below the 18.9 level it was at in mid-December, according to Thomson Reuters data. ( ) Stocks' rout in early February, and more recent selling following worries over a U.S. trade war with China, Facebook privacy issues and a collapse in other tech leaders, have made investors skittish and more likely to discount the relatively strong economic backdrop that persists. "We've been caught up in all of these things that could happen and may happen and that the sky is falling, but once earnings season kicks in, it's headline news and that steals away some of the negativity," said Daniel Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust Company in Atlanta. To be sure, next week brings the monthly U.S. jobs report, a potential catalyst for further volatility. A strong payrolls report in early February had helped spark the stock sell-off that drove the S&P 500 more than 10-percent below its Jan. 26 record high - a "correction." The job report briefly drove up bond yields and touched off worries that the Federal Reserve may need to speed up interest rate hikes. The S&P 500 is now about 8 percent below its record. Just in the first three months of this year, the S&P has jumped or fallen 1 percent on 23 trading days, three times the number of 1-percent moves it made in all of 2017. In 2016, there were 48 such days. Market participants agree that U.S. stocks are unlikely to return to the unusually calm conditions seen last year, when the Cboe Volatility Index , the most widely-followed barometer of expected near-term ups and downs for the S&P 500, logged a record low daily average reading of 11. The VIX hit a two-and-a-half-year high above 50 in early February. Expectations for U.S. earnings this year have jumped since December, when U.S. lawmakers approved sweeping changes to the tax law, including slashing the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. Growth in other major economies has also lifted profit forecasts for the large stocks that generate a lot of sales overseas. Analysts now expect first-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies to rise 18.5 percent from a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters data. The first-quarter S&P profit forecast is up 6.3 percentage points since Jan. 1, while the forecast for all of 2018 is up 7.7 points since then, based on Thomson Reuters data. That suggests the bar might be relatively low for the first quarter. "You still could see some relative upside there," said Keith Parker, U.S. equity strategist at UBS. Many companies already have announced plans for increased buybacks and dividends, or bringing cash back from overseas, and other ways to use their tax savings. More news on that front is expected this reporting period, which is set to start with reports from JPMorgan Chase and others April 13. "If we get a discussion of repatriation - what companies are going to bring back ... that will have a positive effect on the market," said Bucky Hellwig, senior vice president at BB&T Wealth Management in Birmingham, Alabama. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ GRAPHIC-S&P PEs, see ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; additional reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed; editing by Alden Bentley and Nick Zieminski) Reuters Messaging: caroline.valetkevitch.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) For the daily stock market report, please click )) By Yi Whan-woo Authorities in Pyongyang launched a crackdown after messages critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were found on walls in the capital, according to sources. "One of the messages was scribbled on a wall of the April 25 House of Culture," a source said. "The Supreme Leader ordered concrete measures and the authorities are working intensely to find out who did it." The authorities have been investigating North Koreans who come and leave Pyongyang while comparing their handwritings with the graffiti messages. Another source said Kim is trying to capitalize on the incident to beef up security and that officials at the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of People's Security and other security-related organizations are subject to a 30-day training "to revamp their mindsets politically and ideologically." "Kim even ordered to brief him on what the training will be about. It appears he is focusing on preventing the incident from recurring while tracking down the suspects." A third source speculated the anti-Kim message hints at public sentiment against the young tyrant. It mentioned the April 25 House of Culture has been a political symbol in North Korea. "People did not dare to write messages critical of Kim in public spaces in the past," it said. "People seem to be more and more disgruntled with Kim's rule." By Yi Whan-woo The United Nations, the United States and the European Union are stepping up efforts to ban trade with North Korea. On Friday, the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) blacklisted 27 ships, 21 companies and a businessman for helping North Korea evade sanctions. The sanctions come at the request of the U.S. despite President Donald Trump's planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in May. The UNSC's measure bans global port entry for 13 North Korean oil tankers and cargo vessels, and 12 other ships suspected of helping North Korea smuggle oil and banned commodities into the country. Two other North Korean ships were slapped with a global assets freeze. The 21 shipping and trading firms were also hit by an assets freeze. Twelve of them are North Korean, three are based in Hong Kong and two in China, while the others are registered in Singapore, Samoa, the Marshall Islands and Panama. A businessman named Tsang Yung Yuan was blacklisted for helping illegal shipments of North Korean coal. In 2017, the UNSC adopted four sanctions resolutions aimed at putting pressure on the North Korean economy in retaliation for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said Friday's designations were the largest yet against the Kim regime. Meanwhile, the European Union's trade volume with North Korea dropped 26.7 percent from 2016 to 17.73 million euros last year, according to data released Friday by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. The EU exported goods worth 12.64 million euros to the North and imported goods worth 5.09 million euros. The figures represented drops of 32 percent and 9.3 percent year-on-year, respectively. Germany, among the EU member nations, was the biggest exporter to the North with 3.86 million euros, followed by Denmark (1.96 million euros) and France (1.77 million euros). The Netherlands was the largest importer with 2.56 million euros, followed by Austria (824,000 euros) and Spain ( 458,000 euros). A doctor holds a sign at a rally in Seoul, March 18, protesting health insurance coverage proposed by President Moon Jae-in. The sign reads: 'A populist policy costs public health!' / Yonhap By Jung Da-min The conflict between the government and the medical community is heating up over the former's expanded health insurance coverage project called "Moon Jae-in care." The negotiation between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Medical Association (KMA), doctors' representative group, recently broke down. "Moon Jae-in care" aims to provide financial support for all treatments and medications including charges for MRIs, ultrasound, hospital room and nursing care. But the plan excludes support for cosmetic surgery and treatment. The state-led insurance plan will also cover costs of abdomen ultrasonography in April. This was part of President Moon's pledges he made last year during his election campaign to reduce increasing medical cost burden especially among the elderly. Doctors say they basically agree with the government's intention to help reduce medical costs amid the country's aging population. But they say the new policy is not sustainable, arguing they will have to work more hours to cover their losses. Currently, doctors here only get paid about 37 percent of the amount those in Organization Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries on average for treating a patient. They said this is extremely low. To cover potential losses under the policy, hospitals will have to cut costs by letting go of, or reducing nurses' salaries. "Doctors and nurses in Korea have to work three times more than those in other countries to make up for the losses," said Heo Dae-seog, a doctor at the Seoul National University College of Medicine in Seoul. "It poses safety threats as we have seen from a hospital fire in Miryang that killed 41 people, and a medical accident at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital that killed 4 infants." The two hospital accidents that happened in recent months are not irrelevant to the lack of manpower, the doctor claimed. Residents and nurses here have been struggling with poor work conditions. They mostly work overtime without getting appropriate salaries in accordance with the amount of hours they contribute to the current system. "The current health insurance system is ridiculously obsessive," said a student at a nursing college in Seoul. "I like the idea that hospital costs are getting lower. But the government is not communicating sufficiently with the medical community. This is why the current medical charge is absurdly low, leaving us to be exploited by hospitals to make profits." After the negotiations with the country's health authorities broke down, the KMA said that there will be no more talks with the government during KMA President Choi Dae-zip's term. Choi was elected as the president of the doctor community on March 23, surprising the community since he is considered an "extreme rightist or conservative" who has been supporting the imprisoned former President Park Geun-hye. In 2016, per capita medical spending stood at 1.27 million won, according to latest data by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. But medical treatment costs for each elderly person reached 3.8 million won on average. The aggregate amount of medical costs for the elderly is forecast to reach 91.3 trillion won by 2030, the institute noted. The total medical spending covered by the state insurance plan is expected to reach 126 trillion won in 12 years. Afghan interpreter Asadullah Najibullah has been jailed for drugging and raping a 14-year-old girl just months after he was allowed to live in the UK An Afghan interpreter with the British Army has been jailed for drugging and raping a 14-year-old girl just months after he was allowed to live in the UK. Asadullah Najibullah, 28, plied the girl and her two friends with vodka and cannabis after luring them to his flat to celebrate Bonfire Night. Najibullah then called for a taxi to pick up her friends, leaving him alone in the flat with the 14-year-old, who smoked some more cannabis. A court heard he then took off the girl's clothes and raped her while she lay unconscious on November 5, 2016. She only became aware of what happened when he sent her a photograph of her passed out and her mother contacted police. Najibullah, of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, admitted raping the girl and supplying her with cannabis at Warwick Crown Court. He was jailed for seven-and-a-half years and ordered to register as a sex offender for life on Wednesday. The court heard Najibullah had witnessed his policeman father murdered by the Taliban and went on to serve with the British and United States armies for three years. Najibullah, 28, plied the girl and her two friends with vodka and cannabis after luring them to his flat to celebrate Bonfire Night. He was jailed at Warwickshire Crown Court He came to the UK in 2015 because of fears for his safety in his home country and was given indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Judge Anthony Potter told him: 'You pleaded guilty to two offences, including the rape of a young and vulnerable girl, and the supply to her of cannabis in order to facilitate that rape. 'This was almost a year after you had arrived in this country, having been relocated here at the instigation of the Ministry of Defence. 'She [the victim] was young and vulnerable, and you were significantly older, 26 at the time, and had a life experience well beyond her conception. 'You had vodka which you supplied to her, and you had cannabis which you supplied to all three. 'That was a considered act, and once her friends had left, you took her telephone. 'By that stage she was having difficulty co-ordinating, and during the course of the rape she passed out. 'I have to bear in mind your previous exemplary conduct. 'You served with the British Army, and with the United States Army, in Afghanistan, and over the course of some three years you provided continued support as an interpreter. 'You have been witness to a number of events which have had a continuing effect on you, and you were only in this country because the MoD believed there was a risk to your life if you remained in Afghanistan. 'It is a sad feature of this case that you have chosen to repay that support by behaving in the way you did.' Prosecutor Matthew Brook said: 'She had smoked (cannabis) before, but this had a very unusual effect on her, and she had difficulty moving her arms and legs. 'There was a suspicion there was something else in it as well. 'In the living room he tried to kiss her. 'He was aware she was only 14. 'She said 'no,' but he didn't desist, and she tried to push him away. 'He started to pull her clothes from her. 'She was trying to move her arms and legs to stop him, but with little effect. 'He then got on top of her and raped her.' The girl was not aware of how it ended, because she passed out, and her next memory was of waking up some time later. She left the flat, but Najibullah kept phoning her, asking to meet. He approached her a number of times as she was on her way to school, on one occasion showing her a photograph he had taken of her while she had been unconscious in the flat. Two weeks later, her mother became aware something was wrong because her daughter kept getting phone calls which seemed to worry her, so asked her what was going on. When she was told what had happened, she called the police, and Najibullah was arrested. He denied knowing the girl or having any sexual contact with her - but pleaded guilty after DNA evidence was found on his pyjama bottoms she had put on after the rape. Graeme Simpson, defending, said Najibullah had 'put his life and safety at risk' by assisting the British forces in Afghanistan, and the Ministry of Defence believed he would be in danger if he remained there. He added: 'He says today he did wrong and deserves to be punished. 'He says he's happy to be punished for what he did.' South Korean warship Munmu the Great is heading to the sea off Ghana to save sailors kidnapped by pirates. / Korea Times file South Korea has deployed an anti-piracy warship to the sea off Ghana after three South Korean sailors were kidnapped by pirates, Seoul's foreign ministry said late Saturday. The 500-tonne Marine 711 with about 40 Ghanaian and three South Korean sailors was boarded by unidentified pirates last Monday. The pirates seized the three South Koreans and escaped on a separate speedboat, with their current whereabouts unknown. The Marine 711, registered in Ghana, later arrived at a port at Ghana where the Ghanaian sailors disembarked, according to the South's Yonhap news agency. South Korea's military said the pirates had been identified as Nigerians, Yonhap reported. Munmu the Great, a South Korean warship that had been involved in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, had been sent to the nearby sea, it said. "We are closely coordinating with local countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Benin as well as the US and the EU to locate our nationals and secure their release," the foreign ministry said. The pirates have not yet demanded a ransom in return for the release of the abducted sailors. (AFP) By Kang Aa-young, Park Si-soo A young Korean man was injured in Japan's Osaka region when a mid-aged Japanese man attacked him with a knife, reports said on Saturday. The attack happened in a convenience store near Tennoji Park at 8:45 p.m., Friday. The victim was paying at the counter when the man stabbed him from behind in the right side of his stomach, and then fled. The Korean was taken to hospital with a non- life-threatening injury. The alleged attacker, 45, was caught on Saturday and will be charged with attempted murder, reports said. Police confirmed that the men did not know each other. The suspect reportedly told police he stabbed the Korean because he had "looked down" on him. It is unknown if the suspect has a mental disorder. Police said it could be a hate crime against a Korean. By Kang Aa-young, Park Si-soo A Malaysian man has been jailed for a year over a fake kidnapping phone scam. The man, 37, was caught in January after making a phone call to a randomly selected person in Ulsan on Jan. 8. He told the receiver that he had kidnapped his daughter and demanded 27 million won ($25,399) ransom. The father wired the money but soon realized he had been duped. He reported the incident to police, who caught the suspect days after. The Malaysian was found to be a member of a domestic voice phishing syndicate. The suspect told police he took 500,000 won from the wired money and shared the rest with his colleagues. Police are looking for other people involved. "With phone fraud emerging as a serious social headache, the accused deserves stern punishment," Ulsan District Court judge Oh Chang-seop wrote in a ruling statement. By Lee Kyung-min A decades-long conflict between police and the prosecution over the exercising of investigative prerogatives is flaring up, amid mounting public calls for more "checks-and-balance" to be instituted to "rein in" powerful prosecutors. Currently, both police and prosecutors can investigate criminal cases, but the police have limited autonomy as they are required to be under the prosecution's supervision. Only prosecutors can seek an arrest warrant for suspects, a key element in investigative rights denied to police and thus significantly undercutting their authority. When did it begin? Korea's criminal law was largely based on the Japanese system, an inevitable result following the latter's 1910-45 occupation of the former. Under such a system that prioritized centralization of power, police were to obey prosecutors, a requirement that enabled the former colonial power to better control the indigenous Korean police. Between 1945 and 1948, when U.S. forces temporarily administered Korea's affairs after Japan withdrew following its defeat in WWII, the possibility was raised that a U.S. system should be adopted where only police handle investigations and prosecutors handle indictments. But the idea was dismissed as the new sovereign country required the prompt investigation and prosecution of criminals, followed by the enactment of a law in August 1948 governing the prosecution. This law required police to be under the supervision of the prosecution. At the time, however, both police and the prosecution were able to seek arrest warrants in accordance with the Constitution declared a month earlier in July 1948, under which all persons were guaranteed bodily integrity and no arrest, physical detention, search, questioning, punishment or forced labor. The principle was upheld in 1954, when the country first established its Criminal Law. The government's legislative efforts to revise the law to grant only the prosecution the right to seek arrest warrants in 1954 and 1957 both failed. However, the police were excluded from exercising the powerful right following the fifth constitutional revision in 1962 made by a decision-making body which exclusively exerted legislative, judicial and executive power. The group comprised of high-ranking military officers who helped former strongman Park Chung-hee take power in a military coup a year earlier, prioritized strengthening the power of prosecutors over "checks and balances," thereby consolidating the ruling military class. Seeking balance The issue re-emerged in 1997 when then liberal presidential candidate Kim Dae-jung pledged to give more autonomy to police officers, a campaign fiercely protested by prosecutors. Kim pursued the issue after taking office by seeking legislative measures under which police were allowed to open or continue investigations without the supervision of the prosecution, but the debate made little progress due to the opposition of prosecutors. The President, in turn, floated the much less "threatening" idea of police investigating violent crimes concerning ordinary people, not cases involving high-profile figures, but he ended up withdrawing the effort due to the rapid escalation of a fight between the two institutions. However, graduates of the National Police Academy organized a campaign to demand independent police investigations, a strong collective move met by corresponding opposition expressed by the justice ministry which oversees the prosecution. Kim ordered then-Justice Minister Park Sang-chun and then-National Police Agency Commissioner General Kim Kwang-sik to halt any discussion of the issue. Years later, former President Roh Moo-hyun tried to materialize what failed under his liberal predecessor Kim, an attempt which initially made progress but ended up in vain as police and prosecutors failed to narrow their differences in recognizing whether former should be independent of the latter. Cheong Wa Dae officials under President Lee Myung-bak drafted a "forcible compromise," under which police were allowed to open investigations without prosecution approval. The measure still placed police under prosecutors' supervision, but removed the "command-and-obey" clause, a significant improvement in autonomy. The right-wing administration's "unexpectedly active" role largely reflected brewing public criticism of the prosecution following the suicide of Roh, who many believed was left with few options following what liberals dubbed "harsh and dehumanizing" questioning. The questioning was led by Woo Byung-woo, the corruption-ridden former presidential secretary for civil affairs under the Park Geun-hye administration, who "infamously" said, "You are not here as a former president, nor are you here as my senior colleague for passing the state-administered bar exam. You are nothing but a suspected criminal sitting here over a bribery allegation." Roh committed suicide in May 2009 amid an intensified prosecution investigation into a bribery allegation that his family received about $6 million from businessman Park Yeon-cha in return for business favors. Fierce debate is expected as a recently unveiled Cheong Wa Dae-led Constitution revision seeks to remove "prosecutors" from a clause that stipulates the subject of who can seek an arrest warrant. During a public address March 20, presidential secretary for civil affairs Cho Kuk said, among 35 OECD countries, no nation _ except for Mexico and Greece _ in their Constitution stipulates "who" should seek an arrest warrant, adding Korea would follow such legal precedents in removing the subject of the sentence. The measure, however, is not to deny prosecutors the right to seek arrest warrants, Cho added, as they remain the sole entity allowed to seek arrest warrants under the Criminal Law. Unless a revision to the law ensues, the status quo will continue, he added. Activists who oppose the joint military exercises stage a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Sunday. They claimed the drills which began Sunday could damage the reconciliatory mood between Koreas created since the PyeongChang Winter Olympics last month. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Lee Min-hyung South Korea and the U.S. started their joint military drills Sunday, keeping them low-key amid the ongoing mood for inter-Korean reconciliation. The annual exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle were scheduled to begin early last month, but Seoul and Washington agreed to postpone them in response to a rare peace signal from Pyongyang during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Unlike last year, the Ministry of National Defense did not promote the beginning of the drills. Both countries agreed to hold Foal Eagle, a combined field training exercise for four weeks, from Sunday, shortening the period from last year's two months. The computer-simulated Key Resolve will also be held for two weeks from mid-April. For the toned-down exercises, the defense ministry and the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) is not expected to deploy strategic weapons such as the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and B-1B bombers. By Lee Min-hyung The government plans to open a website to share up-to-date information with the public on the upcoming inter-Korean summit, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday. The presidential office said it is mulling launching a website dedicated to providing details from the preparatory stages to the results from the summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In particular, the platform will also be used as a channel for the public to access details from media coverage. The government is also mulling live broadcasted greetings from Moon and Kim via the platform once reaching an agreement with the North, according to the presidential office. "We decided to open the platform, as part of our efforts to provide concrete and detailed information with the public about the summit," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. The presidential office said the site may open in a couple of weeks, as the inter-Korean summit falls on Apr. 27. Local public as well as foreign media will be able to access the website to view images, videos and any written statements about the summit. Ahn Cheol-soo speaks at the National Assembly, Sunday. / Yonhap By Park Ji-won Ahn Cheol-soo will announce his bid Wednesday to run for the post of Seoul mayor in the June 13 local election as the Bareun Mirae Party (BMP) candidate, party officials said Sunday. There have been rumors that Ahn will run for Seoul mayor for months. Ahn is considered the BMP's strongest candidate for the Seoul mayoral election. Ahn made his presidential bid as the third-largest party's candidate in the last presidential election against then-ruling party candidate Moon Jae-in and served as the chief of the minor opposition People's Party, which is now split into the BMP and the Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP). So far, three members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea have announced their bids for Seoul mayor: Incumbent Seoul mayor Park Won-soon, who is seeking re-election, fourth-term lawmaker Park Young-sun and former DPK floor leader Woo Sang-ho. Backed by the high approval rate of the President Moon Jae-in and its party DPK, the DPK candidates, are considered to win the election for Seoul mayor if there is no powerful contender. In particular, critics expected Park Won-soon, will likely win the position again, supported by his performance as the incumbent mayor regardless of strong candidates from the same party. Thanks to the move, the DPK candidates have been focusing on building strategies to win over the same party members, however, Ahn's presence may change the landscape of the Seoul mayoral election. If he throws his hat in the ring, the mayoral race would be an encore of the 2011 by-election to choose the Seoul mayor candidate. In that race, Ahn made way for Park Won-soon, then-Seoul mayor and member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea as part of the unifying opposition forces. Ahn's yielding to Park helped Park win the election with Ahn's support. Also, Ahn will likely play himself as a representative for the conservatives to attract votes as there are no conservative candidates. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) hasn't been able to put up any candidates. The LKP leader Hong Joon-pyo has proposed possible candidates to run for mayor, but none of them accepted. As the BMP is the merged party of the conservative Bareun Party and the centrist People's Party, the BMP's Ahn can appeal to the conservatives with the party's conservative background, while the opposition LKP has no candidate. Meanwhile, Ahn Cheol-soo needs to win the post through the BMP internal election against the former People's Party spokesman Chang Jin-young, who declared to run for Seoul mayor. By Lee Kyung-min Many young part-time workers expressed frustration Thursday over a pending law, the delaying of which they claim allows employers to continue abusive behavior. The largely unemployed group with no stable income and aged between 15 and 34 urged swift passage of the law, under which the government should indemnify them for past wages employers failed to pay. Despite President Moon Jae-in's major campaign pledge on workers' rights improvement, no substantial change is expected any time soon given more "pressing" matters including the June 13 local election, reducing working hours and the state-set 7,530 won ($7) hourly minimum wage . "I asked my convenience store manager for extra pay for late hours that I didn't sign up for," said a student in her 20s. "I said I might file a report with a district office under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and he said he would call the police on me for eating food that had exceeded its expiration date, which he said I could. I couldn't do anything because he said he had me on surveillance video footage." The experience is only one of many similar stories shared by young part-timers whom the proposed legislative efforts seek to protect. Introduced by Rep. Lee Yong-deuk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea as well as 15 other lawmakers last July, the law seeks to ban abusive employer behavior including paying monthly wages in 10 won (1 cent) coins, which workers say is out of pure spite for "demanding what is rightfully theirs." The law also seeks to ban verbal and physical abuse, and grant unemployment benefits to those who lose their part-time jobs after three consecutive months of work. The comprehensive efforts to improve worker rights followed the death of a 24-year-old part-time worker, surnamed Park, a month earlier. Park, who was killed in a car accident while delivering food on a motorcycle, was speeding to meet the requirement of a "30-minute rule," under which workers are required to deliver food within 30 minutes after receiving an order, or are subject to a wage cut. The delivery person makes 300 won per order. Data from the labor ministry showed the government recognized 223 individuals who sustained injuries or died while delivering food, as having suffered industrial accidents over the past three year. The number of victims is believed to be far higher, given many more workers were denied the recognition or failed to report their experiences with the ministry. The harsh treatment of young workers comes amid the continued violation of the existing Labor Law. According to data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, half of employers with young part-timers failed to comply with state-set regulations. Of 211 counts of violations, more than half, or 52.1 percent failed to draft a labor contract between employer and employee, followed by failure to notify state-set minimum wage (18 percent) and failure to conduct anti-sexual harassment training (10 percent). China's Tiangong-1 spacecraft will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere at some point on Monday (April 2), China's Manned Space Agency said in a statement. No one knows for sure where debris from the spacecraft may land and many experts believe much of the craft is expected to burn up during the re-entry. South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT said on Sunday it expects the Tiangong-1 to re-enter Earth's atmosphere sometime between 7:26 a.m. and 3:26 p.m. on Monday (2226 GMT to 0626 GMT). The 10.4-metre-long (34.1-foot) Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace 1", was launched in 2011 to carry out docking and orbit experiments as part of China's ambitious space program, which aims to place a permanent station in orbit by 2023. (Reuters) By Wang Xiangwei By mutual agreement, the reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Beijing and his meetings with President Xi Jinping last week were meant to be kept top secret until he left China. The Chinese authorities, which equally value secrecy, were happy to oblige. Official media reports about Kim's visit were not released until he was safely back in his own country on Wednesday morning. This has given rise to black humor on Chinese social media platforms. One of the better jokes regards the perfect timing of the massive sandstorm that swept much of Northern China, coinciding neatly with Kim's brief stay from Sunday night to Wednesday. The sandstorm, which turned the skies darkish yellow and greatly reduced visibility, was said to have been "man made" to prevent U.S. satellites from spotting and targeting Kim's special dark green train rumbling through China and his motorcade in Beijing. On a serious note, in this age of social media and camera phones, it is incredibly difficult for the Chinese authorities to keep such a visit secret, despite their great power. As soon as Kim's armored train had crossed the Chinese border, rumors and pictures of sightings started to fly on social media platforms. China's high-speed trains were delayed to make way for Kim amid heightened security regarding railway tracks and train stations. The "secrecy" just added a dash of mystery to Kim's first overseas visit since he took power in 2011, a visit that marked his international debut. Although the visit was officially labeled "unofficial," Xi gave Kim the whole works: a welcoming ceremony with a full military honor guard in the Great Hall of the People, a formal meeting, welcoming banquet, a lunch between the two leaders and their wives, and a night performance of songs and dances. According to Chinese footage on national television, a beaming Xi told Kim his visit came "at a special time of great importance." "We speak highly of this visit," Xi said. Indeed, it came amid dramatic developments on the Korean Peninsula over the past few months, ahead of a summit between Kim and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, in April and a historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, possibly in May. Official accounts of meetings between Xi and Kim struck a very positive note as both countries promised to restore traditionally close ties that have been frayed in recent years. Xi said China would continue to play a constructive role in the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and Kim expressed his willingness to meet Trump and discuss denuclearization. Their meetings are significant on many levels. By some accounts, Xi executed a masterstroke in pulling off the meeting at a time of tense ties with the United States, helping burnish Xi's status as world leader. But Kim still in his mid 30s looks like an equal winner, if not the bigger one, out of the meeting, and more importantly, has proved to be a manipulator much more skilful than the outside world gives him credit for. According to official North Korean media reports, Kim disclosed that North Korea first put forward the proposal for him to visit China and expressed appreciation that Beijing had acted quickly to make the trip possible. First, their meetings signaled that China was back at its seat at the head table. Ever since Trump announced this month that he would meet Kim by May, there have been concerns that China is likely to be sidelined and lose its peacemaker status in one of the world's most explosive issues right on its doorstep. Moreover, ties between the US and China are spiraling downwards over a looming trade war, and U.S. decisions to send government officials to visit Taiwan and warships to patrol the disputed South China Sea. A successful meeting between Trump and Kim would risk driving a wedge into China's ties with North Korea ties which have been stressed over the latter's repeated missile tests and China's backing of UN sanctions against the regime. Given China's historical ties with North Korea, the meeting will definitely ease growing concerns over future relations with North Korea within China's ruling elites and ordinary people alike. On Wednesday, editorials released by the People's Daily and Xinhua news agency, while heaping praise on Xi's leadership skills, interestingly stressed that the meeting showed Xi's decisions and strategies on the North Korea issue were "perfectly right." On the same day, the Chinese government announced that Yang Jiechi, a politburo member in charge of foreign affairs, would visit South Korea the next day and on Friday, presumably to brief South Korean officials about the meeting and discuss other related matters. Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that the Chinese government had briefed the Trump administration about the visit and passed "a personal message" from Xi to Trump. All this has even prompted speculation that China will help facilitate a venue for the Trump-Kim meeting. After all, it is hard to imagine that Kim, worried about his safety and known for his aversion to flights, would risk venturing far from his country, without enough protection. But Kim is also a sure winner. The meeting with Xi will strengthen his bargaining power ahead of his meetings with Moon and Trump. Secondly, the meeting signaled that the traditionally close bilateral ties between China and North Korea are back on track. According to Xinhua reports, neither of the leaders mentioned their strained ties and instead talked like old friends. Xi reminisced how the older generations of leaders of both countries trusted and supported each other and paid frequent calls on each other, like relatives. The Xi-Kim meeting was the first since Kim came to power in 2011, soon followed by Xi in 2012. Xi proposed and Kim agreed that they should keep in frequent contact through visits, special envoys and letters to each other. For his part, Kim said he was "greatly encouraged and inspired" by Xi's views and promised to work together to bring the bilateral ties to a new level, Xinhua reported. For the Chinese, the Xinhua reports and the television footage have shown a seemingly deferential Kim in the presence of Xi, the elder statesman, reflecting traditional Asia culture. Xi is turning 65 this year while Kim is 36. Kim certainly knows how to please Xi, using deferential language. After congratulating Xi on his re-election as party chief and president, Kim said it was his "obligation to come to congratulate Xi in person." When they started to talk about the dramatic developments over the peninsula, Kim again used flattery, saying he felt he should come in time to tell Xi in person of the situation "out of comradeship and moral responsibility." All this has gone down well not only with Xi and other Chinese leaders but also with ordinary Chinese. Many Chinese people, including officials, have a romanticized view of ties with North Korea because of the long historic connections in which North Korea was a tributary state in China's feudal dynasties and also because China sent millions of PLA soldiers to fight the Americans during the Korean war in the 1950s. They view North Korea as a little brother who should be deferential to the big brother. But such views are fallacies. Historically, Korea was a tributary state but Koreans' independent streak always remained strong. Even after the Korean War, in which hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers died fighting for the Kim family, the Kims were never beholden to the Chinese. Kim's father and grandfather were skilful operators in playing off China and the former Soviet Union to their own advantage, whether in terms of securing weapons, food supplies and other help, or sweet talking more territory from China. As China beats its war drum, who should hear its call? Despite his relatively young age, he himself has proved a ruthless and skilful dictator from purging the old guard from his father's era to having his uncle and elder brother killed to reduce the influence from China. The latter two were known for friendly ties with China. As Kim has ruled his country with an iron fist and kept it closed to the outside, he is mostly described in overseas media as a trigger-happy mad man, a deadly menace to the rest of the world. This has not been helped by the war of words between Kim and Trump. Trump famously described him as "a rocket man" and Kim returned the favor, calling Trump a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard". However, Kim's international debut in Beijing shows there is much more to him than meets the eye. He came across as confident and mature and willing to compromise all in all, looking like an astute player in this complex and potentially explosive game of geopolitical chess. Wang Xiangwei is the former editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post. He is now based in Beijing as editorial adviser to the paper. As most of you already know, people often do not buy a premade PC, they create their own configuration. Pre-made still sells though, some people just dont want to go through all that trouble and simply ask for an opinion on what is in store, By Robert Skidelsky LONDON The poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia at an Italian restaurant in Salisbury has driven an important story off the front pages of the British press. Last month, the former actor and comedian John Ford revealed that for 15 years, from 1995 to 2010, he was employed by Rupert Murdoch's Sunday Times newspaper to hack and blag his way into the private affairs of dozens of prominent people, including then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Discussing the techniques he used, Ford said: "I did their phones, I did their mobiles, I did their bank accounts, I stole their rubbish." Some of the most prominent names in British journalism are likely to be tarnished by this and other revelations of illegality and wrongdoing. The basic plot goes back to the foundation of the free press with the abolition of licensing in 1695. To fulfill what has been seen since then as its distinctive purpose holding power to account a free press needs information. We expect a free press to investigate the exercise of power and bring abuses to light. In this context, one inevitably recalls the exposure of Watergate, which brought down President Richard Nixon in 1974. But actual scandals are not necessary for the press to do its job. The very existence of a free press is a constraint on government. It is not the only one: the rule of law, enforced by an independent judiciary, and competitive elections held at regular intervals are no less important. Together, they form a three-legged stool: take one, and the other two collapse. We continue to view the press as our defender against an over-mighty state, despite politicians' often-craven performance in the face of media pressure. This is because we have no proper theory of private power. The liberal argument is both simple and simplistic: the state is dangerous precisely because it is a monopolist. Because it controls the means of coercion and levies compulsory taxes, its dark doings need to be exposed by fearless investigative journalism. Newspapers, by contrast, are not monopolists. They lack any power of compulsion, so there is no need to guard against the abuse of press power. It does not exist. But while a press monopoly in its pure form does not exist, oligopoly prevails in most countries. If, as economists claim, the public good emerges from the invisible hand of the market, the market for news is quite visible and visibly concentrated. Eight companies own Britain's 12 national newspapers, and four proprietors account for more than 80 percent of all copies sold. In 2013, two men, Murdoch and Lord Rothermere, owned 52 percent of online and print news publications in the United Kingdom. Were it not for the success of the press in rendering its own power invisible, we would never rely on self-regulation alone to keep the press honest. Efforts to bind the British press to a standard of "decent" journalism have been tried and failed repeatedly. There have been six commissions of inquiry in the U.K. since 1945. Each one, established after some egregious abuse, has recommended that "steps be taken" to protect privacy; and each time, the government has backed down. There are two main reasons for this. First, no politician wants to turn the press against him: Tony Blair's wooing of Murdoch, owner the Sun, the Times, and the Sunday Times, is legendary, as was its pay-off. The Murdoch press backed Labour in Blair's three election victories in 1997, 2001, and 2005. The other reason is more sinister: newspapers have "dirt" on politicians, which they are willing to use to protect their interests. In 1989, following pressure from Parliament, the government commissioned David Calcutt to chair a committee to "consider what measures (whether legislative or otherwise) are needed to give further protection to individual privacy from the activities of the press and improve recourse against the press for the individual citizen." Calcutt's key recommendation was to replace the moribund Press Council with a Press Complaints Commission (PCC), which was duly created. In 1993, however, Calcutt described the PCC as "a body set up by the industry, financed by the industry, dominated by the industry, and operating a code of practice devised by the industry and which is over-favorable to the industry." He recommended its replacement by a statutory Press Complaints Tribunal. The government refused to act. In March 2011, a Joint Committee of Parliament reported that "the current system of self-regulation is broken and needs fixing." Because the PCC "was not equipped to deal with systemic and illegal invasions of privacy," the committee set out proposals for a reformed regulator. The same year, following criminal prosecutions for telephone hacking which led to the closure of Murdoch's News of the World, then-Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Lord Justice Brian Leveson to head an inquiry into "the culture, practices and ethics of the press; their relationship with the police; the failure of the current system of regulation; the contacts made, and discussions had, between national newspapers and politicians; why previous warnings about press misconduct were not heeded; and the issue of cross-media ownership." Leveson tackled his remit to make recommendations for a new, more effective way of regulating the press with "one simple question: who guards the guardians?" The first part of the Leveson Report, published in 2012, recommended an industry regulator whose independence from the newspapers and government alike was to be assured by a Press Recognition Panel, set up under a Royal Charter. To pre-empt what they called "state control," the newspaper proprietors set up an Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO), accountable to no one but itself. True to previous form, the government then gave up, overruling the opinion of Leveson himself that further inquiry was needed to establish the "extent of unlawful or improper conduct by newspapers, including corrupt payments to the police." Indeed, Leveson doubted whether the IPSO is sufficiently different from its predecessor, the PCC, to have resulted in any "real difference in behavior" at all. Although some British press outlets are uniquely vicious, striking the right balance between the public's need to know and individuals' right to privacy is a general problem, and must be continually addressed in the light of changing technology and practices. The media are still needed to protect us against abuses of state power; but we need the state to protect us from abuses of media power. Robert Skidelsky, a member of the British House of Lords, is professor emeritus of political economy at Warwick University. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate ( www.project-syndicate.org ). Islanders still traumatized by 1948 crackdown Jeju Island is known within and outside Korea as a tourist destination. But it has a tragic past that many Koreans do not even know about. On Tuesday, the islanders will mark the 70th anniversary of a government crackdown that took the lives of many Jeju citizens. The people of Jeju are still hurting over the April 3, 1948 Jeju uprising in which government forces massacred civilians. The civilians were protesting against elections scheduled for May 10, 1948 by the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea only for the south of the Korean Peninsula. The protesters were opposed to the establishment of a separate government in the South for fear of permanently dividing it from the North, which the Soviet Union was backing. Amid the ideological division following the 1945 liberation from Japanese rule, the government crackdown lasted for seven years and seven months, and around 10 percent of the island's population of 300,000 people was killed. About 33 percent of the victims were children and the elderly. Many islanders had family members that were affected, but so far the rest of the nation has been indifferent and know little about the tragedy. To some Koreans, the incident has been misunderstood as a communist rebellion. Apart from the 1950-53 Korean War, the Jeju uprising remains one of the darkest periods in Korean history. Although the uprising happened 70 years ago, the government only recently started to take an interest in telling the truth and trying to heal the scars. It was only in 2006 during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration that the government apologized for its role in the civilian massacre. But efforts to remember the victims and restore their honor were disrupted during the conservative administrations of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye. Efforts to heal the scars of tragic events in history should continue regardless of who is in power. President Moon Jae-in should take the 70th anniversary of the Jeju uprising as an occasion to console the people of Jeju, many of whom still live with the trauma of the massacre. Finding the truth about the Jeju massacre was one of Moon's election pledges. The government should sincerely apologize for its role in the brutal killings. Parties should also take more interest in truth-finding activities and reparations for the victims. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has gone one step further to ensure that Japan's students grow up learning that Dokdo, Korea's easternmost islets, are Japanese territory. Tokyo approved new textbook guidelines claiming sovereignty over Dokdo last week that will be used for high school textbooks starting in 2022. The move comes after the Japanese government endorsed guidelines claiming sovereignty over Dokdo, called Takeshima in Japan, for elementary and middle school students in April 2017. It is unacceptable for the Japanese government to reinforce a distorted history education with baseless territorial claims. Japan must remember that history education must be based on facts. Based on international law and historical facts, there is no doubt that Dokdo is an integral part of Korea from ancient times. Tokyo must withdraw efforts to spread its wrongful territorial claims. Such efforts are splashing cold water on President Moon Jae-in's efforts to mend Korea-Japan ties which were strained due to the two countries' differences over a bilateral deal signed during the previous Park Geun-hye administration on resolving the issue of the so-called comfort women. The victims of wartime sexual slavery by the Japanese military remain strongly against the deal, which Tokyo has called a "final and irreversible" resolution of the issue. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced Tokyo for adopting the new textbook guidelines and lodged a complaint with Japanese Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine. Seoul should continue to deal sternly with Japan's wrongful claims on Dokdo. Tokyo should also refrain from reigniting historical rows with Korea at a time when strong bilateral relations are vital for close security cooperation. You want Hijin's bag. You do. You also want her swag. You do. /All photos by Michael Hurt By Michael Hurt The twice-yearly (late March and late October) industry event Seoul Fashion Week just ended last Saturday. While not too long ago it was a local event (the "Seoul Collection") without much influence or impact outside Korea, the event is now a de rigueur point of coverage in global fashion media, from Vogue and HighSnobiety to Hypebeast and The South China Morning Post . All the coverage is generally effusive and flattering to a fault, and also serves to solidify Korea's recently earned image as the best-dressed and creatively coolest spot in Asia, if not the world. And almost all the sartorial enthusiasm is about "street fashion" not the runway. So-called "street fashion" is a strange and wonderful thing that is almost as oxymoronic as it is deceptively simple and self-explanatory. "Street fashion" as it is talked about in the days since the concept of the "straight-up" was introduced in i-D magazine in 1984 as straight, unfiltered pictures of real people from "the street", has always contained the connotation of "real" or "everyday" clothing what actual people wear normally, day-to-day. While that's always been a part of the appeal, the notion of street fashion evolved quite a bit when Aoki Shoichi introduced the youth fashion subcultures of the Harajuku/Shibuya areas of Tokyo as expressed in their "street fashion" to public consciousness throughout Tokyo and Japan, then eventually the world. As the sheer weirdness and wildness of these "street fashion" looks both helped define while also benefitting from the growing image of "Cool Japan" in other fields, the wild looks of the putative "Harajuku girl" implicitly suggested that her look defined everyday reality in Japan, even as few Japanese people actually ever looked like that. But that's the trick "street fashion" is supposed to be "real" in some sense, but it isn't. It's involves staging, especially as it has become a central part of the "fashion week" across the world, especially after photographer Scott Schuman popularized it in its ultimate mediated form the fashion blog in 2008 as The Sartorialist. And Seoul Fashion Week is the ultimate example of wonderful staging, especially after the construction of Ur-architect Zaha Hadid's master work the Dongdaemun Design Plaza . There's a lot more going on here than just bright colors and eclectic layering. This particular paepi ("fashion people") made his street fashion-style earrings and creatively mixed together a bunch of seemingly disparate cultural texts into his own statement of identity. He is a master channeler of the recent Korean societal narrative that you are what you consume, as is the entire generation of young people born in the 21st century or even in the 1990s, after Korea began its change from a development economy that eschewed consumption as a moral drag on what scholar Charles Kim calls "wholesome modernization." During the time of suppressing youth culture through stigmatizing Western cultural consumption, cutting men's hair by force and the measuring of women's miniskirts, conspicuous consumption and overly confident sartorial display were condemned as amoral and even a sign of sociopathy. But today is a new era. In a culture that glorifies consumption as a nationalistic virtue, it is inevitable that street fashion paepi who are exemplars of these new modes of thinking the putative "creative economy" and the shipping overseas of Korean-produced popular culture as the export called hallyu (the "Korean wave") now regularly challenge older societal norms of dress and behavior, blur gender role boundaries, and generally delight in smashing as many social roles and rules that modernity has historically foisted upon them. Seong-gyeong is a florist who wanted to make a point about gender and tattoos and coming to Seoul Fashion Week to show off her new thigh tattoo as an act of normalizing this for women was her thing. INSTA: @pomegranate_99_ This brings us back to the question of what is "real" or representative about so-called "street fashion" displayed on the stage of the DDP at Seoul Fashion Week. Is Seon-gyeong's desire to challenge societal norms normal or representative of most Korean people? Is this not a "fake" staging of a reality that never actually existed? Or is she not simply a non-representative outlier? Or, alternatively put, "No one I know in my office/school/apartment complex dresses like this. These kids are crazy!" Announcers Seo Hyunhee (@_seosarang_) and Soomin Ahn (@soomingoo) model modern takes on the Korean traditional hanbok aesthetic. Announcer Soomin Ahn (Insta @soomingoo) offers a fresh take on Tradition, as a new spin on the hanbok, mixing western and Korean sartorial texts of a (traditionally, men's/western) jacket and (Traditional/flower) patterns, as well as a contrast of recent markers of "street fashion" through the fishnets and the Korean ggotshin worn by upper class women during the Joseon era. Well, maybe they are, a little bit. But they're also fiercely creative within a matrix of imperatives and programming directives in which that should actually be unlikely, as a consumer who should just blindly buy, buy, and buy more; they're not supposed to be remixing their articles of consumption into newly created cultural texts. They're not supposed to be producers even as they are consumers. He's actually brought the 8-bit world (back?) into reality. His concept: SHARK. But they are. They're producing fashion looks that are as competitively cool as those of much older, mature and developed fashion markets and cultures around the world. They push the boundaries of convention, from gender and sexuality, along with other social roles and even common sense. And that vivacity has turned the DDP during SFW into a veritable pageant of their purported vanities. Every third week of March and October the DDP fills with thousands of people who come not only to see the paepi but the fashion energy with which they've filled Zaha Hadid's highly unusual, darn near aliensocial space. They're the new social aliens who have managed to fill up the spaceship sitting parked in the middle of Dongdaemun. The entire official event of Seoul Fashion Week has become mere window dressing and a backdrop for the unofficial main attraction of street fashion. The DDP's unique space of "parametricism" (allowing the social use of the space to truly transform according to the group occupying/utilizing it) has allowed the building to become the runway itself. Zaha Hadid's DDP during SFW enables a kind of automatic inclusivity that allows everyone to join in the fashion festivities. Her "parametricist" design is a ramp that allows everyone access and the free transformation of its social use allows everyone to be Fila fresh. In conclusion, the youth have managed to turn consumption into creation even as they have built themselves from a domestic fashion fandom into an actual engine of cultural production within the nationalistic hallyu project to which the global fashion world is paying close and undivided attention. They have also brought "street fashion" to the level of the haute couture runway that predicts where dominant clothing and cultural trends are going in a way that high-fashion runways used to. Not only has a small group of young, street fashion paepi managed to turn their consumptive pursuits into a source of socially productive activities within the local economy, they've managed to flip a global mode of mediated social (sartorial) interaction into something in which Koreans/Korea can successfully participate; it has become a field in which Koreans/Korea has come to actively dominate. And anytime Koreans/Korea becomes globally recognized as the best at something in the international arena, is that not instantly recognized as a social good unto itself, and more simply put, as success? And on a deeper, more analytical level, how interesting is it to watch a youth(ed) fashion culture smash modern Korean categories of identity related to age, institutional identities, gender and class to be remixed beyond recognition, markers of real and original social identities to be remixed past their meanings, to turn modern notions of participation in a national economy dependent on consumption using wages from work as a separate societal activity into participation by seeing consumption as productive work unto itself? That is, in short, pretty amazing. This first-year fashion design major made this outfit (including the CHARMS branded bag) to attend the CHARMS runway show that day. It is an example of amazing creativity as she consumes and reproduces dominant trends in her look, some of which are "fake," but who cares? Yaejin learned to make her own looks as a high school senior, which is also when she designed her own traditional hanbok and modeled it in a fashion show before college! CREDITS: HEAD ASSISTANT: Nitzah Vazquez ASSISTANTS: Suna Choi, Wu Di, Yu Bin Sul, Iyanu Ogunjobi Michael Hurt By Kang Seung-woo The nation's web portal rivalry is expanding to cryptocurrency, raising expectations the main portals will release their own virtual coins soon. According to Kakao, operator of Korea's most popular messaging app Kakao Talk, it is planning to launch an affiliate focusing on blockchain technology, tentatively named "Kakao Blockchain." Blockchain technology powers cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. Jason Han, the chief technology officer of startup accelerator Futureplay, has been appointed as CEO. However, the Pangyo-based firm said specific plans for the subsidy have yet to take shape. "When to establish and what to do are under discussion," a Kakao official said. Kakao's engagement in the cryptocurrency sector is a familiar scene. The company already uses a blockchain-based mobile authentication service in its mobile payment platform Kakao Pay. In addition, it holds a 20 percent stake in Dunamu operating the nation's largest cryptocurrency exchange. By Park Si-soo South Korea's leading crypto exchange and a mobile payment service provider will work together to make virtual currencies available at thousands of outlets here. The partnership was made on Monday between crypto exchange Bithumb and Korea Pay's Service, operator of mobile payment service Pay's. About 200 franchise brands will allow customers to use the service to pay at 6,000 outlets across the country. Among the brands are desert cafe Sulbing, Cafe Droptop, seafood buffet restaurant Todai and candle store Yankee Candle. By Cho Se-yong, Park Si-soo Seoul City plans to float its own cryptocurrency, tentatively named S-Coin, that could be used in city-funded welfare programs, said mayor Park Won-soon. The city will release a regulatory guideline, along with a "Blockchain master plan" by the end of April. The mayor also plans to launch a public fund to help advance blockchain technology and nurture related startups. Park unveiled the plan in a recent interview with Coindesk Korea, a Korean news outlet specializing in cryptocurrency and blockchain issues. "Seoul is one of the cities that are leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution," Park said. "So it's natural (for the city) to study and invest in new technologies such as blockchain." A Kumho Tire union member casts his vote in a ballot on the tiremaker's sale to China's Doublestar at a company factory in Gwangju, Sunday. / Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo The union of financially-troubled Kumho Tire voted Sunday to accept its creditors' plan to sell the tire maker to China's Doublestar. In a vote held among 2,741 union members, 1,660 or 60.6 percent okayed the sale, which union leaders, management and creditors had agreed to in principal a day earlier According to the plan, Doublestar will purchase a 45 percent stake in Kumho Tire for 646.3 billion won ($608 million) through a rights issuing in the next three months. With more than half of the union members agreeing to the plan, Kumho Tire avoided court receivership. Starting from a 27 billion won commercial paper which is due today, other liabilities are also reaching maturity. The company's total debt is 2.4 trillion won. Following the agreement, the Korea Development Bank (KDB) -- the main creditor -- will sign a sales contract with Doublestar. The stake held by eight creditors of Kumho Tire will drop to 23.1 percent from 42 percent. The creditors had already decided to reschedule Kumho Tire's 1.3 trillion won debt which was due March 30, if the union agreed to the sale plan. Also the KDB will inject additional money to cover looming debts. A 200 billion won loan will be extended to help the company deal with urgent expenditure including on facility improvements. Doublestar has pledged to invest in Kumho Tire and guarantee job security for the existing 5,000 employees, including about 2,000 office workers, for three years after the acquisition. It vowed to remain the major shareholder in the company for the next five years or until creditors sell their remaining shares. In return, union members agreed to forego their bonuses for 2018 and 2019 as well as a wage freeze until 2019. A vote to accept the deal was expected, because the members were aware of the risk of the company being liquidated after being placed under court receivership. Kumho Tire's liquidation value of 1 trillion won far outweighs its "going concern" value of 460 billion won. However, the percentage voting yes was lower than anticipated, as some union members reportedly balked at the foreign acquisition, citing their concern over massive layoffs after three years, and technology theft. While the deal solves Kumho Tire's liquidity crunch, these union members claim there will be no reason for Doublestar to keep factories in Korea operating. The Qindao-based company is currently facing limits in building additional facilities in China due to the government regulations. So it resorted to buying Kumho Tire, which has several factories in China. However, these factories are running at a loss. The union claims Kumho Tire's factories in Gwangju and the surrounding area require additional facilities investment, thus giving them no value for Doublestar. The union had demanded a 10-year plan from Doublestar but received no additional response. "For the union, there is no other option but to believe Doublestar for the time being," an industry official said. "It remains to be seen whether the Kumho Tire case will end up the same as the SsangYong Motor sale to China's Shanghai Automotive Industry." The 2004 sale of Ssangyong Motor was heavily criticized as the Chinese company allegedly took the company's core technologies while not investing enough to strengthen the Korean carmaker's competitiveness. Shinsegae Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin speaks at the group's job fair at COEX convention center in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Wednesday, revealing a plan to build a 30-story logistics center for its online shopping business in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province. / Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye Shinsegae Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin's plan to build a massive facility for the group's online shopping business in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, is facing a setback due to opposition from politicians based in the region as well as local residents. Earlier, the retail giant won a contract to purchase a whopping 21,422-square meter lot in the region for 97.2 billion won ($91 million) to build a 30-story online logistics center, which many say could become the Korean version of Amazon Fulfillment Center if the plan gets implemented. The signing of the contract with the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) had been scheduled for March 30. But the signing was postponed as Rep. Lee Hyun-jae of the Liberty Korea Party who represents the region, just southeast of Seoul, as well as Hanam Mayor Oh Soo-bong expressed their opposition to the plan. The politicians cited protests from local residents who are concerned the logistics center would cause traffic congestion and environmental and safety problems. A day before the signing of the contract, a high-ranking official from the retail giant reportedly met with Rep. Lee at the latter's office in the National Assembly and delivered the group's decision to postpone the signing. A Shinsegae official said the group is still in consultation with the LH, stressing that it is not withholding or suspending the plan. "We will go forward with the plan after holding briefing sessions for local residents to raise their understanding and secure their consent," the official said. On Wednesday, last week, during the group's job fair at the COEX convention center in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, Chung revealed the plan to build the massive logistics center to control its online shopping business in a bid to strengthen its e-commerce business. He said the center could be a "landmark" of the region, noting that it will be a state-of-the-art facility far surpassing those of Amazon. "It will not be a simple logistics center, but will be a core part of the online mall SSG.com, which is the heart of our online shopping business," Chung told reporters. At that time, Shinsegae said it plans to separate the SSG.com as an independent company, and keep its core facilities and workforce in the new building. In January this year, Shinsegae signed memoranda of understanding with two foreign investors on their investments, worth more than 1 trillion won, and was about to invest this into the construction of the logistics center. But, during his visit to the LH's Hanam office, a day after Chung's announcement, Rep. Lee said the center would cause great inconvenience to local residents as it would cause huge traffic congestion at the Hwangsan junction, a main entrance to the city. "The LH said it could reexamine Shinsegae's plan, considering a case in Guri," the lawmaker said. "And I strongly demanded that Shinsegae immediately suspend its plan through consultation with the LH." Shinsegae faced a similar setback last year when it planned to build a logistics center for its online shopping business in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. At the time, the group purchased a 16,528-square meter lot there to build the center, but withdrew its contract only four months later due to protests from local residents. They also raised concerns over potential damage to residential and educational environments as well as traffic jams. The Shinsegae official stressed, "As long as controversy exists, we will not push ahead with the contract. We are willing to resolve a misunderstanding through sufficient dialogue with local residents." Meanwhile, opinions also differ as to whether Chung's plan to enter the U.S. market with its supermarket brand in May next year will succeed. The plan was announced at the job fair, along with one to build the logistics center, with Chung saying that the group is seeking to open a PK Market store in the U.S. PK Market is Shinsegae's premium grocery store, and has two outlets here at Starfields Hanam and Goyang in Gyeonggi Province. The concept of the envisioned store in the U.S. is expected to be a "grocerant," like at Starfields Hanam. The grocerant, cited as the future of food shopping, is a new term describing a hybrid of grocery stores and restaurants, in which shoppers can purchase high quality prepared meals that can be taken home or eaten on site. "We are about to sell not only Korean food but also other Asian food including Japanese and Chinese groceries that can attract U.S. citizens," Chung said. He went into details about a potential location as well, saying the group is seeking to make a foray into the western U.S., including Los Angeles, first. He added the group was originally planning to enter Beverly Hills, but decided to hold off until next time due to the extremely expensive rental fees there. But skeptics are raising concerns that the propensity to consume appears to be different in the U.S. than in Korea, claiming that the concept of the premium grocerant would not be as successful in the U.S. as expected. In addition, Shinsegae's envisioned store would face fierce competition with Whole Foods Market, acquired by Amazon. Amazon earlier said the two companies "will together pursue the vision of making Whole Foods Market's high-quality, natural and organic foods affordable for everyone," adding that "As a down payment on that vision, Whole Foods Market is immediately offering lower prices on a selection of its best-selling grocery staples across its stores, with more to come." Pallbearers carry the coffin out of Great St Marys Church at the end of the funeral of theoretical physicist Prof Stephen Hawking, in Cambridge, Britain, March 31, 2018. / REUTERS The life of renowned physicist and author Stephen Hawking was celebrated Saturday in English city of Cambridge, with hundreds of well-wishers lining the streets for a glimpse of the hearse carrying his remains to a private funeral. There was a spontaneous burst of applause outside St. Mary the Great church when the hearse arrived. The bells of the church tolled 76 times, one for each year of Hawking's remarkable life. Hawking was remembered as a brave man who triumphed over motor neurone disease by continuing his research into space and time even after paralysis set in and his muscles faded. Some 500 invited guests attended the funeral for Hawking, who died on March 14. People wait for guests to arrive for the funeral of British scientist Stephen Hawking at the Church of St Mary the Great, in Cambridge on March 31, 2018. / AFP Actor Eddie Redmayne, who portrayed the scientist in the 2014 biographical film ''The Theory of Everything,'' gave a reading from Ecclesiastes during the service. There was also a reading by Astronomer Royal Martin Reese and eulogies by one of Hawking's children and a former student. Hawking's family released a statement saying they chose to hold the funeral ''in the city that he loved so much and which loved him.'' Flags were lowered to half-mast in many parts of Cambridge to pay tribute to Hawking. The service was officiated by the Rev. Cally Hammond, Dean of Cambridge University's Gonville and Caius College, where Hawking was a fellow for 52 years. A private reception was held afterward at Trinity College. Jane Hawking (C), first wife of Stephen Hawking, arrives with her son Tim (R) to attend the funeral of British scientist Stephen Hawking at the Church of St Mary the Great, in Cambridge on March 31, 2018. / AFP Hawking was known for his groundbreaking research into black holes and other phenomena. He was also the best-selling author of ''A Brief History of Time'' and other books and a pop culture figure known for, among other things, his appearance on ''The Simpsons'' TV series. Hawking will be cremated at a later date and his ashes are to be interred at London's Westminster Abbey near the remains of fellow scientist Isaac Newton. (AP) Gwen Clayton Bobbi Jenks, sales manager for KPC Media Groups Fort Wayne office, speaks with job seekers at the Rotary Club of Fort Waynes Career Expo at IPFW March 24. 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. If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit Last year, Chinese investors interested in buying or developing property in Southern California peppered World Trade Center Los Angeles officials with questions about how best to break into the market. Whats the difference between city governments and county governments, they might ask. Or, are tax incentives for hotel builders better in Los Angeles or Santa Monica? But daily questions such as those have nearly ceased as Chinas feared pullback from overseas investments has been borne out. Stephen Cheung, president of the nonprofit agency that promotes international trade and business, said the agency is now getting about one request a month for guidance. Advertisement Our time used to be dominated by Chinese interests because of the billions of dollars flowing in from China alone, said Cheung, who once helped a company that wanted to enter the L.A. market and instead mistakenly signed a memorandum of understanding with Pasadena. (Los Angeles Times ) Chinese companies have been among the biggest commercial real estate investors in the Los Angeles area in the last five years, spending more than $5 billion to buy property in the region during that time, according to brokerage Cushman and Wakefield. That includes the sites of billion-dollar condominium, hotel and retail complexes being built downtown and large airport-area hotels that have been upgraded by their Chinese owners. But they are withdrawing from some high-profile ventures as leaders in Beijing constrict the flow of money out of the country. In August, Chinas State Council laid down new regulations on outbound investments to reduce the risk of runaway debt and to blunt capital flight. Also dramatically on the wane is Chinese investment through the federal EB-5 program, which allows foreigners to apply to become legal U.S. residents in exchange for investing $500,000 or more in a business that creates or preserves at least 10 jobs. Millions of dollars raised by individual Chinese investors angling for green cards in past years have paid for such major projects as the trendy Dream Hotel complex in Hollywood and the Courtyard Los Angeles L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. There has been a huge fall-off in EB-5 funding, said Los Angeles attorney Jim Butler, who helps arrange investments from overseas through the program. (Los Angeles Times ) Advertisement EB-5 funds from China have fallen to 28% of their normal flow established over the three previous years, Butler said, citing data from NES Financial. Part of the decline in EB-5 investment can be traced to uncertainty over the programs future, which has been linked to various frauds and was reauthorized by Congress in the new federal budget bill only until Sept. 30. But the broader, rapid retreat of Chinese capital in recent months is being imposed by Beijing, Butler said. In a recent report, Cushman and Wakefield estimated a 55% drop in Chinese investment in U.S. commercial real estate took place in 2017, falling to $7.3 billion from $16.2 billion in 2016. Advertisement In the Los Angeles metropolitan area, property acquisitions by Chinese investors declined 67% in that time period even though overall investment volume fell just 1%. There also has been a significant shift in the type of Chinese investors buying property in Los Angeles, Cushman and Wakefield broker Marc Renard said. Previously, the capital was primarily from the large state-controlled conglomerates, he said. Today, it is, for the most part, very high net worth individuals. A rendering of a proposed $1.2-billion luxury condominium complex in Beverly Hills that Dalian Wanda has put on the market. (Richard Meier and Partners Architects ) Advertisement One of the most notable pullbacks has been by Beijing-based Dalian Wanda Group, one of Chinas largest private companies. It is looking to sell 8 acres of land on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills that is widely regarded as one of the most desirable development sites in the country. The land formerly occupied by a Robinsons-May department store sits next to the Beverly Hilton and the recently completed Waldorf Astoria hotel. It was approved for construction of a $1.2-billion luxury condominium and hotel complex called One Beverly Hills designed by renowned architect Richard Meier. A Wanda Group spokesman declined to comment on the planned sale. Wanda purchased the site for about $420 million in 2014 but has not broken ground. A rendering of the $1-billion Metropolis condominium, hotel and retail complex upon completion. (Greenland USA ) Advertisement Chinese mega-developer Greenland USA recently started shopping around two key buildings in its $1-billion Metropolis complex in downtown Los Angeles the Hotel Indigo and the 56-story Condo Tower 3, which is still under construction. Whether Greenland ultimately sells depends on how much buyers are willing to pay, said Hu Gang, chief executive of Greenland USA. The potential for any future sale, Hotel Indigo or Condo Tower 3, would be decided based on the ebb and flow of the real estate market and the strength of the offer, Hu said in a statement. The first two condominium towers in Metropolis have attracted strong interest from buyers, Hu said. Units are selling for more than $1,000 per square foot, according to real estate marketing company Mark Co. Advertisement Greenland will finish the second tower this year, Hu said, and is committed to completing the third tower in early 2019. Its unusual to sell a skyscraper under construction, but not unheard of in a hot market. Sales of units in the third tower have not begun Still, the speed of Chinas retreat is unusual for U.S. real estate markets, which typically shift at a more stately pace, said Michael Soto, research manager at real estate company Transwestern. Companies have obviously been ordered by the government to sell off or dispose of foreign properties, he said. This is state-directed capitalism at work. Otherwise, why are you selling this stuff so soon after its been acquired or is still being built? The slowdown in Chinese investment here differs from the hard exit by Japanese landlords in the early 1990s who dropped many of their prominent U.S. properties back on the market, Soto said. Advertisement Japanese bought trophy properties at the peak of the market in the late 1980s. They were forced to unload at a loss a few years later when the economies in both countries dipped. These are longer-term projects with longer outlooks, Soto said of the Chinese developments. Most of the major Chinese investment in the region has been in buying and upgrading existing hotels such as the Los Angeles Airport Marriott and Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles, and prominent sites for mixed-use development in Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles, most of which is still going forward. A rendering of the $1-billion Oceanwide Plaza on Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles upon completion. (Williams New York ) Advertisement One of the largest developments underway is Oceanwide Plaza, a mixed-use project on Figueroa Street across from Staples Center that will include a Park Hyatt hotel and more than 500 luxury condominiums along with shops and restaurants. Beijing-based conglomerate Oceanwide Holdings has fully funded the $1-billion project, Thomas Feng, chief executive of Oceanwide Plaza, said in a statement. The project, featuring a 700-foot outdoor LED screen stretching its length, is set for completion at the end of next year. Other major Chinese projects are also apparently still on track in downtown Los Angeles. A planned $700-million condominium and W hotel complex at Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard by Shenzhen Hazens Real Estate Group has nearly completed the city approval process. Advertisement A rendering of the $1-billion Grand Avenue Project on Bunker Hill, which recently received some Chinese funding. (Gehry Partners / Related Cos. ) And the $1-billion Grand Avenue Project on Bunker Hill designed by architect Frank Gehry is set to begin construction in the fall, funded in part with $290 million from a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Group, one of Chinas largest state-owned companies. Indeed, Cushman and Wakefield in its recent report predicted Chinese capital will continue to be a force in U.S. real estate markets. Jim Costello of Real Capital Analytics said that even though Chinese investors continue to pull back on new investments, they are not bailing out en masse and are still buying more than they are selling. Advertisement But, he added, Beijing has asked certain companies to pull back so they wont be as active in the near term, and there will be more selling. Some property owners may sell simply out of prudence, he believes, instead of in response to government fiat. Just because you arent a state-owned company doesnt mean you are immune from social pressure to reduce financial risk, he said. Sometimes a suggestion can be just as important as a regulation. Advertisement roger.vincent@latimes.com Twitter: @rogervincent ITALY, CROATIA & SLOVENIA Presentation Walking guide Gary Scott will share photos, stories and travel tips about the Italian Dolomites, Croatia and Slovenia. When, where: 6:30 p.m. April 6 at the Adventure 16 store, 11161 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles Advertisement Admission, info: Free. (310) 473-4574. JOSHUA TREE Day hike Hike to the Desert Queen Mine, one of Joshua Trees longest-running and most profitable mines, and explore old tailings and sites where miners lived and worked. Learn about desert plants along the way. When, where: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. April 7. Oasis Visitor Center, 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms. Admission, info: $45. (760) 367-5535 Please email announcements at least three weeks before the event to travel@latimes.com. If someone told you about a giant bunny hanging out in a Napa vineyard, you might suspect he or she had sampled too much of the grape or, given the date, was an April Fool's prankster. Youd be wrong in either case. There is a bunny a very big bunny hopping around wine country. He (or she) certainly must be a cousin of a giant dog in Denver, three large yellow hats in Salinas, Calif., and many other supersized attractions. Now you might argue that these works are visual junk food, not art. Could be. But theyre also whimsical reminders that vacation can loosen the bonds around our workaday brains and let us suspend reality, if only for a little while. Weve gathered 10 from California and the West that we think are worth a detour. Fort Stockton, Texas Not all roadrunners rate their own Google Maps designation. Paisano Pete does. The supersize Fort Stockton mascot is 22 feet long and 11 feet tall and has greeted visitors to this West Texas frontier town since 1980. Pete, who stands midstride on giant legs, received his handle in a naming contest. Paisano Pete was for many years the World's Largest Roadrunner. At 22 feet long and 11 feet tall, he's still pretty big. Witold Skrypczak / Getty Images/Lonely Planet Image The big bird is reason enough to jump off the lonely stretch of Interstate 10 between El Paso and San Antonio to take a look. Alas, Pete isnt the biggest faux roadrunner around (one in Las Cruces, N.M., stands 20 feet tall), but hes the biggest thing Fort Stockton has going. What to know, where to go: Its a 10-minute turnoff from the interstate to Main Street and Dickerson Boulevard. Park at the nearby visitor center and cross the street to line up the kids for a photo. Historic Fort Stockton Convention & Visitor Bureau Denver One of the most beloved dogs in the Rocky Mountain state stands guard outside the Denver Animal Shelter. Sun Spot rises to 20 feet and is made from 90,000 stainless-steel dog tags attached to a mesh base. The tags tinkle in the wind and give the dog a permanent sparkle. At night, LED lights bathe him in an orange-reddish glow. At Denver's Municipal Animal Shelter, "Sun Spot" is a 20-foot-tall metal dog sculpture covered with over 90,000 shiny stainless steel dog tags. Denver Arts & Venues You can see Sun Spot from Interstate 25, but its best to visit the shelter to take a photo. Go inside the LEED-certified building and youll find Sun Spots enormous dog collar. Make a donation and you can hang a tag on the collar inscribed with the name of your pet or maybe, while youre at the shelter, find a new four-footed companion. What to know, where to go: Try to go on a sunny day when the dog is at his sparkly best. Youll find Sun Spot at the Denver Animal Shelter,1241 W. Bayaud Ave. Jackson, Wyo. Tourists pose for a photograph in front of one of four elk antler arches at the entrances to George Washington Memorial Park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Robert Alexander / Getty Images No elk was harmed in the making of four remarkable 15-foot antler arches in the center of Jackson. Each arch is made from about 2,000 antlers woven onto a steel frame and weighs up to 14,000 pounds. Elk shed their majestic racks in spring. The antlers were collected at the nearby National Elk Refuge. The first arch went up in 1953 and became so popular with visitors, the city created three more in the 1960s. Since then, theyve been replaced after becoming brittle and battered by the elements. If you want to take home a pair of antlers, visit Jackson during the annual ElkFest on May 19 and 20 when the local Boy Scouts host their 51st antler auction. Last year, they brought in $178,000, most of which will be spent on making improvements at the refuge. What to know, where to go: Head to Jacksons town square, officially known as George Washington Memorial Park, 10 E. Broadway. You cant miss the creepy yet beautiful arches on each corner. Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center North of Roswell, N.M. An installation on Highway 285, 73 miles north of Roswell. 18 feet tall. A non-commissioned piece showing two Cowboys arguing with one another, with cars driving in the middle of the heated exchange. John Cerney Next time youre driving on a quiet highway north of Roswell, N.M., look for two 18-foot-tall cowboys on opposite sides of the four-lane road. The wooden cutouts point and glare at each other in stances that suggest theyre itchin for a fight. I wanted the viewer to be part of the scene, so youre driving in the middle of the argument, said John Cerney, the Salinas, Calif., artist who created the pair. The open spaces became the ideal canvas for re-creating a fight he once witnessed (although the combatants were prostitutes, not cowboys) in his signature super-sized art. The Cowboys are two-sided so that both directions of traffic can see the argument. John Cerney The sneering cowboys are based on two brothers who own the land on which their likenesses stand. (They get along in real life.) What to know, where to go: Youll find Cowboy Ruckus, as the artwork is called, on U.S. 285, 73 miles north of Roswell. It doesnt matter which direction youre driving; the cutouts are double-sided. Pull over and you can walk to the figures. Klamath, Calif. Visitors on U.S. 101 in Klamath for decades have slammed on their brakes and pulled over to gawk at the mega-mighty Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. The pair is unforgettable. Bunyan, whose face has a permanently startled look, is 49 feet tall and has a 52-foot waist. He waves and sometimes speaks. Most people strike a pose on the toes of his 10-foot-tall boots. A giant, talking Paul Bunyan statue and his famous blue ox, "Babe"is a perfect photo opportunity at the Trees of Mystery attraction off Hwy 101 in Klamath, Calif. Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times Babe measures 35 feet, from the ground to the tip of her horns. Its easy to stop and photograph the pair for free outside the Trees of Mystery redwood attraction. But Pauls story continues amid carvings and big trees on the Trail of Tall Tales. See what he did there? Sucked you right in. Where to go, what to know: You cant miss these two on U.S. 101 about 36 miles south of the Oregon border. Checking out the trees and trails costs $18 for adults, $9 for kids 6 to 12. Trees of Mystery St. Helena, Calif. When you see a 35-foot gleaming rabbit leaping over vines in Californias wine country, pull over. The rabbit at the entrance to Hall Napa Valley winery in St. Helena has become such a popular roadside surprise theres a sign that tells visitors the best place to stand to take a selfie. Bunny Foo Foo, created by artist Lawrence Argent, takes its name from a childrens poem (Little Bunny Foo Foo/hopping through the forest/scooping up the field mice/and bopping them on the head). "Bunny Foo Foo" is a 35-foot stainless steel leaping rabbit sculpture at Hall Wines vineyards in St. Helena. Lawrence Argent Vintner Kathryn Hall, who had a soft spot for the silly poem she shared with her children when they were young, commissioned the piece. BFF, as its called, has made his way onto the Halls wine labels. At this time of year, youll find him toting a giant basket of Easter eggs. Where to go, what to know: Bunny Foo Foo is pretty easy to catch at 401 St. Helena Highway. Hall winery, (707) 967-2626 Castroville, Calif. The Giant Artichoke on Castrovilles main drag looks as though its squeezed between two buildings, but who wouldnt stop to take a photo with a 20-foot-tall vegetable? It was built in the early 1970s and belongs to the Giant Artichoke Restaurant next door. There you can try artichoke nachos ($10.25), a meatless burger made with artichoke hearts and spinach ($10.75) and a fresh, steamed artichoke ($6.75). Stick around for the Artichoke Festival on June 2 and 3 for more foods that take their cue from the spiky green thistle. A little girl checking out the Giant Artichoke of Castroville. Joe Parzanese / weirdca.com Where to go, what to know: The Giant Artichoke stands guard at 11261 Merritt St., Castroville. Dont try to snap a photo as you drive by; park the car and take your time. Salinas, Calif. Three giant yellow hats stand as a love letter to the farm-proud town of Salinas. Artist Claes Oldenburg and his wife, Coosje van Bruggen, who died in 2009, designed the aluminum hats, which are almost 10 feet tall. The three are staggered at different heights to convey the way a single hat would float to Earth after being tossed at a rodeo, fitting because Salinas is home to the California Rodeo Salinas, July 19-22 this year. Officially titled "Hat in three stages of landing," the artwork was built by Claes Oldenburg in 1982. Trish Triumpho Sullivan The artists painted them yellow, for the sun vital to the agricultural valley, and made a brim shaped like a saddle, a nod to the towns western spirit. Salinas is one of the smallest communities in the world to host an Oldenburg sculpture. You can get pretty close to the hats, but the trick is how to fit them in one photo. Where to go, what to know: Its free to visit whats officially titled Hat in Three Stages of Landing at Sherwood Community Park, 940 N. Main St., Salinas. California Welcome Center, (831) 757-8687 Desert Hot Springs, Calif. Waokiyes weathered face seems appropriate for someone carved from a 750-year-old redwood. The 1978 sculpture in Desert Hot Springs is part of a larger tribute to Native Americans by Hungarian-born artist Peter Wolf Toth, who created similar statues in every U.S. state and several Canadian provinces. Not all survived, but Waokiye did. His face is 22 feet tall, and his head is topped with a massive 15-foot cedar feather, adding a touch of dignity and whimsy. Waokiye carving at Cabot's Puebla Museum in Desert Hot Springs. David A. Lee Toth, who lived in Hungary during the Soviet occupation, felt a kinship between the oppression his people suffered and the suffering of Native Americans. The statue stands outside the Cabots Pueblo Museum, a Hopi-inspired pueblo built in 1941 as the residence of Cabot and Portia Yerxa. Where to go, what to know: You can see Waokiye on your own or take a museum tour that also features Native American art collections in the 35-room former home. Cabots Pueblo Museum, 67616 E. Desert View Ave. San Diego Love it or hate it, you cant deny the power of the Kissing Statue. It has been an off-and-on fixture at the Port of San Diego since 2007. The 25-foot statue by Seward Johnson was inspired by a famous 1945 photograph of an exuberant sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on the day the Japanese surrendered, effectively bringing World War II to a close. A view of the Super Blue Blood Moon is seen in San Diego, Calif. Sandy Huffaker / AFP/Getty Images Critics have dismissed the artwork as tacky and gaudy, but dont tell that to the hundreds of thousands who seek out the giant couple and share an identical kiss. Some even get married there. The original Unconditional Surrender sculpture stood at Tuna Harbor Park until 2012. It was replaced by a sturdier painted bronze statue in 2013 and the name changed to Embracing Peace. Where to go, what to know: To get the full impact of the big, sloppy kiss, park your car and check it out on foot. Theres a grassy area, bench and views of San Diego Bay. Cosplay fans may be tempted to get in character or not. Tuna Harbor Park, 3 Tuna Lane Freddie Brandon was known for her Easter dinners featuring a menu her family could recite by heart: turkey wings, ham, greens, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie. But Sunday was no holiday for the family of the 78-year-old grandmother, whose body was found Friday afternoon inside her ransacked apartment in the 5900 block of West Boulevard in Hyde Park. Paramedics responded to a call about a cardiac arrest, but the police suspect homicide. No arrests have been announced by the Los Angeles Police Department. It isnt like she had a safe in there with money or diamonds and gold chains, said her daughter Mia Brandon. Why would they target my mommas house to go and rob her? Advertisement Brandon said her mother had lived in the ground-floor apartment for 22 years and was friendly with neighbors and the customers at the liquor store next door. Crime is fairly common in the area, she said. A screen grate on the back door appeared to have been cut, Mia Brandon said, and a dresser had been knocked over. Possessions were strewn about. Brandon said she wasnt sure if anything had been stolen. Freddie Brandon (Courtesy Rashanda Jones ) Freddie Brandons granddaughter, Rashanda Jones, lived in the apartment with her and was the first to find her after arriving home on Friday. Jones, 26, said her grandmother appeared to have suffered trauma to her head. I feel numb. That was all I knew, to be honest. She was all I had, Jones said. Born in Mississippi, Freddie Brandon had worked as a waitress long ago and raised seven children as a single mother, said Mia Brandon. She was given the nickname Rock Steady Freddie because she loved to dance, mostly to oldies. She liked to sit and drink wine and laugh, Mia Brandon said. In recent years, Freddie Brandon had been put on a pacemaker and had suffered injuries. She couldnt fight back. She was on a walker, Mia Brandon said. The only thing they robbed my mom for was her life. Advertisement maya.lau@latimes.com Twitter: @mayalau One by one, the buses pulled up to the Orange County Hall of Administration last week carrying posters with messages such as No Tent City and No Homeless in Irvine. Many of the hundreds on board were immigrants, and this would be their first experience joining a political protest. A week earlier, county officials announced that they were considering placing emergency homeless shelters in Irvine as well as in Laguna Niguel and in Huntington Beach. All three cities immediately fought the plan, but the opposition was most fierce in Irvine. Many of the loudest voices in the movement to block the shelter plan were Chinese Americans who came together through social media apps and various community groups. They were joined by immigrants from South Korea, India, Mexico and the Middle East, along with some whites. Advertisement They rallied to protect their community from what they see as the ills of homeless camps, which many argued dont belong in their famously clean, safe, family-oriented planned community. Their protests helped persuade the Orange County Board of Supervisors to overturn the shelter proposal, leaving the county without a homeless plan at a time when the population is growing and officials are shutting down tent cities along the Santa Ana River. It was a big political victory for the diverse opposition from Irvine. But it also came at a price, with some accusing the residents of intolerance and simply wanting to keep the homeless out of their own cities without offering an alternative solution. Homeless camp along the Santa Ana River. (Los Angeles Times ) Where will homeless go? Orange County is now struggling to figure out what to do. Many of the homeless people who were moved from the Santa Ana River trail are staying in motels, but the last of the remaining vouchers handed out to them have started expiring. No one is sure where they will go next. Homeless advocates have sued the county to stop the camp evictions, and a federal judge has demanded the county do whatever it takes to find more shelter space. While homelessness is a regional problem, it was a very local one to the Irvine residents. Most protesters arrived in 24 buses chartered from Southern California travel agencies, the culmination of eight days of organizing in Irvine by residents. Did you see how we created a presence to keep our neighborhoods safe? Look at those crowds! It was like Chinese New Year, said Kelvin Hsieh, manager of a high-tech company who signed up to ride the bus and marched with his daughter, fifth-grader Ava. Advertisement Like Hsieh and others on the buses, Haiying Snider, a fashion designer, said she has never engaged in political issues but felt motivated to get involved in this fight because it felt so close to home. Chunzhu Yu, a dentist with offices in Irvine and Orange, said he paid about $5,000 to sponsor seven buses, taking half a day off from seeing patients to air his views. We had to go to defense mode to keep trouble away, Yu said. WeIrvine, a Chinese internet services company with about 40,000 members, used its social media platform to spread the word about the plan to locate one of the emergency shelters in Irvine. Advertisement Organizing though social media WeIrvine co-founder Guoqing Wu stepped up to cover five buses and volunteered the groups time to help share information via WeChat, a Chinese messaging app connecting thousands of households in Irvine. We didnt do it alone, said fellow co-founder Richard Xiaoxiang Lu. No one knows the county officials, and most of us have never been to their meetings. But we had people from every community say, I need to go there to speak up. Asians are usually quiet, you know. Not this time. Parrisa Yazdani, an Irvine mother of two of Japanese and Iranian descent, launched a Facebook page called Irvine Tent City Protest that ballooned to more than 5,000 members in a few days. People who I never knew were calling me night and day and asking to do whatever they could to help. Its really proof that we are a community dedicated to a mission, like never before, she said, partnering with Lu and Wu to navigate the flow of information. Advertisement Irvines demographics (Los Angeles Times ) An affluent, booming city Irvine is an affluent, fast-growing and ethnically diverse city, so its no surprise that the protesters would be diverse as well. Asians make up 45.7% of Irvines 258,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, while whites and Latinos make up 38.2% and 7%, respectively. Among its residents, 65% are college graduates. Irvine boasts a median home value of $740,000. The residents rejected the idea that they are being elitist, arguing that they were simply trying to protect their city and their families. All of us came here and stayed here for one reason family. No tent city thats our message. Irvine never said, no homeless people, Yazdani said. Advertisement Im not closed-minded, added Alex Lu, a pharmaceutical scientist from Irvine. I want to listen to all sides, and when I went to the protest I tried talking to the homeless advocates. We really welcome hearing about what they need. Yes, we totally welcome discussion, added accountant Spring Chen, who participated in the protest along with her 69-year-old mother, who brought two friends, ages 76 and 82. This is tax season my busiest season of the year but I havent worked for days because I could not ignore this. Joe Yan, a WeChat community leader, paid for two buses and said that part of the reason Irvine succeeded is because its master-planned communities allow easy connection between one village to another. Suresh Paulraj, an Indian American resident of Cypress Village, described the organization style as precise, almost like the military. We can learn from this to help us activate in the future. Advertisement Suburban tracts of Irvine. (Los Angeles Times ) A regional problem, local politics Officials in Santa Ana, where homeless camps have overwhelmed the Civic Center area, have argued that other communities need to help share the burden. Irvine is now the third-largest city in Orange County, behind Anaheim and Santa Ana. The sweeps of homeless camps along the Santa Ana River began after complaints of filth and crime by residents in the nearby cities of Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fountain Valley. Lili Graham, a homeless advocate and litigation director for the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, described the Irvine effort as amazing but misguided. The proposed shelter site in the city had already been zoned and determined to be appropriate for emergency shelters, she said. It was a loud group, but in a county of 3 million, its one group. There was a lot of leadership there and there needs to be a lot of leadership on the county level to solve this issue, she said. Advertisement But some Irvine residents said the solution should not include their city. They need to put them somewhere, maybe somewhere else in California, resident Angela Liu, who owns a legal services company, told the Board of Supervisors. I really dont know where they can go. But Irvine is beautiful, and we dont want it to get destroyed. Her view was far from isolated. Officials and residents in Huntington Beach and Laguna Niguel expressed similar sentiments. U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) said he joined the outrage that we are assuming responsibility for homeless people, taking care of their basic needs and elongating their agony. We have compassion The emergency shelter plan was designed to provide more services to the homeless who were being evicted from the river camps. Under the aborted proposal, people would be sent first to a site in Irvine, which would have a capacity of 200, then to Huntington Beach, which would have a capacity of 100. If more shelter was necessary, they would be taken to property near City Hall in Laguna Niguel, which could serve up to 100. The sites would be used only after current county shelters reached capacity, with housing in tent-like structures. Advertisement Its still possible that Irvine could host more homeless services. Irvine Mayor Don Wagner and Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer announced Wednesday that they are partnering to push fast-track opportunities to build permanent housing for women and veterans in the city. This proposal stirred the curiosity of protesters, who said they would wait for more details to be released after officials do more research. We have compassion, dont doubt it, Alex Lu said. None of us are rich. We all have mortgages. We all work hard to have what we have, and we want to assist finding a long-term solution for the homeless. anh.do@latimes.com Advertisement Twitter: @newsterrier The death of an elderly South Los Angeles woman, who authorities initially believed had suffered a fatal heart attack, is now being investigated as a homicide, authorities said. Firefighters responded to an emergency call about a cardiac arrest about 4 p.m. Friday at the womans apartment in the 5900 block of West Boulevard in Hyde Park, said Officer Tony Im of the Los Angeles Police Department. (KTLA) The paramedics believed the woman might have been assaulted and notified police, who launched a homicide investigation, Im said. It was determined that the woman had been killed about 3:30 p.m., he said. Advertisement The womans daughter identified her as Freddie Brandon, according to ABC7. She told the TV news station that a relative living with her mother discovered her body. We just want justice for my mom, Mia Brandon said. She shouldnt have died like that. She should have died of old age. Under partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures, Southern California residents will celebrate Easter Sunday at church services and community events throughout the region. Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez will celebrate Easter Mass in English beginning at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels downtown. Father David Gallardo will celebrate the Mass in Spanish at 1 p.m. Easter is a great day filled with hope and joy for us, Gomez said in a statement. Christ is risen and we know we will rise with him! Easter tells us that Gods love is stronger than death. And that Jesus is on our side. Also at 10 a.m., the Midnight Mission will hold its Easter/Passover Celebration for the homeless on Skid Row. A special Easter Village will be set up for children. Advertisement Volunteers will include actors Dick Van Dyke and Mr. T, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Hundreds of people are expected to attend the 10th annual EasterFest in Grand Hope Park downtown. The family festival is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at the park near L.A. Live and will include an Easter egg hunt, face-painting, games and food. The event is sponsored by New City Church. Tickets are $5 per person (2 and under free) and $25 for families, organizers said. Most of the proceeds will be donated to organizations on Skid Row helping homeless families. Temperatures are expected to remain in the high 60s to the low 70s throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service. Cloudy skies and patchy fog are also forecast for much of the region. carlos.lozano@latimes.com As volunteers around him passed out plates of ham and vegetables on skid row, Mr. T bent down to wrap 5-year-old Madison Cline in a hug while her mom snapped a photo. Madison doesnt know who Mr. T is, but her mother, Stephanie Cline, grew up watching the actor on The A-Team, Stephanie said. He was among dozens of volunteers, including gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa, who spent some of their Easter morning on skid row for the Midnight Missions annual Easter brunch. Midnight Mission, which offers housing and services for homeless people, often holds such events for the community, both inside and outside the mission. A block of 6th Street was closed to traffic from San Julian to San Pedro streets, while adults and children served pastries, or plates heaped with chicken, ham, yams and vegetables. A few hundred people ate at the long tables set up on the street and covered with bright tablecloths, while a giant Easter Bunny walked around with a basket of chocolate. Some ducked under the yellow caution tape cordoning off the street and ate their meals on the sidewalk, sitting next to half-opened suitcases, trash bags, tarps and people still sleeping. Advertisement On stage at 10 a.m., representatives from the mission let attendees know that there were beds available at the mission, and both Villaraigosa and Mr. T addressed the crowd. Then a band took over, and Villaraigosa, former L.A. mayor, hustled to dole out yams while Mr. T began the selfie circuit with fans. Both said they have come to the mission often over the years. Villaraigosa lamented the rise in homelessness since the Great Recession and called for more programs and reform at the state level. Oswald Barbosa, 50, said the brunch offers a break from the street, where some people are friendly and some arent and he always has to be aware of whats happening around him. At the brunch, he could listen to music and laugh as a child volunteer joked around with another guest, teasing him to finish his food before taking dessert. It makes you feel whole again, said Barbosa, who is looking for permanent housing and a job. The brunch made him feel like he was in a different state of mind, [it] takes you to somewhere else, away from the hustle and bustle, he said. Events like this, in addition to one-on-one daily interactions, help build trust and break down barriers with people so that they will ask for help when theyre ready, said Midnight Mission program manager Don Halfenberg. Throughout the morning, people approached him and other staff members, asking for help or housing. Stephanie Cline arrived in L.A. from Utah last month with her two daughters, seeking an escape from family troubles back home. Shes looking for permanent housing, but found shelter for now at Union Rescue Mission about a block away. Skid row was the last place I expected to go, said Cline, 33, holding a purple stuffed llama that her daughters had obtained from the kids booth, along with Easter baskets filled with candy and toys. The Midnight Mission brunch gave her kids and her a way to celebrate Easter this year something she wasnt sure they would be able to do. Mr. T, right, prays with Jimmy Campbell, 67, during an Easter brunch for hundreds of people who are homeless or nearly homeless on skid row. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times ) Advertisement Anthony Curry, 49, in green at right, joins Sundays Easter brunch on skid row, provided by the nonprofit Midnight Mission. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times ) Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli. The city of Pasadena has settled a lawsuit with the family of Reginald Thomas Jr., an African American man who died after officers shocked him with a stun gun and restrained him in an altercation that later sparked protests. If a judge approves the settlement, Pasadena has agreed to pay $1.5 million to the family without admitting liability or fault in the matter in connection with the 2016 incident, according to a statement released Sunday by the city. The family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in November 2016 alleging excessive use of police force and conspiracy to cover up evidence of officers recklessness. Caree Harper, the attorney for the family when the lawsuit was filed, could not be reached for comment Sunday. Advertisement On Sept. 30, 2016, six Pasadena police officers responded to multiple 911 calls from family members and others at an apartment complex in the 200 block of East Orange Grove Boulevard, authorities said. They arrived to find Thomas, 35, outside the apartment door holding a fire extinguisher and a dagger under his arm. Four children and Thomas girlfriend were inside, authorities said, and before police arrived Thomas had sprayed the extinguisher inside the apartment. Police said Thomas appeared to be under the influence of drugs, while the family maintained that he had a history of mental illness. Thomas did not comply with orders to drop the dagger and fire extinguisher and slammed the apartment door on officers, authorities said. The officers then Tased and restrained him. A struggle ensued, Thomas later became unresponsive and the officers immediately commenced CPR, the citys statement says. The father of eight died at the apartment complex. Expert investigators determined that Thomas death was not caused by the use of force by police in their efforts to restrain him, but rather by Thomas ingestion of lethal levels of illegal narcotics, including PCP and methamphetamine, which had caused his erratic behavior, the citys statement reads. Meanwhile, none of the officers involved have been disciplined or placed on leave since Thomas death, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said in an email Sunday. Every use of force/incident review provides an opportunity for the department to consider whether changes to policies, procedures or tactics are warranted, she wrote. While this case will be no different, its important to understand that the city believes its officers acted appropriately, using less than lethal force, to safeguard the children trapped in the apartment with Mr. Thomas who was under the influence of both PCP and methamphetamine. Advertisement The Los Angeles County district attorneys office and the Pasadena Police Department are each conducting reviews of Thomas death, and the city hired the nonprofit Police Foundation to conduct an independent review, according to the citys statement released Sunday. Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli. Hes been spotted at the sprawling Pabellon Rosarito shopping mall and at Peter Piper Pizza. Elsewhere along the coastal strip that spans Tijuana and Rosarito Beach, Thomas Markle has patronized a taco shop, purchased beer, and ordered a take-out sandwich at a local cafe. These days, no detail of Markles life is too small for the paparazzi who come knocking on the door of his house overlooking the Pacific Ocean and follow his tracks to nearby businesses. Hard as he has tried, Markle cannot escape the limelight: His daughter, the former actress Meghan Markle, is preparing to marry into the British royal family on May 19. The British press depict Prince Harrys future father-in-law as a shy and reclusive man, and theres a question of whether he will walk her down the aisle of St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, or deliver a father-of-the bride speech. He has not been giving interviews: No comment, kids, thank you, Markle told staff from the London tabloid the Sun, when they trailed him to a convenience store near his Baja California residence, and reported his purchase of three packs of cigarettes. Advertisement Markles life in Baja California is worlds away from Buckingham Palace, and the less formal lifestyle here seems better suited to the 73-year-old former soap opera lighting director. He makes his home in a quiet gated community overlooking the Pacific Ocean, one of a string of expatriate enclaves that line the toll road from Tijuana to Ensenada. Hes an extremely laid back man, with a very nice vibe, said Estefania Villareal, owner of a coffee shop in a small strip mall near his house. He always tries to speak Spanish, he says gracias, por favor, very basic things. At the taco shop next door, taquero Israel Gonzalez could not place Markles name one afternoon last week, but his face lit up as he recognized his customer from a photograph. Markle walks in with a smile, is friendly with staff, and always leaves a good tip, Gonzalez said. He seems very nice, very unpretentious; it doesnt matter to him if youre rich or if youre poor, Gonzalez said. Just imagine, that one day hell be the father-in-law of the British prince, and he interacts with us. ; A former actress who starred in the television legal drama series Suits, Meghan Markle has spoken fondly about her father. A recent article in Britains Telegraph newspaper reports that in her now-deleted lifestyle blog, the Tig, she recalled how her father would find the time to take her to her Saturday ballet class, despite working 75 hours a week. He took her on trips to Big Bear Lake and helped with the lighting of her high school musical shows, the article said. In a 2016 article in Elle UK, the actress wrote about her biracial identity: half black, and half white Advertisement Growing up in a homogeneous community in Pennsylvania, the concept of marrying an African-American woman was not on the cards for my dad, she wrote. But he saw beyond what was put in front of him in that small-sized (and, perhaps, small-minded) town. He wanted me to find my own truth. Thomas Markle worked as lighting director on the set of the soap opera General Hospital and the 1980s sitcom Married With Children. He was also a lighting consultant for another television sitcom, The Facts of Life. He is long divorced from Meghan Markles mother, Doria Ragland, a social worker and yoga instructor. But the two issued a joint statement following their daughters engagement in November. Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us parents. Today, the 73-year-old Markle is one of thousands of U.S. retirees who live or vacation in Baja California, many of them in the enclaves that dot the coastline from Tijuana to Rosarito Beach. They say the area gives them an affordable and peaceful oceanfront lifestyle within easy reach of Southern California, allowing them to cross for doctors appointments and shopping excursions. Advertisement Weve had a lot of bad press, but Id rather live here than Los Angeles or San Bernardino, said Donna Wilson, a retired school teacher originally from Nebraska. Living here is a lot more like the Midwest than Southern California. People wave when you walk by. For those eager for activity and connections, there are numerous ways to get involved. Members of the expat community support the Rosarito Beach Red Cross, and have formed a Friends of the Library chapter. They volunteer in local orphanages, take painting classes, go on wine tours, put on English-language plays, and are known to frequent certain bars and restaurants. Gil Sperry, editor of the Baja Times and organizer of the annual Rosarito Beach Mariachi Festival, is one who tried to track down the father of the woman expected to be named Duchess of Sussex. Last month, Sperry accompanied a German journalist trying to nab an interview. Advertisement Sperry said that when he knocked on Markles door, nobody answered. But immediately, a separate camera crew leaped out of a nearby car to capture any action. We probably saw four or five people in the car trying to get an angle on this before the wedding, Sperry said. Although Thomas Markle may command headlines across the Atlantic, his daughters upcoming marriage has drawn only mild interest here. And with foreign media on the prowl, those who know him are feeling protective. He hasnt been coming around because you guys are chasing after him, poor guy, said Villareal, the coffee shop owner. Dibble writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing his mother and critically injuring his father during a fight at the familys San Juan Capistrano home, authorities said Saturday. Yihong Peng was booked on suspicion of murder Friday night and remains in jail pending $1 million bail, according to a statement from the Orange County Sheriffs Department. The incident began outside the home near La Novia and Ortega Highway when an altercation between family members turned deadly, according to the sheriffs statement. Neighbors called police when they saw a man standing in the middle of the street with a knife. Advertisement Deputies arrived to the scene within one minute and located two victims, both with stab wounds and observed the suspect attempting to flee the scene, the sheriffs statement said. Following a short pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody without incident. A knife was recovered at the scene. Authorities identified the female victim as Wei Ping Shen, 59, of San Juan Capistrano. The second victim, a male in his 50s, was critically injured and was taken to a hospital. The man is expected to survive. The motive for the stabbings is under investigation, sheriffs officials said. Yihong Peng is scheduled to make his first court appearance April 2. ruben.vives@latimes.com For more Southern California news, follow @latvives on Twitter. A demonstrator attending a candlelight vigil for Stephon Clark in South Sacramento on Saturday night was struck by a sheriffs vehicle as protesters began marching in the streets. The injured woman, local activist Wanda Cleveland, was released from a hospital early Sunday morning with bruises to her arm and back of her head, according to the Sacramento Bee. Early Sunday, the Sacramento County Sheriffs Department released a statement saying the collision occurred while the patrol vehicle was traveling at slow speeds, adding that the woman suffered minor injuries. The statement from sheriffs spokesman Sgt. Shaun Hampton also said the vehicle had scratches, dents and a shattered rear window caused by vandals in the crowd. Advertisement Cleveland, who regularly attends Sacramento City Council meetings, told the Bee that the patrol vehicle was accelerating and never even stopped before hitting her knee and knocking her to the ground. It was a hit and run. If I did that, Id be charged, she told the paper. Its disregard for human life. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, and the Sheriffs Department has begun an internal review, Hampton said. The incident capped a week of protest marches and demonstrations over the police shooting of Clark, which has drawn national media attention. Clark was fatally shot by two Sacramento police officers in his grandmothers backyard on March 18 as they pursued a vandal in his neighborhood. Clark, 22, was shot eight times, including six in the back, an independent autopsy concluded. He was found with only a cellphone. No weapon was recovered. Heres video of the incident, captured by legal observer Guy Danilowitz pic.twitter.com/Sgy2YRy8fl Bryan Anderson (@CapitolAlert) April 1, 2018 ruben.vives@latimes.com For more Southern California news, follow @latvives on Twitter. Advertisement UPDATES: 9:30 a.m.: This article was updated with new information about the woman hit by a sheriffs vehicle. 8:30 a.m.: This article has been updated with sheriff, CHP probes. 4:05 a.m.: Updated with the sheriffs statement. Advertisement This article was first published at 11:30 p.m., March 31. A Texas woman was sentenced to five years in prison for voting in the 2016 presidential election when she was ineligible because she was on probation. Crystal Mason, 43, will appeal the punishment handed down this week in Fort Worth, her attorney said. Mason is a former tax preparer who was previously convicted in 2012 on charges related to inflating refunds for clients. She testified that she didnt know people convicted of felonies cant vote until they complete their sentence, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. She told the newspaper last year after her indictment that she had gone to vote at her mothers encouragement and wasnt told when released from federal prison that she could not cast a ballot. Advertisement Masons illegal voting case was prosecuted in Tarrant County, the same place where a Mexican national last year was sentenced to eight years in prison over illegal voting. Voting illegally in Texas is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Mason used a provisional ballot to vote, and it was not counted. She has said that she believes she was being targeted for prosecution because she voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican Donald Trump for president. Tarrant County leans Republican. Masons attorney, J. Warren St. John, did not immediately return a phone message Saturday. Voter fraud convictions are rare, but Texas Republicans leaders have zealously pursued a crackdown on illegal voting in recent years. A federal judge has twice blocked Texas voter ID law, including a revised version last year that was backed by the Trump administration. At the time of the 2016 election, Mason was on probation after pleading guilty to defrauding the federal government in 2011. She served nearly three years in prison on a five-year sentence. After her prison release, she was put on a three-year term of supervised release. She also had to pay $4.2 million in restitution, according to court documents. Mason testified that when she voted in November 2016, she signed a provisional ballot affidavit stating that she had not been convicted of a felony. Prosecutors said she signed the form with the intent to vote illegally, but Masons attorney called it a mistake. Over the decades, this quiet coastal hamlet has earned a reputation as one of the most liberal places in the nation. Arcata was the first U.S. city to ban the sale of genetically modified foods, the first to elect a majority Green Party city council and one of the first to tacitly allow marijuana farming before pot was legal. Now its on the verge of another first. No other city has taken down a monument to a president for his misdeeds. But Arcata is poised to do just that. The target is an 8-foot bronze likeness of William McKinley, who was president at the turn of the last century and stands accused of directing the slaughter of Native peoples in the U.S. and abroad. Put a rope around its neck and pull it down, Chris Peters shouted at a recent rally held at the statue, which has adorned the central square for more than a century. Advertisement Peters, who heads the Arcata-based Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous People, called McKinley a proponent of settler colonialism that savaged, raped and killed. A presidential statue would be the most significant casualty in an emerging movement to remove monuments honoring people who helped lead what Native groups describe as a centuries-long war against their very existence. (Los Angeles Times ) The push follows the rapid fall of Confederate memorials across the South in a victory for activists who view them as celebrating slavery. In the nearly eight months since white supremacists marched in central Virginia to protest the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue, cities across the country have yanked dozens of Confederate monuments. Black politicians and activists have been among the strongest supporters of the removals. This time, its tribal activists taking charge, and its the West and California in particular leading the way. The state is home to the largest Native American population in the country and more than 100 federally recognized tribes. In February, San Francisco officials said they planned to remove a prominent downtown monument depicting a defeated Native American at the feet of a vaquero and a Spanish missionary. In March, the San Jose City Council booted a statue of Christopher Columbus from the lobby of City Hall. Other states are joining the movement. The city of Kalamazoo, Mich., said last month it would take down a park monument of a Native American in a headdress kneeling before a westward-facing pioneer. In Alcalde, N.M., and El Paso, statues of the conquistador Juan de Onate have become subjects of renewed debate. In Baltimore, a city councilman has vowed to replace a smashed Columbus monument with something that better reflects current-day values. Advertisement In Arcata, a city of about 17,000 about two hours south of the Oregon state line, a long-simmering debate over McKinley caught fire after Charlottesville. Area tribes and activists launched a petition campaign and descended on City Hall. The protesters said they couldnt watch Confederate monuments fall without thinking of their own statue. By the winter, the plaza played host to regular protests. McKinley became a symbol of Arcatas sins against Natives and, by extension, other races too, forcing the city to confront some of its embarrassing history. In 1886, for example, Arcata passed a law calling for the total expulsion of the Chinese. McKinley also became a target for anger at President Trump, who has stoked racial tensions with his comments including his continued insistence that there were very fine people among the white supremacists who rallied in Charlottesville. One Arcata resident was so incensed over McKinley that he protested 26 days straight on the plaza. He held a sign that read, This Christmas, give the gift of not supporting racism and murder. Remove the statue. Advertisement Ted Hernandez, chairman of the Wiyot Tribe, supports removing the McKinley statue. (Jaweed Kaleem / Los Angeles Times ) The debate culminated in February during a long and anger-filled City Council meeting, when dozens of residents packed City Hall to testify on both sides of the issue. In the end, the council voted 4 to 1 to get rid of the statue. Is there a difference between honoring McKinley and Robert E. Lee? the mayor, Sofia Pereira, who was part the majority, said in a recent interview. They both represent historical pain. The land that is now Arcata was once inhabited by the Wiyot Tribe. Then in the 1850s the logging boom began and pioneers seeking wealth began rapidly grabbing tribal lands. In 1860, settlers massacred dozens of Wiyots, whom tribe members still mourn today. Wiyot children were commonly abducted and forced into servitude. Advertisement McKinley, a Republican who was president from 1897 until his assassination in 1901, never set foot in the region. But after his death dozens of memorials to him popped up across the nation. In Honolulu, theres McKinley High School. In Philadelphia, a McKinley statue stands in front of City Hall. Chicago has McKinley Park neighborhood, with a statue of the president at the entrance to its main park. The highest mountain in North America, Alaskas Mt. Denali, was named Mt. McKinley until it was officially returned to his original name in 2015. Unlike other sites, the mountain got its name before McKinley died. Just north of Arcata is an unincorporated area called McKinleyville. Advertisement The McKinley statue has been in Arcata Plaza since 1906, when a local businessman commissioned and gifted it to the city to honor the first modern president. The city eventually grew into a haven for hippies from the Bay Area who sought a quieter life and cheaper land. Marijuana growers flocked to the area, as did activists who enrolled at Humboldt State University for its environmental and Native American studies programs. But the statue remained as a vestige of a more conservative past. Locals embraced the president as a mascot, dressing him as a lumberjack, and placing bunny ears on his head for Easter. Pranksters have been known to put condoms on his outstretched fingers and stuff cheese in his ears. Local tribes long resented the statue but remained silent on the matter, figuring there was little chance it would ever come down. Advertisement The Native people here have avoided that square for years, said Ted Hernandez, chairman of the 620-member Wiyot Tribe, which is based on a reservation about 20 miles south of the city. Why do we have this man standing in this square where they used to sell our children? Hernandezs tribe is one of more than a dozen whose members showed up in Arcata or sent letters of protest over the months against McKinley. Bernadette Smith, who recently drove four hours north from the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians rancheria to protest the monument, described getting rid of the statue as bigger than just a small victory for our community. What happened is going to inspire Natives across America, she said. Smith, 31, said the win in Arcata spurred her to launch a campaign to rename the Garcia River that divides her tribes land back to its original name of Pda Hau. Advertisement The McKinley statue also has its supporters. Dozens showed up at City Hall in February to make their case before the vote. They came again in March when the City Council briefly floated the idea of opening up the statue debate to a citywide vote. Arcata area resident Fhyre Pheonix spent 26 consecutive days protesting against the McKinley statue in December, and has vowed to raise money to pay for its removal. (Jaweed Kaleem / Los Angeles times ) David LaRue, an Arcata resident for the last 22 years, started a Facebook group called Let the people vote on our McKinley statue and is now gathering signatures for ballot initiative to do just that. He said that unlike Confederate leaders whose monuments are no longer widely accepted, McKinley fought for the Union in the Civil War. LaRue also pointed out that McKinley defied the norms of his time in appointing several African Americans to federal posts. Advertisement Certainly by todays standards, he had different ways of looking at things, he said. But looking at Abraham Lincoln by todays standards, you could also say he was a horrible racist. The debate has also divided families. Former Arcata Mayor Bob Ornelas, who has lived in the city since 1979, said tearing down McKinley would take away from the citys culture. He said he couldnt imagine the square, home to the Saturday farmers market and nearly every major city festival, without the McKinley statue there. I dont read much into it, said Ornelas, who is Mexican American. Its not Robert E. Lee. If it was somebody who is known to fight their cousins for the right to have a slave, I would be offended. But during his time he got pushed around by a Congress that was hungry for ... expanding the American empire. Advertisement I dont read much into it. Its not Robert E. Lee. Former Mayor Bob Ornelas, who is against removal He sees things differently than his wife, a councilwoman who was mayor last year when the push to remove the statue resurged. We are in a small northern part of Northern California where Native people are active in our lives daily, Susan Ornelas said. Its not just a lost thought. McKinley didnt back Native Americans at all. He backed the Curtis Act, which took away Native rights on a lot of land. Natives were so misused in that era. He didnt really directly hurt them locally but he did through federal laws. Susan Ornelas suggested allowing residents to vote on the statues fate before taking back that proposal. Advertisement For now, the former president stands in Arcata with his days numbered. The city estimates it will take eight months before hes gone. California law requires a lengthy environmental review, a process that is expected to bring the total cost of removal to $65,000. Anti-statue activists say they will raise the money. A veterans hall seven blocks away has offered to house the president. Other monuments protested by Native peoples are also getting private caretakers. The Columbus statue in San Jose was moved to the hall of the Italian American Heritage Foundation, where the group said it will be enclosed as protection from vandalism. In San Francisco, the city has considered moving the Early Days statue to a museum, though a legal challenge has kept it up for the time being. Advertisement Another Columbus statue the most widely seen in the world appears to be staying put. It stands 76 feet high at the center of Columbus Circle in Manhattan. After the Charlottesville violence, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed to examine all symbols of hate. While the city decided Columbus would stay, the mayor promised new historical markers near the monument to contextualize it as well as a new monument honoring indigenous peoples. Pereira, the Arcata mayor, said simply adding context to the McKinley monument would amount to too little, too late. I would not try to guess or tell other cities what to do, she said. If you think of presidents of our country, I dont think people would even know who McKinley is. But we do. And here, we want to set the right example. Advertisement jaweed.kaleem@latimes.com @jaweedkaleem More national headlines Six months after a Las Vegas music festival became the scene of the largest mass shooting in modern American history, the vast majority of Californians who were there have not applied for the financial assistance available to cover lost wages, funeral expenses, counseling or other medical bills. Of the 22,000 concert attendees, about 14,000 were from California, according to the California Victim Compensation Board, a decades-old state agency assisting victims of crime. It is working with its counterpart in Nevada because so many concert attendees were from those two states. As of last week, the California agency had received about 2,700 applications. A total of 58 people were killed in the massacre that Stephen Paddock conducted from his room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. More than 700 were wounded, and thousands are thought to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Advertisement California residents who were at the concert have up to three years to submit claims for reimbursements of up to $70,000, said Christie Munson, deputy executive officer of the California fund. Californians are also eligible to apply for up to $35,000 in reimbursements through the Nevada Victims of Crime, but that deadline is Oct. 1 one year from the day of the massacre. Rebecca Salazar, program manager for Nevadas fund, said it had received a total of 4,477 applications through Thursday from victims in 45 states and several in Canada. Ive found that most people arent aware that programs like this exist, Salazar said in an email. We are getting a lot of press here in Nevada, but only 11% of the attendees are from here, so Im not surprised about the low numbers. States with established crime victim funds generally require for reimbursement that the crime had to have occurred within the state. But given the scale of the tragedy, California and at least one other state are offering assistance. We would not turn a victim away if they applied in Oregon, Kristina Edmunson, a spokeswoman for the attorney general there, said in an email. The Canadian government is offering residents there who were affected by the shooting up to $10,000 in reimbursements for medical treatments not already covered by insurance. Munson said that not since 9/11 have there been so many potential applicants from California, and that some of the victims may have needs that extend beyond the $70,000 cap. She said that over the next few months, the state will seek a federal grant that could provide more money. Advertisement What we do know is both California and Nevada will be working to make sure those folks get what they need, Munson said. Were in the beginning stages of getting the grant together, meeting with victims and finding out what their needs are. The victim funds can be used for co-pays when medical insurance covers treatments for wounds. Already, the state has helped victims with funeral expenses for some who died at the concert. The California victims fund allows for $10,000 to be applied toward mental health and counseling costs. In Nevada, counseling costs are capped at $5,000. Russ Bleck, a 28-year-old in Las Vegas, said he hadnt applied for any assistance because he figured others needed the money more than me. But he lost his job after the shooting. Advertisement I wasnt able to perform, he said. He said he would like counseling and that the victims fund money could help toward those bills. He said he doesnt have insurance. I used to be super-social, but now I keep to myself, he said. Six months after, Im starting to realize I need help. People affected by the shooting have also begun receiving checks from the Las Vegas Victims Fund a nonprofit organization established through donations from individuals and the casinos. Those disbursements are capped at $275,000 for the 58 who died and 10 who suffered permanent paralysis or brain injuries. Others received checks ranging from $17,500 to $200,000. Advertisement All disbursements from the Las Vegas Victims Fund are independent of the crime victim funds established in the states. Salazar said she hoped people who need help through the Nevada Victims of Crime fund apply before the deadline. We continue to receive applications every day, and our Vegas Strong Resiliency Center does daily outreach so hopefully the applications will continue to come in, she said in an email. But I think its understandable when you think about the fact that victims from every state came to the concert. I hear a lot of people say they dont want to watch the news and hear about the shooter or the event, so maybe in not watching or reading, they arent hearing about programs that can help either. To apply for assistance in Nevada, the website is: https://voc.nv.gov/VOC/1October_Event_Help/ Advertisement For California residents, the website is: https://victims.ca.gov/lasvegas/ david.montero@latimes.com Twitter: @davemontero Just in time for Easter, Universal Pictures Focus Films released Mary Magdalene, starring Rooney Mara as Jesus of Nazareths most famous female follower, and Joaquin Phoenix (Maras current love interest) as Jesus himself. The United States was supposed to be on the distribution list, but the distributor was Weinstein Co., currently in bankruptcy, so the release here is on indefinite hold. The film, which presents Magdalene as a young woman who flees an arranged marriage, is part of a feminist effort to refute, in the words of a BBC article, the centuries-old and commonly accepted orthodoxy that Mary of Magdala was a prostitute redeemed by Jesus. There is a patriarchal villain behind the supposed sex-worker slander: 6th century Pope Gregory I, who may have expanded on the story of the anonymous woman, described in Lukes Gospel as a sinner, who washed Jesus feet with her tears and wiped them dry with her hair. The fallen/saved, foot-washing Mary Magdalene is revered by Catholic and Protestant alike. I dont know how to love him, she laments in Andrew Lloyd Webers 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, scheduled for a live-concert Easter Sunday performance on NBC. Ive had so many men. Its the fallen part that amounts to character assassination for many of todays feminist theologians. In their view, turning Magdalene into a one-time prostitute is just the final damning step in an authoritarian church process that systematically marginalized a woman who was a powerful leader among Jesus followers. Some Bible scholars say Magdalene nearly was written out of the New Testament entirely, with only the Gnostics and other heretics venerating her as an example of the legitimacy of womens leadership, writes Harvard Divinity School professor Karen L. King. Advertisement We should not glibly assume that Mary Magdalene is in need of rehabilitation by us moderns. The feminists are correct that Mary Magdalene is an enigmatic figure in the Bible. The New Testament says not a word about her past, except that Jesus had cast seven devils out of her before she joined his followers. But the idea that she needs rescuing from a reputation blackened by erroneous association with commercial sex doesnt accord with actual history. If anything, early Christians loved her all the more for her reputation. Two popular early saints, subjects of many an icon, were Thais and Mary of Egypt, courtesans in Alexandria during different centuries, who, according to legend, had become notorious (and Thais quite wealthy) for selling their sexual favors. Both were miraculously converted and spent the rest of their lives in penance and prayer. Early and medieval Christians were quite aware that Mary Magdalene had played a special and powerful role in Jesus ministry. Johns Gospel reports that she, and not one of the male apostles, was the first person to encounter Jesus after his resurrection from the dead. It was Magdalene who informed those who had been with him that he was alive. Thomas Aquinas, in the 13th century, gave her the title apostle to the apostles, following the lead of the Eastern church, which has traditionally held her to be the disciples equal. (Pope Francis adopted Thomass title for Magdalene when he elevated the rank of her July 22 feast day in 2016.) The plot of Dan Browns The Da Vinci Code, which has Magdalene as Jesus widow traveling from Jerusalem to France after his death, is a garbled version of a medieval legend in which she is cast adrift in a rudderless boat by persecutors, miraculously lands in Marseille and starts preaching Christ to the pagans there. All who heard her were in admiration of her beauty, her eloquence, and the sweetness of her message, one chronicler wrote. In her 2000 book, The Making of the Magdalen, Katherine L. Jansen, a historian at the Catholic University of America, points out that as the Middle Ages progressed, Mary Magdalene became the most beloved Catholic saint after the Virgin Mary. Churches all over Europe were named after her, as were colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. In France two competing pilgrimage sites claimed to hold her bones. Fusing the holy and the erotic, as befits her reputed history, Magdalene starred for many centuries in legend, drama, devotional tracts, and above all, visual art that celebrated her washing Jesus feet, weeping at the foot of the cross, encountering the risen Lord and meditating on her past. (One of the most striking examples is Georges de la Tours 1640 painting, The Magdalene with the Smoking Flame, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.) People believed that if one of the greatest sinners could become one of the greatest saints, she could effectively intercede with God on their behalf. We should not glibly assume that Mary Magdalene is in need of rehabilitation by us moderns. She might never have sold her body, but she stands as witness to female sinners, including harlots and adulteresses whom the Gospels do record as receiving Jesus boundless love. She stands for the idea that any of us, with our human failings and transgressions, can receive that, too. Charlotte Allen holds a doctorate in medieval studies from the Catholic University of America. Advertisement Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook To the editor: It was L.A. Police Chief James Two Gun Davis (1926-29; 1933-39) who proclaimed he would hold court on gunmen in the Los Angeles streets; I want them brought in dead, not alive, and will reprimand any officer who shows the least mercy to a criminal. (Please give us justice, slain mans family says March 27) Today, we must understand that across the nation, fear of being shot, not policy, drives police shootings on the street. A cellphone does not look like a gun, unless your gun is a quarter-inch wide rectangle. And you dont have to be holding anything; hands in the vicinity of your waistband a spatial concept approaching the Major League strike zone suffices. Ironically, the police are suffering from the same syndrome that also drives the Parkland, Fla., students and the millions who joined them in the March for Our Lives. In a perverse reversal, however, it is the police who control the lethality the marchers are trying to reduce. Advertisement Mitch Paradise, Los Angeles :: To the editor: In 2017, police in the United States killed 971 people, according to a Washington Post database. Police departments provide officers with body cameras and dashboard cameras, and mobile devices are ubiquitous, still police killings proliferate. Now, amid murkiness, the Sacramento police have killed Stephon Clark. An on-scene officer heard saying to mute the recording is tantamount to evidence tampering. It coincides with the findings of a survey of 75 police departments by Upturn and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, which found that body-camera policies didnt promote transparency, protect privacy, or defend civil rights. Yet only 51% of the departments have changed their policies. Officers who tamper, destroy, or cut off police-issued video/audio equipment should be fired. Marc D. Greenwood, Camp Hill, Ala. :: To the editor: I am generally a supporter of the police and no fan of Black Lives Matter, but we have a serious problem with police shootings and how often police get off. I felt threatened should not be a valid excuse. The threat must be real and credible to any reasonable person. A cellphone is not a gun. A wallet is not a gun. Police know the difference, or should. Advertisement Next, 20 shots? Some have said that is in department policy. If so, it is very bad policy. There were two police officers at a distance from the suspect and sheltered by the corner of a building. There was no threat to their lives and no need for even one shot. The rules have to be: If you dont see a gun, dont fire. If police outnumber the suspect, dont fire. If police have distance from the suspect, dont fire. If police are sheltered, dont fire. If you dont like these rules, resign. William N. Hoke, Manhattan Beach :: Advertisement To the editor: Ahem. Excuse me, so sorry for disturbing you by kneeling during your displays of patriotism, but yet another unarmed black man has been shot to death in his own backyard by the police because they thought he had a gun. Arthur Peck, Los Angeles Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook To the editor: No surprise that dirty energy advocate Scott Pruitt, now cynically the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, plans to roll back auto emissions targets (EPA ready to roll back fuel targets, March 30). Under Pruitts leadership, the EPA might more aptly be called the PPA, the Polluter Protection Agency. Pruitt routinely defends his actions with industry talking points, that its not the EPAs job to pick winners and losers. But the EPAs sole purpose is to make the environment the winner, not his fossil fuel profiteer friends. If the Parkland, Fla., survivors and their millions of followers were not already galvanized enough, Pruitt and the Republican Party can look forward to a youthful blue backlash in November. Young people are flexing their newfound power. And when it comes to firearm violence and environmental justice, they soon will be picking the winners and rightfully showing the door to the soulless losers. Wendy Blais, North Hills Advertisement :: To the editor: Apparently many people do not believe the burning of fossil fuels causes climate change. What about pollution? Thats something everybody can see, and it will surely only get much worse if this rollback occurs. I guess the word Protection no longer applies to the EPA. Its now just the Environmental Agency. Elizabeth Thompson, Coronado :: To the editor: No! California will not ease up on fuel targets for car manufacturers. The Trump administration, along with EPA destroyer Pruitt, wants to unravel our fuel standards in California. We just say no! We will fight Pruitt in the courts until the end of time. Ford and other U.S. car manufacturers better be careful with their zeal for ratcheting up these fuel targets. People already are abandoning American brands (for hybrids and other electric models). Ford shouldnt give them any more ammunition to do so. Mindy Taylor-Ross, Venice Advertisement :: To the editor: The EPA under Pruitt is racing to destroy fuel targets for our cars, oblivious to the progress weve made and the data that show health has improved in our country as weve had cleaner air to breathe. Doesnt he care about the quality of air his wife, children and grandchildren will breathe? Doesnt he care about anything but placating corporate interests? Does he have any common sense running through his veins, or only a passion for oil, gas and coal a love affair that will send us all to an early grave? Roz Levine, Los Angeles Advertisement Follow the Opinion section on Twitter and Facebook. 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 President Trump on Easter Sunday appeared to rule out efforts to revive deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought illegally to the United States as children, tweeting NO MORE DACA DEAL! The president issued a series of combative statements on Twitter, centering on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program as well as the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he described as a cash cow for Mexico. At the same time, he railed against what he described as a dangerous lack of security on the U.S. southern border. For the record: An earlier version of this article referred to White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters and spokesman Lindsey Walters. In a trio of tweets, Trump also asserted that Mexicans laugh at our dumb immigration laws, and suggested that U.S. Immigration and Customs agents were being improperly constrained from carrying out their duties. Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. Caravans coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 Advertisement Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 The tone of the presidents holiday tweets differed markedly from the sentiments of goodwill commonly expressed by previous U.S. chief executives on national or religious occasions. But frustrated by Congress refusal to embrace his legislative agenda and apparently egged on by conservative outlets like Fox News, the president in recent days has embraced a more freewheeling, confrontational leadership style, even by his standards. In addition to firing two of his Cabinet members in tweets last month, Trump on Thursday gave a rambling speech in Ohio in which he surprised his own advisors by saying the U.S would soon halt military operations in Syria and suggesting he would use the upcoming nuclear talks with North Korea to extract a better trade deal with South Korea. In his Easter tweets, Trump vented frustration over one of his campaigns central talking points, the border wall that he repeatedly said Mexico would pay for. Congress has so far provided only limited funds for the wall project, leading Trump to reportedly weigh other avenues, including diverting money allocated to the U.S. military. The president has made on-again, off-again efforts to use the Dreamers as bargaining chips in his bid to build the border wall, and he publicly vented anger over an omnibus spending measure he signed last week because it included only a small slice of funding for it. Trump announced last fall that he would terminate the Obama-era DACA program, generating fear and panic among several hundred thousand enrollees in the program. He challenged Congress to come up with a new and better version of the program, which provides temporary protections from deportation and work permits for them. Advertisement But with the fate of the Dreamers hanging in the balance, the president then rejected a carefully crafted bipartisan immigration deal, questioning during one acrimonious meeting with lawmakers why the United States should allow immigration from Haiti and African countries he considered to be shitholes. Trump is insisting that any relief for Dreamers be tied to billions of dollars for the border wall as well as strict new limits on legal immigration to the U.S. Lawmakers have been unable to agree on such a plan. Trump on Sunday also made the puzzling assertion that big flows of immigrants were trying to enter the United States because of DACA. They all want in on the act! he tweeted. In fact, DACA is not available to newly arrived immigrants. Though Trump terminated the program as of March, its protections remain temporarily in place under court order while legal challenges make their way through the courts. Advertisement Trump is now blaming Democrats for the collapse of DACA. The Democrats blew it, he told reporters Sunday while attending Easter services with First Lady Melania Trump and his daughter Tiffany Trump. His frustration with Congress was also reflected in his call Sunday for a change in Senate rules to eliminate the use of filibusters and enable legislation to pass with just 51 votes. Republicans hold a 51-49 majority. But many of Trumps initiatives have failed to even garner that level of support from his own party and GOP leaders oppose changing Senate rules. Trump is also facing an array of other challenges, including the ongoing legal fight over hush money paid to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, who says she had a sexual affair with the president more than a decade ago, and Trumps difficulties in securing top-flight lawyers to represent him in the face of special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation of cooperation between Trumps campaign and Russia. Advertisement On Sunday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a former Trump campaign aide and an ex-prosecutor, warned the president against the perils of sitting down with the veteran lawman Mueller something Trump said he would be willing to do, although his lawyers quickly sought to walk back his offer. Hes a salesman, and salesmen at times tend to be hyperbolic, Christie said on ABCs This Week, referring to the president. Thats OK when youre working on Congress -- it is not OK when youre sitting talking to federal agents. Once again, the churn of turnover in Trumps administration was a talking point on the Sunday news shows. Several major figures have jumped or been pushed out in recent weeks, including economic advisor Gary Cohn, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, White House communications director Hope Hicks, and the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, David Shulkin. In a series of TV appearances Sunday, Shulkin repeated his belief that he had been ousted because he resisted attempts to privatize government-provided healthcare for veterans, an idea that has been floated by some prominent Trump backers. And Shulkin pushed back at an apparent White House attempt to portray his ouster as a resignation, not a firing a distinction that could stay the presidents free hand in designating an interim replacement from outside the department. Advertisement White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said Saturday that Shulkin had resigned, Politico reported, which does not square with his apparent firing by presidential tweet last week. In response to a direct query from interviewer Jake Tapper on State of the Union, Shulkin stated: I did not resign. Trump has chosen as Shulkins successor Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the physician who recently offered a glowing public assessment of the presidents level of health and fitness. But Jackson faces confirmation hearings. In the meantime, the president has sought to temporarily move in a Pentagon official, Robert Wilkie, rather than allowing Shulkins deputy to move into the post on an interim basis. That has raised questions about the applicability of a relatively little-known measure, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which gives the president powers to pick a stand-in when a Cabinet secretary is incapacitated, dies or resigns, but seemingly not when the person is fired. laura.king@latimes.com Advertisement @laurakingLAT UPDATES: 2:50 p.p.: This article was updated with additional quotes, context. Advertisement This article was originally published at 8:55 a.m. No dogfight broke out after the March 25 On The Spot column (Fur Will Fly in This Debate), which raised the fraught issue of emotional support animals flying in airline cabins. There was a little growling and some snappishness, but scores of readers who responded not only helped frame the discussion but also came up with suggestions on how to address the issue. First, their thoughts on emotional support animals, or ESAs, which are not the same as service animals that have been trained and are not pets. Some names have been withheld for privacy because of medical issues. Its cheating and its outrageous Helene Kimmel of Porter Ranch knows people who disguised their animals as ESAs to avoid paying a pet sitter or a fee to fly their furry friend. Advertisement I believe that true service animals must be allowed to accompany their owners on planes, trains and subways, Kimmel wrote, but I am outraged at the deceit of some animal owners. Its a disservice to your pet Michael Carson of Palm Springs loves his pets but, he wrote, We just would not dream of dragging them on a plane Your Maltese Fifi may be as cute as a button, but stop ripping off the airlines, stressing the dog and annoying the rest of us. Leave her at home. Consider those with allergies My husband has severe asthma and allergies, Becky Davis of Goleta wrote. Just as airlines no longer serve peanuts in deference to those with severe peanut allergies, I hope they will severely restrict all but service animals from sharing cabin space out of consideration. Give peace a chance Anne K. Marcum of Hesperus, Colo., said, I believe that someones right to carry their precious Fifi on the plane should end where my rights begin: the right to peaceful travel! Airlines arent omniscient, either How does an airline anticipate allergic reactions to a variety of animals and prepare for their varying degrees of cleanliness, Laura Veltman of Eastvale, Calif., asked. Do I have a peacock allergy? she wrote. Did a support turtle leave traces of salmonella on my armrest? Are those blueberries on the floor or a gift from my seatmates support bunny? Advertisement Animals arent always angels Some animals cause problems for those who have legitimate service animals. Piper Belanger of Acton recounted this story of a journey with her husband, Larry McMahan: My husband, who is paralyzed on his right side, his service dog and I took a flight from LAX to North Carolina. A couple with a cocker spaniel on a retractable leash approached us before boarding, and their dog barked like crazy and tried to get close to our service dog, Abby. As we always do, I gave our Abby a mild sedative.though she is quite friendly and well trained. When the couple with the cocker spaniel came down the aisle, their dog lunged at Abby.The couple did nothing, but my husband instinctively lowered his one working hand to protect Abby and the cocker spaniel bit his hand. Advertisement The couple still said nothing and progressed down the aisle to their seats. We were given paper napkins to stop the bleeding; it took several. They got no satisfaction from the airlines customer service department: We were told this injury was not the fault of [the airline]. And we have had no correspondence from the couple. Other airlines should follow the leads of United and Delta, which recently began requiring more documentation, Belanger wrote. She also would like a ban on retractable leashes and thinks an animal should be carried, not walked, down an aisle, if thats possible Another reader who travels with a service animal because of physical and emotional issues is afraid to fly because of badly behaved emotional support animals: How do I know if someones pet is not going to try and attack my working dog? Advertisement Those are among the scores of opinions and concerns, but many readers also understand that legitimate emotional support animals can play an important role in helping travelers. There are no easy solutions, but readers had some good ideas about starting points. Quit making it easy You shouldnt be able to purchase a vest for a service animal everywhere, Sheila Johnson of Lawrenceburg, Ky., wrote. Should be just one, maybe two places that handle them or order them from the trainers of service animals. A vest doesnt mean anything except that someone had the money to buy one. Just yesterday, a little dog snarled at me, and it was wearing one of those little vests, Patti Jo Kiraly of Laguna Beach said. Advertisement Require training and documentation I adopted my dog from the local shelter two years ago, and we have taken a number of obedience courses, one writer said of her emotional support animal. His behavior is not perfect, but he [will] sit, stay and bed down. My preferred airline requires a current doctors letter and vets health certificate, which I have. These should be minimum requirements for responsible ESA owners and their animals. Airlines must crack down More regulation isnt the answer, said retired pilot Roger Cox of Annapolis, Md. Do we need more rules? Not if airlines get stricter and people stop taking advantage of weak enforcement of the existing rules, he wrote. Book your flight with the airline that has the strictest rules about animals. Advertisement Make room All pets on airlines should be in crates, said Susan Werner of Los Angeles. Airlines should have a certain number of crates that have replaced [some] seats and the [owners seat] should be right next to the crate so the passenger can sit right next to their pet in case it really is, indeed, a service animal. Apply the rules evenly, and make people pay One of the airlines biggest problems has always been consistent rule application, said Rich Mathus, a former airline gate agent who lives in Dr. Phillips, Fla. In the short term, airlines need to state that they do not recognize ESA cards. Then the government needs to step in and review both the Americans With [Disabilities] Act and the Air Carrier Access Act to determine how/whether emotional support animals need to be addressed and harmonize the statutes to eliminate the gray area that has created the growing fraud. And he made this point: The high prices charged for pets in the cabin and unaccompanied minors are designed to be a disincentive. Advertisement One reader said she would pay to have her emotional support animal with her: Would I fly without him by my side? No. Having him with me and available to touch or pet greatly relieves my PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] and anxiety. But if your animal is just a pet along for the free ride? Susan Werner gets the last word on this: Taking your pet is a luxury just like traveling on an airplane is. Have a travel question or dilemma? Write to travel@latimes.com. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry. travel@latimes.com Advertisement @latimestravel He is the English-born son of a king, a fighter pilot, a teetotaling bachelor and all that made him an unorthodox African president. But Ian Khama stands out most for his final act as president of Botswana: Stepping down. At his home village of Serowe on Tuesday, residents begged him to stay on another 50 years usually the cue in Africa that a constitutional change is about to be muscled through parliament so a leader can rule for life. But Khama, 65, insisted on leaving office Saturday. His departure, which follows a decade of stable and largely uncontroversial rule, underscored a message he has oft repeated: Africa needs democracy. Advertisement Botswana, a nation of 2.2 million people, is the longest-running multi-party democracy on a continent whose leaders often cling to power into their 80s or 90s and rarely go without a fight. In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni has been in office since 1986. In Rwanda, President Paul Kagame recently won a third term, after the two-term limit was ditched. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe hung on for nearly four decades until last year when the military forced him out. All claimed their citizens would not let them leave office. Khamas exit preserves the legacy of his father, Seretse Khama, who struggled for his countrys independence from Britain and became the first president in 1966, ushering in more than 50 years of multi-party democracy. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, set up by the Sudanese British billionaire to measure and reward good governance in Africa, ranks Botswana the third most democratic country in Africa, behind Mauritius and the Seychelles. Khama has frequently castigated his African counterparts, breaking the unspoken rule that you never publicly urge another president to quit, no matter how much violence there is or how many rigged elections. He criticized Zimbabwes elections in 2013 and called on Mugabe to step down in 2016 and again in November after the military took control there. He called on Joseph Kabila, president of the not-so-democratic Democratic Republic of Congo, to hold elections that were due in 2016, and he slammed Burundian leader Pierre Nkurunziza, who plunged his country into turmoil in 2015 by ignoring a two-term limit and trampling the opposition on his way to his third term. Khama has also stood up for the International Criminal Court and its efforts to prosecute other African leaders accused of crimes against humanity. Notably, he called on other African nations to enforce the courts arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir and to stand with the Sudanese people against his oppressive rule. He hasnt been afraid to criticize mightier powers either, recently accusing President Trump of encouraging wildlife poaching by overturning the ban on the import of hunting trophies to the U.S. He told the BBC he was not just concerned about wildlife, but Trumps attitude towards the whole planet. Advertisement Villagers from Serowe village gathered to bid farewell to outgoing Botswana President Ian Khama on Tuesday. (Monirul Bhuiyan / AFP/Getty Images ) An ascetic who rises early to exercise, Khama seems to care more for the facts than flattery. When an online hoax news story circulated that Khama had been named Worlds Best President in 2016, his office was quick to shoot down the story. Not that Khama has no critics. His biggest blind spot as president was the treatment of the indigenous population, the Kalahari Bushmen, also known as the Basarwa or San people. Forced out of their ancestral homeland in the diamond-rich Kalahari game reserve before Khama became president, the Bushmen won successive court appeals, giving them the right to return. But those who do are often arrested, beaten by police and denied hunting permits, according to Survival International, an advocacy group for indigenous people. Advertisement Khama, dismissive of the Bushmens semi-nomadic culture, has said the governments job is to protect the park and preserve its wildlife. He claimed the Bushmen began using horses and guns to hunt, and in 2014 he told the Guardian newspaper that allowing them to live a backward way of life in the park jeopardized their childrens chances of gaining an education and joining the mainstream. The U.S. State Departments human rights report on Botswana last year criticized the country for violence, particularly sexual violence against women and children; discrimination against the Basarwa people; and child labor, mainly in agriculture and herding. But the report was equally notable for areas where it found nothing to criticize: Prison and detention met international standards; there were no reports of unlawful killings by security forces; the armed forces were under government control; elections were free and fair; and officials who committed offenses were prosecuted. Botswanas judiciary and media are independent, but detractors accuse Khama of intolerance of criticism and say his government harasses journalists. Khama accuses the media of publishing lies. Advertisement The governing Botswana Democratic Party has ruled since independence, partly because opposition parties are disunited, a problem that afflicts many countries in Africa. Even so, Khama is proud of his countrys system of government. We have the strongest democracy in Africa and should guard it jealously, he said in a farewell speech to parliament. Khama is the first-born son of his father, who was king of the Bamangwato people. Seretse Khama married an English office clerk and wartime ambulance driver named Ruth Williams in 1948 a love story chronicled in the 2016 movie A United Kingdom. At the time, Botswana was one of the worlds poorest countries, but its economy boomed after the discovery of diamonds in 1967. Born in the English city of Surrey, Ian Khama inherited the title of kgosi, or king. He trained as a fighter pilot at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Britain and became head of Botswanas armed forces before he entered politics, effectively renouncing the role of king even as some Bamangwato people still see him that way. Advertisement He served as vice president from 1998 to 2008 under Festus Mogae, who stood down at the end of his two terms. As head of the governing party, Khama succeeded Mogae and was then elected in 2009 to a full term. As president, he piloted the state helicopter when making domestic visits and sometimes gave children airplane joyrides. In 2006, as vice president, he took over the controls of an air force plane when it developed problems and crash-landed it in Francistown, a staff member told Botswana media at the time. An outdoors enthusiast, Khama likes riding ATVs and power-chuting, which involves a parachute and a three-wheeled go-cart. He often volunteered as a server in soup kitchens and dropped by hospitals to visit the sick. Under Khama, the government made strides in reducing poverty and providing low income housing. As a bachelor, Khama is unusual in Africa, where traditional values often hold sway. Often questioned about his single status, he claimed to be too busy to find a wife and worried about not having control over his happiness in marriage, though he once said he is looking for a tall, slim beauty to marry. He is lean and fit, but apparently is a loner who retires early nights. Advertisement Botswana citizens throng to say goodbye to Ian Khama, in blue tie, who stepped down from the presidency on Saturday. (Monirul Bhuiyan / AFP/Getty Images ) During a recent farewell tour of the nation, Khama was showered with gifts, including a tractor, a herd of cows, hundreds of chickens and several cars. He told people he never really wanted to be president and now had other things to do. Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi was sworn in as president Sunday. robyn.dixon@latimes.com Advertisement Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT A march this week in Bethlehem commemorates one of the darkest days of a tumultuous era in United States history, the assassination 50 years ago of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; required equal access to public places and employment; and enforced desegregation of schools and the right to vote. But it did not end discrimination, or bigotry or the fight for equality. That's a battle that continues today, according to polling and Lehigh Valley black leaders. "We got the law that gave us the rights, a few things, but we haven't seen the strides as they should be," said Esther Lee, president of the Bethlehem NAACP that organized Wednesday's march. "Inclusion has yet to happen." Nearing four years after President Lyndon Johnson signed the 1964 law, King, the leader of the civil rights movement, was in Memphis, Tennessee. On March 18, 1968, King spoke to a crowd of about 15,000 people as part of a rally for the rights of city sanitation workers, according to a look back published at smithsonianmag.com. "He returned 10 days later to lead a march," the account continues. "Though King's hallmark was nonviolent protest, the demonstration turned violent, with stores being looted and the police shooting and killing a 16-year-old. Police followed retreating demonstrators to a landmark church, the Clayborn Temple, entered the sanctuary, released tear gas and, per one authoritative account, 'clubbed people as they lay on the floor to get fresh air.'" King agreed to work with a local Black Power group blamed for the violence and return for another march April 5. On April 3, 1968, back in Memphis, he delivered his "Mountaintop" speech to a group of the trash-haulers. "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life," King said. "Longevity has its place, but I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will and he has allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I have looked over, and I have seen the Promised Land. "I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land." "People cheered," The New York Times wrote in a retrospective last week. "His mood brightened. He spent much of the next day, April 4, at the black-owned Lorraine Motel, waiting for the city to approve a permit for the second march. When it finally came through, he relaxed. Everything would be O.K. "Around 6:00, he strolled onto the balcony outside his second-floor room and bantered with friends in the parking lot below. There was the crack of a gunshot. He staggered and dropped." Segregationist James Earl Ray was arrested for the murder and convicted, and he died in prison in April 1998 at age 70. King was 39. A half-century later, only 1 in 10 African Americans thinks the United States has achieved all or most of the goals of the civil rights movement he led, according to a new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Three-quarters of African Americans said there has been little or no progress on fair treatment by police, and more than half answered the same about fair coverage by the media, political representation or equal economic opportunities. Poll responses from African Americans versus whites on progress since Martin Luther King's death April 4, 1968. (AP Photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) Lee, from Bethlehem, doubts King would like everything about the America of 2018. "We really don't think that he'd be all that proud because like when he died he was fighting for trash haulers, for better pay," she said. "We're still fighting for something. So we haven't accomplished much." The Rev. Phillip Davis, pastor at Greater Shiloh Church on South Side Easton, agrees there is work to be done. "Personally I think that if Dr. King were alive, he would be very disappointed in the progress that has been made," Davis said. Specifically, Davis pointed to continuing police shootings killing young black men, many unarmed. On March 18, Stephon Clark was shot seven times from behind in his grandmother's backyard in Sacramento, California, according to autopsy results released Friday by a pathologist hired by Clark's family. Police apparently mistook a cellphone in his hand for a gun. He was 22. "It would seem to me that we have taken some steps backward as it relates to justice within the justice system, so I'm sure that Dr. King would be up in arms about that and looking for some resolution at the federal level to address what seems to be a number of African American males, specifically," he continued. After a previous spate of police violence against young black men, Greater Shiloh organized an "Our Lives Matter" community dialogue with members of the Easton Police Department. That was in the summer of 2016, when community leaders joined law enforcement for similar demonstrations in Allentown and in Bethlehem. "Locally in Bethlehem we've tried to work with our police," Lee said last week. "I think we have things at a minimum here, thank God, but when we look throughout the country we have made no strides. They talk about it, but there's not many people are doing anything." The nation has made strides toward racial equality, particularly in the availability of a quality education for all, Davis said. "I think there are a number of things we have achieved, however, there is a long way to go in achieving equality and civil rights," he said. Though inequality may persist, King's spirit of non-violent protest lives on. Just this past month, witness two nationwide demonstrations against gun violence: The Lehigh Valley was home to events as part of both the national school walkout on March 14 and the March for Our Lives 10 days later. Wednesday's event commemorating the assassination of King is open to the public, and is also sponsored by the YWCA Bethlehem, Bethlehem Area Public Library and Lepoco. Bethlehem march to mark 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. assassination by Anonymous arnc2g2N on Scribd Participants are assembling at 4:45 p.m. at Payrow Plaza beside Bethlehem City Hall, 10 E. Church St., and the march begins at 5 p.m. The route will take marchers to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Jr. Park on Carlton Avenue on South Side, where a program is scheduled for 6 p.m. "It's bringing us together once again, remembering Dr. King and what he stood for, and I don't think we can ever let that die," Lee said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Two of three suspects charged in the shooting death of a Domino's Pizza deliveryman, who was ambushed on an East Stroudsburg University's campus last year, are facing new charges in other cases. They include Salvador Roberts, 21, and Israel Berrios, 17, of East Stroudsburg. Also charged in the shooting was Carolina Carmona, then 30, who is Berrios' girlfriend and Roberts' sister. All three face criminal homicide charges and remain incarcerated at Monroe County jail, according to court records. In separate cases and prior to the December shooting, Berrios and Roberts now are charged in an Oct. 19 armed robbery near Koehler Fieldhouse on the campus and in a Nov. 19 burglary of a dormitory room, according to a Pocono Record report. Richard LaBar Berrios and an unidentified man robbed another man near Koehler Fieldhouse, hitting him in the head from behind, throwing him face-down to the ground and holding him down with a knife against his back before taking money from his wallet, according to the Pocono Record. Roberts and a juvenile on Nov. 19 were captured on surveillance video entering an unlocked dorm room in Sycamore Suites. They then exited the room with what the victim said was electronic equipment worth $1,660, the report states. Berrios, Roberts and Carmona are accused of luring Richard LaBar, 58, the pizza delivery driver, on Dec. 11, 2017 to an unoccupied building on the East Stroudsburg University campus. LaBar struggled with Berrios, was knocked to the ground and shot with a .410 gauge shotgun, Monroe County prosecutors had said. Carmona is accused of calling Domino's using a cellphone app to be delivered to an address on Normal Street, which turned out to be the Army recruitment facility. LaBar encountered Carmona outside and Berrios came out of the bushes with a sawed-off shotgun, police had said. Berrios demanded cash and LaBar claimed he didn't have any, which led to a struggle, police said. Berrios shot LaBar and upon assuming he was dead, took a bag with $100 cash inside from LaBar, according to police. The pair then used Roberts as a getaway driver, according to police. LaBar was rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, then transferred to the hospital's Cedar Crest location and put on life support. After multiple tests determined there was no brain activity, LaBar's family decided to turn off the life support, prosecutors had said. Prosecutors credited a Stroud Area Regional police officer in the quick arrest of the suspects. While at the shooting scene, officer Terry Eilber spotted a taxi driving toward the Hill Street address where Berrios lives. Berrios was a suspect in several incidents, police said, including a Nov. 12 attempted robbery of pizza delivery person, police said. Eilber called the taxi company and confirmed it was dispatched to Berrios' address, and that it picked up a man and a woman, police said. The riders asked the driver about the shooting, police said. The driver reported taking the pair to South Courtland Street, and that the man got out with a bag in his hand, was gone for several minutes, then got back into the cab with the bag, troopers said. The driver told police he brought the pair back to Berrios and Carmona's address at about 3:11 a.m. Berrios and Carmona allegedly later admitted to the crime. In the October robbery, Berrios was charged with attempted armed robbery and assault, court records state. His case is pending in Monroe County Court. In the November burglary, Robert was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft, receiving stolen property and other related offenses. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 10, according to court records. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Stock Market News Sunday share tips: Fulcrum, Greene King, Primary Health 01-04-2018 17:08 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 Upon arrival in Afghanistan, our delegation traveled to Task Force Southeast-Advisory Platform Lightning under the command of Brigadier General David M. Hamilton. The visit provided the opportunity to engage directly with our servicemembers on the front line executing the priority U.S. mission of training and advising Afghan security forces. The delegation thanked these men and women for their dedication and selfless service. While there, the delegation also met with senior Afghan military partners. In Kabul, General John W. Nicholson, Jr., Commander, Resolute Support Mission and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, and other senior military leaders briefed the delegation on the U.S. military train, advise and assist mission across Afghanistan. Our discussions with U.S. military leaders on the ground and U.S. Embassy Country Team officials made it clear that a military effort alone will not achieve the desired conditions and objectives in Afghanistan. A comprehensive regional approach, focused on diplomacy, economic development and increasing the capacity of the Afghan security services, is critical to achieving the conditions for a secure and stable Afghanistan, and the safe return of U.S. troops. Another highlight of the visit was the opportunity to meet with Afghans leading the way to empower women and girls, advance human and journalist rights, educate and empower youth and advance entrepreneurship and public-private partnerships. We were inspired by these young leaders and by their determination to shape a better future for the Afghan people. Today, the delegation met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah at the Presidential Palace. During the meeting, the delegation underscored the importance of including women in reconciliation talks with the Taliban, the urgency of reducing corruption and the imperative of moving forward with free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections. President Ghani expressed gratitude for development assistance and was especially appreciative of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. Our meetings confirmed that Afghanistan has come a long way with the support of the U.S. and other international partners but formidable challenges remain. Our five days of meetings with high-level officials, civic leaders and young people in the Middle East and South Asia focused on advancing our national security, countering terrorism and narcotics, promoting economic and social development and advancing regional peace. Our discussions were enriched by the participation of each member of our high-level Congressional delegation. - Tel Aviv, Israel A Congressional Delegation led by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi returned from Afghanistan after a two-day visit. Leader Pelosi released the following statement: Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > PDP at Crossroads by Javid Ahmad Ahanger and Mudasir Ahmad Qazi Thomas Jefferson, the founding father of the United States of America, once said: The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government. Jeffersons prophetic words identified the atrophy of governments when they cross a limit. This becomes relevant in the context of Jammu and Kashmir which is going through a tumultuous phase. There is complete anarchy in the State, although a government exists but lacks legitimacy; in such lawlessness, the care of human life and happiness has become a distant possibility. The present political dispensation, of the PDP-BJP, since its rule, has added to the miseries. The coming together experiment of North Pole and South Pole has made the political environment more confusing and fragile. The PDP-BJP alliance not only proved incapable to rule but miserably failed on all other fronts. The countless killings, arrests, cordons, search operations and counter-insurgency operations have turned the Valley once again into a concentration camp where annihilation and destruction becomes the order of the day. In such an environment the prospect of a new beginning looks bleak. The coalition governments Agenda of Alliance turned out to be an Agenda of Destruction. However, most astonishing is the approach of the PDP, which rose to power in the name of the Healing Touch. Its election planks remained Self-rule, withdrawal AFSPA, release of all political prisoners, resumption of talks with separatists, and crusade against corruption. Its new avatar in power is in complete contradiction with its ideology. Its alliance with the BJP turned out to be a foolhardy adventure and it is now sinking at the confluence of the two rivers, Jhelum and Chenab. The PDP has repeated what the NC did during its rule; hence it is getting ruined. Toeing New Delhis line has always been dangerous in the Valley. We have observed how the National Conference lost its electoral mandate once they acted merely as agents of New Delhi. The politics of remaining in the good books of New Delhi has squeezed the space of the NC and now the PDP is travelling in the same direction. There is every possibility that a new mainstream alternative may crop up in the form of Engineer Rashid, who like the PDP, is growing on the separatist agenda. The PDPs rise to power became possible because of two factors: first, there was a political vacuum in the State; and second, its pseudo-separatism struck the right chord with the people. Mufti Mohammad Syed used every element of separatist politics to build his party. The party used the symbols of green flag and ink pen combination with which the Valley has a deep psychological-emotional attachment. Thus in Mufti Syeds political calculation, espousing the interests and demands of the Kashmiris was paramount. During his first stint as the Chief Minster Mufti somehow suceeded in espousing the interests of the Kashmiris through the healing touch and luckily he got equal response from New Delhi. However, the PDPs second stint in power turned out to be a disaster for the Valley. This unholy alliance has given nothing to the people except miseries and killing. While as a coalition partner the BJP is silently carrying out its own political agenda, the PDP is disappearing into oblivion. The party failed to fulfil the political promises, made in the Agenda of Alliance. Perhaps it would not be wrong to say that the BJP had made all possible efforts to make the PDP a handicapped and broken political entity in Kashmir. But the blame does not lie with the BJP alone; the PDP, which was earlier known for its soft-separatist stance, turned out to be an opportunist quisling. Besides, whatever damage has been done to the State by the previous regimes like that of the NC, the PDP has added fuel to the fire without showing an iota of good governance and respect for human rights. There is every possibility that if the PDPpersists with its nonsensical approach it will gradually fade away. At present, the PDP is going through the process of a paradoxical sleep, a recurring state of being asleep, during which dreams occur and nothing else. Thats because of its poor and unaccountable political policies in Kashmir which followed the resignation of parliamentarian Tariq Hamed Karra. The fractures within the party are an open secret now and any upheaval in the party may deal it the death blow. It is evident that the party is in complete dilemma about what to do. Its approach to buy time and wait for the right moment to withdraw from the alliance is more dangerous since things will not ease out in the Valley in the near future largely because the instability in the Valley suits the BJP nationally. Political scientist Harold Laswell defines politics as Who Gets What, When, and How. The President of the PDP and incumbent CM would have redefined Laswells definition when she shouted: PDP cant form a government just for the sake of power but, if it does, it will be, as envisioned by Mufti Sahab, with the objective of addressing the core political and economic issues confronting J&K as was done by the PDP-led government between 2002 and 2005. However, there seems to beno progress on the Agenda of the Alliance with the BJP. When there is no follow-up on the agreed programme, what is the rationale of continuing with the alliance? This unexpected behaviour of the party reflects its thirst for power, not Mufti Syeds dream or vision. It is too late now for Mehbooba Mufti to review her position and work on the unfulfilled promises which she made to the people. A noted political and social scientist, Chris Gibson, asserted that: The idea that two political parties cant come together to get a mission done is foreign to me and unacceptable. The same is true of the present coalition government. The time is not far away when the party (PDP) will meet the same fate which the NC met when it sought a mandate from the alienated and disappointed population in 2014. The authors are Research Scholars, Department of Political Science, Aligarh Muslim University. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > Rahul in a New Avatar? Rahul Gandhi is the new star on the Congress firmament. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, has passed on the baton to him and he is the party President. Rahul is the great grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru. Thus the office of the Prime Minister, if and when the party is voted to power, remains with the dynasty. It has, naturally, given a sense of unity, important for a country of division and diversity. Rahul Gandhi is not that young. At 48, he is the youngest President of the Congress so far. Whether he has answers to the problems plaguing the country is yet to be seen. But he is considered very blunt. He has rightly attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its mentor, the RSS, for dividing the people. A combative Rahul specifically targeted the Prime Minister, taking on the issue of corruption. However, the joining hands of parties to attack the government on the killing of 39 Indians in Iraq is misplaced. These people were kidnapped four years ago. One wishes that Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had used the pressure exerted by the West to have the Indians released. The attitude of the West is not understandable. None of these countries has bemoaned the massacre. This underlines the contempt the Whites have for the Third World where the Black and the Brown live. Similarly, the Congress has singled out the BJP for the massacre. Congress leaders blamed the government for the delay in announcing the killing. Shashi Tharoor, a Congress leader, criticised the government for giving false hope to the families of the hostages. This is saddening for every Indian, rest I would ask why this information was delayed by the government, they should tell how it happened and when did they die. Also, the way government gave high hopes to the families was not right, he said. So far, Parliaments stand has been too prosaic. Its debate reflects the division between the Congress and BJP. Granted that they are poles apart, they should have come together for the action on the massacre. Sushma Swarajs explanation that they wanted to be sure does not condone the inordinate delay. To condone this, she should have announced the govern-ments action. At present it looks as if it has pocketed the normal anger over the killings. She was, however, right when she said that without concrete evidence, the government could not have announced the killings. It is the duty of any responsible government to not declare anyone dead without confirmation. I have said earlier that I wont declare them dead without evidence, and wont wait for even a day once its confirmed, Sushma Swaraj said. Are we going to play politics over dead bodies? I want to ask the Congress, why did they disrupt the House today? Swaraj said. I went to the Lok Sabha with a heavy heart today and came out even more disappointed, she said at a press conference after her speech was disrupted in Parliament. Rahul Gandhi, I think, should open a new chapter. Unity or even a semblance of it is necessary to blunt the criticism on the late announcement over the killings. Still there is no action. The Muslim countries could have been marshalled to condemn the massacre. We should have been able to convince our neighbouring countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh, to come out on the killings. In the meanwhile, Sonia Gandhis dinner meeting with the Opposition leaders was a step in the right direction to bring all the non-BJP parties together to see that the BJP does not return to power in 2019. The Congress chief spokesperson, Surjewala, however, said the dinner was not organised for politics but for amity and friendship among Opposition parties. The intention is not political, but to hold discussions in a family-like setting at a time when the nation is confronted with a number of issues, including the farmers unrest, he said after the dinner. Surjewala said at a time when the Congress was not allowing Parliament to function, it was obvious that leaders of various parties would get together to discuss the current political situation. Sonia Gandhi has consistently been pushing for broader Opposition unity, urging political parties to set aside their local differences and get together in the larger national interest to keep the BJP out of power in 2019. In fact, Sonia categorically said that Narendra Modi would not return to power. Apparently, this is just the beginning of all parties coming together to oust the BJP. The CPI-Ms Mohammad Salim said a more comprehensive meetings will soon follow. Pawar has called another meeting of Opposition parties later this month. However, the BJP hit out at the Congress after Sonias dinner. It seems Sonia and Rahul Gandhi dont believe in democracy. They speak outside on democracy but dont practise it in Parliament. Congress doesnt have democracy in its genes, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said. At the plenary session, the Congress President did not leave a chance to attack the BJP claiming that the Modi Government colluded with Indias biggest crony capitalists. He also accused the BJP saying the party was the voice of an organisation, while the Congress was the voice of a country. Yet he admitted that the Manmohan Singh Government didnt meet the expectations of the people in its last few years. He said: We are humans, we make mistakes. (But) PM Modi thinks he is not human but an incarnation of God. Rahul, in his concluding remarks, said that the Congress will take the country forward. To every youngster in India, we are your instru-ment. The Congress party belongs to you. We want to open our doors to your talent, your bravery and your energy. This country is struggling and it needs you, he added. How far Rahul can remove the ills within the Congress is yet to be seen. People in the country await his action or functioning. The foremost thing is employment. Can he create two lakh jobs a year and increase the GDP to 11 per cent to stave off the economic backwardness? The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > Remotely-controlled Weapons hit Democracy by L.K. Sharma National electorates have lost their primacy in deciding the outcome of their elections. They have the vote and they go to the polling booths, but their choice may be determined by a foreign government or a private company. In the new information order, manipulated voters have come to outnumber threatened voters and bribed voters. Democracy stands diminished as the world debates whether Donald Trump was sent to the White House by American voters or by Vladimir Putin! Not a month goes by without protests by those who believe that the Russian state meddled in the US election. This controversy has been followed by reports that a British data analytics firm energised Trumps poll campaign by using allegedly stolen private data for targeting American voters. Democracy has spawned manufacturers of dissent and consent who can be contracted for swaying the election results in one country or organising a political springand destabilising a regime in another. If it is illegal to subvert free elections in another country, the official intelligence agency can outsource the job to private commercial players. This formula for plausible deniability has been tried and tested. Technological advances have increased asymmetry in power relations and the new business leaders come from the same regions that dominated manufacturing and financial services. Their business depends on data mining based on technologies monopolised by the privileged. Stealing of private data seems easier than pilfering coal from the mines. Data is far more expensive than coal. The victims of robber barons knew what they lost but the victims of data miners do not know what is being stolen from them. Data mining is as important a weapon in the arsenal of a political leader as it is for a company selling soap and shampoo. It is through data mining that Russia is alleged to have helped Trumps poll campaign. The involvement of a foreign hand was one of the reasons that made Donald Trumps victory controversial from the moment the results were announced in 2016. One senior US official or the other keeps revealing details of cyber-meddling by Moscow. A grand jury in Washington accuses 13 Russians and three organisations of plotting to sway the US presidential election in favour of Trump. The indictment goes beyond the charge of an online operation and using a troll farm in Russia to flood the social media with pro-Trump and anti-Hillary content. Some Russians even travelled to the US clandestinely to contact social and political activists and organise demonstrations and protests designed to harm Hillary and benefit Trump. This indictment was used by the US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster to say thatRussian meddling is incontrovertible and beyond dispute. Trump denies the allegation and blames the FBI for investigating his election campaign. As if the alleged Russian involvement was not enough, it turns out that some credit must also go to a British data analytics firm which carries the prestigious word Cambridge in its name. Sample a newspaper headline: Cambridge Analytica boasts of dirty tricks to swing elections. According to media reports, the Cambridge Analytica executives boasted of their role in getting Trump elected. Their weapon was unattributable and untrackable advertising to support their clients in elections. The firm, according to a senior member of staff, was behind the defeat crooked Hillary advertising campaign. It just placed false information into bloodstream of the internet and then watched it grow! Such stuff infiltrates the online community with a lightning speed. Hillary Clinton, the victim of this social media campaign, did notice something unusual. She said that she faced a new kind of campaign that nobody had ever faced before. This data scandal led to the suspension of the companys chief executive. Also, Cambridge University asked Facebook to tell it whether one of its academics used university data and resources to help Cambridge Analytica. The Observer reported that the company had unauthorised access to tens of millions of Facebook profiles which were used to build a political targeting system to help Trump. The British company faces the allegations of the theft of personal data of American voters. The newspaper headlines appearing every week will not let the controversy die or let the Trump poll campaign get a clean chit soon. A report of foreign interference in national politics has been reported from another democracyFrance. The former President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been taken into police custody for being questioned over allegations that he received millions of euros in illegal election campaign funding from the late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy won that election in 2007. Sarkozy also faced another allegation of false accounting for his failed re-election campaign of 2012 when he was described as a political showman because of his expensive rallies and the US-style stadium gigs. In France, a foreign power directly helped the then President by funding his re-election campaign. In the US election, a foreign power allegedly meddled by abusing social media. The employment of foreign poll consultants by the candidates in emerging democracies has become a known strategy. In a new scenario, a foreign government can offer this expensive service to a favoured candidate in the Third World in a clandestine manner. It can evade the charge of meddling in a foreign election by enlisting the Diaspora favouring one candidate of the other, one ideology or the other in the motherland. The US and Britain have a long history of using the expatriates in their official as well as unofficial campaigns to dislodge a foreign ruler, elected or non-elected. The Diaspora operates from the safety of their adopted country and does not mind if its campaign finance causes social unrest and political instability in the motherland. The Iranian Diaspora in the US plays a big role in the politics of the motherland. The US Government offered grants worth millions of dollars inviting applications from the groups wanting to promote human rights and democracy in Iran. This was seen even by some Iranians in America as a veiled attempt at regime change in that country. A political revolution in Iran can be seeded in Brooklyn! This meddling is done in the name of promoting democracy in the target country. In some cases, the new regime turns out to be more oppressive and a transient political spring is followed by a harsher winter. A big power smells an opportunity if the Diaspora belongs to a politically polarised country. Depending on the foreign and economic policies of the target nation, official agencies recruit either the dissidents or the supporters of the regime from among the expatriates. Social media is a very powerful political tool in possession of the Diaspora! Digital patriots have proliferated in the recent years. The Diaspora helps its favourite leaders campaign in the motherland through tweets and online campaign videos. It organises impressive events for a visiting leader from home and holds a token protest against his political opponents or his critics in the media. If a Third World leader cannot afford data mining, analysis and poll consultancy by a foreign firm, the Diaspora can foot the bill. Such remotely run campaigns influence the voters of the target country as the US Presidential election proved.The growing external influence on the democratic process is now understood by every smart elected leader. He knows that his peoples mandate for a given number of years is not enough and he fears destabilisation. He wants to strengthen his position by gettinga big external powers endorsement. Italso enhances his popularity in his country, especially if it happens to be a former colony. If America gives a favoured-nation treatment, global appreciation follows and the media in the US and Europe starts seeing that country in a new light. Eric Hobsbawm once told this reporter that young Indias achievements were ignored by the Western media for decades because America had reservations about Indias policies. The Third World leaders realise the importance of the President of the United States and seek a bargain with him. Abandoning their partys election manifesto, they open up the domestic market a little more to become more acceptable to powerful nations. They carry orders for big-ticket military equipment when they go to meet their counterparts. A smart elected leader does not antagonise a big power for fear of ruination. His democratic credentials are not enough to keep him safely in power. A vilified dictator who benefits the commercial and manufacturing interests of his host country is hailed as a world statesman.And the same dictator refusing to play ball at a later stage can be deported from the world. An old photograph of an American Defence Secretary bowing in the court of Saddam Hussein illustrates how an enemy was a great friend once. Democracy is often threatened by external elements posing as a force for democracy. The use of social media and foreign funding has increased challenges facing the election regulators. In the best of times, the democratic order faced threats from domestic money, media and muscle power. The dominant castes of Bihar or the money bags of Londons Golden Square Mile have always swayed the election results in their respective areas of influence. The latter do not send armed ruffians to capture polling booths but underwrite a friendly political partys poll campaign. The Citys financial might has protected its extraordinary rights and privileges, granting it immunity from the elected Parliaments authority! The unkindest description of the Golden Square Mile, from where the old East India Company operated once, comes from The Guardian columnist George Monbiot. He says it is the place where democracy goes to die. Another columnist Jeremy Fox calls the City of London the prime launderette for dirty money and the worlds largest controller of offshore tax haves. It became the prime destination for the super-rich Russians after the end of the Cold War. Following the suspicious deaths of a former Russian spy who spied for Britain, some British columnists made dark references to the Russian oligarchs helping the ruling party in Britain. Some British media moguls have perfected the art of winning friends in a coming government by influence the people during the election campaign. A media owner doesnt just ask his editors to write the desired kind of opinion pieces and editorials but unleashes his trusted reporter on a leader whom he doesnt want to become the next Prime Minister. At the behest of the government, the media moguls can deploy massive financial resources in publishing and distributing a book written by a foreigner fighting the leader of that country. Their Indian counterparts have quickly learnt from them. The Indian media scene has become so dismal that every now or then a TV or a newspaper journalist either resigns in protest or is thrown out for showing signs of independent thinking. This happened twice this month. Such domestic threats to democracy have been discussed for years. But it is the external threat that has grown manifold and is set to acquire greater lethal power to disrupt a democracy.The new weapon is safer to use, and technological advances will make it more and more effective. It has demonstrated its capability not just in the young democracies but even in mature democracies. Globalisation, data collection and analytics and social media have given a remote weapon to subvert democracy in any distant country. This weapon is humane. An unfriendly foreign leader no longer needs to be killed physically. It is easier to assassinate him politically. Some powerful Western democratic nations who preach democracy while supporting cruel but friendly foreign dictators used to suppress the democratic movements in those countries by offering a dictator the best of weapon systems plus substantial financial aid while keeping quiet about the human rights violation by his forces. They can now help a subservientdictator by using subtle methods to sabotage the electoral chances of his democratic opponent. Many democracies keep trying to curb the misuse of money and muscle power in elections. Now the spectre of the foreign hand has come to haunt the democratic process. The media coverage of the external meddling in elections makes the true democrats anxious and gives credibility to those forecasting the death of democracy. (Courtesy: Open Democracy) The author is a senior journalist and writer who worked in India and abroad (notably Britain) in several major newspapers. Now retired, he is a free- lancer. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > Mamata, Ram Navami Violence, Dalit Anxiety EDITORIAL When West Bengal CM and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee arrived in the Capital on March 27 to hold discussions with several Opposition party leaders, she was speaking about building a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front. But on March 28 evening after meeting UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Delhi CM and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal as well as dissident BJP leaders (Shatrughan Sinha, Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie) she said: The country wants us to fight them (the BJP) on the basis of a one-on-one formula. Elaborating further, she explained: ...It should be a one-on-one fight against the BJP by each party in their places of strength and others should support it. Like in Karnataka, the Congress is strong... it will fight the BJP one-on-one. The importance of Mamatas meetings in New Delhi was heightened by the BJPs reaction to these interactions on the part of the West Bengal CM. It pointed out that Mamata was in Delhi when riots were taking place in the State. As a Union Minister said ...Her visit reminds us of the old saying: Nero fiddled while Rome burnt. Actually the Minister was referring to the violence during Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal that left three persons dead and two dozen injured in clashes. The violence was primarily triggered by the BJP workers taking out processions in several parts armed with weapons like swords, trishuls etc. (which were prohibited by the State authorities). Such violence took place in Purulia, Murshidabad, West Bardhaman, Asansol, Raniganj. The Centre asked the State Government to send a report on these incidents while offering paramilitary forces from the Centre to control the violence. Incidentally similar violence also occurred in several places in BiharAurangabad, Munger and Samastipurbut the Centre neither sought any report on it from the Bihar Government nor offered paramilitary forces there thus highlighting its double-standards. Predictably the West Bengal Government rejected the Centres offer on this score. At the same time the Supreme Courts recent order on the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities (Prevention) Act, that is viewed by the SC/ST community at large as a move to dilute the Act, has caused concern among the Dalit MPs who have called on the PM seeking the Centres intervention in the matter by exhorting him to file a review petition against the March 20 ruling. Modi is learnt to have given a patient hearing but made no commitment to intervene. Simultaneously the Opposition MPs, led by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, also called on the President in this regard. The key demand of the memorandum they submitted to the President related to the filing of the review petition in the SC. A Dalit MP from the BJP has spoken out on this issue. The MP from Bahraich, Sadhvi Savitri Bai Phoole, called upon those in favour of reservation, irrespective of their political affiliation, to wage a resolute struggle in defence of the Bahujan society. All this reflects the restive mood among Dalits across the country, something the Union Government is choosing to ignore for the present. It can surely do so but at its own peril. March 29 S.C. Next time you're doing some spring cleaning and getting ready to whittle down your kids' wardrobes, consider donating a few items to Fitting for the Future. Fitting for the Future is an annual event, now in its fourth year, run by HelpOurKids, a nonprofit based in Western Massachusetts whose mission is to provide kids in foster care with things that normally would be unavailable to them. The event, which will be held this year from on April 7 at Tower Square in Springfield, provides youths aged 16-22 with an opportunity to get special event clothing and accessories at no cost to them or their foster families. Also included at the event will be instructions in hair and makeup, alterations, how to tie a tie, as well a professional portraits for each youth. While the event is held around prom season, the items are not limited to that narrow category, according to Noryn A. Resnick, executive director of HelpOurKids. "We named it 'Fitting for the Future' because we wanted to cover all future events. We provide the extras. The things they normally can't get," she said. "We had a young man who is going to an awards banquet and he needed some slacks, a shirt and a tie. So we provided that for him. Or we had a young woman who needed a dress to wear under her graduation gown. Or if someone needs clothes for a job interview. It's really about pampering them and make them feel good about themselves." Each student is assigned a personal shopper to assist in the selection outfits, shoes, jewelry, and accessories. Each student leaves the event with a swag bag full of goodies. A team of over 80 community volunteers ensures that each student receives personal attention and guidance. HelpOurKids and its many local volunteers have been collecting dresses, suits, shoes, jewelry, and all appropriate accessories throughout the year to ensure that the kids who attend Fitting For The Future will have a wide selection. Resnick said she is pretty strict about the quality of clothing. "We don't do jeans, but everything from casual wear up to formal princess ball gowns. I go over the clothing closely to make sure all the buttons are on and there are no stains. If I wouldn't put it on my own daughter or son, I'm not putting it out there," she said. Right now, Resnick has enough clothes for this year, but as of April 8, she'll start collecting for next year. "The day is a magical experience for kids who struggle daily and rarely have the opportunity to feel so special," Resnick said. "When the kids first come in, sometimes their heads are down and they're wondering what it is because they don't know what to expect. But within 10 minutes they're standing up straight and smiling. It's really transformational, not just with what they're wearing, but in their souls, if that's possible." To learn more about Fitting For The Future 2018 visit www.helpourkidsinc.org Addressing an increased demand, the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning will offer a Polish language class and a course in Polish history and culture this spring. Stas Radosz, executive director and founder of the Polish center, will teach both classes. He has vast experience and knowledge of Polish history and culture. He has taught these classes before but not recently. He has taught in universities in Poland and at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Elms College. The conversational Polish language class is a five-week course for beginners and is designed to help students develop the ability to use Polish in communicative situations. Polish is the national language of Poland with more than 55 million Polish-language speakers throughout the world, and it is one of the official languages of the European Union. All aspects of the language - speaking, listening, reading and writing - will be covered in the class. Grammatical material will be introduced as needed. The course will meet on Thursdays from 6 to 7 p.m. from April 19 until May 17. The cost is $300, or $250 for Polish Center of Discovery and Learning members. "Explore Your Polish Heritage" is also a five-week class that will provide an overview of the history and culture of the Polish people including their aspirations, rituals, myths and legends while drawing on the rich collections of the museum's galleries and archives. The course will meet on Wednesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. from April 18 to May 16. The cost is also $300, or $250 for Polish Center of Discovery and Learning Members. There is an estimated 9.5 million Polish Americans, representing about 3 percent of the U.S. population. According to Joanne M. Gruszkos, vice chair of the center's board and chair of long- range planning, the center has repeatedly received inquiries about such classes, but since the release last year of "Polish Heritage: A History of a Proud Community in Western Massachusetts," as part of The Republican's Heritage book series, they have increased 40 to 50 percent. "The interest in genealogy has also increased interest, and people plan to visit Poland and want to converse with relatives," she added, explaining the need for the language class. "Learning the language is important for business purposes; many companies are establishing operations in Poland and need their U.S. employees to speak Polish," she said. "Travel to Poland is increasing, and while English is commonly spoken, people want to communicate in Polish." The center's mission is to preserve history and culture, and language is a key part of that. The Polish center is advocating for the Seal of Biliteracy, recently passed and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker, to include the Polish language and is supporting efforts to include Polish in Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System testing to allow children of recent immigrants to take the test in their native language. For more information about the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning, visit the website, polishcenter.net, or call 413-592-0001. NORTON - A 30-year-old Saugus woman suffered injuries Saturday night after a wild turkey flew into her windshield, police said. Massachusetts State Police were called to the scene of the incident, which occurred around 6 p.m. in the southbound lane of Route 495 in Norton. The woman's 2014 Toyota Corolla was near exit 9 when the bird collided with her vehicle. The woman suffered injuries from shattering glass and was treated at the scene, police said. The Norton Fire Department and EMS assisted State Police with the incident. CHICOPEE -- It took just four hours between the time an anonymous post threatening to shoot teachers and students at Dupont Middle School was discovered and a 12-year-old girl was arrested last week. "Fortunately it was, for the most part, resolved in four hours time ... in an incident like that, that is very, very quick," police Lt. Patrick Major said. School and law enforcement officials met Wednesday with the School Committee to talk about how they are keeping schools safe and dealing with a spate of school shooting threats that have hit Western Massachusetts. The one at Dupont Middle School was the first in a series of social media posts threatening school shootings that spread through Springfield, Holyoke and Westfield last week. Over the past two months, 16 threats have been made on social media against schools throughout Hampden County, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said this week. The threat to Dupont Middle School was spotted by a woman who immediately reported it to police and sent it to the department's Facebook page. That set off a full-scale investigation, and Superintendent Richard W. Rege said he started his Sunday evening on the phone working with local detectives and Massachusetts State Police investigators. The threat to kill 23 students and 13 teachers was posted on Snapchat, and repeatedly shared on social media. Investigators traced it to a former Dupont student who moved to Springfield less than a month ago, Major said. Police from a variety of departments and the state police have been working with Western Massachusetts educators to ensure schools have security precautions in place to prevent intruders from entering them and to keep students safe if there is a problem, said trooper Andrew Canata, a member of the State Police School Safety Unit that works with area schools. Following the threat, local and state police last week held a series of lockdown drills in city schools to ensure everyone knows what to do to stay as safe as possible if there is a shooter or other crisis, he said. "We are not storm troopers or anything, we just want kids to have a safe place to learn," Canata said. In most schools, state police join with local police and fire departments and principals and teachers to develop and evaluate plans and run through drills to ensure schools are as safe and secure as possible, he said. During a drill, officers go through the steps as they would if there was an actual lockdown. They go room-to-room and open the locked classroom doors with a key, but once inside they greet children and answer questions. At the same time, officers are learning the layout of the schools and finding any problems teachers had with making rooms secure. They also test communications systems and procedures to ensure police and teachers can interact in case of an emergency, Canata said. Police are now using a lot of technology to communicate with each other. They also now have easy access to school layout maps accessible on cruiser computers, so if they are called to an emergency in a school, they know how to get around quickly, Major said. Police from other communities, including South Hadley and Holyoke, also participate in the drills so they can share ideas and become familiar with schools in other communities in case they have to assist if there is a crisis, Assistant Superintendent Alvin Morton said. "Our plans are constantly evolving," Morton said. "We are trying to be proactive and prevent on the front end." The plans include procedures to get students who are outside for physical education, in a hallway or in a restroom to safety. There are also procedures to reunite children with their parents and plans to handle other contingencies, he said. Parents also will be notified as soon as possible, but school and police officials said they are always concerned adults will flood the school area and complicate an already difficult situation. They also ask students to avoid using their cellphones immediately, especially because it can cause the communications system to crash, Major said. The drills are just a small part of the effort. Police are constantly pushing the idea of telling parents, students and teachers to say something if they spot something suspicious. One of the reasons the threat to Dupont School was resolved so quickly is that police were notified of the post quickly, Major said. Morton talked about how police and schools are using software systems that will use keywords -- such as "Chicopee," school names, "bomb" and "gun" -- to identify threats that pop up on social media. It can also identify things like "suicide" so staff can identify students who may need help and get counselors and parents involved. "It does pick up a lot of false positives too because kids talk in a different way," Morton said. "What I have learned is most kids do their conversing and talking in this day and age through social media." School Committee members said they are especially concerned about ensuring there are enough mental health counselors in the schools to identify children who have problems and could become violent -- and to get them help. Morton said there are counselors in every school. The schools also contract with River Valley Counseling Center, which has staff that visits children who need help at least once a week. But School Committee member Mary-Elizabeth Pniak-Costello said that isn't enough. She said there have been at least five suicides at Comprehensive High School in the past seven years, including one student who first killed his mother and then himself last year. "That is totally unacceptable," she said. "We have to do something different." School Committee member David Barsalou, a retired Springfield High School of Commerce teacher, said he ran into incidents of students bringing guns into school for protection and they went undetected for as long as a week. He said he would support arming staff who are well trained in the use of firearms and used the example of a Comprehensive High School vice principal who is a former police officer. School Committee member Chester J. Szetela said his biggest concern is students' reactions to the drills and other precautions. "I get concerned about the kind of atmosphere this creates in a public school," he said. Canata said police do their best to act as positively and low-key as possible. They work collaboratively and train with the staff and take extra care for children with special needs by releasing them from a lockdown drill first. "The kids are a lot more resilient than we give them credit for," Major said. A former Cub Scout leader in Massachusetts is facing child pornography possession charges after information from a law enforcement agency in Australia led to his arrest. The Middlesex District Attorney's office announced 40-year-old William Gates of Burlington was arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court Friday on five counts of possession of child pornography. Gates was released on personal recognizance under several conditions. He can only use the internet for work purposes, is banned from photographing children under the age of 18, cannot have unsupervised visits with children under the age of 18 and he is prohibited from working or volunteering with children. He returns to court on April 24. "In November of 2017 Homeland Security Investigators in Boston, received information from an Australian law enforcement agency that an unknown individual in the Boston-area may be engaged with a website known to law enforcement for sharing child pornography," the district attorney's office said. "Through their investigation authorities determined the identity of the person to be William Gates of Burlington." Authorities say they found more than 1,000 images of child pornography while examining five devices owned by Gates. In a letter sent to parents, Cub Scout Pack 105 Burlington said Gates resigned from the leadership of Pack 105 in December 2017. He did not attend any pack of den events since he resigned. "Our Executive Leaders spoke to our Council Leaders and were advised that these were only allegations therefore any communication within our Pack could have legal ramifications," the letter said. "In light of this, we took our own internal measures to address the safety of all of our children." Gates was barred from attending scouting events and removed from the Pack 105 Charter and Leadership Team. A Pennsylvania woman who told Logan International Airport security she had to use the restroom before being checked admitted to hiding heroin and cocaine in a bodysuit. Natalia Alexander Duran, 22, pleaded guilty to two counts of importation of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute in a Boston federal court. Sentencing is scheduled for June 28, 2018. Duran arrived at Logan International Airport in Boston on May 30, 2017 on a flight from the Dominican Republic. "Upon arrival, Duran, a U.S. citizen, was referred for a secondary baggage examination. Duran stated that she needed to use the restroom and was told that she would have to be 'pat frisked' before she could do so," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "Duran was then pat frisked by a female officer, who felt an abnormality in Duran's groin area." Duran admitted she hid drugs in her clothing. Authorities recovered 41 pellets of cocaine from her bodysuit. Investigators believed Duran ingested more drugs and took her to a local hospital for an x-ray. Authorities discovered Duran had pellets of drugs in her abdominal area. "While at the hospital, Duran excreted an additional 68 pellets," investigators said. A total of 109 pellets were recovered and tested. The pellets equaled 971 grams of cocaine and 109 grams of heroin. SPRINGFIELD - Four people were displaced following a Saturday night fire in a bathroom. Firefighters responded to a fire at 8:20 p.m. in a five-story apartment complex at 306 Union St., Dennis Leger, assistant to Fire Commissioner B.J. Calvi. The fire in apartment 3L was quickly extinguished and firefighters prevented the flames from spreading to the rest of the building, he said. There were no injuries but four residents were displaced until repairs can be made. The American Red Cross is assisting the residents, Leger said. The cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical malfunction. It caused less than $20,000 in damage, Leger said. WESTFIELD - Police detectives are asking for help to identify a woman who used a counterfeit $100 bill at the Westfield Salvation Army recently. The woman made small purchases with fake $100 bills and is believed to be trying to get real money as change, police said. She was caught on store video camera buying the items in the store. The suspect is described as short with blond hair and may be carrying a zebra striped purse, police said. Anyone who can identify the woman or has any information about the counterfeit bills is asked to contact the detective bureau at 413-642-9389 or send a private message to the department's Facebook page. Starting this fall, as many as 1,700 Missoula County Public Schools http://www.mcpsmt.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1 students will receive free breakfasts and lunches. Already, students at Franklin, Hawthorne, Lowell, and Russell elementary and C.S. Porter middle schools receive free breakfasts, but a new provision through the national school lunch and breakfast programs will provide the students with free lunches as well regardless of their families income. The change has MCPS supervisor of food and nutrition Stacey Rossmiller excited about improving nutrition and behavior in buildings. "Its going to allow us to reach more kids in those schools," Rossmiller said By Alice Miller Full story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/mcps-schools-to-provide-free-meals-for-all-students/article_13a4895c-1517-11e4-8e6f-001a4bcf887a.html The first group of angel investors looking to back local projects will host a meeting on May 3 to hear pitches from technology companies that believe they have a winning idea. The process has been formalized as Early Stage MT, a competition, and grew out of efforts earlier this year to launch a successful angel investor network in Billings and around southeastern Montana. ROB ROGERS [email protected] http://billingsgazette.com/business/potential-investors-will-judge-ideas-from-billings-area-tech-companies/article_817a0b23-ea30-5320-b564-7c84613010a6.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1 *** May 3, Billings, 12:30pm 3:30pm, Eastern Region, Early Stage Montana competition for seed and A stage companies, public invited May 17, Missoula, 6:30pm 9:30pm, Western Region, Early Stage Montana competition for seed and A stage companies, public invited May 22, Bozeman, 6:30pm 9:30pm, Central Region Early Stage Montana competition for seed and A stage companies, public invited Montana Launches State-Wide Business Plan Competition With Up To $50,000 In Capital Investments EarlyStageMT.org Have you started your application yet? Do you know someone who should enter? http://www.matr.net/article-81922.html Yve Bardwell and Maggie Carr both had the experience. They both had the desire. It seems they were destined to start a business together. But six years ago, they didnt really know each other. Although living in a small town such as Choteau almost guarantees you at least know everyones name, the winners of the 2018 Fire Within Aspire Award werent friends when they took over Dropstone Outfitters https://dropstoneoutfitting.com/ . Sponsored by the Great Falls Development Authority http://www.gfdevelopment.org/ and Embark Credit Union, the Aspire Award goes each year to a woman operating a new business in northcentral Montana. Exceptional hiking adventures in Montanas Bob Marshall Wilderness. Traci Rosenbaum, [email protected] https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2018/03/29/fire-within-aspire-award-dropstone-outfitters-choteau-montana-bob-marshall-wilderness/459479002/ For many small businesses, getting funded is the biggest barrier. There are lots of methods to choose from for small businesses without seeking venture funding. Small Business Trends spoke with Nevin Shetty, Co-Founder and CEO of Blueprint Registry on their successful fundraising approach. Theyve done $25 million in sales without any venture capital. Shetty supplied 10 tips for bootstrapping a start up with no venture capital funding. by Rob Starr A Sidewalk Talk Q&A with urban scholar Emily Talen on why these streets are vanishing and what cities can do about it. "What happens on main street is such an integral part of activating the neighborhood. Now weve lost that. My fear is that its been this long, slow decline, so that it becomes almost taken for granted, and increasingly you shrug your shoulders and say, well, thats the way it is." https://medium.com/sidewalk-talk/quantifying-the-death-of-the-classic-american-main-street-ded267ea6229 *** Two Montana cities competing in Best Main Street in the Nation contest http://www.matr.net/article-82104.html VARENNES, Quebec, April 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. (the "Corporation" or the "Jean Coutu Group") (TSX:PJC.A) announces that its Board of Directors has declared today a quarterly dividend of $0.13 per share. This dividend will be paid on May 4, 2018, to all holders of Class "A" Subordinate Voting Shares and holders of Class "B" Shares listed in the Corporations shareholder ledger as at April 20, 2018. About The Jean Coutu Group The Jean Coutu Group is one of the most trusted names in Canadian pharmacy retailing. The Corporation operates a network of 419 franchised stores in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario under the banners of PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Sante and PJC Sante Beaute, which employs over 20,000 people. Furthermore, the Jean Coutu Group owns Pro Doc Ltd ("Pro Doc"), a Quebec-based subsidiary and manufacturer of generic drugs. This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, and which are based on the Corporations current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions that were made by the Corporation in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the Corporations strategy for growth, costs, operating or financial results, are forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release, including statements regarding the prospects of the Corporations industry and the Corporations prospects, plans, financial position and business strategy may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Canadian securities legislation and regulations. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "project", "could", should, would, "anticipate", "plan", "foresee", "believe" or "continue" or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. These statements do not reflect the potential impact of any nonrecurring items or of any mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, asset write-downs or other transactions or charges that may be announced or that may occur after the date hereof. While the list below of cautionary statements is not exhaustive, some important factors that could affect the Corporations future operating results, financial position and cash flows and could cause its actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements are changes in the legislation or the regulatory environment as it relates to the sale of prescription drugs and the pharmacy exercise, the success of the Corporations business model, changes in laws and regulations, or in their interpretations, changes to tax regulations and accounting pronouncements, the cyclical and seasonal variations in the industry in which the Corporation operates, the intensity of competitive activity in the industry in which the Corporation operates, the supplier and brand reputations, the Corporation's ability to attract and retain pharmacists, labour disruptions, including possibly strikes and labour protests, the accuracy of managements assumptions and other factors that are beyond the Corporation's control. These and other factors could cause the Corporation's actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied in those forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of assisting in understanding the Corporations financial position and results of operation and to present information about managements current expectations and plans relating to the future. Investors and others are thus cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes and they should not place undue reliance on them. For more information on the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that would cause the Corporations actual results to differ from current expectations, please also refer to the Corporations public filings available at www.sedar.com and www.jeancoutu.com.Further details and descriptions of these and other factors are disclosed in the Corporations Annual Information Form under "Risk Factors" and also in the "Critical accounting estimates", "Risks and uncertainties" and "Strategies and outlook" sections of the Corporation's annual management's discussion and analysis for fiscal year ended March 4, 2017. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect the Corporations expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change after such date. The Corporation expressly disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by the applicable securities laws. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A developer is hoping to convert a vacant church and parking lot on the Northeast Side into apartments. Rasa Lofley, a partner with 111 Halo LLC, is seeking the city's permission to convert a 76-year-old church building at 445 Knapp Street NE into five apartments and build a 9-unit apartment building in the parking lot. Lofley, whose partnership purchased the property last year, says she fell in love with the vacant brick and stone church built in 1942 for Saint James Lutheran Church. "It was my desire to save and restore something beautiful rather than see it deteriorate," said Lofley. "It's our intent to preserve the antiquity of the church as much as we possibly can," she said. "The neighborhood is lovely. It's located just a few blocks from the park and the river," she said. "Grand Rapids needs affordable housing, so that was serendipitous." The church has had several owners since 1967, when Saint James sold the property to the Salvation Army and built a larger church and school several blocks away. Since then, the property has been the home to several congregations, including a Korean congregation and a Native American group. Its most recent owner, Open Door Outreach Ministries, sold the property to another developer in 2016, who then sold it to 111 Halo last year. According plans submitted to the city, 111 Halo plans to divide the church into five three-story apartments that will include loft bedrooms in the upper part of the sanctuary and a bedroom in the basement area. A two-story structure with nine rental units will be built in the parking lot east of the church. The plan, which goes before the city Planning Commission on April 12, has drawn some concerns from neighbors who believe the site plan calling for 19 parking spaces will lead to parking problem on adjacent streets Greg Colthorp, who lives on Sinclair Avenue NE, said the development would create parking problems in a neighborhood where streets are crumbling and snow plows are blocked during the winter. "We'd prefer to see it used as a church," he said. Rofley said the development team met with neighbors and respects their concerns. "We will see what the city says as we proceed," she said. Dale Rosema, trustee chairman of Saint James Lutheran Church, said church members are pleased to see their old church reused. "Many of our older members have very fond memories of the events of their lives that took place in that building," Rosema said. "We wish the renovators and future tenants well in this endeavor and look forward to the completed project." If completed, the project would mark the second church in Grand Rapids that was converted into apartments. In 2014, 616 Development completed its conversion of the former Bethlehem Lutheran Church into 22 apartments in Heritage Hill. WYOMING - The stories that shape communities, national unity or the lack thereof, and social attitudes toward American Muslims will all be topics of discussion when the Kent District Library hosts a speaker series at its Wyoming branch later this month. The series of discussions, which are cosponsored by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, are entitled "Cultivating Community through Civil Discourse" and will take place at the library, 3350 Michael Ave. SW, on three consecutive Tuesdays. The discussions kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, with David Hooker, a core faculty member of the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Hooker will speak on the topic of "Searching for a Reconfigured 'We the People,'" inviting audience members to understand the stories that shape communities and how individuals fit into them. Then, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry will stop by the library for a discussion focused around the question: "Were We Better Off with the Cold War and without the Internet?" During that discussion, Lessenberry, a longtime journalist who covered the Soviet Union and arms control issues, will examine how and why the things Americans had in common as a nation have eroded and how a sense of community might be restored. Finally, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24, Sarrah Buageila, of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, will speak on "Portraits of American Muslims: Civility in a Pluralistic Community." Buageila plans to share recent research on the Muslim-American community in Michigan, hoping to shed light on a religious group that is little-known and oftentimes portrayed in a negative light. "If there was ever a time for more focus on civil discourse, I can't imagine it," said Michael Van Denend, executive director of World Affairs Council of Western Michigan. "We're asking three excellent presenters to give our community some ideas about how we might be better at handling contentious topics with truth and grace, with the end goal to build a stronger community by understanding and celebrating our differences." Each event is free and open to the public. More information on the sessions and the speakers can be found at www.worldmichigan.org/civil. The Michigan Capitol in December of 2014. (Tanya Moutzalias | MLive Detroit) LANSING, MI -- Michigan lawmakers are working to address drones, the unmanned aerial systems capable of taking high-quality video, but also potentially causing problems. The legislature's looking to ward off drones from sensitive areas, exploring how to hold their operators accountable and considering other drone-related changes to state law. Here are the drone bills pending in the legislature right now. Don't Edit In this May 8, 2014 file photo, a Parrot Bebop drone flies during a demonstration event in San Francisco. The government is issuing the first two permits to agriculture and real estate companies to monitor crops and photograph properties for sale. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exemptions to the current ban on commercial drone flights were granted to Advanced Aviation Solutions in Spokane, Washington, for monitoring crops, and to Douglas Trudeau of Tierra Antigua Realty in Tucson, Arizona. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) Ban drones from interfering House Bills 5494-5498 would extend criminal liability to the operator of an unmanned aircraft system, require the Michigan Aeronautics Commission to provide information about drones to the public, ban drone operators from interfering with officials conducting law enforcement or emergency medical services and prohibit drones from interfering with the operations of a key facility. "We need contacts or databases when people have drone-related questions or concerns. We need education and outreach so people know where it's OK to use an unmanned aircraft in Michigan and where it isn't," said Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, the sponsor of one of the bills, in a press release. "All of this is so new and we're attempting to address all of these things with a great attention to detail since this technology has seen such a spike in popularity so quickly." The bills passed the House on March 22 and are currently pending in the Senate. They need to pass the Senate and get a signature from Gov. Rick Snyder to become law. A similar package is pending in the Senate. Don't Edit Mackinac Island is pictured. (Kim Schneider/MLive.com) Letting Mackinac Island regulate drones Senate Bill 715, sponsored by Sen. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, would allow Mackinac Island to regulate drones locally. The bill is based off the work of a task force that focused heavily on drone problems specific to Mackinac Island, where there are concerns drones could startle the horses. Task force recommends law banning drone interference at places like Mackinac Island The bill was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee and is awaiting action from the full Senate. Don't Edit Henry Taylor | MLive No drones for prison contraband House Bill 5427 and House Bill 5588, introduced by Rep. Patrick Green, D-Warren, would prohibit using a drone to drop banned materials like cell phones and drugs into Michigan prisons. Such an instance happened last year at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia. "The use of drones can pose a direct threat to you, the public. I worked with my friends in MCO (Michigan Corrections Organization) to approach the same policy dilemma in a new way by specifying drones as a prohibited delivery mechanism for contraband, instead of creating a no-fly zone," Green said in a press release. Don't Edit A drone at the Schweitzer Farm, on 9 Mile Rd. NW, near Baumhoff Ave., Comstock Park Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. Drone technology can help farmers view crops. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Keeping drones away from law enforcement facilities House Bill 4248, sponsored by Rep. John Chirkun, D-Roseville, would ban the operation of drones within 1,000 feet of a correctional facility, jail, state police post, state court building, or building out of which a municipal police department or county sheriff operates. Companion House Bill 4249, from Green, would make it punishable by $1,000 and/or up to one year imprisonment. It's been referred to the House Communications and Technology Committee. Don't Edit Don't Edit In this Monday, Dec. 15, 2014 file photo, a staff member from DJI Technology Co. demonstrates the remote flying with his Phantom 2 Vision+ drone inside his office in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Carving them out of a tax exemption House Bills 4350 and 4351 exempt the sale of certain aircraft parts and materials from the sales and use taxes. But that wouldn't apply to unmanned aircraft like drones, as the legislation explicitly excludes them. It passed the House and is currently pending before the full Senate. Don't Edit In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014, Ryan Billing, a development engineer for the University of California, Davis, operates the controls of the Yamaha RMax unmanned helicopter during a demonstration of its aerial application capabilities at the University of California, Davis' Oakville Station test vineyard in Oakville, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Enforcing FAA rules House Bill 5118, from Hoitenga, would require the Michigan Aeronautics Commission to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Aviation Administration that would allow state and local police agencies to enforce federal law and rules governing the use of drones. It is pending in the House Committee on Communications and Technology. Don't Edit A man watches a drone during a demonstration at the British police station inside the British military base in Dhekelia in southeast of the island of Cyprus, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017. Police at Britain's two military bases on Cyprus say the use of a state-of-the-art drone will greatly boost their ongoing crackdown on the illicit trapping of migratory birds. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) More MLive drone coverage Looking for more drone coverage? Drones fly in new University of Michigan outdoor test lab Task force recommends law banning drone interference at places like Mackinac Island See Grand Rapids' second-biggest flood by drone Mystery drone drops cash on downtown lunch crowd Michigan drone company gets FAA approval YPSILANTI, MI - Police are investigating after a woman reported she was hit in the face repeatedly with a block of wood Saturday afternoon in Ypsilanti. Authorities were dispatched at 1:35 p.m. Saturday, March 31, for a report of a felonious assault in the 500 block of West Cross Street, according to a news release from the Ypsilanti Police Department. A woman told officers a known suspect struck her multiple times with a large block of wood, police said. Further details were not immediately available. Detroit's Wayne County Circuit Judge Timothy M. Kenny has asked to take a closer look at ballistics evidence collected by Detroit police nearly 15 years ago in a murder investigation. Police say they found the killer and closed the case of the Sept. 5, 2004 fatal shooting of Jamal Segars long ago. A jury found 38-year-old Thelonious Searcy of Detroit guilty of the crime in 2005, but new questions have arisen. Some of those surround bullets and casings collected and analyzed by the Detroit Police Department Crime Lab, which was shut down in 2008, largely because of problems with ballistics analysis and evidence handling that resulted in numerous criminal cases being dismissed. The past issues may help Searcy in his effort to get his murder conviction overturned, says his attorney, Michael Dezsi. After exhausting his appeals and having several requests for a new trial denied, Searcy, who is currently serving a life sentence, has new hope that he may not die behind bars. Based on the claims of prolific hit man Vincent Smothers, 37, Searcy was granted a hearing to present new evidence before Kenny, who sentenced Searcy years ago. The judge could potentially throw out the original conviction and order a new trial. Smothers is already serving numerous 50-to-100-year prison sentences for convictions in 14 murders that date back to 2007. With little hope of ever being released, he now claims he's the actual killer of Segars -- not Searcy. Smothers previously submitted a detailed map, recorded interview and affidavit supporting his claim, and then on March 19 testified in court. Dezsi thought Smothers might claim his Fifth Amendment Right not to incriminate himself and refuse to talk when he was subpoenaed to the witness stand, but instead, the hit man gave "tremendously" helpful and detailed testimony, especially in regard to where he claims to have shot Segars. Dezsi says Smothers' statements "lined up perfectly" with the testimony given by Wayne County Medical Examiner Dr. Carl Schmidt at Searcy's original trial. Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Chambers last year filed a brief calling into question Smothers' credibility on numerous issues, including his admission that he committed a high-profile quadruple murder on Runyon Street in 2007 that was pinned on a then-14-year-old Davontae Sanford. Sanford has since had his conviction overturned -- Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said it was based largely on a flawed confession -- but Smothers has never been charged in that case. Chambers wrote that the decision not to continue pursuing charges against Sanford after the overturned conviction "had nothing to do with Smothers' admission." A new bullet? In the Segars killing, Smothers says Detroit police, who chased him and his now-dead accomplice, opened fire, but Detroit police said that never happened, according to Dezsi. If there was evidence to support this element of Smothers' claim, Dezsi thinks it would significantly bolster the credibility of Smothers' confession -- and thereby, Searcy's innocence. Evidence presented at Searcy's original trial, however, showed there were only fragments and casings from two .40- and .45-caliber guns that Smothers says he and the accomplice carried. There was no evidence that a third gun belonging to Detroit police had been fired. But that potentially changed at a March 26 court hearing, when Dezsi said a Detroit police represenative brought in physical evidence from the case, including several dozen envelopes containing slugs, bullet fragments and casings. It's one sealed envelope that Dezsi -- and the judge -- are eager to open. The envelope for evidence tag no. E07191604 is labeled as both a .40-caliber bullet fragment and a 9mm bullet casing, two very different things, according to Dezsi. The original Detroit Police Department evidence receipt, dated Sept. 9, 2004 and entered as an exhibit at Searcy's hearing last week, identifies the evidence as a 9mm bullet casing, but a subsequent Jan. 27, 2005 labaroatory analysis form, also entered as an exhibit, identifies it as a ".40 caliber metal jacket bullet." What is actually inside the envelope hasn't been revealed. Dezsi said the judge ordered a deputy to seize the envelope and will schedule a future date to open it. Dezsi said he hopes to be present when that happens. "Smothers said police shot at the scene," Dezsi said. "This reference to this 9mm shell casing argualbly supports his testimony." While Detroit police are currently issued .40 caliber handguns, Dezsi says some officers were issued department weapons that fired 9mm bullets in the past. At the very least, even if there is a .40-calliber bullet fragment inside, Dezsi says the inconsistency illustrates the sloppy work Detroit police evidence handlers have been accused of in the past. There's at least one other matter that Dezsi hopes will steer Kenny toward giving his client a new trial. Kenny originally forbid the defense from presenting evidence that Segars was a federally convicted drug dealer who trafficked cocaine from Detroit to Minnesota, Dezsi said. He doesn't believe Searcy's original attorney even knew about it, even though information is publicly available online. Now that Smothers' confession alleges he killed Segars because he was known to have dealt drugs and carried a lot of cash, Deszi feels that information would be important for a jury to hear. Kenny has scheduled another evidentiary hearing for 9 a.m. Monday, April 2. It's unknown when he'll determine whether the new confession and other evidence is enough to give Searcy a new trial. Letter to the editor written by Thelonious Searcy, at the time a Denby High School student, and published by the Michigan Chronicle in 1997. Background on the Segars killing: It was dusk on a clear night in early September, 2004. Conner Street in east Detroit near Coleman A. Young International Airport was packed with people, many of whom were attending the Black Party, a club event that drew attendees wearing expensive clothes and driving flashy cars. According to several witnesses who testified at trial, thick traffic slowed to near a crawl. Police believe Searcy planned to kill a man named DeAnthony Witcher, with whom he'd had a long-standing feud stemming from an argument over money Searcy lost to Witcher while gambling. Witcher told the jury Searcy shot him once before in 2003 and threatened to "get him at the club." Witcher was offered immunity in another criminal case in exchange for testifying against Searcy. But in what investigators believe was an attack intended for Witcher, Searcy mistakenly killed Jamal Segars, and wounded Brian Minner, who were in a car similar to Witcher's, prosecutors said. Police said Searcy walked from the rear of a 2004 silver Corvette, it's convertible top rolled down, and opened fire from behind. Witcher also drove a Corvette and was nearby when the shooting occurred, except his Corvette was a blue 1998 model. In police investigative notes provided to MLive by Searcy, a detective wrote at the time that officers chased the shooter, but were later unable to ID Searcy in a photo lineup. Four other witnesses, however, did ID Searcy in court. "I told that mother f***er I would get him," Latasha Boatright, a friend of Witcher who lived near the scene, said she heard the shooter say. She later identified Searcy as the shooter in a photo lineup. Contacted by MLive after Searcy filed a motion for relief, Boatright said it's been over a decade since she thought about that night. Boatright remembers being a reluctant witness, but Detroit police detectives canvassed the neighborhood near the shooting and soon ended up at her doorstep on Conner Street. "I was pregnant with my daughter when this happened ... " Boatright said. "Detectives, they literally, basically threatened and scared me into testifying against (Searcy)." Boatright remains convinced Searcy is the killer, but also claims Detroit police pressured her at the time. Detroit police, according to Boatright, threatened imprisonment, said they'd arrange for Child Protective Services to take custody of her unborn baby and offered a "snitching check." Boatright says that despite the offer, she was never paid for her testimony by Detroit police. "I did see what I saw, but at the same time, I didn't want any part of that," Boatright said. "It wasn't even about no money for me; they forced me to do it." The Detroit Police Department spent more than a decade, from 2003 until 2014, under federal Department of Justice oversight after an investigation revealed numerous police abuses, including a practice of detaining witnesses during investigations of serious crimes. Boatright, however, stands by her testimony, calling Searcy a remorseless "menace to society," and she believes he should remain behind bars. "If you kill once, you'll kill again," she said. " ... You were coldblooded killer. It's not an accident." Boatright says she saw Searcy come up from behind the stopped Corvette that Segars was driving and open fire. "Every bullet he had in that gun was let loose in that car," she said. "He ran passed my house. It was like we contacted eyes but we didn't contact eyes. "People scatter everywhere. Me and my people we went into the house." Smothers' version Contradicting what police and prosecutors argue, Smothers says the killing was actually a botched robbery targeting a known drug dealer perpetuated by himself and an accomplice. The alleged accomplice, however, was killed a short time later, on Sept. 21, 2004. Smothers said he and his partner approached Segars, known on the street as "Q," and another man sitting in the silver Corvette on Conner Street. Segars was a "certified 'Dope Boy' from the Buffalo Projects off Nevada," Smothers wrote in his signed affidavit filed in court. "Him and his brother, 'Walla,' was getting money for real," the affidavit says. "I had been on these boys trail for six months (straight), tracking they every move. "The only thing about these two boys was their crew, they stayed 20 deep. It was me and (my partner's) goal to catch these two boys solo I could easily get 20 or 30 thousand from either brother's pocket." Smothers claims he fired six shots in total, including a fatal shot to Segars' head. He pulled $300 in cash from his hand before running back to Jeffrey's car and fleeing. Smothers has sent letters to reporters, police and politicians since confessing to the killing in an effort to have Searcy freed. Smothers also gave a recorded jailhouse interview professing details of the killing to Scott Lewis, a former investigative TV reporter in Detroit, who was hired by Searcy. In the phone interview, Smothers said he spent time in the same prison as Searcy, whom he knew by the street name Skinny Man, and learned through other inmates Searcy was serving time for the murder he'd committed. Smothers said his initial letter to Searcy was unprompted, that he was never paid or bribed and is willing to testify under oath in court if necessary. FLAT ROCK, MI - A man and woman were found dead of gunshot wounds Saturday in Flat Rock, south of Detroit, according to the Detroit News. About four hours after the 911 call, Michigan State Police and Customs Boarder Patrol found the victims' vehicle in Trenton and took a 58-year-old man into custody, the newspaper reported. Police were first summoned about 1:20 p.m. to the 24000 block of Chinook Court, in a subdivision in the area of Telegraph and Vreeland roads, and found the man, 56, and the woman, 59, according to the Detroit News. A lieutenant on Sunday did not immediately return a message left at the Flat Rock Police Department. SUMMIT TWP., MI - A 66-year-old man died Saturday morning after a fire destroyed his home at the Cozy Manufactured Home Community off McDevitt Avenue in Summit Township. Township firefighters entered the smoking home within minutes of their arrival and were able to grab the man, unconscious in a bedroom doorway, and pull him from the trailer at 1246 Connie Avenue, Acting Lt. B.J. Warner said. Jackson Community Ambulance personnel were waiting, and the man had a pulse on his way to Henry Ford Allegiance Health. He later died at the hospital. Warner said it seems the man attempted to escape on his own and was overcome by the smoke. One firefighter who helped remove the man also went to the hospital with what Warner called a minor smoke-inhalation injury. Firefighters were summoned to the park by a resident, Carolyn Bentley, who called 911 about 5:09 a.m. March 31, about six minutes after she spotted, from a distance, some light smoke, or maybe steam. Because she was unsure whether there was a fire and knew she would not be able to enter the house, she first contacted the park maintenance supervisor, Walt Gibson, about 5:03 a.m. He assumed she had already alerted authorities when he went immediately to the trailer. "I am sure she was panicked," he said. Bentley, who described herself as a night owl, had been awake, at her computer. "I just happened to catch it in the corner of my eye." She thought: "It ain't right." She walked to the trailer to investigate, saw a smoking vent, and then made the emergency call. Warner said he could not say whether the extra minutes might have made a difference, but urged people to call 911 immediately upon suspicion of a fire. Gibson said he kicked in a door and a police officer - later identified as Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Shackelford - worked to access another, trying to get to the man, but the smoke and high temperature barred entry. "You couldn't see a half inch in front of you." With the amount of heat - the outer walls were hot - and smoke, Gibson figured the fire had been smoldering for some time. "The minute the first fire truck pulled up, it was just engulfed in flames." Warner said firefighters found the man about 8 feet from the entrance. Despite the fire department's limited manpower, a crew of three went into the house, pulling the man from the end of the home that appears to have sustained the least amount of damage. He had burns on a large percentage of his body. "Unfortunately, those efforts were futile," Warner said of the rescue. The back half of the trailer was badly burned, reduced to little more than a blackened pile. Several charred supports and a patch of roof remained. It was cordoned off with yellow tape. A Michigan State Police fire investigator was to determine the cause and origin of the fire. The sheriff's office also is involved. Sgt. Lee Rose said the death is not considered suspicious. "I'm heartbroken that the man lost his life," Bentley said. She wishes her phone call had been enough to spare the neighbor. "It just makes me very sad that it went so fast and they couldn't save him." Another resident Scott Hall called the events "tragic" and he stopped to take pictures of the destroyed trailer. He lives across the street, but he was unfamiliar with the man. The man lived alone and kept to himself, neighbors said. "It's just heartbreaking," said Sasha Holloway, another nearby resident. She knows the man through a cousin. Her husband, Chris, said the flames reached heights of at least 30 feet. His wife worried the fire would spread to a vehicle parked in a car port, and ignite the gas tank, causing a "chain reaction," but the car and its covering appeared to have no significant damage. The neighboring trailers also looked to be unaffected. "The firemen did a good job keeping it pushed back. They kept it as far from the car as they could," Sasha Holloway said. Chris Holloway said he went to the cousin's home early Saturday to alert them of the unfolding tragedy. He banged on the door. "I know it scared them." CALHOUN COUNTY, MI - Michigan State Police are asking for help locating two stolen shotguns and a compound bow which were taken several months ago from a Calhoun County pole barn. Troopers from the Marshall post are investigating the robbery, which occurred at around 10 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2017, near 2 Mile Road in Athens Township, said Trooper Joshua Tinkle. Among the stolen items are: One camouflage-colored Bowtech Diamond Iceman compound bow. A singe-shot H&R 410 shotgun. A single-shot, 12-gauge "Super Single" shotgun with lever action. If anyone has any information about the location of the weapons or the robbery, contact the Marshall state police post at 269-558-0500. CASS COUNTY, MI - A 29-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man were injured late Friday night after their dirt bike collided with a deer near Pokagon Township, according to the Cass County Sheriff's Office. Antoinette Marie Anson, 29, and Jason Lee Heller, 36, both from Niles, Michigan, were being treated for moderate to severe injuries at Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital, said Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash. Both Anson and Heller were not wearing helmets, Behnke said. The incident remains under investigation. Deputies were dispatched Friday to investigate a crash at around 11 p.m. near the intersection of Wells Street and Reynolds Road in Pokagon Township. Dispatch reported that a dirt bike had struck a deer in the area, Behnke said. Deputies were then notified that a person who witnessed the crash had dropped off both Anson and Heller at Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital, located at 420 W High St., in Dogwiac. Anson was treated for serious injuries, Heller's injuries were less severe, Behnke said. The Pokagon Tribal Police Department are assisting Cass County deputies with the investigation. 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. 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. April 01, 2018 The MoA Week In Review And Open Thread 2018-14 An idea for your next Easter brunch, or for a caption contest: Last weeks posts: Two short items on Syria: The last part of terrorist bastions in east-Ghouta will shortly be handed over to the government: Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai - 2:08 PM - 1 Apr 2018 #Duma deal: Falyaq al-Rahman to #Idlib Jaish al-Islam to Jarablus/#Turkey controlled area All heavy weapons delivered to the Syrian Army A local council with a city, unarmed, to run local needs with #Damascus approval. End of #easternGhouta and safety to #Damascus #Syria. Trump's proclamation that the U.S. military will leave Syria 'very soon' is likely not serious. It is a bargaining strategy to get the Saudis to pay for the occupation they want. The Zionists, Saudis and the dimwits at the Washington Post editorial board argue that the U.S. must stay in Syria to prevent an Iranian role in that country. But the only reason why Iran is playing a security role in Syria at all is the attack on and occupation of that country by foreign forces. When the attacks stop and the occupiers leave Iran will no longer have such a role. The real intent of those who argue otherwise is 'regime change' in Syria and in Iran. Use the comments as open thread ... Posted by b on April 1, 2018 at 15:09 UTC | Permalink Comments next page Some Connecticut Democrats began calling for U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty to resign from office Saturday, just one day after she said she had no intention of doing so. Among them was the most powerful member of the state Senate, who said that if the facts of this matter involving former staff of the congresswomans office are as they are alleged to be in recent news articles, then Congresswoman Esty should do the right thing and resign. As I have said recently in public hearing testimony, we are in the midst of a national reckoning concerning sexual harassment and sexual assault, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said in a statement. Sexual harassment is continuing to be exposed across all types of industries and all levels of government, regardless of party. His statement came after Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Danielson, also called for Estys resignation. Esty said Friday that she didnt plan to step down, despite backlash over her response after receiving complaints in 2016 that her then-chief of staff had harassed, threatened, and assaulted a female staffer. Democrats who commented Friday were critical of her handling of the complaints Esty, herself, said she mishandled the situation , but none called for her resignation. Some stood by her, while others were careful not to take a stance. The state Democratic committee also issues a statement backing Esty. Looney and Flexer werent the only Democrat to break from Esty Saturday, though. Susan Bysiewicz, a Middletown Democrat exploring a run for governor, also called on Esty to resign. Bysiewicz, referencing her two adult daughters, was critical of Esty for allowing Chief of Staff Tony Baker to continue working in her office while she worked on a resolution. Waiting for three months to take such action jeopardized the safety of her staff and others, Bysiewicz said in a statement. I am sure that every parent shares that feeling, which makes this all too common story resonate personally. State and national Republican groups, including the state GOP chairman, also called on Esty to resign Friday. Manny Santos, the former Meriden mayor looking to oppose Esty, initially refrained from doing so, but later joined the chorus after hearing a statement Esty made in February calling for better treatment of women who work in Congress. A former staffer complained first complained in May 2016 that Baker harassed and threatened her, and once punched her in the back. Esty said an investigation found the conduct was isolated to the one woman. Baker remained on staff until August 2016, though, at which time he received a $5,000 severance payment and a letter of recommendation from Esty as part of an agreement. Esty also signed a non-disclosure agreement. msavino@record-journal.com 203-317-2266 Twitter: @reporter_savino MERIDEN New Britain mayor and 2018 GOP gubernatorial candidate Erin Stewart visited a local McDonalds Saturday morning to raise money and meet local voters. We need a governor thats improving the quality of life in our state, Stewart said, emphasizing that she believes issues like economic development and the economy will be the crux of the upcoming elections. Stewart, mayor since 2013, said New Britain has seen its grand list grow and unemployment decline. The fundraiser titled Supersize your Donation allowed voters to speak with Stewart one-on-one about the race at the McDonalds on Route 5, near the Meriden-Wallingford line. Positioning herself as a moderate Republican with a more liberal take on social issues, Stewart said she believes her ideology and background can make inroads in towns and cities which traditionally favor Democrats. She supports lowering taxes on small businesses and strengthening incentives to aid their growth. I know what people in this state are going through, she said, bringing up her upbringing with a father working as a firefighter and her mother working part-time. Her father also served as mayor of New Britain from 2003 to 2011. Christina Polizzi, a spokesperson for the statewide Democratic Party, said Stewart and other Republicans in the race are trying to differentiate themselves from the Trump administration, but without laying out any policy proposals to support that claim. I think were seeing a lot of candidates who are dodging and unwilling to talk, she said. In particular, she said Stewart hasnt sufficiently outlined her position on gun control in the wake of recent protests on gun violence. March for our Lives showed incredible effort in Connecticut, Polizzi said adding she believes the issue with play a major role in the gubernatorial race. Voters will be looking for someone who can continue to bring the state forward, Polizzi said. I think were incredibly proud of the democratic candidates. At Saturdays fundraiser, Jerry Labriola, a strategic adviser on Stewarts campaign, said Stewarts policies can appeal to a broader base of voters than other Republican candidates. People have been coming in all morning, he said. Republicans have come up with someone new and interesting and bold. Proposed legislation would increase the amount of grant funding for combined sewer projects from 50 percent of costs to 80 percent. State Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, is opposed, saying the bill would jeopardize millions of dollars in financial assistance for sewer plant upgrades in Wallingford and other municipalities, including Southington and Plainville. Mushinsky worries the bill would starve the states Clean Water Fund, the mechanism through which the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection provides grants and low-interest loans to municipalities. Wallingford and Southington are among several municipalities eligible to receive financial assistance through the fund for projects to meet stricter phosphorus discharge limits set forth by the DEEP. Wallingfords upgrades are estimated to cost $47 million, while Southington and Plainvilles upgrades cost $58 million and $16 million respectively. DEEP officials told Mushinsky that if the bill passes, the Clean Water Fund would need an additional $83 million in order to provide financial assistance to wastewater improvement projects by other municipalities, like Wallingford, Southington and Plainville. Wallingford is eligible to receive grant funding for part of the project, currently estimated at 42 percent, and the remaining costs would be paid through a low-interest loan provided by the fund. Other towns are working together to make it clear to (the Finance, Revenew, and Bonding Committee) that the bill is harmful to us, so were really on a mission to kill this thing unless they can magically come up with 83 million (dollars), said Mushinsky, who reached out to other lawmakers in affected municipalities this week to form a coalition against the bill. The Finance committe introduced the bill this month and held a public hearing on March 12. The legislation would provide more funding for combined sewer overflow remediation projects, which seek to mitigate pollution caused by combined sewer systems. The combined systems collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage and industrial wastewater in the same pipe. There are currently six communities in Connecticut with combined sewer overflows, including Hartford, Norwich, Waterbury, New Haven, Bridgeport and Norwalk. The Metropolitan District of Connecticut, a quasi-public agency that provides water to communities in the greater Hartford area, sought the bill to receive additional funding for mandated combined sewer projects. DEEP has required MDC and other agencies to pursue combined sewer overflow remediation projects, the costs of which are extraordinarily high, MDC said in written testimony. DEEP commissioner Robert Klee said in written testimony that the current 50 percent grant for combined sewer projects is generous and exceeds what is offered by other New England states. mzabierek@record-journal.com 203-317-2279 Twitter: @MatthewZabierek By PTI NEW DELHI: The Congress today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak out on the CBSE paper leak issue and provide a solution to students who had been affected by it. Congress leader Pawan Khera said clarity was still missing in the paper leak case and this had led to chaos. Questioning the silence of senior BJP leaders over the issue, he said Modi should answer the questions that were being raised. "It is unfortunate that the youth of this country are turning (into) cynics. It's a serious matter. Arun Jaitley is quiet, so is Ravi Shankar Prasad ... and Smriti Irani is glum. So let Modiji answer and provide a solution for the youth," he said. Alleging that the government was "involved in full-time politics and part-time governance", Khera accused it of keeping parents and students in the dark. "Today, parents and students don't know what the government wants. (Prakash) Javadekarji says that other than those in Delhi and NCR no other child has to appear for a retest," he told reporters here. But the Jharkhand police, he added, had said the leak affected students across India. "Why is there no clarity? Don't they understand that they are playing with the future of our youth," he asked. The Congress leader also referred to the arrest yesterday of Satish Pandey, an alleged ABVP leader who runs a coaching institute in Jharkhand. "He is linked to the Sangh. Why did he have the paper? There are layers and layers of mysterious information in this," he said, adding that the last few days had seen the "nationalisation of the Vyapam model of the BJP". VIEW GALLERY: CBSE exam paper leak: Students protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi "There is an involvement of government or leadership of the BJP. We demand an enquiry which will reveals the roots," he said. Earlier, the HRD Ministry had said a preliminary enquiry had found that the CBSE paper leak was restricted to Delhi, NCR and Haryana, and if required retests would be held for the Class 10 mathematics paper in these regions in July. The retest for the Class 12 economics paper will be held across India on April 25, it said. Khera also wondered if something that was leaked through social media platforms such as WhatsApp could be restricted to the Delhi-NCR region. "Javadekarji, you come from a party where most of its leaders and supporters have gained all their education from WhatsApp university. And you are not understanding that it's scientifically impossible to restrict WhatsApp," he said. Khera said the recent lathi-charge on a group of young protestors demonstrating against an alleged leak in a Staff Selection Commission (SSC) paper was "criminal" of the government. The government should have had a discussion with the protestors, he said. The government should agree to a Supreme Court-monitored CBI enquiry into the SSC leak case, he said. Kalyan Tholeti By Express News Service Accusing both the Centre and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of lying, YSRC chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy rules out pre-poll alliances and says he would support any party which grants special status to Andhra Pradesh. In conversation with The New Sunday Express, Reddy shares his thoughts on special status for the state, farmers issues and a no-confidence motion against the NDA Government. How is your padayatra going and what is the major issue you have identified? Good. In normal circumstances, nobody enquires about peoples problems like this. This is an experience that invokes humanism in you. No section in the society is happy. Farmers are aggrieved, reason being in the last four years, there is no remunerative price for any crop. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidus promises proved to be lies. He promised to waive off crop loans. Thanks to him, these people stopped paying their part of the commitment to the banks. Out of the Rs 87,612 crore required for the loan waiver, his entire contribution is some Rs 11,000 crore, meaning on an average less than Rs 3,000 per annum per farmer, which is not sufficient to bridge interest payments. Till he came into power, the previous governments were paying interest component to the banks so that farmers and self-help groups get interest-free loans. He stopped it. That is the worst thing because of which no farmer is getting interest-free loans. The farming community is reeling under pressure so much so that people have committed suicide. In 2014, you did not promise loan waiver. Would you this time around? We did not say that even now. What we said is we will give Rythu Bharosa (Support for farmers). If somebody has one acre land, at least 80 per cent of their production cost would be covered. Naidu still goes on cheating people. He claims he waived off crop loans, `20 lakh crore has come in and 40 lakh jobs have come. He says GSDP is growing at 12 per cent! If GSDP is at 12 per cent, we are number one in the world! All this put together is translating into a huge anti-incumbency wave. ALSO READ | Special category status: YSR Congress MPs will fast unto death, not just resign, says Jagan Do you think the State can get special status? Special status is our right. It was assured on the floor of Parliament while breaking the State... it was a precondition agreed to by all. Naidu was very much party to it. In spite of that, he intentionally ensured that special status did not come through. The then UPA Cabinet met on March 2, 2014 and approved special status. It sent orders to the Planning Commission. This man became CM on June 2, 2014. The Commission was in existence till December 31, 2014. All he had to do was just ask. What was he doing those seven months? On September 8, 2016, Arun Jaitleyji announced a special package in lieu of special status. This man should have immediately protested. Instead, in the middle of the night, he thanked Arun Jaitley. All these four years we were protesting for special status. When the PM was coming to AP, I was on a hunger strike. It was the eighth day. He could have told the PM the Opposition leader was on a hunger strike and mounted pressure. Instead, he sent cops at 3 am and lifted me from the tent. Every protest we called for was throttled. Why do you think the Centre reneged on its promise? I dont think so. Rather, Naidu stopped persuading. He wanted cash. He said in lieu of this, I want to implement Polavaram irrigation project. He took Polavaram, brought in sub-contractors on nomination basis at inflated rates. It was the Centres responsibility. He should have let them do it. In fact, he stated in the Assembly that he wanted Polavaram so he gave up special status. The Centre is also to be blamed, whatever the reason for it going back on its word. If you look at Naidu, his philosophy is simple: he has failed all four years, he knows there is a huge anti-incumbency wave, so he wants to put the blame on somebody. The Central government happens to be the scapegoat. You said your MPs will resign on the last day of the Budget session of Parliament. What purpose will resignations serve? So far, Naidu was on the other side of the platform against special status. Now he has come to this side. The entire state is on one platform, the entire state moved a no-confidence motion, that is why it has become a national debate. If all MPs resign, definitely it becomes a national debate again. Then it may mount pressure on the Centre to give special status. If this is not done today, when will it be done? Six months later, everybody will be in election mode. The TDP has been accusing you of having a tacit understanding with the BJP? If somebody has a tacit understanding with the BJP, why would anyone move a no-confidence motion on that very party? Why is it that we are the people resigning? First of all, Naidu would not have moved no-confidence motion had it not been for us. On March 16th morning, he announced that his party will serve notice for a no-confidence motion. Just the previous day, he had said he would support a no-confidence motion moved by anyone provided they have the numbers. The statement shows he did not speak to anybody to garner support. When this man knew that without his support also no-confidence motion would be put up, he took a U-turn, moved out of NDA, and claimed all these parties support it only because he moved the motion. The special status issue came into a different limelight only after I started the padayatra and declared that on the last day of Parliament session, my MPs will resign, and in the course of events, I went one step ahead and said on so and so date, we will move a no-confidence motion. Will you have pre-poll alliance with anyone? No. My slogan to people of AP is give me all 25 MPs. I will mount pressure. Support for anyone only after they sign special status. Actor and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan has severed ties with the TDP. How do you see this affecting the electoral math? Naidus vote share or his alliance vote share was 45.5 per cent in 2014. Our vote share, contesting independently, was 44.5 or something. The difference was one per cent. Pawans support, BJP support, his own lies that people believed to be truth, his so-called experience, all these factors gave him that one per cent advantage. Everybody who liked the actor voted for TDP the last time. If he contests separately now, at best he would only take those votes that had gone to the TDP as his vote share. If he continues with the TDP, it will only be a repetition of 2014, but thanks to Naidu anti-incumbency, with less number of votes. There is a perception that you are ambitious and you dont listen to anybody. What is your take on it? You travelled with me for at least two hours, did you ever travel with any politician who stops so many times to listen to so many people en route? And am answering every nitty-gritty of your questioning with utmost patience. By AFP CARACAS: Venezuela's government said Friday it will compensate the relatives of scores of prisoners and a couple of visitors who died this week when a fire engulfed an overcrowded police headquarters' jail. The statement by the foreign ministry also said authorities have been ordered to probe the blaze that happened Wednesday in the state police facility in the country's third-biggest city of Valencia. A total of 68 people died in the fire -- 66 male prisoners and two female visitors. A prisoners' rights group, Una Ventana a la Libertad (A Window on Freedom), said the prisoners had set fire to mattresses in an attempt to break out of the jail. IN PICS: Relatives grieve as dead buried in mass tomb The foreign ministry statement said "means of compensation" had been agreed for the affected families. Police sources told AFP on Friday that all but eight of the bodies had been claimed by relatives. The UN's human rights office in Switzerland had said Thursday it was "appalled at the horrific deaths" and called for a complete investigation. It had also demanded compensation be paid to the families. The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rejected the "precipitate and disproportional" comments of the UN office. It alleged there was "a multi-faceted assault being deployed against our country making rude and vile use of the issue of human rights." Venezuela's prisons suffer from dire overcrowding and a shortage of basic supplies, struggling under the deepening economic crisis that is gripping the once-wealthy oil-producing country. Una Ventana a la Libertad estimates that the temporary detention cells in Venezuela's police stations are at five times their capacity. They are often used to house overflow convicts from similarly crowded penitentiaries. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Hope O'Neill showed The News-Gazette the location of the bombs that were found on her family's property, allegedly set there by Michael Hari, who has been accused of bombing a mosque in Minnesota. The State of Oregon has passed a law limiting the amount of hops allowed in beer. The decision came as a result of a study that determined that the amount of certain chemical compounds contributed by hops could reach a medicinal level, according to researchers. Oregon brewers have expressed concern that the decision may negatively their livelihood, and are quick to dismiss the studys findings.We do not make this decision lightly, said Oregon Surgeon General Greg Clerk. We understand the economic impact the beer and hop growing industry have in Oregon, and we have worked closely with the Oregon Brewers Guild and the Brewers Association to circumlocate these numbers." Beer was prescribed as medicine until as recently as the 1800s; gruit beer brewed with foraged herbs was used to treat a range of ailments in Europe. The extraction of certain chemical compounds in a sugar solution is more effective than a simple water decoction, and fermentation produces a sterile, more stable environment for the delivery of the healing compounds to the body. Hops have been used as a sedative in herbal medicine for centuries. Hops contain a vast range of aromatic molecules well known by brewers. The terpenes myrcene, caryophyllene, and humulene not only influence the aroma and flavor of beer, but, at high concentrations, can induce notable physiological reactions. Research is underway to determine if these compounds may reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases, but there has been no conclusive evidence yet. University research on marijuana--which contains many of the same terpenes as hops--tipped off Oregons lawmakers, who took a closer look at the ubiquitous brewing herb.Some of the beers brewed today, like the popular hazy IPA, use upwards of ten pounds of hops per barrel of beer, said Clerk in a meeting with the Oregon General Assembly. The concentration of some of these compounds at that rate gives cause for concern that beer drinkers a re inadvertently being given what is essentially a dose of medicine. In a press release from the Surgeon Generals office, beer drinkers were advised to limit the intake of known highly-hopped beers until the beer supply reflects the newly imposed law. We are not trying to limit production of beer, or beer consumption, the release stated, but to ensure public safety and awareness as innovation in the beer industry continues.After a study of the transfer of hop compounds to beer, via the boil and late- and dry-hopping, the office put forth the following guidelines:Hops may be used in any quantity, provided they are boiled for no fewer than 15 minutes. For hops added closer to the end of the boil, the limitations are: Hops added to the wort within 15 minutes of the end of the boil shall not exceed two (2) pounds of leaf hops, or the equivalent measure of pellet or processed hop product per barrel Hops added to the wort after applied heat, before wort reaches 185 degrees Fahrenheit shall not exceed one (1) pound of leaf hops, or the equivalent measure of pellet or processed hop product per barrel Hops added to the wort at any temperature below 185 degrees Fahrenheit shall not exceed one-half (.5) pound of leaf hops, or the equivalent measure of pellet or processed hop product per barrel, and shall not contact wort or beer for more than three days. The study in question was produced by first-year students at Reed College, said Great Notion brewer James Dugan. Great Notion has built its reputation on beers that regularly exceed the new regulations. We are forming a coalition of brewers to appeal to suspend the law and demand a more substantial study. The coalitions website, takebackthehops.com, crashed shortly after going live due to a high volume of international traffic.We have to be prepared for the worst, said Breakside head brewer Ben Edmunds, and we have to think ahead. Edmunds said the brewery is already researching options that may reproduce the flavor and aroma of hops. A genetically modified yeast garnered publicity recently, as it produces two distinct hop aromas during fermentation: mint and basil. If we can use that technology along with other herbal or fruit additions, and work within the stringent constraints of the new law, IPA lovers may not be too disappointed. But really, this law is stupid.At Beermongers, a fervor has already begun to ferment. I swear to god, those fuckers in Congress can have my guns, my voting rights hell, they can take my wife if they want to, exclaimed one bearded patron, who chose to remain anonymous, but Ill be damned if they can take away the bitter, juicy goodness of this IPA. He clutched a pint of Fort Georges Beta 16.2, his knuckles white. A calmer patron, Joe Fish, made the argument that any food could be considered medicine. Life magazine used to run ads touting pure white sugar as medicine, as a low-calorie pick-me-up. Beer is a high-calorie put-me-down and thats how I like it. The law is set to take effect on August 2. Ironically, that is the same day as National IPA Day this year. FORMER Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri is embroiled in a child maintenance row that has seen him accused of falling into arrears amounting to $240 000. Dr Chihuri is said to have abandoned his daughter, Shanine Mthimkhulu, who was born on July 3, 2009. His mistress Sithulisiwe Mthimukulu, a police officer, has approached a Bulawayo magistrate seeking an order to compel Dr Chihuri to cough up US$240 000. The matter will be heard next week on Monday. Ms Mthimukulus lawyer, Mr Godfrey Nyoni of Messrs Moyo and Nyoni Legal Practitioners, yesterday confirmed that his client was entangled in a maintenance dispute with Dr Chihuri. I am not be able to give you all the details off hand since I am at church until Tuesday but, yes, its the former police chief who is involved in the maintenance case. He hasnt been paying towards the upkeep of his child, he said. Mr Nyoni said Dr Chihuri was supposed to pay US$3 655 per term for school fees, US$349 in monthly medical aid, and US$650 as monthly maintenance. He did not say when the ex-police chief started defaulting. Dr Chihuri retired from service in December 2017. In a notice published in the national media last Friday, Mr Nyoni said: Take notice that on the 9th day of April 2018 at 8am, an application shall be heard wherein applicant will be seeking an order for lump sum maintenance in the sum of US$240 000 and for the minor child Shanine Mthimukulu. Further take notice that if you desire to oppose her application, you will need to file your opposing papers before the above stated date and to appear before the magistrate for an inquiry into the above claim. If you do not file any opposing papers or appear in court an order shall be granted against you for the above amount and costs. Dr Chihuri has not responded to the court application. Sunday Mail Whatever I was saying is the truth. I stand as Elliot Leeroy, Leeroy Elliot, I am not reversing this. They are trying to offer me money and they are tracking me. I am on the run, help me. I have been exposing the rot in the church; I have more sensitive videos and will post it if you try anything to harm me. I will never apologise, even in 100 years. EIGHT Zimbabwean students have been arrested in Cyprus on allegations of armed robbery, bringing to 12 the number of Zimbabwean students arrested for serious crimes in that country, a Zimbabwean legislator has confirmed. The eight allegedly robbed 15 houses and five shops in Lefko and Girne districts in a space of three months and were nabbed last month. Parliamentary Portfolio Committee chairperson on Foreign Affairs, Cde Kindness Paradza last week confirmed the arrest of the eight students on robbery charges but could not reveal the names of the accused persons. Press reports from Cyprus identified the eight as Wishad Junior Mpavaenda, Brian Prayer Mutakura, Fungai Marshall Mangondoza, Fortune Takudzwa Rutsito, Munyaradzi Raphael Musango, Charles Kabirou Effiom, Michael Matsikiti and Hillary Ngonbadang Tanwie. Of the eight, five have since been released after an investigation concluded that they were not connected to the robberies which occurred between 13 December 2017 and 13 March 2018 and it was not clear when the three would appear in court. Cde Paradza said more Zimbabwean students have been in trouble with authorities in Cyprus for petty crimes. He said his committee was seeking clearance from the Government to send a delegation to Cyprus to assess the situation with the view of having the arrested students repatriated. My Committee has approached the new Minister of Foreign Affairs (Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Moyo (Retired) for us to get clearance so that we send a delegation to Cyprus as soon as possible. He says he is consulting H.E (His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa). Several students have been arrested. Some of the cases are petty thefts like in supermarkets. But serious ones are about 12 including those three serving in jail, he said. The arrest of Zimbabwean students in Cyprus comes amid revelations that a number of Zimbabwean students studying in that country are being forced into crime and prostitution after being offered fake university scholarships. Last year the Government made efforts to engage Turkish authorities on the possible release of three students who were arrested on drug trafficking charges but the efforts were yet to yield results as the trio are still in prison. Turkey controls the northern part of Cyprus where a number of Zimbabwean students are studying. Thousands of Zimbabwean students are reportedly in distress in North Cyprus after being lured by private universities on the pretext of being awarded scholarships. The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs has been on record discouraging Zimbabweans from taking up scholarship offers from dubious agencies to study abroad. Last year three agencies, Ruothey Edu, Global Careers and Eskard Consultancy that recruit and offer scholarships to local students to study abroad were interviewed. It emerged, during the meeting, that the agencies were merely registered as shelf companies and had no permission from the Government to recruit students on behalf of foreign universities. A number of Zimbabwean students studying in Cyprus are reportedly desperate and end up engaging in criminal activities to survive and pay for their tuition after being dumped by the agencies that would have offered them scholarships. Sunday News PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa will fly out to China today for a five-day state visit where he will address potential investors. Mnangagwa, who took over from former president Robert Mugabe in November last year following a coup, is also scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. A Chinese embassy official in Harare, Zhao Baogang, said the state visit was meant to strengthen ties between the two countries. (Mnangagwa will have) a tight schedule as we want to ensure that we elevate the relations between the two countries to a new level, Zhao told journalists in Harare on Friday. Mnangagwa will arrive in Beijing tomorrow afternoon and address a business conference the following day. The president will attend a business promotion conference in Beijing where Zimbabwean and Chinese investors, entrepreneurs and bankers will attend, Zhao added. President Mnangagwa will deliver a keynote address to the conference on policies in Zimbabwe and also, the new political dispensation. Mnangagwa will be honoured with a 21-gun salute after inspecting a guard of honour on Tuesday. Zhao said the two leaders and their ministers would sign several bilateral agreements. We are now in a new dispensation and we have a new Government, but it is all because of Gods plan for this country. Like Christ, after His resurrection, we also now have a new life, but it is all Gods planning. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, but God knows everyones future. They Tried to Flee the Kroger Gunman. He Followed Them (Newser) Spring break couldn't have come at a better time for Melania Trump, the AP reports. With fresh details spilling into the headlines daily about how Donald Trump allegedly cheated on her early in their marriage, the former model escaped the intense glare by spending the past week at the family's estate in Palm Beach, Fla., with their 12-year-old son Barron. But even then, there was no perfect refuge from the attention to recent legal activity related to the president's past conduct with women. On Mrs. Trump's first full day away, when the president also was at their Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump had dinner not with her but with attorney Michael Cohenwho paid porn actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep her from going public with her story of a 2006 tryst with Trump. The Trumps did dine together on Thursday night after the president returned to Florida. story continues below Some say the first lady should exit her 13-year union with Trump, much like Hillary Clinton was urged to do after President Bill Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky became public in the late 1990s. Trump himself recently kidded about the possibility of Melania leaving him at a Washington dinner where the president traditionally gives a joke-filled speech. "Now the question everyone keeps asking is, 'Who's going to be the next to leave? Steve Miller or Melania?'" he said, referring to policy adviser Stephen Miller. Melania may be silent on her husband's dealings with other women, but traversed this awkward terrain when the "Access Hollywood" tape emerged in 2016. "People think and talk about me like, 'Oh Melania, Oh poor Melania,'" she told CNN at the time. "Don't feel sorry for me. I can handle everything." (Read more Melania Trump stories.) (Newser) A teenager stuffs a condom up her nose and pulls it out her mouth, all on video to garner online attention. What could go wrong? That's what media outlets are asking after educators in San Antonio, Texas, visited schools to warn parents about the "Condom Snorting Challenge," Forbes reports. "Because these days our teens are doing everything for likes, views, and subscribers," Texas education specialist Stephen Enriquez tells KMPH. "As graphic as it is, we have to show parents because teens are going online looking for challenges and recreating them." Forbes asks why it's risky to inhale "an object made of latex rubber and covered in lubricant and spermicide," and digs up stories to make a parent shudder. story continues below A 2004 report from India tells of a 27-year-old woman who gave oral sex to a man wearing a condom, swallowed it into her lungs, blocked an airway, came down with pneumonia, and suffered a partial lung collapse. Another medical report chronicles the woe of a 26-year-old African woman who swallowed a condom for the same reason and got appendicitis when a condom fragment got stuck in her appendix. Not to mention the possible choking hazard involved in condom inhalation, Inquisitr notes. In America the "challenge" dates back to at least 2007, when a YouTuber uploaded herself snorting a condom, but YouTube pulled the video for containing "harmful or dangerous content." As Kens5 puts it, "There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, but the line isn't so fine when people snort condoms." (Read more condoms stories.) (Newser) New York has banned convicted domestic abusers from possessing any sort of weapon, reports CNN. The legislation, which handily passed on Saturday, eliminates a loophole in which domestic abusers were only required to surrender their handguns after a conviction, notes WKBW. "New York is once again leading the way to prevent gun violence, and with this common sense reform, break the inextricable link between gun violence and domestic violence," Cuomo said. "Half of the women who are murdered in this country are murdered by an intimate partner," he said, citing a CDC study. The state saw 35 domestic killings in 2016 in which a firearm was the murder weapon. (Read more New York state stories.) (Newser) The Russian diplomats who were expelled from the United States and their families have returned to Moscow, reports the AP. Russian news agencies say they returned on two flights that landed Sunday at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. One carried diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Washington; aboard the other were diplomats from the New York consulate and Russia's United Nations mission. Tass notes that Russia has given the US until Thursday to get some 60 American diplomats out. story continues below The United States last week ordered 60 Russian diplomats to leave, part of a widespread expulsion of diplomats by Britain and some of its allies in connection with the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter. Britain alleges Russian involvement in the March 4 nerve agent poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury. Moscow adamantly denies that. (Read more diplomat stories.) (Newser) President Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to issue a warning to America's neighbor to the south. "Stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA," Trump wrote, as CNBC notes, before he explicitly linked the renewed trade negotiations to his signature campaign promise by adding: "NEED WALL!" The US, Canada, and Mexico are currently renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement at Trump's insistence. Trump says NAFTA is bad for the US. "Mexico has got to help us at the border," Trump told reporters before he attended Easter services at an Episcopal church near his Florida home, per the AP. "If they're not going to help us at the border, it's a very sad thing between our two countries." Trump said. "A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA." story continues below It was not immediately clear what Trump was referring to when he said people are coming to take advantage of the program, which granted the immigrants work permits. The Department of Homeland Security is not issuing new permits, though existing ones can be renewed. Trump did not explain what he meant when reporters asked as he entered the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea with the first lady and Tiffany Trump. Trump, who addressed reporters briefly before entering the church, again blamed Democrats for failing to protect the so-called Dreamers. "The Democrats blew it. They had a great, great chance, but we'll have to take a look because Mexico has got to help us at the border. They flow right through Mexico. They send them into the United States. It can't happen that way anymore," he said. (Read more Donald Trump stories.) (Newser) US and Western officials are increasingly troubled by Russia's interest in the 400 fiber-optic cables that carry most of world's calls, emails and texts, as well as $10 trillion worth of daily financial transactions. "We've seen activity in the Russian navy, and particularly undersea in their submarine activity, that we haven't seen since the '80s," Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of the US European Command, told Congress this month, per the AP. All told, there are 620,000 miles of fiber-optic cable running under the sea, enough to loop around the earth nearly 25 times. Most lines are owned by private telecommunications companies like Google and Microsoft. Their locations are easily identified on public maps. While cutting one cable might have limited impact, severing several simultaneously or at choke points could cause a major outage. story continues below Rep. Joe Courtney, a Connecticut Democrat, said of the Russians, "The mere fact that they are clearly tracking the cables and prowling around the cables shows that they are doing something." Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan said Moscow's goal appears to be to "disrupt the normal channels of communication and create an environment of misinformation and distrust." Undersea cables have been targets before. In the Cold War, the US Navy sent American divers deep into the Sea of Okhotsk off the Russian coast to install a device to record Soviet communications. More recently, British and American intelligence agencies have eavesdropped on fiber optic cables, according to documents released by Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor. Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. (Read more Russia stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Cloudy with snow showers mainly during the morning. High 38F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 70%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 20F. Winds light and variable. 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: Eleven militants, including top commanders, were killed in massive anti-terror operations launched by Security forces in Anantnag and Shopian districts of south Kashmir on Sunday. A joint team of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF launched the operations after they received information of some militants hiding in Anantnag and Shopian. Seven terrorists were gunned down in Draggad village of Shopian and one was killed in Dialgam in Anantnag after security forces and their family members failed to convince them to surrender. "One terrorist has been killed in Dialgam in Anantnag after efforts of his family and J&K Police failed to make him surrender and another one has been caught alive. In Draggad, seven bodies of terrorists were recovered including top commanders," said SP Vaid, Director General of Police. One militant, who agreed to surrender, has been caught alive. Four Army personnel sustained injuries during the operation. Meanwhile, an encounter is underway in Kachpoora area of Shopian, three militants have been killed while two more are still believed to be hiding there. Some civilians are also trapped in Kachpoora. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Arijit Shashwat, son of senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey and accused of Bhagalpur riots was arrested from Patna late on Saturday night. We had information that Shashwat was at the famous Hanuman temple in the vicinity of Patna Junction. A police team reached the spot and arrested him and he has been sent to Bhagalpur, said Manu Maharaj, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna. The arrest came hours after a Bhagalpur court on Saturday rejected Shashwats anticipatory bail plea. He was sent to a 14-day police custody. I have given myself up to police in deference to the court order. I have been wrongly accused of evading arrest. I was not absconding as I have not committed any crime, Arijit said after his arrest. The son of Union minister is accused of accused of raising provocative slogans during a Ram Navami procession in Bhagalpur on March 17 which resulted in communal clashes. Most Read | JK CM Pakistans Mehbooba, not ours: BJP MP Subramanian Swami The procession was taken out allegedly without permission to celebrate the New Year as per the Hindu calendar. The violence later spread to other parts of Bihar and Opposition leaders accused Nitish Kumar of going soft with people spreading communal violence due to his alliance with the BJP. His former deputy and now leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav called him a "coward". However, reacting to the clashes, Nitish had said that he was willing to pay any price to restore peace" and wouldn't compromise on the law and order. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Dalit organisations have called for a countrywide strike on Monday to protest against courts March 20 verdict that safeguard public from random arrests under the SC/ST Act. "All educational institutions to remain closed and mobile Internet services to be suspended in the state tomorrow in the wake of bandh called by several Dalit organisations against the amendment under the SC/ST Act," a circular said. Meanwhile, Karan A Singh wrote to Secretary Department of Defence, Government of India stating, 'Army in Punjab to remain ready for any eventuality as state govt may need their assistance in maintaining law & order' during bandh. Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh appealed to the people of the state to maintain law and order. ALSO READ: Commonwealth Games 2018: Doping cloud lurks as syringe found near athletes' vilage He said in a statement that the protest should be conducted in a peaceful manner and nothing should be done to endanger the peace and communal comradeship in the state. 4000 police personnel along with one company of Rapid Action Force (RAF) to be deployed tomorrow. Strict action will be taken against those who indulge in violence, Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana said over the issue. A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court ordered that there shall be no immediate arrest on any complaint filed under the law, given the misuse of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act. Before arresting a public servant under the Act, a preliminary probe by an officer not below the rank of deputy superintendent is a must, the court said. The Supreme Court took the decision after taking a note of a petition filed by the Maharashtra government. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Defying prohibitory orders, a four-member BJP delegation on Sunday visited violence-hit Asansol in West Bengal. The delegation also visited relief camps at Ramkrishnapur and Dhadka in Asansol and blamed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for having failed to control the situation. We visited the relief camps at Ramkrishnapur and Dhadka in Asansol and found out that whatever had happened was wrong. It was a failure on the part of the state government, said BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain. The delegation, which was formed by BJP chief Amit Shah, will submit a report to him on its return. Besides Hussain, the delegation comprises BJP national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Om Prakash Mathur, Palamu MP and former director general of Jharkhand police Vishnu Dayal Ram and Rajya Sabha member Roopa Ganguly. Also Read | West Bengal governor visits violence-hit Asansol to take stock of situation On the way to the coal town of Asansol, the delegation was requested by the police to stop at Basra More and Kalipahari as prohibitory orders were in force in the area. However, after a brief discussion with the police, the BJP leaders proceeded with their plan to visit Asansol. Communal clashes broke out on Monday in Raniganj over a Ram Navami procession and soon spread to adjacent Asansol, where 16-year-old Sibtulla Rashidi, son of the Imam of Noorani Masjid was killed. Earlier on Saturday, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had also visited violence-hit Asansol and Raniganj. I have come here with a message of peace and I appeal to all the people to be in harmony and respect each other. Everybody should respect each others religious festivals, Tripathi said. The governor, however, chose not to stop at any of the minority-dominated areas during slightly over than four hours visit. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Gujarat police on Sunday launched a crackdown against thousands of farmers, who were protesting against a proposed coal plant in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district. At least 10 farmers injured during the clashes and as much as 50 cultivators were detained by the police. The farmers alleged that the police manhandled the protesters, including women and children. They were protesting against a state-owned company Gujarat Power Corporation Limited that had acquired 3,377 acres of land from nearly 1,250 farmers across 12 villages of Bhavnagar about two decades ago, to set up a brown coal plant. However, the company could not start the work for about 2 decades and all these years the farmers were cultivating the area. The farmers have now been opposing the companys bid to take possession of the acquired land. The company had sought police protection for its task to take the possession of the land when the clash erupted, Bhavnagar Superintendent of Police Dipankar Trivedi said. Also Read | Bharat Bandh on April 2 against SC/ST Act, police tightens security We detained around 50 people and fired about 50 teargas shells, and also baton-charged the protesters near Badi village, he said. Narendrasinh Gohil, a local farmer leader and member of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, a cultivators body, claimed that the farmers were carrying out a peaceful protest when the police crackdown took place. As we carried out a peaceful protest march against the companys move to take possession of our land, a large number of policemen were deployed to prevent us. The farmers and their families, including women and children, came out in thousands to protest this (taking over possession of land), he said. The police manhandled protesters, including women and children, and in the process, at least five persons were injured, alleged Gohil. At least 10 out of the 50 protesters detained by the police were women, he claimed. The protesters have demanded the company to initiate fresh proceedings to acquire the contentious land as per the Land Acquisition Act-2013. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: 13 militants, including top commanders, were killed in massive anti-terror operations launched by Security forces in Anantnag and Shopian districts of south Kashmir on Sunday. A joint team of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF launched the operations after they received information of some militants hiding in Anantnag and Shopian. Seven terrorists were gunned down in Draggad village of Shopian and one was killed in Dialgam in Anantnag after security forces and their family members failed to convince them to surrender. "One terrorist has been killed in Dialgam in Anantnag after efforts of his family and J&K Police failed to make him surrender and another one has been caught alive. In Draggad, seven bodies of terrorists were recovered including top commanders," said SP Vaid, Director General of Police. One militant, who agreed to surrender, has been caught alive. Four Army personnel sustained injuries during the operation. Meanwhile, an encounter is underway in Kachpoora area of Shopian, three militants have been reportedly killed, while two more are still believed to be hiding there. Some civilians are also trapped in Kachpoora. Live Updates: #08:35 PM:A 4 civilians lost their lives during Anantnag and Shopian encounters #08:31 PM:A In all 13 terrorists neutralised, 3 soldiers martyred and 1 terrorist caught alive: SP Vaid Encounter concluded. 2 more terrorist bodies recovered from Shopian encounter site. In all 13 terrorists neutralised, 3 soldiers martyred and 1 terrorist caught alive. Itas unfortunate that stone pelting around encounter site cost 4 civilian deaths: SP Vaid, DGP, J&K (File pic) pic.twitter.com/nmthqdCYWE a ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 #08:12 PM:A Army personnel who lost their lives in Anantnag & Shopian encounters identified as Gunner Arvinder Kumar, Gunner Nilesh Singh & Sepoy HetramA Photos of Army personnel Gunner Arvinder Kumar, Gunner Nilesh Singh & Sepoy Hetram who lost their lives in Anantnag & Shopian encounters today. #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/j5kNsX24hC a ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 #03:15 PM:A One civilian was killed in Shopian's Dragad and one in Kachdoora. 25 civilians received pellet injuries and 6 received bullet injuries: SP Vaid, DGP, J&K on encounters in J&K's Anantnag & Shopian # 03:10 PM:A Out of the 7 terrorists killed, 2 terrorists were involved in the killing of Indian Army Lt Ummer Fayaz: Army # 03:07 PM:A All 7 terrorists killed in Shopian's Dragad have been identified as locals and their bodies have been claimed by their kin: SP Vaid # 03:05 PM:A Encounters at two places has concluded, and undergoing at one place. Anantnag SSP made a special effort, he spoke to family members of terrorist to convince him to leave the path of violence, but the terrorist did not listen: SP Vaid # 03:01 PM:A We caught one terrorist alive and one was killed, in Anantnag. Three army jawans lost their lives in the ongoing operation. Few J&K police, CRPF, and Army personnel have suffered injuries: SP Vaid # 02:55 PM: Jammu and Kashmir police DGPA SP Vaid is addressing a press conference.A # 02:28 PM: BREAKING |A Two Army personnel killed in Shopian encounter. # 01:50 PM: Two people were killed and 5o others injured in clashes that erupted between locals and police after the killing of 11 militants in three encounters at Shopian and Anantnag districts. # 12:30 PM:A Meanwhile clashes have erupted in Shopian and at many places in south Kashmir. Separatists have called a two-day strike in the Valley. # 12:00 PM:A Update:A Three militants killed in Kachdoora in Shopian, 1 Militant killed in Dyalagam,A Anantnag. Death toll reaches to 11. # 11:35 AM:A Train service suspended across Valley, internet services also blocked in south Kashmir. # 11:20 AM:A Four to five terrorists are believed to be trapped. Encounter underway. InA #Shopian's Kachdoora 4-5 terrorists are believed to be trapped but some civilians are also trapped in the houses there & we are making efforts to rescue them:A #JammuAndKashmirA DGP SP Vaid a ANI (@ANI)A April 1, 2018 # 10:30 AM:A One terrorist was killed in Anantnag & another was caught alive. Encounters are underway in Shopian'sA DragadA & Kachdoora. 7 bodies of terrorists & a huge amount of weapons have been recovered in Dragad: SP Vaid,A J&K DGP # 9:45 AM:A The identity of the slain militants is being ascertained: J&K Police # 09:45 AM:A Two security personnel injured in Kachdoora and Dargad encounters. #UPDATE: One Army personnel injured in Shopian's Kachdoora, another injured in Dragad, in ongoing encounters with terrorists.A #JammuAndKashmir a ANI (@ANI)A April 1, 2018 # 09:30 AM:A 7 terrorists gunned down by security forces in Shopian. #FLASH: 7 terrorists gunned down by security forces in Shopian's Dragad.A #JammuAndKashmirA pic.twitter.com/YUDTUfoCDR # 09:00 AM:A One terrorist killed, another arrested in Anantnag. Operation ends. #UPDATEA Anantnag Encounter: One terrorist has been killed, another arrested. The operation endsA #JammuAndKashmir a ANI (@ANI)A March 31, 2018 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swami on Sunday made a rather controversial remark against Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and called her Mehbooba (lover) of Pakistan. Reacting to Muftis request to Prime Minister Modi to initiate dialogue with Pakistan, Swamy said, Mehbooba could be Pakistans Mehbooba (lover), but not for us. The BJP MP also accused Mufti of pressurising India for not withdrawing Pakistans Most Favoured Nation status. I don't understand why we have not withdrawn the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan, it is because of people like her (Mehbooba Mufti) who pressurise for it, he said. I don't understand why we have not withdrawn the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan, it is because of people like her who pressurize for it. Mehbooba Pakistan ke liye Mehbooba ho sakti hai, hamare liye nahi: Swamy on Mehbooba's statement that we should talk to Pak: S Swamy pic.twitter.com/pfw1IFtnKI ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 Earlier on Saturday, asserting that reconciliation is the mantra," Mufti urged PM Modi to initiate talks with Pakistan as the country was the key for peace in Kashmir. Reconciliation is the mantra which we need to follow and therefore, I request Modi ji to engage with Pakistan, she said. We need to take an assurance from the neighbouring country that they should not be allowing their soil to be used against India. After all, we all know that the key for peace is in Pakistan. They have been pushing terrorists into the state, the chief minister added. Also Read | Please return home, Mehbooba Mufti appeals to Kashmiri Pandits For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh will fly to Iraq on Sunday in a C-17 plane to bring back mortal remains of the 38 Indians, who were killed in the war-torn country. While the minister was earlier expected to bring back bodies of 39 Indians, he won't get one man's remains as his case is pending. The 38 coffins will be handed over to the family members with evidence so that they have no doubts regarding the same. "I am going to Mosul to get mortal remains of 38 Indians, we won't get one man's remains as his case is pending. We will handover coffins to the family members with evidence so that they have no doubts about it. My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased," Singh told ANI. `I am going to Mosul to get mortal remains of 38 Indians, we won't get one man's remains as his case is pending. We will handover coffins to the family members with evidence so that they have no doubts about it. My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased: Gen VK Singh pic.twitter.com/JpqUzGMTO7 ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 According to sources, the minister will bring back the bodies by late Monday or Tuesday. Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh leaves for Iraq to bring back mortal remains of 38 Indians who were killed by ISIS in Mosul. pic.twitter.com/SuRIbIg1VB ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 "I am leaving for Iraq, will be getting back mortal remains of the 39 Indians. Tomorrow I will return to Amritsar, and then will go to Kolkata and then Patna. The families of the victims have been informed about the same," earlier ANI quoted Singh. I am leaving for Iraq, will be getting back mortal remains of the 39 Indians. Will return to Amritsar, then Kolkata and then Patna. Families have been informed: VK Singh, MoS, MEA pic.twitter.com/xW1kGP1wuY ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 Families of some of these victims had met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj earlier in March. Also Read | 39 Indians abducted in Iraq killed, Sushma slams Congress for playing politics On March 20, EAM External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj had told Parliament that as many as 39 Indians were abducted by terror group ISIS from Mosul in Iraq in June 2014, but one of them escaped posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh. The 39 persons, most of whom hailed from Punjab, were working on projects near Mosul and went missing back in 2014. They were taken to Badoosh and killed by the terror outfit Islamic State (IS). (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had postponed the class 10 and class 12 examination which was to be conducted on April 2 in Punjab in the wake of the Bharat Bandh called by several Dalit organisations. The date of the exams will be announced later. Meanwhile, in the rest of the country, including the Union Territory of Chandigarh, exams will be conducted as per schedule. The Dalit organisations had called for a statewide shutdown on April 2, making the Punjab government to announce the closure of transport services, education institutions, and banks on the day, along with the suspension of internet services. Also Read| SC/ST Act: Government to file review petition before Supreme Court tomorrow The school board released a statement on late Sunday evening, after it received a letter from Punjabs Director General of School Education saying, due to apprehensions of law and order problems and other disturbances on 2nd April 2018 during the call for Bharat Bandh given by some organisations, the state government has taken a decision to keep all schools closed on that day and have also requested CBSE to postpone all its examinations to be held on 2nd April 2018. The CBSE accepted the request by the Director-General and took the decision. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a major setback, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday lost contact with the GSAT-6A, India's most powerful communication satellite, in less than 48 hours of its launch. "The second orbit raising operation of GSAT-6A satellite has been successfully carried out by LAM Engine firing for about 53 minutes on March 31 in the morning. After the successful long-duration firings, when the satellite was on course to normal operating configurations for the third and final firing, communication from the satellite was lost. Efforts are underway to establish the link with the satellite," ISRO said on its official website on Sunday. "Efforts are underway to establish the link with the satellite," a statement said. However, the space agency chose to remain tight-lipped for entire Saturday, though news started creeping around that the satellite suffered a serious setback and scientists and engineers are working hard to correct the glitch in its power system. Also Read | ISRO launches GSLV-F08/GSAT-6A from Sriharikota; All you need to know People close to the development suggest that the aberration came into light just after the second orbit-raising carried out successfully at around 9:22 PM on March 30. However, top officials at ISRO are yet to explain what exactly went wrong with the satellite and whether it can be retrieved or not. According to scientists, the 2,066-ton home-made satellite, built at a cost of Rs. 270 crore, was able to send and receive signals from hand-held devices. The GSLV-F08/GSAT-6A was successfully launched on Thursday from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Also Read | Watch out, your beautiful Sunday may turn into a beautiful disaster For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is ready to begin the process of application filing for H-1B visa from April 2 amidst unusual inspection by the US administration. The USCIS, responsible for the filing of H-1B visa, had hinted at zero tolerance for even minor errors in the filing process. The filing process is for the fiscal year 2019, which begins on October 1, 2018, and will continue till the given quota for the year is completed. The USCIS has made it very clear that filing of multiple applications will result in the petitions being rejected immediately. After notice, we will deny or revoke the approval of all H-1B cap-subject petitions filed for one beneficiary by 'related entities' unless there is a legitimate business need, the PTI quoted the USCIS. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations that require technical or theoretical expertise in work field. The duration of the H-1B visa is three years, though it can be extended up to six years, unless applied otherwise. In special circumstances, the extension of the H-1B visa may go up to 10 years. Indian companies will have to pay a higher fee for application than those from the other countries. On an average, per application, the Indian companies are required to pay $6,000 to the federal government. The fee structure of the filing of H-1B is divided between the employer and the employee. A part of the fee will be paid by the employee and the rest will be paid by the employer. The fee can be paid by cheque or money orders to the Department of Homeland Security, and is divided into five basic parts- Base filing fee- $460 (paid by the employer) American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (AICWA) fee- $750 paid by employers with one to 25 full-time employees; $1,500 paid by employers with 26 or more employees Fraud prevention and detection fee- $500 (paid by the employer) Fee-based on Public Law- $4,000 (paid by the employer) Attorney fee- variable amount paid by the employer Visa stamping fee- varies for different countries, ranging from $500 to $3,000 (paid by the employee) The USCIS has directed for a quota this year and will issue 65,000 H-1B visas, with an additional 2,000 visas for the applicants with a masters degree from the US. Also Read: Anti H-1B posters come up in San Francisco metro stations The H-1B visas are allotted through lottery system every year, where each applicant is allotted a lottery number. The lottery is conducted through a computerized system that picks out the numbers randomly. The USCIS will also look into the protection of the American workers. It said, Protecting American workers by combating fraud in our employment-based immigration programs is a priority for us. These efforts will help assist in the prosecution of program violators and ensure that American workers are not overlooked or replaced in the process. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A cybersecurity expert is warning that a recent data breach at an Upstate New York hospital could be harmful to patients. Earlier in 2018, Middletown Medical in Orange County confirmed that a bad security setting on its website allowed users to see patient data and electronic patient information. Names, birth dates, client ID numbers and whether or not patients had received radiology services, as well as the dates of those services, were all revealed. The hospital has since modified the site and terminated unauthorized access, according to Spectrum News Hudson Valley, but the potential for harm may still exist. "You can sell that information, you can use that information for blackmail, forms of bribing the individuals based upon health histories that aren't exposed to the general public," said Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Steven Spano, president and COO of Center for Internet Security. The breached information does not include Social Security numbers or any other medical records, but Spano says that it could still be a potential threat if it fell into the wrong hands. Officials at Middletown Medical told Spectrum News that there was no evidence the information had been misused. They said anyone affected by the breach would be offered identity theft recovery services. GARDINER, N.Y. -- A small plane carrying skydivers in Upstate New York was forced to make an emergency landing in a backyard after engine trouble Saturday afternoon. Seven people on board suffered minor injuries, authorities said. The plane landed behind a house in Gardiner, Ulster County, about 80 miles north of New York City, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported. Fire Chief Matthew Goodnow said the pilot tried to return to the Gardiner Airport but "couldn't make it." The landing in a field, he said, was likely "awful bumpy." Six of the passengers declined medical treatment; a seventh person was treated at Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital for evaluation, he said. State police are leading an investigation into what happened. The aircraft was operated by local company Skydive the Ranch. Company representatives late Saturday hadn't returned a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to follow the example of Ibrahim Mantu and confess its... The All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to follow the example of Ibrahim Mantu and confess its sins. Mantu, a former deputy senate president, confessed helping the PDP rig elections by bribing officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In a statement on Saturday, Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the APC, asked the PDP or toe that line instead of indulging in name-calling. Abdullahi said since the PDP had apologised, it should confess its sins before restitution could be considered. The APC calls on the opposition PDP to follow the example of one its leaders and former deputy senate president, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and confess to their sins against the country instead of indulging in name-calling, the statement read. Apparently burdened by guilty conscience, the PDP national chairman had last week apologised to the nation for the years of misrule that his party has brought to the country. The APC noted this apology but asked the PDP to go a step further and confess to their sins before restitution could be considered. Instead of taking this path to redemption, PDP has engaged in fruitless you too accusations and name-calling. This is further evidence that PDP is not ready for repentance and only offered the apology with the hope that Nigerians will grant them amnesty and a short-cut back to power. The war of words between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the looters list releas... The war of words between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the looters list released on Friday by the federal government raged on yesterday with the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, giving Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed a 48 hour ultimatum to withdraw the allegation against him.Secondus is also demanding from the minister N1.5billion as damages.The immediate past national publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, whose name also features on the list alleged a plan by the government to jail him at all cost.He claimed to have been reliably informed that the Federal Government has ordered a conviction at all cost to ensure that the PDP is tainted before the elections.The PDP queried President Muhammadu Buharis moral rectitude to fight corruption.The APC, in a dig at the PDP, asked the leadership of the opposition party to take a cue from one of its top member, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu by publicly confessing their sins against Nigerians, seek their forgiveness, and turn a new leaf.Secondus, in a letter by his counsel, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN) to Mohammed demanded that the allegation that he collected N200miliion from the office of the National Security Adviser be withdrawn within 48 hours.He called the allegation libellous and threatened that failure to withdraw it would lead to litigation.The PDP chair also demanded a public apology from the Minister.Secondus media aide, Ike Abonyi, quoting from the letter with reference No. EESE&C/1/31/03/18 yesterday said Mohammeds publication has damaged the image of Prince Secondus as he has been humiliated, castigated and vilified by many as a result of the falsehood published by the Minister.He warned that Secondus shall within 72 hours from today, proceed to a court of competent jurisdiction to ventilate our clients right under the law and shall further seek the protection of the court against you should the minister fail to withdraw the allegation.The PDP national chairman had, in his first reaction to the allegation on Friday, challenged the minister to get ready to establish his allegations in court.He said that the Minister was out to damage his reputation and distract him from serving his party but that he has failed woefully.His spokesman, Abonyi said:For the purposes of some gullible public Prince Secondus never collected any money from the NSA under any guise.Its on record that on April 6, 2016, a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice James Tsoho, awarded Secondus N10 million damages against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for illegal detention over the same matter. The court had declared Secondus arrest and detention illegal.Metuh alleges media trialMetuh, in a separate reaction, accused the Information and Culture Minister of subjecting him to media trial.He accused the Federal Government of breaching the 1999 constitution by subjecting him to two criminal charges before the court and the media.Metuh, who is currently standing trial for allegedly collecting N400 million from a former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki in 2015, described the case against him as contrived.Giving a detailed narration of the case against him and his ongoing trial by the Federal Government, Metuh said, Since my arrest on the 5th day of January 2016 and subsequent arraignment, I have refrained from publicly discussing my persecution and travails by the government because as a lawyer, trained in the finest traditions of the Bar, I know that it is wrong to discuss a matter that is subjudice.However the present action of the government leaves me with no option than to defend my name and integrity. I have therefore decided to avail the public of the true state of the contrived case against me.The charge against me is that I received the sum of N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser to carry out duties assigned to me as the then National Publicity Secretary of the PDP by then President.The major crux of the prosecution argument is that I ought to have known that the money was a part of an alleged and yet to be proven unlawful activity of Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), former NSA to President Jonathan.The charge was brought regardless of the fact that neither President Jonathan who gave me the assignment and directed the release of the funds nor Col Dasuki (rtd), who effected the release of the funds have ever been interrogated nor even interviewed in this regard.As a matter of fact, officers of the office of the National Security Adviser have testified in court that the payment made to me followed all due process usually observed in the establishment.It is of interest to note that the prosecution has not alleged any mens rea or collusion on my part other than the suggestion that I ought to have known of an alleged unlawful activity. Also the alleged illegality of the funds has neither been established in law nor in fact.I have NEVER held a government office and/or position and could not therefore have had any access to government funds.He labelled the case against him as weak, and accused the Federal Government of employing dirty tactics to de-humanize and intimidate him.Continuing, he said: They have done everything humanly possible to ensure complete persecution starting from bringing me to court in handcuffs (and parading the capture of Nigerias most wanted) to media trials and constant interference with my case.I have been reliably informed that the Federal Government has ordered a conviction at all cost to ensure that the PDP is tainted before the elections. The governments determination to achieve this objective is clearly highlighted by the refusal to allow me attend to my deteriorating health notwithstanding several expert medical opinions on the matter.By going to the media to name me a looter (without cross-checking the definition and dictionary meaning of the word), the Federal Government has not only given a body language but has issued a direct intimidation and threat to the judiciary to get a compulsory conviction.It is now clear that the APC led government that thrives on impunity and intimidation of other arms of government will not allow justice to be done in my matter. It is incontrovertible that our country has descended into the worst form of draconian rule where the executive arm directly interferes and seeks to control and determine matters within the purview of the legislature and the judiciary.In view of this unprecedented executive rascality and lawlessness, I have asked my lawyers to review the implications of this latest attack by the government and take appropriate steps for redressIn all, my faith is firm in God that this tyranny will not last forever and that no mortal is omnipotent in my matter.Why Buhari has no moral ground to fight corruption, by PDPNational Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan in his second reaction within 24 hours on the looters list said President Muhammadu Buhari has no moral rectitude to fight corruption.The President, who declared that he had no resources to run a presidential campaign in 2015, ought to have known, particularly as a leader, that the billions of naira deployed for his campaigns were proceeds of corrupt activities of known All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and leaders, he said.The opposition party challenged the President to make public the sources of funds available to his campaign in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 race as well as the names of the donors.He said: If the Federal Government and the APC are serious about fighting corruption and not just out to persecute PDP members, they should have begun with the probe into the source of the billions of naira used for President Buharis 2015 presidential campaigns, particularly in the face of allegations that the fund was looted from treasuries of various APC states.Can President Buhari in all honesty claim ignorance of reports in the open media that a South-south governor looted several billions from his state accounts and diverted the sums into Buharis 2015 campaigns?Can the Presidency and the APC inform Nigerians what steps the Federal Government has taken to investigate this allegation, which has been in the public domain and to clarify their roles as beneficiaries of the alleged looted funds?If they are not complicit, why are they not demanding the truth in the matter and the possible refund of the fund for the good of the people?We challenge President Buhari to tell Nigerians what he has done regarding the leaked memo showing N9 trillion ($25billion dollars) corrupt oil contracts at the NNPC as well as the alleged stealing of N1.1 trillion worth of crude oil, all in a sector under his direct purview as minister of Petroleum.The Presidency should tell Nigerians what has been done to recover the stolen N18 billion Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) intervention fund and the N10 billion National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) fund alleged to have been stolen from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by APC officials and Presidency cabal.Furthermore, the Buhari Presidency must immediately explain why it has been providing cover for the cabinet minister reported to have bought a property worth N280 million in Abuja from corrupt enrichment.How can a President who enjoys the company of perjurers, looters and is never aware of the activities of corrupt people around him, fight the menace of corruption?Emulate Mantu, confess your sins against Nigerians, APC tells PDPThe All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday asked the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to emulate former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu by publicly confessing their sins against Nigerians, seek their forgiveness , and turn a new leaf.The APC said it is only on this condition that restitution could be considered for the PDP.The ruling party was reacting to Mantus confession on Channels Television on Friday that he helped his party win elections in the past.Mantu served as a Senator between 1999 and 2007.He represented Plateau Central and was elected on the platform of the PDP.His confession came on the heels of the apology by the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus who said the party made mistakes when it was in power between 1999 and 2015.Reacting to the Mantu interview yesterday, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said recent activities of the PDP have shown clearly that the apology offered by Secondus was a mere lip service.He said the PDP is not ready to repent and turn a new leaf.Abdullahi said: Apparently burdened by guilty conscience, the PDP National Chairman had last week apologized to the nation for the years of misrule that his party has brought to the country. The APC noted this apology but asked the PDP to go a step further and confess to their sins before restitution could be considered.Instead of taking this path to redemption, PDP has engaged in fruitless you too accusations and name calling. This is further evidence that PDP is not ready for repentance and only offered the apology with the hope that Nigerians will grant them amnesty and a short-cut back to power.However, now that Senator Mantu has belled the cat, by confessing to how he has helped the PDP to rig elections in the past, we hope that PDP will follow the bold example of the former Senator and confess to their other sins against Nigeria.Mantu in the television interview had said: I dont have to go and change election (results) but when you provide money, you give money to INEC boys that if they see any chance they should favour you, you provide money to the security (personnel).I tell you its not necessarily when I am contesting election but when my party sponsors a candidate, I will like that candidate to win election.Asked why he thought Secundus apology was in order, Mantu said: there is the need for Nigerian politicians to apologize for all the sins we have committed against the people.That is because we have short changed the people.He recalled, how in the PDP, names of candidates who won elections were deleted and replaced with other names.Winners names were crossed out and replaced with names of those who did not win. It is bad because we imposed those who did not win on the people, he said.It is true that we (PDP) ruled with impunity.He asked other PDP members to also become born again, remorseful and repentant. A 25 year old man, Dodo Baraje arrested by the Niger State Police Command has confessed that he killed his uncle after he advised him ag... A 25 year old man, Dodo Baraje arrested by the Niger State Police Command has confessed that he killed his uncle after he advised him against drinking local alcohol.Baraje who lives in Shirumbu village in Maraga Local Government Area of the state said he shot his uncle in annoyance because he beat him up in order to stop him from drinking the local made alcohol called suck and die.The suspect said his 50 years old uncle explained to him that the alcohol would mar his future, hence the reason for the correction.The father of four said, Out of annoyance I ran into the house picked a gun and shot him. I never knew that he will die. He was only correcting me so that I will be a better person in the society my family will be proud of, I am finished.I dont know how I am going to explain this to my family, especially to my wife who loved my late uncle so much. In fact I was under the influence of alcohol ordinarily I wouldnt have killed my uncle who took care of me.I have never quarreled with with my uncle before, honestly I dont know what came over me, may Allah forgive me. I now realised what I have done to my life, I am a fool, he lamented .The Command Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Abubakar said the security operatives recovered one single barrel gun from him adding that the case would be charged to court soon. JERSEY CITY -- A 27-year-old man whose damaged and disable vehicle blocked Lincoln Tunnel south tube traffic for 20 minutes this morning was charged with driving while intoxicated, an official said. Ravi Shah, of River Edge, was also charged with reckless driving, PAPD spokesman Joseph Pentangelo said. At 3:50 a.m. Port Authority police received a report of a disabled vehicle that had been heading east. Traffic in the tube was stopped until it was towed away at 4:10 a.m., Pentangelo said. A Breathalyzer test determined the man's blood alcohol content was 0.12 percent. The vehicle had body damage and damage to its tires. There were on other damages vehicle and it is unclear how the damage occurred, Pentangelo said. The legal limit for driving in New Jersey is a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent. JERSEY CITY -- A 37-year-old Union City man was been charged with sexually assaulting his 9-year-old niece on two occasions after the girl told a counselor at school that she had been molested, officials said. On Wednesday, Union City police contacted Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit detectives who interviewed the girl who told them that her maternal uncle had touched her while her legal guardian, her grandmother, was not home, the criminal complaint says. The girl told investigators that on one occasion, her uncle put his hand up her shirt while she was in bed. She said that on the second occasion, she had fallen asleep on the bedroom floor when her uncle put his hand up her skirt, the complaint says. The grandmother, who is the defendant's mother, denied knowing anything about the alleged incidents, the complaint says, adding that the girl said the incidents occurred during the current school year. The uncle was arrested Wednesday and charge with endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of sexual assault by contact on a child under the age of 13, the complaint says. He made his first appearance on the charges on Thursday in Criminal Justice Reform Court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny. At the hearing, the state moved to detain the uncle through the course of his prosecution. A detention hearing is set for Wednesday before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Paul DePascale in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. The defendant's' name has been omitted from this report to protect the girl's identity. New Jersey is standing up to President Trump's third attempt to ban travelers from Muslim-majority countries, arguing that such measures are harmful to the state's economy. Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said he was joining a coalition of 16 other states and Washington, D.C. in supporting a lawsuit against the Trump Administration's ban on travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Chad. The ban also restricts entry by North Korean nationals and some government officials from Venezuela. Hawaii challenged Trump's executive order and the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments at the end of the month. The amicus brief that New Jersey joined was led by New York's Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. It argues that the ban hurts businesses, universities and hospitals to recruit and retain individuals. "In addition to being unconstitutional and running counter to such American values as acceptance, religious tolerance and non-discrimination, the Administration's ban on travel has done incalculable economic and other harm to New Jersey and the other states," Grewal said in a statement. "It's well documented that New Jersey has one of the most diverse populations in the country. We are also a hub for international travel, and many of those travelers are engaged in business, higher education, medicine, research, academic study and tourism - as well as the simple joys of family life. Hawaii's fight is also our fight," he said. Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. In one of his final interviews as governor last year, Chris Christie admitted that he "owned" the 11 credit downgrades Wall Street inflicted on New Jersey during his eight years in office. At what point do we officially transfer ownership? Last week the Moody's rating firm looked at one move that Gov. Phil Murphy made with the state's pension funds and termed it "credit negative." The move by Murphy was a reversal of a move made by Christie last year. The outgoing governor cut the expected rate of return on the fund's investments. That meant the state and other public employers would have had to put more money into the funds. That would have been a big plus, given that New Jersey has the most underfunded public-employee pension system in the country. But Murphy's reversal of Christie's move means "the funds will accumulate roughly $550 million less in assets through fiscal 2023" according to Moody's Investors Services. That in itself won't result in a credit downgrade. But it's certainly a step in the wrong direction. An even bigger step lies in Murphy's schedule for "ramping up" payments into the fund. During the campaign, Murphy criticized Christie for failing to make the "actuarially required contributions" - ARC for short - to the fund. That was a major factor in those downgrades. So when will our new governor be making that ARC? In the aforementioned fiscal year 2023. Or in other words, he's going to be making the full contribution in the fifth budget year of his four-year term. On this point our new governor has a problem: He's too smart to believe his own budget predictions. When you've got a Harvard economics degree and a Wharton MBA, it's difficult to pretend that you can't do math. Ned Thomson can. He's a Republican assemblyman from Monmouth County who is an actuary by profession. Thomson wrote an op-ed in The Star-Ledger last week in which he argued that Murphy's plan to start lots of expensive new programs while not paying his debts is like taking the kids to Disney World when you can't pay the mortgage. "Ideally, you should clear up the obligations you have before you start something new," Thomson said when I phoned him the other day. The "something new" in this case is Murphy's stated desire to implement free community college and free universal pre-K by three years from now. You don't need a calendar to realize that Murphy intends to take that trip to Disney World at a time while he's still behind on his mortgage. As it happens, those new programs would cost about $2 billion a year. It also happens that $2 billion is roughly the amount he needs to add to this year's payment to make the full ARC. Thomson noted that the budget Murphy proposes for fiscal 2019, which begins July 1, has a $2.7 billion spending increase, more than enough to pay the full ARC. "If he makes his pension payments and then we start crawling back to solvency, then the credit rating gets better and the cost of borrowing drops," said Thomson. "That gives you sustainable cash flow rather than trying to just satisfy campaign promises." Even if Murphy didn't start a single new program, he'd have a tough time regaining the triple-A bond rating New Jersey once had. I discussed that with financial analyst Baye Larsen of Moody's. She ran down a list of expenses that will put pressure on future budgets, such as "OPEB." OPEB is short for "Employee Post-Retirement Benefits," mainly retiree health-care costs. The number grows by about $100 million a year, Larsen said. As for the ARC, if Murphy doesn't make the full payment of about $5.3 billion this year then the ARC increases to about $6.1 billion for whoever's governor in 2023, she said. And then there's the big increase Murphy seeks in the so-called "millionaires tax." In a separate report, Moody's noted that the new governor could have a hard time getting that and other tax hikes through the Legislature, "especially in the wake of new federal tax law limits on the deductibility of state and local taxes, which raises their effective cost to state taxpayers." Or in other words, Murphy will have a hard time simply funding his proposed budget for next year, never mind adding new programs in the future. Said Thomson, "He's making these promises he just can't keep. He's a financial guy. He can add." Let's hope he can subtract as well. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. By Ben Barlyn Only several months ago, full-scale legalization of marijuana in New Jersey seemed like a foregone conclusion. Gov. Phil Murphy won handily over his opponent in no small part because of his enthusiastic support for recreational marijuana. Diverse news outlets pumped out story after breathless story envisioning a New Jersey awash with easily accessible, commercially produced cannabis (See: "Drive-Through Dispensaries Coming to Your Town?"). No longer. Skepticism and concern expressed by a diverse array of legislators, public officials (former and current) and community leaders over the perceived negative impact of full-scale commercialized legalization has unquestionably slowed the momentum many observers, including myself, believed could not be derailed. And while Murphy was able to fulfill a campaign promise to overhaul New Jersey's disgracefully dysfunctional medicinal marijuana system this week, legalization is not on the same track. Recently, former New Jersey State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes painted a far-from-rosy portrait of Colorado's experience with legalization. Granted, Fuentes brings a conventional law enforcement perspective to bear on the issue, and he overlooks the experiences of other states, including Washington and Oregon, that have also embraced full, commercialized adult-use legalization. Nonetheless, his concerns about motor vehicle safety, increased potency of commercially grown marijuana, and the sale and consumption of edibles are entirely legitimate; and, it must be emphasized, shared by thoughtful people on both sides of the legalization debate. An equally compelling concern is the indisputable fact that marijuana enforcement has subjected a vastly disproportionate number of minorities to arrest, conviction and life-altering stigma. This problem is particularly acute in New Jersey, where blacks are three times more likely to be charged with marijuana possession than whites, even though populations use illicit drugs at similar rates. Even staunch legalization opponents like state Sen. Ron Rice, D-Essex County, have correctly acknowledged that the status quo regarding enforcement is at once unjust and untenable at it pertains to communities of color. His alternative? Rice's proposed legislation would reduce the penalty for possession of 10 grams (approximately .35 ounces) or less of marijuana to a $100 civil fine for the first violation, $200 for the second, and $500 for subsequent offenses. With positions hardening by the day in New Jersey, it may be worth considering a third option, which I believe threads the proverbial needle between Rice's position favoring decriminalization and full-scale commercialized legalization embodied by Colorado's initiative and various pending bills in the New Jersey Legislature. Galvanized by a desire to reduce the racially disproportionate impact of the war on drugs, on Nov. 4, 2014, voters in the District of Columbia approved a referendum that fully legalized -- imposed no penalties whatsoever on personal possession of up to two ounces of marijuana and the cultivation of up to six plants in their homes. As a direct result, marijuana possession arrests decreased by an astonishing 98 percent from 2014 to 2015, dropping from 1,840 to just 32. The commercialized sale of marijuana, that is, marijuana commercially cultivated and sold at retail dispensaries, remains illegal. Just this past January, the Republican governor of Vermont signed legislation that eliminated all penalties -- both civil and criminal -- for possession by anyone 21 or older of one ounce or less of marijuana and two mature and four immature marijuana plants. That is, the law retains criminal penalties for possession, dispensing and sale of larger amounts of marijuana. Importantly, the Vermont Legislature in the same bill expressed its intention to subsequently "adopt a comprehensive regulatory structure for legalizing and licensing the marijuana market." In other words, Vermont contemplates a tiered or incremental approach to full scale commercialized marijuana legalization to best address the valid issues identified by Fuentes, Rice and others across the spectrum. Indeed, Vermont commissioned the highly regarded Rand Corporation to undertake a comprehensive data-intensive study of the costs and benefits to the state of full-scale legalization. Doubtless, this thorough report will serve as an invaluable touchstone for policy makers and the general public as the state moves forward. If sound drug policy and racial fairness dictate change to New Jersey's longstanding criminalization of marijuana, the courses charted by both Vermont and the District of Columbia present a viable third option. To be certain, the absence of a full regulatory regime will deprive New Jersey of immediate tangible benefits (i.e., considerable tax revenues) -- at least temporarily -- and certain problems will remain unresolved, foremost being the existence of a lucrative black market that exclusively profits criminals. This respite, however, may ultimately prove beneficial as the state grapples with the complex and hard work of setting up an effective and comprehensive regulatory framework to govern commercialized legalization if that day someday arrives. This approach, it should be added, also effectively removes New Jersey and other jurisdictions from the crosshairs of possible federal intervention by a local U.S. attorney inclined to channel the worst impulses of his boss, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and prosecute large scale commercial operations. Ben Barlyn served as a state and county prosecutor, as well as a executive director of the New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing. Are you interested in the N.J. cannabis industry? Subscribe here for exclusive insider information from NJ Cannabis Insider. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, but that doesn't mean we don't still have reforming to do. The gun crowd rallying at the Statehouse this week doesn't speak for most New Jerseyans, who want stronger laws, like the thousands who rallied in Livingston with Parkland survivors and joined national protests by marching out of their schools. Some of these half-dozen bills that just passed the Assembly, and now await a vote in the Senate, may need refining. But they are not just "political gimmickry," as the National Rifle Association claims. Lawmakers just voted to make N.J. gun laws even tougher Our laws still have disturbing loopholes, in part thanks to Chris Christie's veto pen. And this package will make us safer. In New Jersey, a dangerous person can still buy guns in a private sale with no background check, and large magazines that allow him to fire off 15 rounds in mere seconds. A private seller isn't required to do a background check, so would have no idea that a troubled young man was just arrested for making violent threats. He could buy as many semi-automatic rifles as he wants, as long as he still has an identification card that gives him permission to own a weapon. These cards aren't always revoked after arrests, or even convictions. Which is why a current background check is important. And even if this man's therapist knows he owns guns and thinks he's a danger, under existing law, the professional isn't required to report that to police. This package of bills would help solve these problems. One would force all gun sales to go through licensed dealers, who are required to run background checks. Another would require mental health professionals to tell police about gun owners they believe are a danger. Officers can get a court order to temporarily seize the weapons, and at a subsequent hearing, a gun owner could argue for their return. Had this been the law before Adam Lanza went on his rampage at Sandy Hook, his mother's guns could have been seized because he had access to them. Instead, he saw a team of psychiatrists who made recommendations that his mother simply ignored, and went on to kill 20 first graders, six adults and himself. A third bill would clarify the power of police to temporarily seize firearms based on a warning from a household member or law enforcement, if a judge agrees someone poses a threat. A gun owner could make his case at a hearing held within 10 days. It's not true, as critics claim, that there isn't any due process here. The question is, is there enough? Why 10 days? These are issues to debate in the Senate. The final three bills would require you to demonstrate a specific threat to carry a concealed gun, rather than simply saying you need to pack heat because you travel through Trenton; ensure state law is consistent with federal law banning armor-piercing bullets; and reduce the bullets allowed in a magazine from 15 to 10. This wouldn't prevent a mass shooting, but it could reduce the casualties. At Sandy Hook, 11 kids managed to escape when Lanza had to stop to reload. And the shooter who seriously injured then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was tackled and captured only when his magazine ran out. Had there just been 10 bullets in it, a little girl killed by the 13th round would be alive today. Senate President Steve Sweeney said he'll be "voting for all of the bills," which are expected to pass, and Gov. Phil Murphy also voiced support. Students across the nation walked out of school for better gun safety; at least our leaders heard them. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. The Times-Picayune is marking the tricentennial of New Orleans with its ongoing 300 for 300 project, running through 2018 and highlighting 300 people who have made New Orleans New Orleans, featuring original artwork commissioned by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune with Where Y'Art gallery. Today: Congresswoman Lindy Boggs. The icon: Congresswoman Lindy Boggs. The legacy: Lindy Boggs, who learned about Washington politics as the wife of U.S. Rep. Hale Boggs, D-New Orleans, was elected to succeed him after an airplane in which he was a passenger disappeared over Alaska in 1972. A consummate politician with a velvet touch and a deep, broad network, Boggs was consistently re-elected, never with less than 60 percent of the vote, until she stepped down in 1991. During her tenure, she was a champion of Louisiana and an advocate of women's rights. A devout Catholic, Boggs returned to public life in 1997, when President Bill Clinton appointed her ambassador to Vatican City, where she served until 2001. The artist: Maddie Stratton. The quote: "She was more than good. She was great. Grace was in her DNA, grace was in her steps, and heaven was in her eyes. She never gave in. She never gave out. She kept the faith. She kept her eyes on the prize." -- U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., on Lindy Boggs Explore more of Maddie Stratton's work online at WhereYart.net and in person at the Where Y'Art gallery, 1901 Royal St. She was born Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne on Brunswick Plantation near New Roads in March 1916. A childhood nurse who thought she looked like her father, Roland Claiborne, dubbed her Rolindy. That was shortened to Lindy, and it stuck with her for the rest of her life. By John Pope, contributing writer Source: The Times-Picayune archive; staff research More on 300 for 300: The bodies of a mother and son were found in the Red River in Bossier Parish on Thursday (March 29), two weeks after the pair went missing when they jumped from a bridge on Highway 2, officials said. Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington confirmed deputies found the bodies of Jennifer Wilson, 53, and her son, Coty Wilson, 31, both of Benton, shortly after 9:30 a.m. Thursday. The bodies were found after a two-week search of the Red River, and they were ultimately recovered about 12 miles south of the bridge the two are suspected to have jumped from. According to the sheriff's office, the Wilsons' car was found abandoned on the Highway 2 bridge in Plain Dealing on March 15, with a "goodbye note" written by Jennifer Wilson inside. A separate note written by Coty Wilson was found in a different location, according to the sheriff's office. The Bossier Parish Sheriff's office conducted the search for the Wilsons' bodies with help from the Caddo Parish Sheriff's office, the Bossier City Fire Department, the Red River Parish Sheriff's office, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Shreveport Fire Department and the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's office, as well as help from K-9 cadaver crews and various helicopters and airplanes. Whittington said the crews worked for more than 12 hours a day and covered more than 40 miles of the river during their search before finding the Wilsons on the edge of the river not far from Benton. 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 "For the past two weeks, our deputies have been working tirelessly to find these two people," said Sheriff Whittington in a statement released Thursday. "The evidence pointed to them jumping into the river, and we were going to search until we located them." According to officials, Gary Wilson -- Coty Wilson's father and Jennifer Wilson's husband -- is currently jailed on an $825,000 bond in connection to an investigation regarding the arsons and vandalisms of over 60 deer camps in the Plain Dealing and Benton areas. Coty Wilson was arrested shortly after his father, Whittington said, but was out of jail on a bond. The Wilsons' lawyer told KTBS-3 Coty Wilson was being pressured to testify against his father when he and his mother went missing. The mother and son were found bound to each other by the wrist, according to KTBS-3. "This has been a bizarre case and an unfortunate ending to the lives of two people," said Sheriff Whittington. "And while this tragic ending is not what any family and loved ones want to hear, finding their bodies hopefully brings some closure." It was exactly like National Geographic. I was a daring photographer dispatched to a wild remote region (the Marigny), staking out a watering hole (Mimi's Bar) along the route of a strange, rarely-seen wildlife migration (the annual pre-Easter Bunarchy bar crawl). At 7 p.m. on the dot (astonishing punctuality for New Orleans) a herd of maybe 250 Bunarchists hopped into view, their plush ears and cocktail straws silhouetted in the setting sun. I silently set to work, capturing the sublime with my lens, as some of the frolicking creatures shook their cotton tails to the sound of David Byrne's "Psycho Killer" blasting from speakers hidden in a surrealistically decorated shopping cart. It was the tenth anniversary of the event, which benefits the Louisiana SPCA. Doug MacCash 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. Stacy Glago, 40, wanted to donate one of her kidneys to her mother, but she wasn't a match. There was still some time. Although Julie Porter, 69, had started developing kidney failure, doctors said it still wasn't necessary for her to go on dialysis. One alternative was to be placed on the donor list, but the waiting period for a cadaver organ was anywhere up to five years. There was another option, however. They learned about Kidney Paired Donation, a national kidney swap program, that opens the search for matching living kidney donors across the United States. Most people are born with two kidneys, and when one is removed and transplanted into another person's body, the human body can adapt to living with just one kidney. The paired donation program opens up donor possibilities to people in the organ procurement and transplantation database across the country when a match can't be found among willing relatives or friends. When Glago did not match with her mom they joined the paired program in November 2015 through the Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Center, where Porter was being treated. By March 2016, doctors informed Porter they had found a match. "I wasn't excited about it at first, I wanted my kidney to go to my mom," she said. "But I quickly realized that this would not only be helping her but someone else too." The catch with this program is that both the patient in need of the kidney transplant and a willing friend or family member both have to agree to participate. Glago did not match with her mom. She did however match with a male patient who lives in Kenner and was also receiving care at the Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Center. He received Glago's donated kidney. His daughter then donated one of hers to Albert Morina, 45 who lives in Philadelphia. His wife Suzanne, 46, then donated one of her kidneys to Porter. Suzanne Morina wanted to donate a kidney to her husband but wasn't a match. His sister had also tried donating a kidney, but also wasn't a match. The paired program seemed like a quicker way to help Albert, who was suffering from a form of kidney disease, his wife explained. It took one to two weeks to find a match, she estimated. "When I thought about it. It made sense. I would be helping more than one person," she said. Both the patients and donors did not know about the six-way swap until months after the surgery took place. Stacy and her mom learned about the donor and recipient in Kenner over the summer in 2016. Last weekend, both families met the Morinas, when they flew down from Philadelphia to visit New Orleans. When the families met over barbecue and crawfish, it felt like a family day, said Glago. "It's surreal--we kept thinking, 'Wow... we all share body organs," she said. Her mom has healed from her surgery and is living a normal life in DeRidder, Louisiana. Last year, Glago gave her a sterling silver pendant in the shape of a kidney to commemorate the anniversary of the transplant surgery. Porter bought two more this year, one for Suzanne in Philadelphia and one for the donor who lives in Kenner. The woman and her father chose not to be included in this article. Donor identities are normally kept private even from the recipients unless the donor has authorized their identity to be released. "I wanted to do this for my mom, I ended up gaining a family," said Glago. The United Network for Organ Sharing estimates that there are more than 118,000 people waiting for organ transplants in the United States and more than 2,000 in Louisiana. For more information about how to become a live organ donor click here. Maria Clark writes about health, doctors, patients and healthcare in Louisiana for NOLA.com | The Times Picayune and NOLA Mundo. Reach her at mclark@nola.com or 504.258.5306. Or follow her on Twitter at @MariaPClark1. A Metairie high school is the most beautiful private high school in the state of Louisiana, according to Architectural Digest's list, "The most beautiful private high school in every state in America." According to the list, Metairie Country Day School is the prettiest private school in Louisiana. Architectural Digest recognized the school's recent $11 million construction project that included state-of-the-art science and engineering buildings and new performance art spaces. The new buildings "meld beautifully" with Country Day's "Southern Mansion Style," according to the list. Last year, Architectural Digest published a list of the most beautiful public high school in every state. Monroe's Neville High School was offered that title, with the magazine honoring the school's 2017 renovation to preserve the 86-year-old building. Check out the rest of the country's beautiful private schools here, and the nation's most picturesque public schools here. St. Joseph was honored by the American Society of Italian Heritage at "La Festa di San Giuseppe" held at Benedict's Plantation on March 11. In the Middle Ages, a famine devastated Sicily, and prayers to St. Joseph are credited for the gentle rains that brought forth crops. The saint is celebrated on or near his feast day of March 19. After the Pledge of Allegiance and invocation, it was time to "mangiate" to the words of "Buon Appetito." Guests were served an antipasti platter of cheeses, olives and pickled vegetables, along with eggplant sticks with a marinara sauce, Italian salad and bread. Following tradition, all enjoyed a meatless meal of pasta Milanese with fish. A luscious tiramisu crowned the feast. In October, the American Society of Italian Heritage will host the Rising Star Dinner Dance honoring an officer who has served three years or less in the St. Tammany Sheriff's Department. Other events throughout the year are a crawfish boil, Harvest celebration, Italian movies and luncheons. Officers are Sam Bella, president; Andrew Greco, treasurer; Sylvia Greco, secretary, and John Tortorice, past president. For more information, call Sylvia Greco at 626.6240. News about west St. Tammany social events may be provided to Elizabeth Moore at fleurdelizabeth@gmail.com; 985.893.0612; or by mail to 20490 Johnsen Crossing, Covington LA 70435. This Wednesday (April 4) will mark 50 years since the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated as he stood on the second-floor landing outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. He was just 39 years old. King was in Memphis to support 1,300 sanitation workers who had gone on strike to protest a long pattern of neglect and abuse by the city that included being barred from using showers that were reserved for white workers and being ineligible to collect a pension. When two of their co-workers were crushed to death on a garbage truck in February 1968, the city's black sanitation employees organized to demand better working conditions and higher pay. Initial efforts at nonviolent protest had disintegrated into chaos, but King returned to Memphis in early April for another try. At a meeting at the Mason Temple, Church of God in Christ, the night before he was gunned down, King delivered his final sermon, which is best remembered for its closing lines. "Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead," he told the crowd. "But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. "And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." A half-century later, and 10 years longer than the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, it's impossible not to wonder what King would think of the journey now. Is the promised land any closer? Is the nation just as sick? By all accounts, King was tired and stressed when he made his return to Memphis. Despite his successes of the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott in 1956, the 1963 March on Washington and the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, many in the movement -- especially those in the younger generation -- were growing impatient with King's nonviolent approach. New leaders preaching Black Power and more direct action were rising. And focusing only on the last words of his final sermon, it sounds as though King had reconciled himself to passing from the scene like Moses giving way to Joshua to take over the next stage of the battle. But there is so much in the rest of his sermon that makes it clear that King was in no way prepared to give up the fight. "The issue is injustice," he said. "The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that." And although the speech will always be remembered as his "Mountaintop" sermon, King made it clear that he was in Memphis for the here and now. "It's all right to talk about 'Long white robes over yonder,' in all of its symbolism," he said. "But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about 'streets flowing with milk and honey,' but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. "It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preacher must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do." As Christians around the world celebrate Easter, it would be good to remember that tension between God's promises of eternity and the reality of living in a fallen world. It's the problem of being so heavenly minded you're no earthly good. It's what some call the theology of "already but not yet." Christians enjoy the "already" benefits of the atonement achieved through Jesus' death on the cross -- remission of sins, adoption as children, the indwelling Holy Spirit -- but we await our glorification and the destruction of our sinful natures. That night in Memphis, Dr. King could talk about "not fearing any man" because he knew the promises were true. But he also expected to be marching again soon with the sanitation workers. Fifty years later, the promised land remains in the distance and the world is still sick. Some make it to the mountaintop. The rest of us should link arms and help each other get through the valleys. Tim Morris is an opinions columnist at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at tmorris@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter @tmorris504. FRUITPORT TWP., MI - About 30 dogs died in a fire at a West Michigan boarding kennel early Friday morning, with many of their owners out of town on spring break. The fire was reported in the 6900 block of East Mount Garfield Road around 4:41 a.m. March 30, said Brian Michelli, public safety director for Fruitport Township. Storm's Ahead Kennels describes itself as "your dog's vacation resort." It's located between Muskegon and Grand Rapids. The kennel was engulfed in flames when the first firefighters arrived on the scene, Michelli said. "There was no ability to do a rescue," he said. The kennel owners live on the property, he said. One of the home occupants got up to use the restroom and noticed the fire's "glow," Michelli said. 'Just devastated,' says kennel owner after dozens of dogs die in fire It was obvious the fire had been burning for some time while the owners were sleeping, he 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 "When we pulled in, the structure was fully engulfed and there was a partial collapse," he said. Spring break began Friday for most schools in the area. The kennel was full due to spring break, and the kennel owners were starting to contact the dog's owners, Michelli said. "Obviously, it's very traumatizing for them," he said. The kennel's website lists the owners as Janet Rehfus and Michael Weiden. Firefighters may never know what caused the fire, Michelli said, adding that it is not considered suspicious. The area is not served by hydrants, and the Crockery Township and Egelston Township fire departments assisted with tankers, Michelli said. Canteen 450 out of Norton Shores also responded to support firefighters at the scene. A Jefferson Parish man was killed in a motorcycle crash Saturday afternoon (March 31), said Louisiana State Police. Shortly after 3 p.m., 64-year-old Wayne W. Whitfield of Bridge City was riding his 1997 Harley Davidson motorcycle along La. 22 in Livingston Parish when it ran off the roadway. The Harley entered a ditch and Whitfield was ejected, according to a news release sent by state police Sunday morning. Whitfield was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, but still sustained severe injuries. He was airlifted from the scene but later succumbed to those injuries, state police said. Impairment is not suspected, but the crash remains under investigation, Troopers said. Roseburg, OR (97470) Today Sunny to partly cloudy. High near 85F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 52F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. The speedometer on an Oregon family's GMC SUV was "pinned" at 90 mph when the vehicle was found crushed along the rocky California shoreline in Mendocino County early this week, according to a news report. Authorities included the information in an affidavit for a search warrant to search the Clark County home of Jennifer and Sarah Hart, according to a report by Fox 12 Oregon, which obtained the 12-page document. Investigators wrote in the document that California Highway Patrol officers believe a felony was committed, the news station reported. Investigators were looking for any suicide notes left at the couple's home, as well as travel plans and other records, Fox 12 reported. Authorities have maintained that they have no information indicating the crash was intentional. Investigators have said no skid marks, or evidence of braking, was found at the crash site, located off a dirt turnout along the scenic Highway 1. Authorities with the California Highway Patrol and Clark County and Mendocino County sheriff's offices did not return messages seeking additional information Saturday. Parents Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 38, were found dead inside the 2003 GMC Yukon they'd taken on the trip. Jennifer Hart was in the driver's seat. Children Markis, 19; Abigail, 14; and Jeremiah, 14, were also discovered dead at the crash site. Devonte, 15; Hannah, 16; and Sierra, 12, were also believed to be in the SUV but are still missing. The family garnered national interest after Devonte Hart was pictured tearfully hugging Portland Police Sgt. Bret Barnum in a 2014 photograph that went viral. Devonte Hart, who was then 12, had been carrying a "Free hugs" sign while attending a Portland demonstration after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Barnum released a brief statement late Saturday to The Oregonian/OregonLive. "As you can imagine, the tragic news about Devonte and his family deeply saddens me," Barnum wrote. "The short interaction with Devonte in November 2014 was certainly one of those moments in my career which reinforced my love, passion, and duty in providing compassion and service to my community." The family became a national focal point after the photo was published. It first appeared on OregonLive before spreading to NBC News and Time magazine and eventually going global. The Harts lived in West Linn at the time but moved last year to Woodland, Washington. Friends have told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the attention was not always positive. The family reported receiving racist emails and death threats and were criticized for having same-sex parents. Jennifer and Sarah Hart were white. Their six adopted children were black. The Harts were known as a creative force and source of inspiration to those who knew them. The idyllic picture of the family portrayed in Facebook posts and through the memories of friends stands in stark contrast to court and police records. Days before a passerby spotted the wrecked SUV 100 feet below the turnout on the rocky California shoreline, the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services opened a case into the family. The agency was investigating the family because the children were "identified as potential victims of alleged abuse or neglect." The family's neighbors in Woodland said one child, Hannah Hart, arrived at their doorstep last year and said she was being abused. Devonte Hart had also asked neighbors for food and said his parents withheld it as punishment. It wasn't the first time abuse allegations were made about the parents. In April 2011, Sarah Hart pleaded guilty to abusing daughter Abigail after the then-6-year-old told police one of her mothers had hit her with a closed fist, put her head in a cold bath, then hit her again. Sarah Hart was sentenced to a year of probation for misdemeanor domestic assault, court records show. In July 2013, after the family had moved to Oregon, police responded to a call at their West Linn home. Police characterized the call as a state Department of Human Services referral. On March 23, the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services attempted to contact the Hart family. The Hart family left home that day. Jim Ryan and Eder Campuzano of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. -- Rebecca Woolington rwoolington@oregonian.com 503-294-4049; @rwoolington On Feb. 9, students at Ockley Green MIddle School walked out of class to protest the death of Quanice Hayes by Portland police in 2017. Chris Riser, whose class Don't Shoot PDX leader Teressa Raiford had visited prior to the walkout, was suspended by Portland Public Schools on March 23. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Davis.) Don't Edit By BETHANY BARNES and EDER CAMPUZANO The Oregonian/OregonLive Up to 100 Ockley Middle School students walked out to protest police brutality Feb. 9 and the teacher whose class inspired the demonstration has been placed on administrative leave by Portland Public Schools. Now, students, parents and other members of the Northeast Portland community are preparing another protest to press the district into reinstating Chris Riser. A petition seeking the same has already gathered nearly 4,000 signatures. The Ockley Green protest came a month before students across the country staged walkouts against gun violence in the wake of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead. PPS is investigating the Ockley Green walkout. That includes Don't Shoot PDX leader Teressa Raiford, who addressed the students as part of a Black Lives Matter art project for Black History Month, a spokesperson told KOIN. Students and parents submitted their thoughts on the walkout and Riser's suspension to The Oregonian/OregonLive ahead of Monday's demonstration. Although opinion differed on the walkout, most supported the petition to reinstate Riser to the Ockley Green faculty. You can read the statements, lightly edited for length and clarity, below. If you are an Ockley Green Middle School student, parent or alumni and would like to submit one, email bbarnes@oregonian.com and ecampuzano@oregonian.com with your name and relation to the school. Letters are limited to 150 words. Follow @betsbarnes Follow @edercampuzano --Bethany Barnes | bbarnes@oregonian.com Eder Campuzano | ecampuzano@oregonian.com Don't Edit Oscar Montgomery, Ockley Green seventh grader enrolled in Riser's social studies class Putting Mr. Riser on administrative leave is not a solution. It is a problem. Not only was he one of the few POC teachers at Ockley Green, but he was one of the few willing to teach the students about the world around us. To have a inspirational voice like his in such a diverse school (rare in Portland) removed is damaging to the community and our future. He educated us on current world issues, such as racism and sexism, and without him our school would be so much less knowledgeable on these topics. He changed the way our school worked for the better. On Feb. 9, I personally didnt go on the march (I wish I could have), because I was leaving school early that day, but almost every single one of my friends went, and they told me that Mr. Riser didnt do anything to influence their decision but go himself. He is being put on administrative leave for the students choices, and me, along with my whole school and many more disagree with the decision the administration made. Don't Edit Ariana Ridgway, Ockley Green sixth grader Mr. Riser is an incredible teacher. He really connects with me and other students. Our teachers and principals always tell us to make our voices heard but as soon as we do just that, they say that what were doing is wrong, and they have the the one who gave us that voice put on punishment. Mr. Riser doesn't deserve this, we were all doing the same thing that day, I dont see them punishing us or other teachers. One of the other teachers was telling us to lay down in the street, and Portland Public Schools didnt punish him. Principal McCullough told the news that she had a microphone and was telling everyone to go back to class. She didnt have any sort of voice-amplifying device, especially not a microphone. And if Portland Public Schools is worried about student safety, they need to worry about the lead problem weve had since 2016. Don't Edit Cleo Johnson, Ockley Green seventh grader Feb. 9 we attended an assembly that ended with students outside Ockley Green. Black Student Union were holding posters supporting Black Lives Matter and Quanice Hayes. As they began marching, I asked my friends if we would join. We all agreed it was important, so we left. During the march we took over the intersection of MLK and Ainsworth. While we occupied the intersection, I felt we were occupying our street." The adults were standing around the students keeping everyone safe. During the march I felt safe and significant. The march was the first time I felt our school was united. Mr Riser encourages us to do whats right and what we believe in. He would never try to force us to do something we didnt believe in or something unsafe. He helps us realize our voices as students. I believe Mr. Riser is changing our school for the better. Don't Edit Don't Edit Adeline Mair Lowery, Ockley Green seventh grader Mr. Riser is a good teacher and I am one of his students. He teaches us about current things that actually affect our lives, as well as finding ways to make the actual curriculum interesting and relevant. I learned more on the walkout and in his class than I did in all my previous middle school classes. It is not fair that he should lose his job because he stood up for what he believes in and inspired over half the school to do the same. Don't Edit Pippin Houser, Ockley Green student I think Mr. Riser was protesting because black students get killed regularly for no reason. Black lives matter just as much as white lives. I think that's why Mr. Riser and students protested. It is important to me that Mr. Riser come back to Ockley. I have heard a lot of amazing things about him. The one conversation I did have with Mr. Riser was in GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) he was saying that he wanted the GSA and the BSU (Black Student Union) to meet one day. That meant a lot to me because not a lot of people know about the GSA. Mr. Riser seems like the kind of teacher that is supportive of every student. He would want to make change. Don't Edit Alexia Bolivar-Sargent, Ockley Green eighth grader In February we had an all school assembly where Teressa Raiford and a high schooler talked to us about Black Lives Matter, Hands Up Dont Shoot, Quanice Hayes and the importance of social justice and civil rights. They were going to do a walkout in memory of Quanice Hayes and #BLM. They said that participating in the walkout and march is one way we could honor the life and memory of Quanice Hayes. I knew I wanted to join and participate for Quanice and I made the choice to leave school and march. Mr. Riser is an amazing teacher that many kids trust and makes me feel like I have a voice in this school. He never made me or my friends leave school. Please bring him back or we will lose one of our best teachers in our school. Don't Edit Alexander Smith, Ockley Green seventh grader Mr Riser is one of my favorite teachers. He teaches us to speak out for what we believe, find our truth, and break out of the system that is unfair to many. He said he would live-stream the walk out and we would possibly watch it later in class. But most kids went on the walk out when the speaker encouraged us to. That day we did what weve talked about in class- to speak out for what you believe! If Mr. Riser can not come back to teach, we will miss out on having time each day to question how things are and be more aware of our own beliefs because that is what we do in his class. He is the most interesting teacher I have. Don't Edit Morgan Davis, Ockley Green student I attend Ockley Green and participated in the walkout. It was really important to me to participate, and it helped me find my voice and be able to share it for a cause that is important to me. The teachers participating in the walkout validated and provided a secure and supervised environment for the students. The resulting suspension of Mr. Riser was unsubstantiated, in light of other teachers participating as well. Why was Mr. Riser singled out, and not the other participating teachers? Don't Edit Don't Edit Miles Sly, Ockley Green student Mr Riser listened to the his students and we had a voice in his class. He keeps his students interested and empowered.The reports the school is giving are not true. It feels like he is getting punished for teaching us to speak up peacefully. Don't Edit Sella Eberly, Ockley Green student Mr. Riser teaches me about sexism and racism. His class is always fun because he's good at teaching. He's good at what he does and he loves it. That shouldn't be taken away from him, especially because what he did on February 9th changed people. That is needed if we want to change society. I was in the march and not once did I feel in danger. Police were following us and plenty of teachers were there. It felt safe. hat march was powerful. Not only did it change people in it, but now people everywhere are hearing about it. Mr. Riser shouldn't be fired for doing something everyone wants. We want equality. The school is trying to shut him down, but they failed. Now, even more people are talking about the march. Mr. Riser is my favorite teacher - he's everyones - and he should NOT lose his job. Don't Edit Quay McMillin, Ockley Green student Mr Riser is one of the best teachers Ive ever had and if they get rid of him, the school has nothing for the students. Our school has fights and suspensions all the time and that makes me not want to go. Theres always those people, but then there is Mr Riser, who is always there and cares about every students opinion. So if this school leaves Mr Riser, I believe a lot more stuff is going to happen and Id rather leave the school than have the school leave Riser. Don't Edit Brenna Sheridan, special education teacher at Ockley Green I am disappointed but sadly not surprised at Portland Public Schools decision to place Chris Riser on leave. As a white teacher in a community of color, I am constantly attempting to put my white privilege in check. I cant even begin to imagine how our students, families and staff of color feel after yet another sad display of our districts institutional racism. Instead of reflecting on this event and working as a community to determine how to allow kids to have a voice in future events (in a way that we can all be comfortable with), Portland Public Schools instead chose to humiliate and condemn one of the only teachers of color in a middle school full of students of color. Criminalizing such a powerful role model and leader is criminal in itself. Portland Public Schools owes this man, and our entire school community, a careful reflection and thoughtful apology. Don't Edit Michelle Smario, Ockley Green parent Mr.Riser has put passion into my son about social issues and injustices at a time in kids lives where it is all about them. My son loves the fact Mr. Riser looks like him and can identify with him. I was excited to see and hear my son was protesting for a cause he understood and was important to him and his friends. Even more excited they were using their voice. Don't Edit Don't Edit Rebecca Mair Lowery, Ockley Green parent As Portland Public Schools' first middle school to open in 10 years and one of Portlands more racially diverse middle schools, Ockley Green has had a rough start, largely due to Portland Public Schools failure to guide a successful transition. As a result, Ockley Green is seeing significant turnover in administration and teaching staff that is causing notable harm to student morale and school climate, harm that Mr. Riser and others have been begging PPS to address. Despite the turmoil and unanswered calls for Portland Public Schools support, Chris Riser, one of Ockley Green Middle School's few male teachers of color, is a dedicated teacher who instead of moving on, has chosen to remain through the growing pains and in the trenches fighting for the kids of Ockley Green Middle School. Mr. Riser inspires and validates middle schoolers and is a much needed stabilizing force at Ockley Green. Removing this award-winning educator from his classroom does a huge disservice to students and the community. Don't Edit Lori Eberly, parent of Ockley Green seventh grader There were communication problems. There was chaos. There are angry parents. I am angry, too, but not at Riser. I'm angry that the restorative justice practices at Ockley Green were not extended to him. I'm angry that Portland Public Schools failed to hold crucial conversations about the systemic racism revealed in Riser's (possible) dismissal. Portland Public Schools repeatedly fails students at Ockley through unstable leadership, resulting in 50 percent teacher turnover. And now they remove a beloved teacher? Shame on you, Portland Public Schools. There are policies to reduce suspension of students of color. Apparently those rules don't apply to teachers of color. Let's take out the black man who dares to teach kids they have voice. Civil disobedience fails to be disobedient if it involves authorization. Risk and rule-breaking are required to dismantle white supremacy. Nothing about this is black and white, literally or metaphorically. I don't believe asking for Riser to be reinstated = agreeing with his methods.To be angry about his methods does not determine where one stands re: Black Lives Matter. To advocate for Riser doesn't mean he's without fault. To Mr. Riser and the committed teachers who show up every day at Ockley Green: Thank you. To Portland Public Schools: Do the right thing. Reinstate Riser. #withriser Don't Edit Thuan Dong, Ockley Green parent I am incredibly proud of the student and staff walkout. Our youth are learning how to use and amplify their voices -learning how to be allies and how to be actors. It is adults' responsibility to promote civic engagement and challenge injustice. We must think of this work as central to the goal of education. I am proud and grateful that Ockley HAS Mr. Riser to model this for students. Let's talk instead about what the school does NOT have: We do not have district support or resources, and we have little evidence to suggest that this will change. I want (district spokesman) David Northfield and Portland Public Schools to stop their witch hunt and return Mr. Riser, a vital member of our community, to his classroom so he can continue to demonstrate to students (65 percent youth of color) how THEIR LIVES MATTER. Portland Public Schools needs to examine how it perpetuates racism and how it continually puts our youth in harm's way. PALM BEACH, Fla. - President Donald Trump said Sunday that there would be no deal to legalize the status of millions of "dreamers," undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, stating that the U.S. border with Mexico was "getting more dangerous" and directing congressional Republicans to pass tough new anti-immigration legislation. Trump also assailed Mexican authorities for being too lax in securing the border and threatened to "stop" the North American Free Trade Agreement if Mexico does not "stop the big drug and people flows." In a fiery Sunday morning tweet, sent an hour after he wished Americans a "HAPPY EASTER," Trump vowed, "NO MORE DACA DEAL." The tweet came shortly before he was expected to attend a church service. The president wrote, "Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. 'Caravans' coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!" Trump was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, begun during the Obama administration to provide temporary protection to "dreamers." Trump canceled the DACA program last fall but has said that he would like to reach a deal with Congress to protect the "dreamers" from deportation in exchange for funding to build his long-promised wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. But there is no clear path for immigration legislation, as he has rejected proposals from congressional Democrats. Trump may have been reacting Sunday to commentary on Fox News Channel, which he is known to watch regularly. Fox aired a segment earlier in the morning with the headline: "CARAVAN OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HEADED TO U.S." Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. Caravans coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 Trump sent his tweet on the fourth day of his vacation in Palm Beach, Florida, where he has been staying at his private Mar-a-Lago Club with a small coterie of aides. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly did not travel with him, but senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, a proponent of hard-line immigration policies, has been spending the Easter weekend with Trump. By calling for Republicans to use the "Nuclear Option" to pass tough new immigration measures, Trump seemed to urge a parliamentary procedure by which Senate Republicans could pass legislation with a simple majority of 51 votes as opposed to the 60-vote majority required to end debate and bring a vote to the floor. In a second tweet, Trump lashed out at Mexico and threatened to "stop" the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying Mexican authorities are not doing enough to secure the border with the United States. Trump wrote: "Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL! And in a third tweet, the president wrote, "These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act!" Trump's tweets come amid tense negotiations over NAFTA between his administration and that of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. A call between the two men in February grew testy after Trump refused to publicly affirm Pena Nieto's position that Mexico will not pay for the wall's construction, leading the Mexican leader to cancel a planned visit to Washington. (c) 2018, The Washington Post. Philip Rucker wrote this story. The Southern African nation of Botswana has sworn-in its new president in the person of Mokgweetsi Masisi. The 55-year-old becomes the countrys 5th president. He took the oath of office before the countrys national assembly in the presence of the Chief Justice, the Speaker of Parliament and his immediate predecessor, Seretse Khama Ian Khama. The official oath was administered by Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo. President Masisi went on to deliver his inaugural speech before inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the Botswana Defence Force. The young people, who make 60% of the population of this country, are the future leaders and therefore investing in them is building the bridge to the future. Masisi takes over a nation widely reputed across the world as one of Africas beacons of democracy. The diamond rich nation is also seen as one with sound economic management despite a seeming over dependency on the natural resource. Botswana law caps presidential tenures to two five-year terms, it allows the vice president to automatically fill the post should it become vacant. Khama came to power through a similar arrangement where he took over from the countrys third president Festus Mogae in 2008 before polls in 2009. The National Assembly will elect a new president after elections scheduled for October 2019. The immediate past president Ian Khama, 65, a retired army general who bowed out on March 31, 2018 after a nationwide farewell tour is known as a straight talker under whose watch the country all but broke diplomatic ranks. The Khama-led government publicly criticised leaders including US President Donald Trump for an alleged slur against African countries and former Zimbabwes president Robert Mugabe as well DRCs Joseph Kabila for overstaying their welcome. In his inaugural address, he touched on challenges and prospects the country faced as he takes charge, saying; As you all know, Botswana faces a myriad of challenges such as unemployment, poverty, crime, HIV and AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, amongst others. Therefore, one of my top priorities as the President of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment especially amongst the young people who constitute the majority of our population. The young people, who make 60% of the population of this country, are the future leaders and therefore investing in them is building the bridge to the future. The realisation of the demographic dividend is of paramount and strategic importance since the success of our youth is the only guarantee of the long term economic prospects of Botswana. It is imperative therefore, for Government to redouble its effort to optimise the participation of our youthful population in the economy of this country, he stressed. 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 Very Reverend Dr Emmanuel Asare-Kusi, Superintendent Minister of the Adweso Circuit of the Methodist Church near Koforidua has assured Ghanaians that the challenges facing the country are temporal. He said Ghana could overcome the challenges and emerge victorious as Jesus Christ overcame death to give salvation to mankind in Easter. This was contained in the Easter message of Very Rev. Asare-Kusi at the Adweso Calvary Methodist Church on Easter Sunday. Very Rev. Asare-Kusi urged Ghanaians to have confidence in themselves, Ghana and in Jesus Christ to always emerge successful despite their current circumstances. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, the Accra Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Church has bemoaned the glaring animosity between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Reverend Palmer-Buckle expressed worry at the current state of our political space and how the actions of some key players have contributed to the unsatisfactory position of the country 61 years after independence. I am distressed by this acrimonious relationship between the NPP and the NDC. Those who are supposed to be in the leadership of our country, fortunately, or unfortunately they only are minority because if you put the two political parties together, those who do not belong to any political party or do not belong to any of these political groups, we are in the majority, and yet we allow the acrimonious relationship between the two political parties to dictate our sense of humility, service, selfless service, sacrificing love and service. He wished for a Ghana where leaders put the nation first before any other political ambition. He also shared how he hurts to observe that at 61, the attitude of humility and service to country has become a rare trait to be found in the average ghanaian. How I wish the politicians, the leaders of these two political groups will put Ghana first, have Ghana at heart and how I wish all of them will encourage us to humble service of this country. This is the only way that we serving our country in humility, selflessness, self-sacrificing, love and service, we will be able to help the President to bring about Ghana beyond Aid, .he said. There have been different views on how politicians make personal ambitions stand in the way of governance and national development and Reverend Palmer-Buckles assertion adds up to the lot. Although there are other political parties in Ghana including, Convention People's Party (CPP), All People's Congress (APC) and the Progressive People's Party (PPP), the NDC and the NPP are the most recognized. It is common knowledge the way politicians in the country, sometimes go to unthinkable lengths just to gain political points such as oppositions impeding developmental projects by the sitting government to make the government look bad and saying horrible things about each other to stay relevant. A recent example is the Koku Anyidoho coup comment saga, where the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC was recorded to have made comments that threatened national security, when he cautioned the President of Ghana, to look out for a possible repetition of history-making reference to previous coup d'etat, and making mention of a particular one involving the late father of the President. The NDC firebrand reportedly said, Somebody should tell Nana Akufo-Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself. On January 13, 1972, a certain Col. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led a movement that removed the Progress Party from power. Busia was the Prime Minister and Akufo-Addos father was a ceremonial president. Somebody should tell Nana Akufo-Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself. Therell be a civil revolt. Therell be a peoples movement. During President John Mahamas tenure didnt we receive similar threats from the likes of Let My Vote Count and OccupyGhana, the former presidential spokesperson opined. Therell be a civilian coup detat; therell be a social revolution and the movement is starting on Wednesday. He [Akufo-Addo] will be fed up at the Presidency. As a result, he was picked up by some CID officers, at the Press Centre in Accra on Tuesday, during a press conference, for questioning. This action was immediately politicized by the NDC which eventually blew the matter out of proportion. Most Reverend Palmer-Buckle who sees the ill blood between the two major parties deepening and negatively affecting citizens and national growth advised that, when humility, selfless service, self-sacrificing love and service to God and country are reflected in the daily lives of Christians, and Ghanaians as a whole, Ghanas success would be a model for the world. 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 The Top 10 Letters of the Week As you might imagine, we get more letters to the editor here at PennLive Opinion than we could ever hope to run. Some are turned down because they're too long. Some don't make the cut because they just don't have that something that makes them worthy of publication. None of these have run on PennLive Opinion before. It's a nice way to clear the decks on a Sunday morning before another busy week of news devours our collective attention. Ready? Here we go. 10. Pennsylvania should legalize assisted suicide Euthanasia is the voluntarily ending of one's life with the approval of a doctor(s) and the assistance of a doctor. Euthanasia is permitted in six states and Washington, D.C. and in many countries. It is sometimes called suicide and therefore sinful and at present against the law in Pennsylvania. Most of us have been stretching our natural life with the help of doctors, prescriptions, drugs, procedures, operations, replacements of parts of the body, etc. Is it sinful to stretch one's natural life that way? Of course you could end your life by pulling all these wires, refusing prescriptions, etc. This could be very painful and stressful for the patients and beloved ones. You have had a successful life with many pleasant memories. You have been productive and useful to the society, often doing volunteer work, helping others. However at a certain time in your life you are not able to do these things anymore and life becomes more or less a drag. You feel useless and being sometimes a costly problem to the society. Our beloved ones of course will deny this, however you are a worry to them. I strongly feel that there should be a time when you can say: enough is enough. Tired of pain, handicaps, swallowing pills and visiting doctors. Therefore, I am looking for legislators who are willing to tackle this concept of proposing a law to allow euthanasia in Pennsylvania. For your information, I am lucky to be married and in relatively good health. Perhaps there will be a time that I would appreciate that this solution is available to me. HENDRIK JONGSMA, Susquehanna Twp. Don't Edit 9. Rick Santorum, please stop talking about guns or anything else. With his recent comments about students learning CPR instead of protesting school violence, Rick Santorum is so far off base that it is a shame. He should get off the national stage with his comments. But Santorum may be attempting to fight a last ditch effort for the gun mongers. There are very few people in this country who would say that guns should not be available to hunt and for self-defense. However, no one in their right mind would use an AR15 or similar weapons to hunt quail. The only use for these military style weapons is for one purpose and one purpose only: To kill as many human beings as get in your way. It is time for the country to realize that we have a gun mentality problem!! As a retired Army officer, I am appalled that people do not really understand the purpose of the AK47, AR15 and other military style weapons. They have no place in the civilian world. Maybe it is time for people to start paying a license fee in accordance to the number of shots capable without reloading to be used to pay for damages done in mass shootings and other senseless killings. This would keep these weapons out of many people's hands that are buying them for the wrong reason. JAMES H. MASSEY, East Pennsboro Don't Edit 8. Here's the problem with arming teachers A recent guest editorial advocated arming our teachers. What could go wrong with that? Here are a few things. Students, particularly male teenage students, will become fixated on taking the gun from the teacher. In the ensuing struggle, someone could be accidentally shot. If successful, we'd now have a student with a firearm in his possession who showed the lack of impulse control to pull this stunt in the first place. With a shooter from outside, law enforcement arriving amid the pandemonium of an active shooting would be hard-pressed to distinguish the assailant from the defending teacher, increasing the odds the teacher would be shot. A teacher could experience a mental breakdown. They have extremely stressful jobs. In addition to the normal boss-employee issues most of us face, you have a small population of out-of-control students, often defended by their parents. A teacher experiencing a breakdown is a personal tragedy. An armed teacher experiencing a breakdown could be a mass shooting. Teachers could not afford the time for training comparable to law enforcement. Yet even extensively trained NYPD officers when facing an active shooter situation are capable of hitting their intended target a mere 18% of the time. How much worse would less-trained teachers fare? How many times would the wrong person be hit? Armed teachers won't be a deterrent, because most mass shooters are intent on suicide. To actually protect our children we need the intelligent solutions advocated by Ceasefire PA, like universal background checks, not this dangerous idea. REV. JUDY YOUNG, Gettysburg Don't Edit 7. Turzai needs to get behind redistricting reform - or get out of the way In Pennsylvania congressional redistricting is left to the politicians and political parties. This process has made us one of the most "gerrymandered" states in the nation. The voting districts benefit parties, not people. Legislators have introduced bills to fix this problem by establishing an independent citizens commission charged with drawing fair district lines that reflect real communities and are free from partisan and financial influence. In the house, HB 722 proposes to create such an independent citizens commission in charge of both legislative and congressional redistricting. A clear majority of House members (109) have signed on as co-sponsors of this bill. Yet this bill has been stuck in the Committee on State Government since May of last year because of two men: House State Government Committee Chair Daryl Metcalfe and Speaker Mike Turzai. Metcalfe says that he is not interested in HB 722, despite repeated requests from constituents, colleagues, and the general public. He was not elected to be "interested" - he was elected to represent the people of Pennsylvania. If he can't do that, he should resign. Mike Turzai began his gubernatorial campaign on a platform of strong leadership for reform. Yet when it comes to the issue of redistricting reform, that leadership is sadly lacking. Please join me and other concerned Pennsylvanians in urging Daryl Metcalfe and Mike Turzai to move HB 722 out of committee so that it can get a fair debate and vote on the House floor. GREG REINL, Upper Allen Twp. Don't Edit 6. Whatever happened to 'In God We Trust?' In reference to this latest school shooting, I would like to give my opinion and maybe a solution to the real problem behind this crisis ... The real problem is not guns! It is in the change in society over the last 56 years. I am referring to when the Bible was taken out of school. When God is removed from anything, you can expect all sorts of problems. When I went to school (1-12), the day began with Bible reading, the Lord's prayer, and the pledge of allegiance. Maybe as a kid you didn't understand what that was all about, but a seed was planted. Let's look at what is happening since. Divorces went rampant; broken homes, most children are now raised in single parent homes, no father around. Lots of children these days don't know who their father is. Drugs, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, abortion, same sex-marriage, cyber bullying, and couples living as one, when not married. Can someone please tell me where this, all of this, is approved of in the bible? Now there are some who want "In God we trust" taken off our currency. Just look at the way some of these celebrities mock Christians, like our vice president Mike Pence. Joy Behar made the reference about Pence. The sad thing about all of this is that society just accepts this. No wonder why both kids and adults get out of line. When drunks get caught driving under the influence, usually most must attend a class for some period of time. Maybe it would be a good idea for all people that are always in trouble to attend bible classes for several months. My whole logic behind this letter is, a lot of these problems would cease to exist if more people would attend church on a regular basis. The parents must go and take their children! Lots of kids and some adults have never seen the inside of a church. Hillary Clinton made the statement that "we Christians must change our way of thinking!" My statement is "we have the right people in the White House." I just want to add by saying I know there are a lot of good kids (most are), even the ones that get in trouble. They just need to be taught right and wrong, there is a sizable difference. Where are the role models? It's a sad day in the country when you can't even trust the FBI. Most movies today are filled with violence. How about some change in that? Back to the shooting, the only solution is the heart and mind must be changed in these people and Jesus Christ is the only one that can do that. The church must get involved. RAYMOND BROWN, Jackson Township Don't Edit Don't Edit 5. Here's what you need to know about chronic wasting disease and deer When it comes to the detection and monitoring of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Pennsylvania, no more is more serious about this effort than the deer farm industry. The CWD programs followed by the deer industry require the highest levels of surveillance in the nation. All deer farms within the Commonwealth are required to be in one of two CWD programs, the Herd Certified program (HCP) Deer or the Herd Monitored program (HMP), requiring 100 percent or 50 percent mortality testing respectively. The deer on these farms are the only deer in the state that are required to be tested. In the case of a CWD positive, the entire herd must be quarantined, and in most cases this leads to a complete depopulation of the herd by the USDA. It's devastating, but at times necessary for serious disease management. In stark contrast, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) tests less that 2 percent of harvested deer in the state. To put this into numbers, in the 2016-2017 hunting seasons, an estimated 333,254 deer were harvested within our state. Roughly 5,700 of those were tested for CWD, meaning another 327,754 (98.3 percent) harvested deer were NOT tested for CWD. A testing protocol that excludes over 98 percent of the total harvest should be concerning to everyone. The PGC has gone on record acknowledging that in both Disease Management Area 3 and the newly created Disease Management Area 4, they have CWD surveillance gaps of the wild deer populations. Yet, when PGC is confronted with the uncontrolled expansion of CWD in their wild herds, they deflect and blame the problem on the deer farm industry. Certain groups, including PGC and the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen Clubs (PFSC) have slandered the deer farming industry with statements they refuse to substantiate or retract and have instead insinuated sole blame on the industry. In addition, PFSC has promoted unnecessary regulation that would cripple business for roughly a 1,000 family farming operations within the commonwealth. Attacking Pennsylvania's farming community is a short sighted strategy and ultimately a failed approach in dealing with CWD. To be clear, CWD is a serious issue that cannot be addressed by a single industry or a single state agency. CWD has been identified in both our wild herds (100+ locations) and in a few captive herds (8 locations) within Pennsylvania. This continued blame narrative put on deer farmers is unfounded. We need to look no further than our neighboring states, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia for the likely origin of Pennsylvania's CWD outbreak. These three states had expanding CWD infections for many years prior to CWD arriving in PA in 2012. Maryland and Virginia do not have deer farmers, and West Virginia is approaching 300 CWD positive wild deer yeet not a single deer from a deer farm has ever been detected with CWD. The CWD problem is one we all must face with a clear and fair conscious if we are to have any success in managing this disease. Deer farmers have and will continue to fund research and work with all willing partners to solve CWD issues. However, we should be concerned by the lack of honesty PGC and PFSC are giving to the disease discussion. Both Pennsylvania deer farming and deer hunting traditions are being put in jeopardy while these two groups "play politics" rather than investing in the serious management actions needed to control the CWD in our wild herds. JARED BARRY, vice president of the Pennsylvania Deer Farmers Association Don't Edit 4. Redeveloping Raystown Lake would be a disaster - here's why The proposed marina for the Hawn's Peninsula on Raystown Lake (should the new Master Plan permit) will spell disaster. Will a marina (and restaurants) on the peninsula help the already overcrowded boating situation on the lake? Certainly not. Adding another 150 boats will only further exacerbate the situation. And, with the required No Wake zones extending further out into the lake, it can only make for even more dense boating conditions. Will the marina (and beaches) help the fishing in that area? Impossible! Talk to the fishing guides and long-time fishermen and women and they'll tell you about the significance of that area. That very important area for fishing will be forever ruined. Will the marina (and camping sites and glamping sites, etc.) help the beauty of that natural area? Between the light and noise pollution and the trash and scarring of the mountainside required to bring folks down to the marina from a proposed resort (don't get me started on THAT!), this proposal will do anything BUT beautify. It will certainly destroy it and the habitat for the wildlife that live on it. This area simply must remain classified as a Limited Recreational area in the new Master Plan currently being reconsidered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Allowing any development on that peninsula simply is not in the best interest of the lake or its users. Make your feelings known here. JIM GATES, Lemoyne Borough Don't Edit 3. Scott Wagner is pro-life: That's a fact. In his recent attacks against Scott Wagner's 100 percent pro-life record, gubernatorial candidate Paul Mango is simultaneously showing his ignorance of the pro-life issue while insulting pro-life advocates who have been fighting to protect the pre-born for decades. First, Mango shows his ignorance about the pro-life issue by referring to Pennsylvania's 'liberal abortion law.' The fact is, Pennsylvania's Abortion Control Act is one of the most pro-life laws in the country. Many states allow for abortions up to birth, while Pennsylvania restricts them to the first six months in most circumstances. Pennsylvania also requires a 24-hour waiting period before having an abortion, parental consent (in most circumstances), and basic health and safety requirements for abortion centers. Mr. Mango's characterization of the Abortion Control Act as "liberal" an insult to pro-lifers across the Commonwealth. Pro-life women and men have spent countless hours first fighting to pass Pennsylvania's landmark Abortion Control Act, and then defending it in court and in the legislature. For someone who has said "the Supreme Court has decided that" to call the law pro-life advocates have shed blood, sweat, and tears over "liberal" is a slap in the face of those pro-life warriors. Scott Wagner has a 100 percent pro-life voting record and has spent his time in the PA Senate looking for ways to strengthen the Abortion Control Act and save the lives of more babies. Paul Mango would do well to educate himself on the issue and stop insulting dedicated pro-life advocates. MATTHEW WAGNER, Silver Spring Twp. Don't Edit 2. To really fix property taxes, we need a constitutional amendment Eliminating real estate taxes for school districts and local and county government, as Republican Scott Wagner says he would do as governor means that a fairer tax would be needed to replace that lost local revenue. An adjustable-rate graduated income tax, without deductions or exemptions and based on a taxpayer's ability to pay, would serve that purpose for those governing bodies. Gov. Tom Wolf would like to reduce the state's corporate income tax, but replacing that lost State revenue wouldn't be easy. Increasing the State's sales tax hurts the poor, and increasing the State's personal income tax impacts unfairly on the middle class. Not all corporations need tax relief, and a tax that could generate necessary state revenue and also give tax relief to deserving businesses is an adjustable-rate graduated corporate income tax. Both of these fairer taxes would require an amendment to the Pennsylvania constitution. DAVID L. FAUST, Snyder County Don't Edit 1. What to do about 'Trump the Terrible' and his revolving door? President Trump's character flaws are overwhelming his administration and placing our country in jeopardy. Former CIA Director John Brennan referred to Trump as "unstable, inept, inexperienced, and also unethical." I add divisive, chaotic, and terrible judgement. In the past 15 months the following White House personnel have left: Stephen Bannon, Chief Strategist; Mike Dubke, Communications Director; Michael Flynn, National Security Adviser; Omarosa Manigault Newman, Director of Communications for Public Liaison; Rob Porter, Staff Secretary; Dina Powell, Deputy National Security Advisor; Reince Priebus, Chief of Staff; Anthony Scaramucci, Communications Director; Keith Schiller, Director Oval Office Operations; Sean Spicer, Press Secretary; Katie Walsh, Deputy Chief of Staff; Ezra Cohen-Watnick, Senior Director Intelligence; Tera Dahl, Deputy Chief of Staff; Derek Harvey, Middle East Adviser; Rich Higgins, Director Strategic Planning Office; Josh Raffel, Senior Communications Official; Michael Short, Senior Assistant Press Secretary; Gary Cohn, Economic Adviser; Kushner, Ivanka, and McMaster could be next. FBI Director Comey, Deputy FBI Director MCabe, and Secretary of State Tillerson were fired. This turmoil is occurring during an investigation into Russian meddling in our election; Putin threatening us with nuclear weapons; China expanding its influence in the world, North Korea developing long range nuclear missile systems; Iran fomenting war in the Middle East; Muslim terrorists attacking the Western world; and domestic shooters killing Americans with assault weapons. Trump The Terrible! DONALD MOSKOWITZ, Londonderry N.H. (The author is a 1963 Penn State University graduate) Don't Edit Easter is on April 1 this year, so prepare yourself for an influx of candy and eggs in an array of pastel colors. Not sure, exactly, what Easter is? Confused as to why it's on a different day every year? Curious as to why it's obsessed with eggs? All those questions, and more, are answered in this wonderful Easter 101 primer. How do we figure out when Easter is, and why is it on April Fools' Day this year? Easter is always held on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. This year, the first full moon after the equinox will be on March 31. The first Sunday after that? April 1. That's why it's on April Fools' Day this year. What is the meaning of Easter? Easter is a religious holiday in which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, whose death was commemorated on Good Friday. When Jesus rose from the dead, according to the Bible, he conquered death and thus paved the way to salvation for Christians everywhere. You can read the story for yourself in the Gospels (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20-21). Easter marks the end of Lent. If you're Christian, Easter is what your faith is based on. The crux of Christianity is what Christians call "The Mystery of Faith" which is "Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again." How should we celebrate it? Christians head to church on Easter Sunday to celebrate. Many churches have services at sunrise, because it was at dawn that Jesus's tomb was discovered to be empty (Matthew 28:1). Sunrise services are traditionally held outside. Easter services are a jubilant time and most services employ special victory songs, including the classic "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today." Easter is a feast day, so should also, traditionally, be accompanied by a large meal - ideally one featuring foods you could not partake in while fasting. The holiday has gradually become secularized, so for many it's the equivalent of a celebration of spring and good weather. Also, who would pass up a chance to eat candy? What are some Easter traditions? Well, there are a lot. People decorate eggs. They make Easter baskets filled with sweets and eggs. They conduct egg hunts and egg rolls. Some people even make cascarones, or confetti eggs. Why Easter eggs? Eggs are a symbol of fertility, renewal and new life, so it's fitting that they are used to celebrate Jesus's conquering of death and the subsequent new life Christians have through him. There's also some religious symbolism there. Some Christians view the egg as a Christian symbol, because just as a bird hatches from the egg leaving behind a shell so Jesus left the empty tomb. During Lent, many Christians fast. Historically this meant not consuming eggs, so it is also believed, according to the History Channel, that eggs are present so much in Easter because those participating in Lent were super psyched to be able to eat eggs again. According to the History Channel, decorating eggs for Easter has been going on since the 13th century, when early Christians stained eggs red in honor of Christ's blood. It all really picked up steam in the 19th century when Czar Alexander III commissioned Peter Carl Faberge to make jewel encrusted eggs as a gift for his wife. However, it should be noted that eggs as gifts isn't a Christian thing. Engraved ostrich eggs have been discovered in Africa that are more than 60,000 years old - which predates Christianity by quite a lot. What about the Easter Bunny? Like eggs, rabbits are an ancient symbol of fertility and new life. The association with rabbits and Easter happened in Protestant Europe. Many of the Germans who eventually settled in Pennsylvania had a tradition of the "Osterhase," an egg-laying hare, Cadbury style. However, it should be noted that the Easter Bunny isn't the only Easter ambassador. Around the world Easter animals include the cuckoo, fox, chick, rooster and stork. Why candy? Why not? This abundance of sweets could be linked to the end of the fasting season of Lent. Seeing as many people give up desserts during this time, it only makes sense for them to geek out about chocolate and sugar when Easter hits. Jellybeans became popular in the 1930s, because merchants said they looked like eggs - which is what we call clever advertising. Too much Easter candy? 7 fun kids' experiments with leftover treats Celebrating Easter in central Pennsylvania? These stories should help you plan your celebration: Snow showers are expected to move into central Pennsylvania late Sunday night into early Monday morning, according to forecasters. The best chance for snow in the Harrisburg area will be between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. Monday, when as much as 3 inches could fall, according to forecasters with AccuWeather. As of Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service at State College is calling for 2 to 3 inches for the Harrisburg, Carlisle, Chambersburg, Lebanon, York Lancaster and Gettysburg areas on Monday morning. Forecasters at The Weather Channel are calling for about 1 to 3 inches of snow. Sunday's low in the Harrisburg area is expected to around 33. Any snowfall won't stick around for long. Monday's high is expected to approach 50. "A quick-moving system will likely bring a narrow swath of wet snow to south-central Pa. Sunday Night into Monday morning. Be prepared for areas of slippery travel early Monday morning," according to the National Weather Service. Accumulating snow risk going up () late Sun. Night-AM Mon. as models continue to trend northward with quick-moving system. Several inches psbl from the Laurel Highlands into the s-central ridge / valley region NW of I-81/78. More info to come. #pawx NWS State College (@NWSStateCollege) March 31, 2018 You can see live weather updates via the National Weather Service and other Twitter sources below. Tweet us at @pennlive with photos of inclement weather at your place, incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com. They are already facing charges in the December robbery and shooting death of a pizza-delivery driver, and now, they have been charged in connection with another robbery and a burglary at East Stroudsburg University. Israel Berrios, 17, and Salvador Roberts, 21, were two of the three charged in the killing of 58-year-old Richard LaBar, and are now facing new charges, the Pocono Record is reporting. The robbery occurred Oct. 19 at the Koehler Field House when they are accused of hitting the victim in the head from behind, throwing him face down on the ground, and holding a knife to his back while taking money from his wallet, according to reports. And on Nov. 19, the duo was captured on surveillance video entering an unlocked dorm room and taking $1,660 worth of electronics, reports indicate. Israel Berrios, 17, (left), Carolina Carmona, 30, (center), and Salvador Roberts, 21, (right), were charged in the December shooting death of Richard LaBar. Berrios and Roberts are facing new charges in connection with two separate incidents -- one a robbery in October and the other a burglary in November. When police first charged Berrios in connection with the December shooting death of LaBar, they already had his nearby home under video surveillance as he was a suspect in other incidents, police say. Berrios' 30-year-old girlfriend, Carolina Carmona, was also charged in connection with the shooting death, but not in the two new cases. LaBar, described by a coworker as a great guy, was working as a delivery driver for Domino's to make a little extra money for the holidays. He made is final delivery around 1:10 a.m. Dec. 11 to a building just off campus that was closed for the night. Police say Berrios ambushed LaBar and shot him after he resisted the robbery and tried to take the shotgun. Investigators also say Carmona was present when the shooting occurred, and she was the one who placed the call for the pizza order, and her brother, Roberts, was their driver. A display is shown inside Saks Fifth Avenue, the company's new store in downtown Toronto on Tuesday, February 16, 2016. Hudson's Bay Co. is the latest Canadian company to be hit with a data breach, saying that customer payment card information may have been stolen from shoppers at certain Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off Fifth and Lord & Taylor stores in North America. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains speaks during an announcement on investments in 5G technology by the Ontario, Quebec and federal governments, in Ottawa on Monday, March 19, 2018. The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association says industry needs spectrum to deliver the benefits of fifth-generation networks. But the minister responsible for telecommunications, Bains, says the government won't be rushed and wants to get the ground rules right - not just for industry but also consumers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang FILE - In this March 7, 2018, file photo, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin speaks at a news conference at the Washington Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington. Shulkin is making it clear he was fired from his job amid conflicting claims from the White House. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) Consulate employees remove the U.S flag at the U.S. consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 31, 2018. Russia announced the expulsion of more than 150 diplomats, including 60 Americans, on Thursday and said it was closing a U.S. consulate in retaliation for the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain, a tit-for-tat response that intensified the Kremlin's rupture with the United States and Europe. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Artist William May (left) and scientist Joel Karpiak have decorated their Old City with trendy furnishings, pop art, and bright color. Read more Just because their names aren't on the building's deed hasn't stopped Joel Karpiak and William May from embossing every inch of their Old City rental with things that they love and that bring them joy. After taking a peek inside their place at the Berger Building, it comes as no surprise that Karpiak, 32, is a scientist, and May, 25, is an artist. Their sense of placement, precision, and proportion, plus their layering of materials, trendy furniture, and pop art, have transformed a minimalist unit into a stylist urban setting. "We like it organized but playful," says Karpiak, a South Jersey native, who has his doctorate in chemistry from the University of San Francisco. In 2015, Karpiak, who prefers urban living, was looking for a Center City home, even though his job at GlaxoSmithKline in Collegeville is a good two-hour commute on public transit. He was instantly drawn to the building's industrial flair, both inside and outside. The apartment building, like most in this part of the city, was once a big factory and retains original details, such as squared openings, duct work, exposed brick walls, and bronze entrance hoods. May, who grew up in Irvine, Calif., and studied at the California Institute of the Arts, moved in with him a year later. The couple met when Karpiak was visiting friends in Southern California. They've been together for three years. "We look for historical pieces, but we like the look of modern. And we try not to spend more than $1,000 on things," says May, who is the brand director for Shift, an outdoor furniture and accessories studio, which created the tables for the Porch at 30th Street Station. Just past the couple's front door, we get another hint of the building's bygone days. An imposing motor, which might have been used to power an elevator, was left intact on the ceiling. A one-of-a-kind runner in bold designs by artist Keith Haring splashes the bleached wood floor with color. An abstract painting of body parts, purchased from Jules Goldman Books and Antiques on Second Street, catches the eye. A metal-and-stone clock found in New Hope hangs above a black mid-century, plastic-fronted dresser that was created by French-born Raymond Loewy, who was known for his sleek designs. (They also have a Loewy cabinet that holds their flatscreen TV.) Enlivening the wall are hundreds of spindly magenta plastic pieces, linked together and resembling an underwater plant; thus, their designers, French brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, named them Algue, which is the French word for seaweed. The kitchen, dining, and casual seating spaces are essentially one rectangular space, and embrace more architectural elements, such as a retaining column; a wide-plank wooden ceiling; and curved courses of red bricks above the long windows. The kitchen is decidedly modern, with white Eurostyle cabinets, stainless-steel appliances, and a peninsula with black-and-chrome Philippe Starck stools. The black granite countertops offset the copper canister set and 1960s orange Uten.Silo storage unit that holds cooking gadgets. Serving as a divider between the kitchen and the casual seating area are an auburn acrylic Umbo bookcase and a wooden dining table, built by a friend of Karpiak's, and surrounded by more Philippe Starck seating. The bookcase has objects carefully situated on shelves, creating a fashionable scape that includes cookbooks, notably, Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto by local chef Marc Vetri, with David Joachim, and The Artists' and Writers' Cookbook (1961) by Richard Olney, with recipes from James Michener, Upton Sinclair, Marcel Duchamp. Trapped in a fisherman's net and hanging above the cozy orange modular set is an orange inflatable lobster, replicating artist Jeff Koons' famous aluminum lobster. Pillows, from their travels to London, Spain, and Sweden, in array of colors, add more whimsy. The second bedroom was converted into their office and is furnished with Raymond Loewy knockoffs, which include two bureaus, a night table, and desk, all in provoking lime green. Another bold element is the 1981 Oceanic Lamp by Michele De Lucchi. The black floor chaise longue was purchased in Manhattan. Influenced by May's trips to Japan and Singapore, their bedroom, which includes a platform bed from Ligne Roset, has an uncluttered simplicity and serenity. Wild flowers in an Ian Anderson vase, a candelabra, and a collection of crocheted Swedish coasters keep things balanced. Outside, the streets bustle with delivery drivers, Segway-riding tourists, mothers pushing strollers, but there isn't a peep to be heard inside the men's apartment. "It's another positive," Karpiak says. "Once we're home, it's like another world." Ive written several posts about the decision to ask about citizenship in the 2020 census. Heres an angle I hadnt considered: asking about citizenship will help African Americans. Christian Adams explains why: Blacks have been losing political power in immigrant-heavy urban cores because non-citizens are not identified by the Census and are counted for redistricting. . . . Los Angeles provides a particularly stark example. For over a decade, African-American leaders in Los Angeles have been complaining to the Justice Department that blacks have fewer city council seats than they should. Instead, the seats are going to Hispanics because the districts are being drawn to benefit Hispanics instead of blacks. But how could this happen, you ask? The lines are being drawn that way because the Census does not seek accurate citizenship data in the decennial census, and Los Angeles doesnt use citizenship population to draw districts of equal citizen population. Blacks in Los Angeles County are nearly all American citizens. The same is not true for the Los Angeles Hispanic population. Yet the exercise in line-drawing of county council seats treats non-citizens and citizens exactly alike. . . . Los Angeles isnt the only example. Blacks compete with Hispanics for local office in Democratic Party primaries in Miami, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, New York City, and Chicago, to cite just a for more cities. With districting based on population counts rather than citizenship, Hispanics obtain an undeserved advantage. The census dispute represents another case where, in essence, Democrats are asking Blacks to take one for the Party. Blacks have always been willing to do so. But with the Hispanic population growing so rapidly and with its leaders making so many demands on behalf of relatively new arrivals, its reasonable to wonder how much longer their willingness will persist. Indiana University track and field closed the Florida Relays Saturday night. The Hoosiers set one new school record and ran two of the second fastest times in school history.The women's sprint medley relay (SMR) team consisting of sophomore, freshman, freshmanand juniorset a new school record when the brought home a first place finish with the time of 3:49.08. The record was previously held by A. Baily, Clarke, Gray and Beckwith (2010). The Hoosiers finished about two seconds before Purdue who took second.In the 4x800m both the men's team and the women's team ran the second fastest time in the Indiana University track and field record books. The men's team consisting of senior, senior, freshmanand sophomorefinished second behind the Hoka New Jersey/New York Track Club, making them the first collegiate team cross the finish line with the time of 7:20.23.The men moved ahead of Allen, White, Rodholm and Deady who previously set the second best time in 1987 (7:20.75). The current best time is 7:17.80 from the 1987 Penn Relays ran by the team of Allen, Cameron, Deady and Rodholm.The women's team consisting ofandalso finished behind the Hoka New Jersey/New York Track Club, making them the first collegiate team to cross the finish line in 8:38.26. They moved ahead of the 2015 team consisting of Calder, Wiley, Stenger and Gwin. The current school record is 8:36.25 and was set by Wiles, Hippensteel, Receveur and Calder at the 2017 Penn Relays.Juniorwas the only Hoosier competing in the field on the third and final day of the Florida Relays. Bethea finished third overall with the mark of 15.76m (51' 8.5"), which is just .01m off of his outdoor personal record.The Hoosiers will be back in action next weekend when the throwers head to the Spec Towns Invitational in Athens, GA hosted by the University of Georgia. The runners and jumpers will not compete next weekend as they prepare for the Tennessee Relays that will take place Friday, April 13and Saturday, April 14For complete coverage of everything Indiana track and field and cross country, make sure to follow the teams via Twitter Facebook and Instagram #GoIU Professor Amy Wax is of course the Robert Mundheim Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She earned an M.D. degree from Harvard in addition to her J.D. degree from Columbia Law School. She holds an endowed chair at the law school. She must be one of the most prominent members of the faculty. Yet she is the subject of a campaign of vilification and stigmatization for violating the reigning academic taboos. In the world of 1984, she is guilty of thoughtcrime. Those of us following the saga of Amy Wax have drawn on literary metaphors to capture the heart of the story. I wrote about Professor Waxs saga most recently in Darkness at Penn. I drew on Arthur Koestler. Roger Kimball retells the story so far in the New Criterion editorial Fahrenheit 451 updated. Roger draws on Ray Bradbury, Charles Dickens and George Orwell as he puts his knowledge of the academic and cultural issues to good use. He not only rises to the defense of Professor Wax, he also calls out Theodore Ruger, the sniveling Dean and Bernard G. Segal Professor at Penn Law School. Toward the end of his editorial Roger alludes to Richard Sanders pioneering 2004 Stanford Law Review article A systemic analysis of affirmative action in American law schools. Professor Sander incorporated his research on the effects of law school affirmative action in chapters 4 and 5 of Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students Its Intended to Help, and Why Universities Wont Admit It, the outstanding book he wrote with Stuart Taylor, Jr. Sander describes himself as a former community organizer. He is now a professor of law at UCLA. He became interested in the subject of affirmative action in law schools when he joined the UCLA Law School faculty. Sander and Taylor each contributed his own preface to the book; in his preface, Professor Sander refers to the culture of secrecy and double-talk with which the subject of the book is enshrouded in academia. Sander himself wrote chapters 4 and 5 of the book. Chapter 4 discusses Sanders research on the effects of affirmative action (racial preferences) in law schools. Chapter 5 of the book is Sanders extraordinary account of the lengths to which supporters of law school affirmative action went to suppress the publication of his Stanford Law Review article in which his research first appeared. It is worth the price of admission to the book. The book came out to wide acclaim in October 2012. You might want to pick up a copy before it becomes a collectors item, or (to take up Rogers allusion to Ray Bradbury) the firemen get to it. What we have in the case of Professor Wax here is another episode illustrating the true meaning of diversity, or the ideology of diversity, with which we have all become familiar. As a wholly owned subsidiary of multiculturalism, the ideology of diversity adheres to certain tenets: (a) outcomes must be equal among racial and ethnic groups, except when they accrue to the advantage of a racial or ethnic minority (including women); (b) disparate outcomes among racial and ethnic groups represent some form of institutional bias to be rectified by the authorities; (c) all cultures are equal, except for that of the United States, which is eternally guilty of racism under (a) and (b) above; (d) the expression of views disagreeing with (a) through (c) must be suppressed or, if it cannot be suppressed, must be stigmatized as racist. NOTE: Professor Sander is speaking at Middlebury on Tuesday. We will have to see what happens next. 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 New Delhi, March 26 : China on Monday promised to address the issue of its massive trade surplus with India and work towards a more balanced trade relationship, while urging greater focus on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations at a time of increasing protectionist trends globally. This was stated in an Indian Commerce Ministry release following the 11th meeting here of the India-China Joint Group on Economic Relations, Trade, Science and Technology co-chaired by Indian Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu and his Chinese counterpart Zhong Shan. "Chinese Minister Zhong Shan welcomed Indian investment in China and promised to address the trade deficit between the two countries. "The Minister highlighted the important issues discussed in the meeting like two-way trade relations, preparation of an action plan, greater focus on Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and e-dialogue," the statement said. India's trade deficit with China has been growing in recent years and stood at over $51 billion in 2016-17. According to the statement, Prabhu exhorted his Chinese counterpart for greater market access for Indian agricultural products like rapeseed, soyabean, basmati and non-basmati rice, fruits, vegetables and sugar. "Another commodity which could be exported from India to China is high quality pharmaceutical products. Export of India's I' and IT Enabled Services (ITES) to China and cooperation in the sectors of tourism and healthcare needs to be focussed on," it said. The statement cited Prabhu as saying said that the joint group between India and China "is the oldest and the most important dialogue mechanism between the two countries." "Addressing India's trade imbalance with China is the most important issue to be taken up by the group." The India-China Joint Economic Group meeting and China's call on RCEP comes in the backdrop of growing protectionism with the US President Donald Trump slapping import tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium earlier this month, unfolding the prospect of an all-out global trade war, The mega free trade agreement -- RCEP -- is currently being negotiated between Asean member states -- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- and Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. The RCEP negotiations include trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic and technical cooperation, intellectual property, competition, dispute settlement, e-commerce and small and medium enterprises, among others. Casablanca (Morocco), March 30 : With the growing threat of terrorism-linked radicalisation across countries, an international NGO has initiated a campaign across Europe and other countries to involve mothers and women to be the first line of defence against the rise of extremist ideologies that often are bred in the community. SAVE -- Sisters Against Violent Extremism, the world's first female counter-terrorism platform -- is providing the missing link between women at the community level, where radicalism is propagated, and decision-making levels where strategies to counter violent extremism are shaped. Edit Schlaffer, a social scientist, writer and activist (who founded Women without Borders, an international research-based NGO headquartered in Vienna in 2002) launched SAVE in 2008 -- and has been encouraging women to take the lead in their personal and public lives. "SAVE sends a strong message around the world that civil society can and should be the first line of defence against violent extremist ideologies. In this way, SAVE raises awareness for the potential of women to contribute to new avenues to peace," noted Schlaffer, Founder and Executive Director of SAVE, who has been named as the "European of the Year-2018" by international magazine Readers' Digest. SAVE has developed the "Mothers School Model" to empower women to take an active role in safeguarding their families against the threat of violent extremism. "The Mothers School curriculum and workshops offer concerned mothers training in personal, communication and parenting skills so they can recognise and react to early warning signs of possible radicalisation in their children. Mothers learn to provide counter-narratives and offer alternatives that foster positive youth development and resilience," the Women without Borders website states. This innovative approach to security provides mothers the skills and the tools for prevention and intervention right where they have the best access for action in their homes and communities. "Including women in the security arena is a great challenge, but times of crisis are also often times of opportunity. This is our moment as women to exercise our smart power and meet global challenges with competence and confidence," said Schlaffer, who holds a PhD from the University of Vienna. The Mothers School pilot was launched in Kujand, Tajikistan, in February 2013. "After the introduction to the Mothers School programme, the immediate response was very positive; all participants found the workshops very powerful and that the Mothers School concept was very timely. The first survey revealed that mothers were concerned about the spread of Islamic radicalisation and gave examples of events and anecdotes from their own experience," the website stated. The Mothers School project is also being carried out in Kashmir, Zanzibar, Nigeria, Pakistan and Indonesia. The Mothers School Model will now be implemented in Europe to address the ongoing foreign fighter phenomenon. The Archduchess of Austria and Princess of Tuscany Camilla Habsburg-Lothringen, who was at the Crans Montana Forum conference in Morocco, told IANS: "Women without Borders/SAVE and Dr Schlaffer are doing a good job in this field (of countering radicalisation) which needs immediate global attention." Volunteers engaged with the model say that "women can create security from the highest level to the smallest level as they can use their own way to create security". Schlaffer has received numerous accolades for her work promoting women in the security arena. Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has twice highlighted SAVE's contributions to the field. (Jaideep Sarin was in Morocco on the invitation of the Crans Montana Forum. He can be contacted on jaideep.s@ians.in) Bhopal, March 30 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan on Friday said there are no human rights for anti-social elements, justifying the police parading criminals in public. While speaking at an event organised for creating awareness about women's safety and security, Chauhan said, his government has zero-tolerance for crimes against women. He also said his government's priority is to provide security to women. "Criminals who eve-tease our daughters and make it difficult for them to step out of the house cannot claim human rights," he said. The police has all the power to take action against the criminals, he said. Attacking human right activists, he said that they should also be aware that criminals don't have human rights. Cairo, April 1 : The Arab Parliament strongly condemned on Saturday the recent Israeli "brutal" crackdown on unarmed Palestinian protesters that left a number of them dead and wounded. "This brutal crime is a blatant violation of the international law and the international humanitarian law," Arab Parliament Speaker Mashaal bin Fahm al-Salami said in a statement, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities to protect the Palestinian people, Xinhua reported. At least 15 Palestinians were shot dead and over 1,200 others were injured on Friday as Israeli forces opened fire towards scores of Palestinian protesters marking the 42nd anniversary of the Land Day through a rally at the borders between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The Israeli deadly crackdown on Palestinian protesters has been rejected by many states regionally and internationally. On Friday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli use of violence against Palestinian unarmed protesters and urged the international community for earnest and urgent efforts to find a comprehensive and just settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "Egypt condemns the use of violence against unarmed civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories, stressing its strong rejection of the Israeli occupation forces' use of excessive force against peaceful rallies that marched to mark the Land Day," said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's statement. The Palestinian demonstrators demanded the right of return for the Palestinian refugees who fled or forcibly driven out of their towns and villages when Israel was created in 1948 with Western support. Israel is blamed by the international community for the deadlock of the peace process with the Palestinians due to its settlement expansion policy on Palestinian occupied territories. The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital in the light of the UN-proposed two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders. The United States is the number-one backer of Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced plans to move Washington's capital in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputable holy city of Jerusalem despite regional and international uproar. Patna, April 1 : Union Minister Ashwini Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat, accused of inciting communal violence in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, has surrendered after evading arrest for over a week, police said on Sunday Arijit surrendered at around 12.30 a.m. outside the famous Mahavir temple near the Patna railway station. He shouted slogans like "Jai Shri Raam", "Bharat Mata Ki jai" before surrendering, district police official Rakesh Dubey said. Arijit will appear before a Bhagalpur court on Sunday. Last week, a case was lodged against Arijit, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, on charges of taking out a procession without prior permission, inciting communal sentiments and roaming with arms on the streets of Bhagalpur. He had moved a bail plea in a civil court, following which the court on March 27 sought the case diary from the police to ascertain his role in the communal flare-up on March 17. The court then issued an arrest warrant against Shashwat. Choubey has already described the FIR as "a piece of garbage" that was registered by "corrupt police officers in Bhagalpur". Arijit unsuccessfully contested the last assembly polls as the BJP candidate from Bhagalpur, considered a stronghold of Choubey, who was elected MP from Buxar in 2014. Mumbai, April 1 : Tata Motors on Sunday posted a 35 per cent increase in their March sales to 69,440 units, as compared to the sale of 51,309 units in the same month last year. In a statement here, the company said its cumulative domestic sales for the just ended 2017-18 fiscal were up 23 per cent at 5,86,639 units, as compared to 4,78,362 vehicles sold in 2016-17. "In March 2018, Tata Motors registered a growth of 35 per cent at 69,440 units as against 51,309 units over last year due to the continued strong sales performance of its commercial and passenger vehicles business in the domestic market," it said. Domestic sales of commercial vehicles in March grew 37 per cent to 49,174 units, over 35,876 units sold in the corresponding month of last year. "This growth was on the back of the government's push towards infrastructure development, restriction on overloading, road construction and mining activities along with increasing demand from e-commerce and FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) applications," the statement said. Tata Motors passenger vehicles sales in the domestic market in March grew 31 per cent to 20,266 units on the back of increasing demand for the Tiago and Tigor models, along with Nexon and Hexa gaining traction in the steadily growing UV segment, it added. According to the company, the order in which the various segments contributed to the March sales growth is: intermediate and light commercial vehicles (97 per cent), small commercial vehicle cargo and pickups (52 per cent), passenger vehicles (31 per cent) and middle and heavy commercial vehicles (21 per cent). Bengaluru, April 1 : The 111th birthday of Lingayat seer Shivakumara Swami, head of the Siddaganga Mutt, was celebrated on Sunday by thousands of devotees who thronged the Mutt in Tumakuru, about 70km northwest of Bengaluru, and sought his blessings. "Swami blessed nearly one lakh devotees who visited the Mutt since morning. The devotees wished him a long and healthy life," the Mutt's Administrative Officer S. Vishwanath told IANS. Known among his followers as a "walking god" and an incarnation of 12th century renowned social reformer Basava, Swami heads the Sree Siddaganga Education Society, which runs about 125 educational institutions ranging from engineering to business schools/colleges in the state. The society also runs nearly 20 institutions where the Sanskrit language and the Vedas are taught, and students given free board and lodging. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hailed the seer on the occasion. "... may Swami's work towards empowerment of the poor and social service through education continue for long," he tweeted. Born on April 1, 1907, in Veerapura village of Ramanagara district in Karnataka, Swami is involved in philanthropic activities, and was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Union government in 2015. "Even at 111, he (Swami) eats and lives healthy and works hard for the Mutt activities while performing his prayers thrice every day," Vishwanath added. New Delhi, April 1 : Maruti Suzuki India on Sunday posted a 14.9 per cent rise in its March sales at 1,60,598 units, as compared 1,39,763 units sold in the same month last year, according to a company statement. In a release here, the country's biggest car manufacturer said that it, thus, closed out the financial year ended March 31 with its highest ever total sales of 1,779,574 units, at a growth rate of 13.4 per cent in 2017-18. "This comprises highest ever domestic sales of 1,653,500 units. The export sales were 126,074 units," it said. Domestic sales in March stood at 1,48,582 units, up 16.1 per cent from 1,27,999 units sold in the same month last year. Segment wise, sales of mini segment cars during the month in question, including Alto and WagonR, saw over 21 per cent rise to 37,511 units, from 30,973 units in March 2017, the statement said. Sales of the compact segment in March, comprising the Swift, Estilo, Dzire and Baleno models, grew by 13.5 per cent to 68,885 units, as compared to 60,699 units in the same month of 2017. Utility vehicles sold during the month in consideration, including the Gypsy, Ertiga, S-Cross and Vitara Brezza, Aincreased by 24.3 per cent to 22,764 units, from 18,311 units in the same month last year. Sales of the vans Omni and Eeco rose by 17.7 per cent to 13,689 units last month, as compared to 11,628 units sold in March 2017. Instead, sales of the mid-sized sedan Ciaz in March fell by 12.1 per cent to 4,321 units as compared to last year. Vehicle exports in March this year went up 2.1 per cent to 12,016 units, as compared to 11,764 units in the same month last year, the statement added. Over the years blocking more heat and UV rays passing through a car's window is synonymous to darker car window tint. Arden Audio announces that in April 2018, they will introduce the usage of 3M Crystalline Tint at their Car Window Tint Installation Shop in Sacramento. "Not only is this tint the best quality tint but it can also block more heat than darker tints without altering the appearance of your vehicle," Dia said, owner of Arden Audio. 3M Crystalline Tint is made up of a unique and patented technology that has a multilayer optical firm that is comprised of over 200 layers of nano-technology that is even thinner than sticky notes. This makes the film super effective in blocking heat and the UV rays. Demos can be scheduled to view this 3M Tint demo at Arden Audio's Sacramento Car Window Tint Installation location by visiting their website at https://www.ardenwayaudio.com The new 3M Crystalline Tint was already tested by Arden Audio on limos of http://www.limoservicefairfield.com that offers Limos & Party Buses in Napa.The film was installed on Fairfield Limousine's Mercedes Limo. "The customers experienced much cooler temperature in the limo with a tint that was not so dark," added Moe, owner of Fairfield Limousine. "The benefit of the lighter tint film installed on our limos is that it can block more heat so that our customers can be comfortable in the high temperatures and be able to better see the view outside of the limos when the windows are not so darkly tinted," added Moe. "3M is a high-end car window film brand," said Dia. "We also offer cheaper options for car window tinting in Sacramento & the suburbs with tint brands like sun-tech and more," added Dia. Check out the selection of Window Tints offered at Arden Audio's Car Audio & Tint Install shop in Sacramento at https://www.ardenwayaudio.com/window-tint/ Mr. Coomer joined Waylens in November of 2016 as Vice President of Business Development and has been instrumental in developing its sales and distribution network for its initial product Horizon. Prior to joining Waylens, Mr. Coomer spent 18 years in various executive roles with Escort Inc., including Sales, Marketing, Customer Service and Product Development. Mr. Coomer resides in Cincinnati and will continue to work from its Cincinnati, Ohio location. As we look to scale our business globally, Tim was an obvious choice to lead our efforts in North America. His knowledge and experience in the consumer electronics business has helped us build a strong foundation for growth, said Waylens CEO Haowei Zhang. Waylens launched its first product Horizon in 2015 on Kickstarter. In the summer of 2017, Waylens announced its next series of automotive cameras, Waylens Secure360, at CE Week in New York City. The innovative Secure360 camera is the first automotive security camera with true 360-degree protection, capturing everything in and around your vehicle, even when its parked. The Secure360 line will begin shipping in the second quarter of this year. As we roll out the Secure360 line of products this Spring, Im honored to lead this division of the company to the next level in our growth cycle, said Mr. Coomer. Our camera technology and platforms were developing will disrupt several industries. Its an exciting time for all of us, continued Coomer. About Waylens: Privately-held Waylens creates automotive camera technologies and products that make the experience of car ownership and driving more enjoyable and exciting. It is a team of world-class engineers, designers, and car enthusiasts who share a passion for building the best automotive cameras in the world. Waylens is headquartered in Boston, with offices in Cincinnati, Austin and Shanghai. For more information, visit waylens.com or 360.waylens.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For media inquiries: Waylens Leslie Bradley (513) 445-8684 (leslie(at)waylens(dot)com) Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Growing up as kids, we all looked forward to chorusing April Fools whenever someone falls for our pranks. How did April 1 become the day for fools or a special day to try out new pranks? Honestly, the many stories that have been told to explain how April Fools day came to be will leave you wondering. History of April Fool's Day in France One story has it that France, in 1564, changed its calendar to the modern Gregorian version, and therefore mandated everyone to celebrate on January 1st, instead of the last week of March, as it was done. As with anything that has to do with human beings, some people opposed the new calendar and chose to continue celebrating theirs on the end of the New Year week, which fell on April 1. As the story goes, the guys who decided to stick to the old calendar were referred to as fools. History of April Fool's Day in England The British version of this story is a bit interesting and will really sell in a story book for kids. According to the story, residents of the Nottinghamshire town of Gotham heard that King John, who reigned around the 13th century, claimed any road he stepped on. So, in a bid to save their land, the residents of the town refused him from entering Gotham. Soldiers were sent out by the King to forcefully take the town but were shocked when they saw lunatics in every corner of the town. Apparently Gotham residents planned that they would all pretend to be lunatics, and on seeing them, the Monarch decided that there was no need to punish the residents for their action. So, the action of the residents of Gotham fooled King John, and the day was known as April Fool's Day. In UK In the UK, people reveal an April Fool joke by shouting "April fool!" when a target falls for a prank or a joke. However, the joking ends by mid-day and anyone plays a prank after then becomes the April fool. In Poland In Poland, April 1 is a day where serious work is avoided and many jokes are told. Reports have it that even the media helps to promote the fables to give them authenticity on that day. Some social media pranks Here are some social media April Fool's Day pranks that we have compiled for you. READ MORE: Police arrest two medical officers over injection deaths Earlier, three persons were reported dead after taking the contaminated injection at the same facility. They are Bande Yobi, Kwadwo Adjei Kyeremeh and Eugenia Atsupui Gapher, who are 78, 31 and 42-years-old respectively. The Food and Drugs Authority in a statement said the contamination came about during preparation of the vaccine. The FDA, the police and the Ghana Health Service have launched separate investigations into the matter. "When he [Chief Supt Kwesi Ofori] hears that there is a change of government, he has to remove his Police Uniform, hide it under his bed and cease being a police officer," he threatened. "He was the one who came to the Headquarters, amidst the peaceful crowd, and gave an order that charge on them," he added. He gave the stark warning following police brutality against protesters who had gathered at the CID headquarters to demand the release of Koku Anyidoho, Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, who was arrested for threatening to stage a coup d'etat. The police have not reacted to the threat by the NDC communicator nor has the NDC distanced itself from the comments. He said after carefully listening to the tape, the Kweku Anyidoho sounded incoherent and bankrupt. Speaking Saturday on Joy FM Newsfile programme, he said: "from an analytical point of view what he [Anyidoho] put together is internally incoherent, logically deficient and intellectually bankrupt. Theres no sense in it, he added. Mr Anyidoho told Accra-based Happy FM that "there will be a civilian coup" in response to the government's decision to allow US troops on Ghanaian soil. He added: On the January 13, 1972 a certain Col. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led a movement that removed the Progress Party from power. Busia was the Prime Minister and Akufo-Addos father was a ceremonial president. Somebody should tell Nana Akufo-Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself." And an about-face for Scott, who decided to consider new gun control measures only after a teenager was accused of plotting a school shooting in Vermont in the days after the violence in Parkland. No state is immune to the risk of extreme violence, Scott said in a statement Friday, adding, If we are at a point when our kids are afraid to go to school and parents are afraid to put their kids on a bus, who are we? The bill, which passed the Senate, 17-13, on Friday after clearing the House earlier in the week, would raise the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21 and ban bump stocks, which are devices that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly. It also contains restrictions that go beyond those in the measure signed in Florida, like an expansion of background checks and a limit on the capacity of magazines that can be sold or possessed in the state. The passage of the bill is likely to be hailed as a victory by activists pushing for tighter gun laws around the nation after the Parkland shootings. It comes less than a week after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in protest of mass shootings and gun violence including 2,500 who squeezed onto the steps of the Capitol in Montpelier. I think the message that most members of the Legislature not all took is that public opinion is changing in Vermont, said Eric Davis, an emeritus professor of political science at Middlebury College. Madison Knoop, a college freshman who organized last weekends march in Montpelier, called the bills advancement such a good first start. The day after the Parkland shooting, Scott, a moderate Republican who has kept his distance from President Donald Trump, said he saw no need for new gun laws a position in line with years of precedent in Vermont, a rural state with a committed population of hunters. Scott shifted his stance a day later, after a teenager was arrested and accused of planning a school shooting in Fair Haven, Vermont. Everything should be on the table at this point, Scott said. Lawmakers are expected to approve two more gun control measures next week. One would allow law enforcement officers to remove guns from people considered at risk of harming themselves or others, and the other would allow firearms to be taken from people arrested or cited for domestic assault. Some Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the measures that advanced Friday. State Sen. Dick Sears Jr., a Democrat, expressed deep unease with the ban on high-capacity magazines, which had been included in the House bill. And state Sen. John Rodgers, a Democrat representing a rural stretch of northern Vermont, mourned a change in the states culture before he voted against the bill. I think maybe if we pass this bill, maybe it is over, maybe the Vermont I grew up with is over, and its changed, Rodgers said, according to Vermont Public Radio. On Saturday afternoon, Recoil magazine and Magpul Industries, which makes firearms accessories, were planning to distribute free 30-round magazines at the Statehouse to show their disdain for the expected law. Magazines of that size that are in residents possession before the ban goes into effect would not be subject to the law. Evan Hughes, vice president of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmens Clubs, which was opposed to the legislation, said he would be among the crowd on Saturday. Our legislators, he said, have drastically underestimated the response from the gun-owning community. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Ogah was baptized alongside seven other adults during the solemn ceremony of one of the holiest nights in the Catholic liturgical calendar. According to the Associated Press (AP), after his heroic act on September 26, 2017, Ogah, who was an illegal immigrant, had told the media that all he wanted was for the Pope or the president of the Republic to help him with permanent residency in Italy. "If Pope Francis or the president of the republic could do something for me I would be the happiest man in the world. I don't want to be a hero. I just want to be legal, work and have a dignified life in Italy," he was quoted as saying after stopping a lone armed robber last year. Italian media reports that Ogah was begging for spare change outside the Carrefour market in Rome's Centocelle neighborhood when a masked thief, armed with a meat cleaver, tried to take off with 400 euros ($493) he had stolen from the cashiers. Security cameras captured how Ogah confronted the thief and wrestled the cleaver away and held him by the collar until police arrived. Ogah was said to have taken off when the police arrived the scene for fear of being deported because he was staying in Italy illegally. His dream came through as Rome police authorities reportedly rewarded his courage by facilitating his Italian residency permit within a month. He was said to have been denied the permit when his asylum bid failed. According to ANSA news agency, Ogah now has a job with the Italian Red Cross and a place to call home. People have to defend themselves - Kate Henshaw The actress reiterated the need for farmers to defend themselves from the attacks of herdsmen. She said, The people would have to defend themselves. I know it is crazy but we should be able to defend ourselves, our children and family. Whenever I read what is happening in Nigeria, it breaks my heart. I grew up seeing cattle where they had to be not that you had to create a special place for them. You can build ranches in the north where they are predominant. I dont see why you need to invade peoples farms and then you kill the owners just because you want your cattle to eat. Since when have animals been more important than human beings? That is a question we need to ask ourselves. Boko Haram members should be punished before pardon - Kate Henshaw ALSO READ: Kate Henshaw speaks on her decision to quit politics Kate further said it was a bad idea for the government to even consider granting amnesty to Boko Haram members. Speaking on Leah Sharibu, the Christian Dapchi schoolgirl who is still in the captivity of the terror sect, the actress said I dont think the government should grant amnesty to members of Boko Haram. Have they paid penance for the wrongs they have done? Are they repentant? They have not even been punished for what they have done. When you do the crime, you do the time. They must be punished for what they have done first, then we can talk about amnesty. "It is very sad that other kidnapped Dapchi children have been released except one. The government should have pulled out all the stops to get that one last girl out to make sure that their release was wholesome because you cannot leave anyone behind. Every child, every citizen of this country deserves to move around freely without fear. If one person is still being held, then your job is not complete, you have not done anything." "Also, why is it that it is a Christian girl that was left behind? I would not want to go into the religious aspect because I dont want to go into something that would be divisive. She is a young girl and a human being," she said. See his tweet below: From gowns to clingy black fish net, Edun tried it all and we must say, he slayed them too. Despite speculations over his sexuality, Edun has refused to be categorised as any particular gender and of no particular sexual orientation. Media personality opens up on why his marriage plans failed Media personality Denrele Edun in a recent interview has opened up on his failed marriage plan and more. The actor in a chat with Guardian Life magazine talks about how he started in the industry, marriage plans and more. Most Lagosians were aware that the President was coming to Lagos but it didnt stop us from being confused when the state government declared last Thursday a statewide public holiday to restrict movement and ensure that the Presidents transit through the state was hitch-free. Governor Ambode should know better. The cost of shutting Lagos down, even for a couple of hours can run into billions of naira; not to talk of an entire day before one of the most sales-driving holidays of the year. Besides that, that decision put a city on standstill for the better part of the entire day. Lagosians will move around, regardless of what you say, and most of them, myself inclusive, spent obscene hours in traffic. It would have been easier, more practical, and infinitely less expensive to keep Daddy Bubu in the air. We would still be asking him for the change he promised but at least, hed be at an altitude where hes not creating new problems for us. Some of these jobs exist outside of Nigeria, in a few countries on the African continent. But where they do, they are merely watered-down versions of what we have in Nigeria. The only similarity between a bus conductor in Owerri and another in Kampala is the name; nobody in East Africa can teach you to shout sixteen bus-stops in the same syllable. With no further ado, here are 4 jobs that you will only find in Nigeria (1) Super-Human Bus Conductor (Agbero): Transport in Nigeria is mostly in the hands of private interests who manage thousands of buses that ply our roads. In the course of boarding these buses, you cannot avoid the overzealous young men who stand strategically in the vicinity of the bus, shouting sixteen bus-stops in one sentence and insisting that even though theres no change, theyll take you where you want to go. Sure, there are bus-conductors around the world, but being a bus-conductor in Nigeria takes a unique skill-set that requires you to be an announcer, a security officer, a scout, an accountant and a treasurer. What a life. (2) Re-Wire (or "Man who fiddles with wires until something works"): Cars experience technical difficulties in Nigeria, as in every part of the world. But in Nigeria, few motorists can afford the cost of monthly check-ups or maintenance, so when the car's air-conditioner goes off or the right headlight stops working, they get a re-wire. The name says it all really; what these guys do is fiddle under the hood with the cars circuitry until they find the problem or something works. The rewire works with little more than a wire-cutter and paper tape to keep the wires together when hes done with his surgery. Theres no formal training for this, and I havent yet found any car company that provides persons gifted in the art of managing wires. So I assume these guys are born with the gift; its the only explanation. (3) Cash Madame (or "Minister of New Notes at Nigerian Parties"): Spaying currency notes at events is a very Nigerian thing, and so are the people who are in the system simply to ensure that this is sustainable. One of them is the Cash Madame who sits at strategic points at any party with wads of clean Naira notes. The purpose of spraying money is defeated once you begin to fling dirty, battered notes at a couple or whoever is the centre of the celebration; its an unspoken rule that only clean notes are allowed. To maintain this supply, the cash madame changes naira notes for clean ones in exchange for a small percentage. The show must go on. (4) Iya Alaga (or "Master of Yoruba Ceremonies"): There are few spectacles as elaborate as a Nigerian wedding, and it often overhadows another impressive spectacle; the engagement/traditional wedding. Most of the bride and groom's traditional rites are observed at this small ceremony, including the 'payment' of bride price, the delivery of all the gifts in those infamous lists and a more ceremonious introduction of both families. Managing all of this and making sure tradition is observed is the job of the Iya Alaga. She is usually a very expressive middle-aged woman who understands the local language and rites like the back of her hand. She conducts the ceremony while making sure to fiddle with the groom's masculinity so he can drop more money in one of those heinous baskets that seem to disappear as soon as the party ends. The Arise Fashion Week which held at the Intercontinental Hotel Lagos on Saturday, March 31, 2018, witnessed the goddess known as Naomi Campbell. The lights dimmed and the words 'Lanre Da Silva Ajayi' came up on the screen. We shifted in our seats to get a better view but nothing could have prepared us to see the mighty Naomi Campbell open up for Lanre Da Silva. Naomi strutted out in a gold fringe dress that fit her like a glove and her signature walk was in full effect. The 50- year-old model, who didn't look a day over 30 sashayed down the runway as her poker straight hair swayed behind her. Nigerian supermodel Oluchi Onweagba-Orlandi also featured in Lanre Da Silva's showcase at Arise Fashion Week. On the runway, the elegant model showed why she is one of the elite models in the world, 20 years after she was discovered on the streets of Lagos. Naomi takes Lagos Naomi has definitely been enjoying her stay in Lagos. Naomi and her stylist, Le Jenke, paid a visit to Lekki Arts and Crafts market to pick up some one-of-a-kind momentos of their Nigerian trip. Naomi's energy was incredible as she walked around, talking to stall-holders and soaking in atmosphere. Along the way, Naomi made a little friend and posted this endearing video on her Instagram of her new friend, Femi. The model posted a photo of herself arriving at Arise Fashion Week with the caption 'Almost showtime' . She looked hot as always. The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday. He said that Julius Berger Plc. , the contractor handling the project, was ready to move to site. The controller said that the ministry was working on effective traffic diversion alternatives that would ensure minimal stresses on users then. He explained that the bridge was still in use because of an earlier emergency repair work done by Julius Berger to stabilise it. He said that Messrs Buildwell Nigeria Ltd., had completed permanent repairs on an extension of the bridge which was damaged by fire. He said that when Julius Berger returned to site, it would carry out permanent repairs on the portion of the bridge awarded to it. The repair work will be done on the bridge slab on the outbound Apapa carriageway. The situation we have found ourselves now is that for Julius Berger to start work, it means we have to divert traffic and we are still looking for the best alternatives. We have all sorts of trucks; lorries on this Apapa road, and as a result of that, we are having problems of diversion and that is what we are still looking at. We hope that very soon, we will be able to come up with the best solution on how to solve the traffic situation there. We are grateful to the Federal Government that has intervened by awarding the contract for the permanent repairs of the bridge to Julius Berger Construction Company. We will be coming up with solutions on traffic diversions in the next few days, he told NAN. Kuti said that meetings were already ongoing with stakeholders and traffic regulatory agencies on how best to tackle the problem and ensure minimal stress for road users. He explained that some materials needed for the repairs of the bridge could not be sourced locally. Hence, the contractor could not work on the bridge during its earlier closure to traffic, he said . The controller said that adequate announcements would be made when the diversion of traffic would be made. He appealed to road users to comply with directives of law enforcement and traffic agencies then. NAN reports that the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashion, on Aug. 5, 2016, inspected the dilapidated Apapa Bridge which was damaged by fire. The effect of the fire exposed some of brudges steel layers and made it to cave. Fashola after a meeting with relevant stakeholders on Aug. 7, 2016 ordered the immediate closure of the bridge. Julius Berger Plc moved to site the following day to begin emergency repair works. An impact assessment of the bridge was thereafter carried out by Julius Berger which advised the Federal Government to embark on its permanent repairs. This was despite the emergency work then. However, in February 2017, the Federal Government ordered the closure of another extended portion of the bridge four four months for total rehabilitation. The closed portion was about 700 metres long from the portion repaired by Julius Berger for four months. However, due to paucity of funds, the contractor abandoned site but the project was captured in 2017 budget leading to its award and subsequent permanent repair by Buildwell Nigeria Ltd. Kukah also warned that the devil might take up the space between the President and Nigerians if he does not connect with them. According to Punch, the Bishop cautioned politicians against fighting to enrich themselves. He said To President Muhammadu Buhari, you know that you rode into town like a knight in shining armour, carrying the joys, pains, anxieties and fears of a people whose broken dreams had littered and turned the landscape into the kaleidoscopic scenery of desolation and despair. In your campaigns, you promised to restore a sense of national pride in us by slaying the dragon of corruption, banishing the retrogressive scourge of Boko Haram, bringing back our daughters from Chibok and making our country and citizens truly safe. ALSO READ:Buhari just indicted himself in Benue We waited in hope, but somehow, amidst some hazy weather, all we heard was the sound of screeching tyres with the plane carrying our hopes seemingly unable to take off. Evidently, you had been saved for a purpose. Our prayer is that this realisation will help you understand that you have a date with history and divine judgment. The average age of governors and legislators across the country is 50. These are the years of dreams, maturity, sacrifice, patriotism and self-giving. But, sadly, you do not seem ready to depart from the culture of cronyism, prebendalism and primitive accumulation. The result has been ruination and decay, he added. Arewa youths ask Buhari to step down Recently, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum advised President Muhammadu Buharito step down after his first term and refuse to seek a second term in the 2019 presidential election. According to the President of the group, Shettima Yerima, the president should acknowledge the limit of his old age and step down for the younger generation in next year's election. Malam Bolaji Abudullahi, the APC National Publicity Secretary made the call in a statement on Saturday in Abuja. "The APC joins Christians in Nigeria and across the world in celebrating Easter, which commemorates the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In line with the true essence of Easter, the party urges Christians to take cognizance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Cavalry for our sins. We call on all irrespective of religious affiliations to emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ as epitomised by his life of understanding, tolerance and sacrifice," he said. The APCs spokesman said that only peaceful coexistence could enable citizens to collectively achieve the Nigeria of their dreams. He urged Nigerians to remember in their thoughts and prayers the abducted school children who were still in the captivity of terrorists as they gather around family, friends and loved ones for the Easter festivities. There were unconfirmed reports that the Federal Government had ordered an investigation into the activities of Danjumas company, Comet Shipping Agencies. According to Daily Post, a source in the presidency said that the reports are bare-faced lies. The retired General, on Saturday, March 24, 2018, while speaking at the maiden convocation of Taraba State University, alleged that the country's security apparatus has been compromised. Danjuma also said that the army has failed in its responsibility to secure the country from attacks. FG has nothing against Danjuma The source said I can confidently inform you that there is nothing like that. Yes, the president heard what he said about killings and that people should defend themselves. But contrary to claims on moves against General TY, a presidential directive was actually issued against personal attacks. You would have observed that no presidency official has said anything directly against his (TYs) view. So, if some persons are going about saying that this administration is moving against the elder statesman, it is a bare-faced lie. On February 19, 2018, the terror group stormed the Government Girls' Science and Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe state and kidnapped 110 students. One month later, following negotiations with the Federal Government, the terrorists released 104 girls - five of them reportedly died in captivity while Leah, a Christian, was deliberately not released because she refused to convert to Islam. Some of her schoolmates said while they were all still in captivity, Leah attempted to sneak away with two other girls. Speaking to UK Guardian, one of the girls, Aisha Ibiwa, said, "We thought she was just going round the corner, but she sneaked out, along with Maryam and Amira." "They walked for three days, before meeting a family who rather than help them return to Dapchi, returned them to the Boko Haram militants," she added. Another of Leahs friends recalled that "the Fulani man (from the family) said to them, 'so you are the missing girls that weve heard about on the radio.' He gave them a jerrycan filled with cow's milk and brought them back. "Leah and her group weren't flogged. They [Boko Haram] said it was because they had suffered a lot while trying to escape." Call for Leah's release The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other prominent Nigerians have called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to rescue Leah. ALSO READ: Senator says negotiation ongoing for release of Christian Dapchi schoolgirl Last weekend, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris had raised the hopes of Nigerians when he told journalists that the terrorists had agreed to release the girl and that they were already transporting her back to Dapchi as at the time he made the statement. The occasion has attracted various remarks and pieces of advice from various leaders in the country, who reflected on its importance and the lesson derivable from it for individual spiritual uplift and national development. In Umuahia, capital of Abia, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu called on Christians to pray for wisdom for those in authority to enable them lead the people with the fear of God. Ikpeazu made the call in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Enyinnaya Appolos, on the commemoration of Easter in Umuahia. He urged Christians to follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ in making sacrifices for the good of others. Ikpeazu also called on Christians to renew their hope in God in the course of celebrating this years Easter. The governor also appealed to them to make necessary sacrifices to ensure peace and development of Abia and the nation at large It is the duty of Christians to renew their hope in God, because a renewed hope in God will encourage them to attain great heights, he said. In Ibadan, Dr Olusola Ayandele, a renowned businessman also advised Christians to embrace peace and tolerate one another, regardless differences, to assist in developing the nation. He gave the advice in his special Easter message in Ibadan. Ayandele said the occasion underscored the lessons embedded in the life, cruxification and resurrection of Jesus Christ as a symbol of humility, love and endurance. Nigeria is a country of diversity, but this could be managed in such a way that we could use the same diversity to achieve greatness as a people. To this end, it becomes imperative to prevail on those responsible for the incessant cases of wanton killings and violence in parts of the country to desist from such dastardly acts, he said. He, however, warned that failure to refrain from their ungodly activities would attract the wrath of God on them. It is time we all supported the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to channel a new course for Nigeria and restore her lost glory in all ramifications. Pastor Isaac Oyedepo, the Resident Pastor of Living Faith Church, Lokongoma, Abuja said Easter laid solid foundation for Christianity and offered believers hope of eternal life. The cleric made this known in a Special Easter celebration service sermon, entitled Unveiling the power of his resurrection in Abuja on Sunday. Oyedepo said without the single act of resurrection,Christian faith would have been vain, adding that the act wiped away the transgressions of those who died after Christ and those who died before him. The Easter celebration is not just to wear clothes. It is the foundation of our Christianity. If Jesus did not rise, we will not have Christianity. So Christianity is majorly about Easter because without it, our faith is in vain, he said. He called on Christians to use the occasion to rededicate their service to God so that they could dominate darkness and challenges of life. By the power of his resurrection, you are changed from weakness to strength. It also moves us from shame to glory. It changes our position from captivity to liberty and from sickness to health. The list includes: The current PDP chairman, Uche Secondus, former PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, and PDP chieftain, Raymond Dokpesi. Other names on the list are: Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, a former aide to former president, Goodluck Jonathan, who is listed as being on trial for allegedly keeping over N830 million in accounts of four different companies; and the former president's cousin, Robert Azibaola, who recently had a Federal High Court ruling decide that he has a case to answer for allegedly collecting $40 million from ONSA and a former PDP Financial Secretary who also allegedly took N600 million from ONSA on October 24, 2018. Breach of constitution Speaking further on the list, Metuh said that Mohammeds action is a breach of the constitution. He also criticised the minister for publicly discussing an issue that is still in the court. Metuh said I have been refrained from discussing this persecution and travails by the government because as a lawyer, trained in the finest traditions of the Bar, I know that it is wrong to discuss a matter that is subjudice. I have therefore decided to avail the public of the true state of the contrived case against me. The charge against me is that I received the sum of N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser to carry out duties assigned to me as the then National Publicity Secretary of the PDP by then President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The major crux of the prosecution argument is that I ought to have known that the money was a part of an alleged and yet to be proven unlawful activity of Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), former NSA to President Jonathan. The charge was brought before the court regardless of the fact that neither former president Goodluck Jonathan who gave him the assignment and directed the release of the funds nor Col Dasuki(rtd), who effected the release of the funds have ever been interrogated nor even interviewed in this regard. Officers of the office of the National Security Adviser have also testified in court that the payment made to him followed all due process usually observed in the establishment. It is of interest to note that the prosecution has not alleged any mens rea or collusion on my part other than the suggestion that I ought to have known of an alleged unlawful activity. Also the alleged illegality of the funds has neither been established in law nor in fact. I have NEVER held a government office and/or position and could not therefore have had any access to government funds. In view of the weakness of the case against me, the APC led Federal Government resorted to all kinds of dirty tactics to dehumanise and intimidate me. They have done everything humanly possible to ensure complete persecution starting from bringing me to court in handcuffs (and parading the capture of Nigerias most wanted) to media trials and constant interference with my case. I have been reliably informed that the Federal Government has ordered a conviction at all cost to ensure that the PDP is tainted before the elections. The governments determination to achieve this objective is clearly highlighted by the refusal to allow me attend to my deteriorating health notwithstanding several expert medical opinion on the matter. By going to the media to name me a looter (without cross-checking the definition and dictionary meaning of the word), the federal government has not only given a body language but has issued a direct intimidation and threat to the judiciary to get a compulsory conviction. It is now clear that the APC led government that thrives in impunity and intimidation of other arms of government will not allow justice to be done in my matter. It is incontrovertible that our country has descended into the worst form of draconian rule where the executive arm directly interferes and seeks to control and determine matters within the purview of the legislature and the judiciary. In view of this unprecedented executive rascality and lawlessness, I have asked my lawyers to review the implications of this latest attack by the government and take appropriate steps for redress. In all, my faith is firm in God that this tyranny will not last forever and that no mortal is omnipotent in my matter. PDP chairman threatens Lai Mohammed Meanwhile, the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus has challenged Lai Mohammedto be ready to prove his allegation that the he collected N200m from the purse of the National Security Adviser (NSA). Secondus said that the agenda of the minister was to damage his reputation and distract him from serving PDP, adding that such agenda would fail woefully. Mantu had earlier confessed to rigging elections in favour of the PDP in the past. He said that he gave money to officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security operatives to manipulate elections in favour of the PDP. Mantu also described himself as a born-again politician. APC rides on Mantus confession Following the revelation, the All Progressives Congress (APC) advised the PDP to follow Mantus example by confessing its sins against the country. According to the APC, the PDP is not ready for repentance, adding that the party only offered the apology with the hope that Nigerians would grant it amnesty and a short-cut back to power. On your own Speaking further on Mantus confession, the PDP said that the former deputy senate presidents confession is personal to him. According to the partys spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, his confession has nothing to do with the PDP. He said Senator Mantu spoke about his personal activities and tendencies in the elections where he participated. The PDP has never directed or had any pact with him to rig election on its behalf. Never! Individuals run their elections on the platform of political parties once they emerge as candidates. In the PDP, candidates are issued with the partys Code of Conduct containing the basic rules of electioneering engagements. There is nowhere in these rules of engagement where candidates or party members are directed to rig elections on behalf of the party. If any members conduct transgressed these basic rules of engagement, that individual did not act on behalf of the PDP, and as such the party cannot be vicariously held responsible. It will therefore be misplaced for anybody, including the APC, to surmise that Senator Mantu, in the said confession of rigging, acted on behalf of the PDP. After all, in 2007, Senator Mantu lost his own senatorial election. What, then, happened to his rigging machinery, if he could not deliver himself. We urge the APC to manage its manifest failures in party administration as well as its incompetent, lack-lustre and wobbling governance which has grounded the nations economy and brought hunger and starvation to our people. FG releases new looters list A statement issued by Nancy Shikaan, a counsel in the Chambers, quoted Etiaba as making the demand on Saturday in Abuja, in a letter with reference no. EESE&C/1/31/03/18 dated March 31, 2018 addressed to the minister. The letter was titled Re:Publication of false and defamatory statement against Prince Uche Secondus. He demanded for retraction, apology and payment of N1.5 billion as damages. The lawyer said that the said publication had damaged the image of Prince Secondus as he has been humiliated, castigated and vilified by many as a result of the falsehood published by the Minister. Shikaan according to the letter noted that if Mohammed failed to meet their demand after 48 hours, they shall within 72 hours from today, proceed to a court of competent jurisdiction to ventilate our clients right under the law. This was part of the outcome of the roundtable convened by the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in December 2017 in Kano on the rising drug abuse in the country. The proposed bills are: National Drug Control Bill and National Mental Health Bill. A statement by the Media Office of the President of the Senate said the Drug Control Bill seeks to clarify the mandate and strengthen the capacity of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to eradicate the illicit production, and trafficking of controlled substances. It also seeks to establish a central mechanism to facilitate collaboration among law enforcement, regulatory and public health authorities in line with the National Drug Control Policy. The Bill further focuses on proactive law enforcement and regulatory measures towards the eradication of the illicit importation, production and trafficking of controlled substances. The statement further said the bill sought to criminalise the diversion, distribution or otherwise dispensing of controlled substances without a prescription or license. On mental health bill, the statement noted that, in recognition of the fact that psychosocial issues are the key drivers for the abuse of psychoactive substance, the bill was crafted to ensure that standard facilities were available in every state to provide mental health and substance abuse services. The proposed law guarantees the protection of the rights of people with mental illness and stipulates that mental health practitioners and facilities no longer engage in practices that are harmful to people with mental health and substance use disorders. This is contained in a message issued in Sokoto on Sunday, April 1, 2018, by the Governors spokesman, Malam Imam Imam. Tambuwal said all members of the society should make sacrifices that will advance the cause vulnerable and the downtrodden. Easter is a period of divine. We should spread that love around by praying, and standing up to victims of circumstance that have found themselves in vulnerable situations within us and elsewhere. We can do this by working closely with charity organizations to give them hope, courage and the will to be strong. Doing this will make Nigeria and the world a better place to live in, he added. While congratulating Nigerians, especially those of Christian faith for the Easter celebration, the Governor restated the commitment of his administration to implementing policies and programs that will positively impact on the lives of the citizens. Buhari's calls for peace in Easter message Also, President Muhammadu Buhari , in his Easter message, appealed to political actors and other stakeholders to resist any act that could mar the integrity of the nations electoral process but to work for peace and social justice. A source in Taraba told Pulse that the angry constituents cited failed representation and abandonment of constituents for more than two years, as reasons why they descended on their lawmaker. Hon Julde had just presented 11 motorcycles and one car to ward executives and local government chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bali LGA of the State, when the stones began to rain. One eyewitness told journalists that the lawmaker escaped with minor bruises before he was whisked away by police personnel on duty at the venue of the event. The event held at the Central Primary School, Bali. Speech The eyewitness, Musa Sandirde, said: Trouble started after he ended his speech at the rostrum and was making his way to present keys of the motorcycles to the beneficiaries. "There and then, some youths started chanting ba mu so in Hausa while at the same time throwing sand, stones and sachets of water at him. Police then quickly intervened and moved him to safety. Sandirde added that the constituents expressed their displeasure at the manner of Juldes representation and vowed to ensure he did not return to parliament in 2019. Abandoned A party executive at Bali LGA, Ibrahim Daka, added: He has completely abandoned the people that sent him to Abuja. For more than two years, he went missing, only for him to show up this weekend to say he was presenting eleven motorcycles and one car to ward and LGA party chairmen. He did that to elect party flag bearers again. But the people he abandoned turned against him and showed their anger. How can you abandon the people and come here to give bicycles to a few people? We are not happy with him and we made our position clear to him, he added. A plan to hold a similar exercise in Mutum Biyu, Gassol LGA, has been shelved for fear of breakdown of law and order. Efforts to speak with Hon Julde and his legislative aides yielded little as none of them responded to calls or text messages sent to their phones. However French ambassador Christian Masset was summoned over what Rome termed "a serious act considered outside the scope of cooperation between states sharing a border." The foreign ministry added that the EU neighbours would address the issue further at a meeting in the northern city of Turin on April 16. The Rainbow4Africa NGO, which has for months occupied part of the train station in the alpine village of Bardonecchia to aid migrants headed for France, filed a complaint after the French officials turned up there late Friday and told a Nigerian man to provide a urine sample. Italian officials reacted with outrage, prompting an official explanatory statement from the French embassy. Gerald Darmanin, the French minister charged with overseeing customs, signed the statement which explained how French officials came to be present when the Paris-bound train arrived from Milan. "These uniformed agents identified as French customs officials suspected one passenger, a Nigerian national resident in Italy, of having drugs on his person. "In line with article 60 bis of the customs code the agents asked the person if he would consent to providing a urine sample to detect drugs which he agreed to do in writing," the statement read. "In order to carry out the test in conditions respecting the person, the agents waited until the train arrived to use the facility at Bardonecchia station which was placed at the disposal of French customs," the statement went on, saying the procedure respected current guidelines laid down in 1990. The French officials duly carried out the test which came back negative. But the Italian foreign ministry said France had failed to keep them fully abreast of developments, leaving Rome to slam the incident as "unacceptable." The agency said in a blog post Sunday that this was its "final estimate" because it is "at the limit of what we can forecast". The China Manned Space Engineering Office had said earlier Sunday that the abandoned orbital outpost would make its earthbound plunge on Monday. The eight-tonne craft is unlikely to cause any damage when it comes down, but its fiery disintegration will offer a "splendid" show akin to a meteor shower, Chinese authorities said previously. Debris from the lab could land anywhere between the latitudes of 43 degrees north and 43 degrees south -- from America's Midwest to New Zealand, the ESA has said. "The high speeds of returning satellites mean they can travel thousands of kilometres during that time window, and that makes it very hard to predict a precise location of reentry," said Holger Krag, head of the ESA's Space Debris Office, in comments posted on the agency's website. The ESA added, however, that the space lab will likely break up over water, which covers most of the planet's surface. And it described the probability of someone being hit by a piece of debris from Tiangong-1 as "10 million times smaller than the yearly chance of being hit by lightning". There is "no need for people to worry", the China Manned Space Engineering Office said earlier on its WeChat social media account. Such falling spacecraft do "not crash into the Earth fiercely like in sci-fi movies, but turn into a splendid (meteor shower) and move across the beautiful starry sky as they race towards the Earth", it said. Tiangong-1 -- or "Heavenly Palace" -- was placed in orbit in September 2011, an important step in China's efforts towards building its own space station. The module -- which was used to practise complicated manual and automatic docking techniques -- was originally intended to be used for just two years, but ended up serving considerably longer. During its brief lifespan, it hosted Chinese astronauts on several occasions as they performed experiments and even taught a class that was broadcast into schools across the country. Out of control? Tiangong-1 had been slated for a controlled re-entry, but ceased functioning in March 2016. Space enthusiasts have been bracing for its return ever since. The ESA has said that ground controllers were no longer able to command Tiangong-1 to fire its on-board engines, which could have been used to control where it re-entered Earth's atmosphere. In contrast, Russia brought down its massive Mir space station through a controlled re-entry over the Pacific Ocean in 2001. A Chinese spaceflight engineer denied earlier this year that the lab was out of control. Chinese media have downplayed comments by the ESA and others that the country's engineers have lost control of the lab, with reports saying that the idea it is "out of control" is an invention of foreign media. But on Chinese social media, commenters criticised the government's reluctance to own up to the situation. "Can you or can't you report that you've lost control of the situation?" one person wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo. "It's not unusual that something this complicated would have a mishap." Beijing began its manned spaceflight programme in 1990 after buying Russian technology that enabled it to become the third country with the ability to launch humans into space, following the former Soviet Union and the United States. China sent another space lab, Tiangong-2, into orbit in September 2016 as a stepping stone to its goal of having a crewed space station by 2022. He was appointed deputy foreign minister "by decree of the head of state", said the Neutral Turkmenistan government newspaper. Some observers of the tightly-controlled country had expected the younger Berdymukhamedov -- seen by some as a possible successor to his 60-year-old father -- to become assembly speaker. However, the Neutral Turkmenistan said Saturday that another lawmaker, Gulshat Mammedova, 54, had been given the role. According to the energy-rich country's constitution, if the president is unable to fulfil his duties, they fall to the speaker. Serdar Berdymukhamedov was first elevated to the rubber stamp assembly in 2016, raising eyebrows in Turkmenistan where little is known about the leader's family. In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, according to the Gazan health ministry. Kuwait, which represents Arab countries on the council, presented the proposed statement, which called for an "independent and transparent investigation" of the violence. The draft council statement also expressed "grave concern at the situation at the border." And it reaffirmed "the right to peaceful protest" and expressed the council's "sorrow at the loss of innocent Palestinian lives." The draft statement was circulated to the council on Friday, but on Saturday the United States raised objections and said it did not support its adoption, a Security Council diplomat told AFP. The US mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request from AFP for comment. The proposed statement also called "for respect for international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including protection of civilians," according to the draft seen by AFP. Council members "called upon all sides to exercise restraint and prevent a further escalation," the draft said. A prisoners' rights group, Una Ventana a la Libertad (A Window on Freedom), said detainees had set fire to mattresses in an attempt to break out, but the flames and smoke quickly filled the cells. Authorities said 66 prisoners and two female visitors died. Saab said on Twitter that the five arrested commanders were "suspected of being responsible for the tragic events that caused the deaths of 68 citizens in the cells of the regional police headquarters: they have been arrested." One of those in custody was the deputy director of the police headquarters. Saab vowed a full probe into the fire "and punishment for all those responsible without distinction." The blaze was one of the worst disasters to befall Venezuela's badly overcrowded detention facilities. At least 388 people have died behind bars in the country since 2011, according to official data and human rights groups. Venezuela's government said Friday it would compensate the families of those killed, without specifying any sums. It also lashed out at the UN human rights office in Switzerland, accusing it of "prejudicial" behavior for issuing a statement saying it was "appalled at the horrific deaths" and calling for a complete investigation. The elders, feeling old tribal customs were holding back their children, thought the drastic measure was necessary. They see those people who go to school and become important people in the government and international organizations, so they have tasted the value of education, said Khayesta Khan Ahadi, who was the headmaster of the first school built in the district. Ahadi said local Taliban, after outreach by the tribal elders, announced their support for the decision from the loudspeakers of local mosques. The tribal elders decision has gained attention across Afghanistan not just because it could help more children get an education, but also because it comes at a time when many remain deprived. Violence and corruption have overshadowed what was once a remarkable success story. 3.5 million children are unschooled. That 3.5 million figure is according to UNICEF. Seventy-five percent of them are girls. The reasons vary. Violence remains high and widespread. There are too few female teachers, and many families will only let girls be taught by women. For many, going to school means a walk of many miles each day. In certain parts of the country enjoying relative peace, however, female enrollment seems higher than that of boys. In central Bamian province, 58 percent of the 162,000 students are female, according to Ayyub Arvin, provincial director of education. 1,075 schools remain closed. The countrys Education Ministry says it has 17,500 schools across the country but 1,075 remained shut last year, largely because of raging violence. The south of the country, where violence has been relentless over the past decade, has been disproportionately affected by the school closures. Activists say the number of closed schools is even higher. Mattiullah Wesa, who leads the organization the Pen Path, said they have counted 1,600 shuttered schools. Of Afghanistans approximately 400 school districts, there are 48 districts where not a single male student has graduated from high school in the past 17 years, Wesa said. There are around 130 districts from where not a single girl has graduated from high school in the same period, he added. Nearly half of schools lack buildings. A survey of 32 of the countrys 34 provinces by The New York Times shows close to half the schools lack buildings. Provincial officials in these areas reported that more than 7,000 schools either teach in open air or have worked out temporary arrangements for classes in rental homes. The provinces of Ghor and Herat in the west, Badakhshan in the northeast, and Nangarhar in the east had the highest number of schools without buildings, each with at least 400. Even inside the city, and the centers of the districts, we have schools that lack buildings, said Rohullah Mohaqeq, provincial director of education in Badakhshan. Corruption hits every level. Despite huge donor investment in Afghan education, corruption remains one of the major causes for its abysmal infrastructure. The countrys education system is marred by corruption from the smallest procedures of modifying school certificates, to the appointment of teachers and the handling of school construction contracts a damning report by the countrys independent corruption monitor said last year. People seeking a teaching job could pay as much as a $1,000 in bribes, nearly five months salary, to secure a position. Recently, the government has tried to tackle corruption in the hiring of teachers by introducing a more rigorous process through its civil service commission. The Education Ministry is the countrys largest civil service employer. Corruption has also been seen as a major reason for discrepancies in enrollment numbers. The countrys previous government had claimed more than 11 million children were in school, with allotted resources often going into the pockets of local and central officials. But the new government has placed that number anywhere between 6.2 million to a little over 9 million. Pressure on Taliban works, sometimes. Across the country, as violence has become the daily reality, elders have tried to figure out local arrangements that would reopen schools. The good news is that the Taliban now want schools in their area of control because of local pressure, said Dawood Shah Safari, head of the education department in Helmand, where as many as 30 school buildings are used as cover by fighters on both sides. Villagers keep coming to me with letters of approval from the Taliban, asking us to open schools. In northeastern Warduj district, which is largely controlled by the Taliban, officials said 16 schools that had been closed for two years were reopening this spring after talks with the group. The 13 schools in the Nawa district of Ghazni province have been closed since 2001, with no child able to attend, according to Mujib-ur-Rahman Ansar, the provincial director of education. But recently, local elders convinced the Taliban to allow the schools to reopen. As many as 25,000 children could attend if the Taliban allow both boys and girls, Ansar said. I must tell you that there isnt any professional teacher for these students, Ansar said. I will hire one to two teachers, and the guy may only be able to read and write, with a ninth- or 10th-grade education, not much more. Other times, Taliban still threaten. Last week, as schools prepared to open in the northern province of Kunduz, the official ceremony in the capital city had to be shifted because of Taliban threats. Only a quarter of Kunduz citys 130 schools have opened their doors to students. The rest, even those under nominal government control, are waiting for the Taliban to give the green light. The dispute seems to be over the mechanism of paying the teachers. The Taliban say they are not opposed to education, but will keep the schools shut until the government changes the method of paying teachers from bank deposits to cash. On Saturday, hundreds of teachers marched in Kunduz city, saying they hadnt been paid for five months. Mawlawi Bismillah, the Talibans head of education for Kunduz, said the groups position was intended to reduce the headache for teachers, who need to make long trips to the provincial capital to withdraw their money. Its easier if the money is delivered by middle men, he said. Government officials say the Taliban are pushing the change because they want a cut. They should come and monitor the payment process, Bismillah said. In our areas of control, we have very active attention and monitoring. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The data, the firm said, appears to have been stolen using software that was implanted into the cash register systems at the stores and that siphoned card numbers until last month. Hudsons Bay Co., the Canadian corporation that owns both retail chains, confirmed Sunday that a breach had occurred. We have become aware of a data security issue involving customer payment card data at certain Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off 5th and Lord & Taylor stores in North America, the company said in a statement. We have identified the issue, and have taken steps to contain it. Once we have more clarity around the facts, we will notify our customers quickly and will offer those impacted free identity protection services, including credit and web monitoring. Hudsons Bay said that its investigation was continuing but that its e-commerce platforms appeared to have been unaffected by the breach. The company declined to identify how many customer accounts or stores were affected. The theft is one of the largest known breaches of a retailer and shows just how difficult it is to secure credit-card transaction systems despite the lessons learned from other large data breaches, including the theft of 40 million card numbers from Target in 2013 and 56 million card numbers from Home Depot in 2014. Last year, Equifax, a credit reporting firm, disclosed that sensitive financial information on 145.5 million Americans had been exposed in a breach of the companys systems. The research firm that identified the Saks breach, Gemini Advisory, said Sunday that a group of Russian-speaking hackers known as Fin7 or JokerStash posted online Wednesday that it had obtained a cache of 5 million stolen card numbers, which the thieves called BIGBADABOOM-2. The hackers, who have also hit other retail chains, offered 125,000 of the records for immediate sale. Fin7 did not disclose where the numbers had been obtained. But the researchers, working in conjunction with banks, analyzed a sample of the records and determined that the card numbers all seemed to have been used at Saks and Lord & Taylor stores, mostly in New York and New Jersey, from May 2017 to March 2018. Although its unclear exactly how the malware was installed in the stores checkout systems, Gemini said it was most likely through phishing emails sent to Hudsons Bay employees. In a phishing attack, hackers send seemingly legitimate emails to a companys employees that encourage them to click on a link or attached file that secretly installs software on their computers, giving the attackers a back door into the systems. The breach comes at a difficult time for Saks and Lord & Taylor, and retailers more generally. Online shopping has cut deeply into the traditional brick-and-mortar retail industry, and department stores have been particularly slow to adapt to the new ways that people shop. Chains that cater to a spectrum of income levels and affluence have seen their sales dwindle. The once-mighty Macys has closed stores and laid off thousands of employees. Neiman Marcus, a high-end brand, was at one point mulling a merger with Hudsons Bay. And last year, Lord & Taylor, a jewel of luxury shopping in Hudson Bays portfolio, sold its 676,000-square-foot flagship Manhattan location, the latest retail titan to acknowledge that much of its value now comes simply from the physical buildings where shoppers once flocked. As digital forces reshape the retail industry, Hudsons Bay executives have watched the companys stock plummet in recent years. Comparable store sales one important measure of performance dropped 2.6 percent in its department stores group in the most recent quarter. In October, Hudsons Bay announced that its chief executive, Gerald L. Storch, would step down, a departure that shook up the top ranks just before the crucial holiday shopping season. Helena Foulkes, a veteran of the pharmacy giant CVS Health Corp., was appointed to the position in February. Hudsons Bay said customers could get further information on dedicated pages on the websites of Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off 5th and Lord & Taylor. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The shellfish, which once smothered reefs in South Africa, in some places packed as tightly as cobblestones, has become more difficult to find as a result of overfishing, luring untrained divers into deeper and more deadly waters. The old reefs have been hit too hard and havent had time to recover, said a diver from Hangberg, an impoverished fishing community in Cape Town, who insisted on anonymity because he did not want to alert the police to his poaching. With stocks of the shellfish declining in South Africa, legal quotas on harvesting it are strictly enforced. But in Hangberg, hundreds of families have turned to the abalone black market for income, as factory closings and the demise of commercial fishing have contributed to a spike in unemployment in recent years. Fueling the demand for exports of the mollusk is Chinas rising middle class, increasingly eager to consume high-status foods. For more than 2,000 years, abalone has been served to celebrate special occasions and honor guests, taking a pride of place alongside other luxury ingredients like shark fin and sea cucumber. It has a rich, buttery flavor, and, when prepared correctly, the flesh is tender, though it can be rubbery and tough. One of the worlds most expensive abalone species, Haliotis midae, occurs only on the southern and western shores of South Africa, where its high value, set amid sweeping poverty, has fueled a poaching epidemic since the end of apartheid in the early 1990s. When abalone was more plentiful closer to shore, the greatest threat to poachers was arrest, and the authorities continue to patrol the remaining patches where the mollusk can still be found. Despite the prospect of fines and prison terms, poachers are driven by a strong economic incentive because abalone fetches high prices. As a result, abalone smuggling has become an important part of the underground economy in many fishing communities. While first-time offenders may face fines as low as $10, the penalties for kingpins can rise to $10,000, with prison sentences exceeding 15 years. But for most poachers, jail terms are seldom longer than a year, and convictions are rare in South Africas overburdened court system. Over the years, the diver from Hangberg said, he has upgraded his house with the money earned from poaching, adding extra rooms and a watertight metal roof, and it stands apart from the lopsided shanties of his neighbors. But now resource depletion is changing the risk calculus, with divers forced to try to find abalone in turbulent waters and areas known to be frequented by sharks, making death a bigger part of the poaching equation. Abalone have been harvested heavily in kelp beds, so now poachers try rougher areas or deeper and more exposed places, said Serge Raemaekers, a researcher from the University of Cape Town, who has studied the abalone trade. One community, about 100 miles east of Cape Town, has been hit especially hard as divers venture into some of the most dangerous waters in the world. In a desolate informal settlement near the town of Gansbaai, divers with no historical connection to the fishing industry have taken to swimming nearly 2 miles out to Dyer Island, a global hot spot for shark cage diving, to hunt in comparatively untouched abalone beds. In September, one diver, Sivuyile Xelela, was dragged to his death by a great white shark in front of other poachers. Despite the risk of such violent death, poaching has become an important source of revenue here. Before, when we were working on the farms here, we were hungry, said Thami, a diver from the community, who insisted on using only his first name because he feared prosecution for poaching. Formal employment is hard to find in the township, a clutch of small government homes and metal shacks at the end of a dirt track, and many men have begun diving for abalone, residents said. The work is very dangerous, but the men do it for the money, said the Rev. Jonathan Xama. In church we pray for their safety. This is not a good job for anybody, and we also pray that they find something better. Within a month of the September shark attack, two more local divers, Bradley Fick and Waylon Love, had drowned, one at Dyer Island and one in the nearby fishing community of Hawston. Both had recently begun using scuba equipment without proper training, friends and family said, in order to access abalone on deeper reefs. In February, Raeburn Jansson died trying to poach abalone in the waters off Cape Town. His widow told local news media that he was trying to earn money to fend off the threat of the couples four children being taken by social services. Divers at the start of the poaching supply chain say they earn around $15 a pound of shucked meat. A decent harvest of 35 pounds can bring $525, almost double South Africas monthly minimum wage, $295. When abalone was more abundant, it was common for divers to harvest 150 pounds or more on a single diving trip. For commercial divers working for legal abalone fisheries, the work is done under safer conditions, for less pay. Once harvested, the shellfish enters a network of buyers and middlemen, and is predominantly shipped to Hong Kong, where dried South African abalone is worth more than $200 a pound, meaning large profits for those further up the supply chain. According to Markus Burgener, a senior program officer with Traffic, a nonprofit organization that monitors wildlife smuggling, poachers have stripped more than 40,000 tons of abalone from South African waters since 2000. Some 3,500 tons were poached in 2016, Burgener said, more than 30 times the entire legal catch. Poaching has been steadily increasing, he said. Quotas for the legal abalone fishery have been slashed early 85 percent since the mid-1990s, with three formerly productive zones closed entirely to fishing. Illegal harvesting will eventually lead to commercial extinction, where the fishery ceases to be viable at all, said Peter J. Britz, a marine biologist at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. Yet, the syndicates controlling the poaching have shown little interest in sustainability: They are Chinese criminal groups who source abalone from local street gangs, often in exchange for drugs like methamphetamine, according to police officials and a report from the Institute for Security Studies. In Cape Town, on a recent hot afternoon in South Africas summer, four poachers from Hangberg scrambled down some granite boulders near Clifton, a beach crowded with vacationers. The men, who were carrying a cooler to disguise their catch as a picnic, were gambling on finding undisturbed abalone beds in a highly visible area. Three of them pulled on tattered wet suits as the fourth kept watch; a few minutes later, they splashed into the frigid water with snorkels and began hunting for perlemoen, the Afrikaans term for abalone, derived from mother-of-pearl, for the shells inner sheen. In the kelp beds they descended to peer into rocky cracks, jabbing flat metal levers to dislodge the small creatures they found. Yet the abalone was scarce, and they got only enough to earn around $120 each barely worth the risk, they said. Too many divers, they said, had been there already. Next time, they would have to go farther out. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. It said she was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and released early Sunday. He never even stopped, the newspaper quoted Cleveland as saying. It was a hit-and-run. If I did that Id be charged. Sgt. Kevin Jordan of the Sheriffs Department said he could not confirm that someone had been hit. But videos posted on Twitter show sheriffs vehicles, surrounded by crowds protesting the shooting death last month of Stephon Clark, moving slowly through the crowd as someone urges repeatedly on a megaphone, Back away from my vehicle. As the first car creeps forward, a second appears to follow quickly in its wake, striking someone who falls to the ground. A video from ABC10 News in Sacramento showed the impact. The California Highway Patrol said a pedestrian who may have been a protester was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. A spokesman for the patrols South Sacramento office, Officer Michael Bradley, said it was investigating a collision that occurred around 9:30 p.m. outside the city limits near the corner of Florin Road and 65th Street. No further details were released. Some Twitter users suggested that the second vehicle had sped up in order to hit a protester and then failed to stop. Crowds in Sacramento, Californias capital, have rallied almost daily since Clark was shot and killed on March 18. They have urged the firing of the two officers involved, who have been put on administrative leave. Clark, 22, died after he was shot eight times by police officers sent to investigate reports that someone was breaking car windows. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Mombasa Governor, Hassan Joho has never written to me or called me. I have never received a request either from him or from anyone else that he would like to meet or speak with me. I would have had no reason to decline such a request. I have no ill will towards Joho or anyone else. My persecutors are the tyrants in Jubilee! In fact, I have never been in possession of Johos telephone number, nor has he ever contacted me at any time in my life. The claims being advanced that I declined to meet Joho in Dubai are being done for PR, propaganda or malicious reasons. Kenyans should treat them with the contempt they deserve. Said Miguna Miguna. To this end, a motion seeking to impeach them for disobeying court orders will be tabled in parliament should they fail to resign. According to nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi, only two options are available for them: to resign or be forced out of office Addressing the press on Saturday, the team of close to ten legislators led by allied to the NASA coalition disclosed that they would stop at nothing in their quest to ensure that the three vacate office. Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi disclosed that they would be seeking to impeach the trio after they defied court orders. He disclosed that the country cannot have law breakers in security dockets and expect them to maintain law and order. They better leave before we (MPs) force them to leave. The trio were convicted by High Court Judge George Odunga after they failed to present themselves as well as opposition politician Miguna Miguna in court as ordered and were each fined Sh200000 Their three dockets were extensively involved in the detention and eventual deportation of the fiery lawyer despite court orders directing that he be granted safe entry into the country. Miguna Miguna is currently in Dubai undergoing treatment and it is not clear where he will be headed to next. This stand was supported by Saboti legislator Caleb Khamisi who termed their actions gross misconduct and stated that the trio would be summoned in parliament to explain why they think they are above the law. QUIZ: Guess the Road Songs We can't wait to get back on the road again! Play this quiz and see if how many you can get right! Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. Property details: Thank you for visiting our ebay store! Gorgeous Lot in Aloha Estates, Hawaii! Owner Financing Available!!! Purchase Price 6,900 with only $99 Down and $134.67 a Month! 7% interest over 5 years! No prepayment penalty! You are bidding on the down payment only! ABOUT ALOHA ESTATES Aloha Estates is approximately a half-hour from Hilo. You're at 2,500 foot elevation and just 15 miles from Walmart! 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IMAGE: Kaala is produced by Rajinikanth's son-in-law actor Dhanush and directed by Pa Ranjith. Those waiting with bated breath to see their favourite Thalaiva in Kaala, slated for an April release, might be in for a disappointment. Almost 30 Tamil films that were to be released in March have been delayed, with a cumulative loss of about Rs 1.5 billion to Rs 2 billion for the industry. The reason is a tussle among cinema owners, film producers, and digital service providers (DSPs), who give digital prints of movies to cinemas for the virtual print fee (VPF). If things are not sorted out soon, the situation could turn grave for the industry, claim experts. Producers in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam film industries had earlier asked digital service providers such as Qube Cinema and UFO to cut the VFP by 25 per cent. At present they charge Rs 22,500 per film per screen. The fee was reduced to an extent and other language industries resumed operations. "There has been no talk between the film producers and the digital service producers after a couple of meetings in February," says Senthil Kumar, co-founder, Qube Cinema. The digital service industry, he adds, could have suffered a loss of about Rs 20 million to Rs 30 million during March. The Tamil Film Producers Council is also in talks with cinema owners. It wants the latter to pay a part of the VPF. Among the movies stuck is Irumbu Thirai, with TFPC President Vishal in the lead. It was slated for release on March 30. "We are trying to mitigate the losses. Some sacrifices have to be made for the better of the industry," says Vishal. Cinema owners claim nowhere in the world do they pay VPF for films. They do not want to set a precedent, even if it were financially viable for them. Besides, the film producers stand to gain by digitising films, they feel. A veteran film producer, who did not want to be named, says there was a meeting between cinema owners and producers, but there was no breakthrough. Producers have other demands as well. The TFPC, along with the actors' organisation, employee federations, and others, will submit a memorandum to the state government to set up a Tamil Nadu Film Development Corporation and to make the ticketing system transparent. One of their suggestions is introducing computerised ticketing. Another issue raised by the producers is while regulations mandate that cinemas have their own projectors, e-projectors were provided by digital service providers. Experts said the demands of the producers could be detrimental to the industry as a whole. Tamil Nadu has about 1,050 cinemas, compared to 1,200 a decade ago. But, the number of movies released per year then was about 50. It has gone up to 280 now. If the TFPC demand is accepted, cinema owners might be reluctant to pay small producers for movies that do not run for long. They might only go for big budget films that have top stars and occupy screens for a longer term. "With my several years' experience in the industry, I can tell you that only one out of 20 films is a success," says a cinema owner. "If we have to pay for digitisation and other fees, we would make losses." "This is going to hit the Tamil film industry very badly. It is already losing around Rs 50 million to Rs 70 million a day and there is no future for the industry if this is continues," says Sreedhar Pillai, an expert who closely tracks the film industry. Income from sources other than ticket prices for the cinemas has also taken a hit. There are also few takers for movies in other languages that are currently running on Chennai screens, he said. With no solution in sight, the loss could double during the summer, says another industry source, one of the best seasons for the industry besides Pongal and Diwali. 'It is very much a danger.' 'With Tibet following the India tradition of ahimsa and the global visibility of the Dalai Lama who embodies these values, he should be supported by India as a diplomat.' 'It would be in India's self-interest and instead of being embarrassed about his presence, India should recognise this (role).' 'By appeasing China, India does not get anything in return; they (the Chinese have not stopped) claiming Arunachal, part of Kashmir, etc.' IMAGE: Despite a central government directive that ministers and officials keep away from events to mark the 60th anniversary of His Holiness The Dalai Lama's arrival in India, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma and Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Ram Madhav attended the 'Thank You India' event in Dharamshala, March 31, 2018, organised to mark 60 years of The Dalai Lama's exile. Photograph: ANI/Twitter Professor Robert Thurman is a well-known figure in the United States. Not only because a few years ago, he was nominated as one of the 25 most influential Americans by Time magazine, but also for being a senior scholar at Columbia University, one of the Dalai Lama's oldest supporters and Hollywood beauty Uma Thurman's father. He speaks to Claude Arpi about as diverse subjects as his years when he was a monk in north India in the 1960s, his relations with the Dalai Lama (Thurman's latest best-seller is entitled Why the Dalai Lama Matters), but also of 'capitalist' China, the Buddhist wave in the West, his idea of a Second Renaissance, his work for preserving Indian sastras at Columbia University, the Barack Obama-Dalai Lama encounter and his vision for the future of the planet. The second of a multi-part interview: Part 1: Why The Dalai Lama Matters The Dalai Lama wrote a book entitled Ethics for the New Millennium, one of the best books of the 20th century; an editor friend of mine told that this book was a miracle, it was on the best-sellers list of The New York Times for five to six weeks, although with 'ethics' in the title, it is normally impossible in America. Editors don't want to hear about 'ethics', they just want to make money. This book is so good. The next time, I met the Dalai Lama, I told him: "You should accept the role of prophet, the 21st century prophet". He said: "Absolutely not". But he was thinking in term of someone predicting the future or challenging the king or power-in-place. I explained (the meaning of prophet), he, however, never acknowledged that he would play this role. His movement is to provide freedom for Tibet, whether it is (in the form of) autonomy or anything else; in fact it can only possibly be autonomy (unless China explodes). Why are the Chinese not listening to him? Because the leadership is afraid of its own people. Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore pretends that the Chinese have a slave mentality, that they have no individuality. It is false. The Chinese are very happy to have fun, to gamble, to drink, to run after girls, like any other human beings. They have also the tradition of being suppressed by other people. They are just human beings. (Mainland Chinese), like in Taiwan would do well in a democracy. They want democracy; they don't believe in the Communist party anymore, they laugh at it. Because of the nationalism hat that they have to wear, you may not think that they do, but underneath, they want. The Chinese government knows this. Today China is basically a capitalist oligarchy; there is an elite with hundred times more money than their workers. They are not Communist at all, but they use a Communist ideology; particularly the dictatorship of the proletariat while at the same time suppressing the proletariat. The leadership is afraid of the masses. Because they are afraid, they think that if they show reasonableness, intelligence or gentleness to foreign people like the Tibetans (because intuitively they know that the Tibetans are foreigners), they will lose control over China; if they show this type of sentiment, the Uygyurs and others will demand the same and finally the Chinese people will also demand freedom. That is why in their minds, it would split China? It is like a domino, like when the stupid Americans were fighting the Vietnamese. The Americans believed in the domino effect. But in a long run, you can't suppress a freedom movement, even with the best weapons. That is the real reason why they are afraid to talk to the Dalai Lama. In an interview, the Dalai Lama told me about his dream to perform the Kalachakra puja at Tiananmen Square. What do you think about this? I believe that it will happen. You have to realise that a rabid nationalism is today used by China to replace Maoism. At one point, when the Chinese leadership will reach the point of pulling the trigger, they will have to face a reality: 1.3 billion people with all their technologies will be outnumbered by the Russians, Japanese, Indians, Americans or Europeans together (the rest of the world is against them. China has today textbooks saying: 'We can conquer the world because we are bigger than the US, etc etc.' A former defence minister of China said if the Chinese leadership is able to take lessons from Hitler, China could dominate the world. Exactly. They are pumping that up. But when they reach the point of an actual war, they will realise that it would suicide (and it would be). They will then say: 'How to calm our people down and just be (ordinary) players?' They would then realise that the Dalai Lama can be a benefactor. If they were smart, they could see it now, but they are not. The major event of the 21st century will be to develop a dynamic world community, a democratic civil society with a proper representation for all people of the world in the United Nations and with China as a major factor, but as an equal, not as a conqueror. In order to bring the (Chinese leadership) into this cooperative fold, one needs someone to help solve this exaggeration (their imperialism in Tibet). They need the Dalai Lama's help to rekindle their spirituality and help them go over their own brutality. The Dalai Lama could enable China to move smoothly to a more democratic system, perhaps even more smoothly than the former Soviet Union did. An event that the world cannot afford during this century is a World War III. We can't also continue with this insane form of global capitalism, consumer capitalism, burning coal, oil, destroying the environment, etc. But India speaks of the right of CO2 emission per capita. I know, I know. I always speak sustainabilism, it is an awkward word, but it should become like a 'religious' movement, we need a quantum leap in understanding this concept. Do we need a financial crisis to grasp this concept? Well, we have it and it is fortunate, because it shows the falsity of the system. We will have not only an economic crisis, but natural calamities such as hurricanes, tsunamis, drought, etc... Take Tibet, it has been predicted that by 2030, a lot of glaciers will be gone. There might be a controversy (with the date), you will always find a scientist funded by oil companies to say that it is wrong. But I have seen glaciers shrinking with my own eyes in Tibet. You can see that they have receded. Like in the case of Greenland, I personally believe that it will be faster than the scientists say. It is an exponential curve. The Chinese admit today, I have read it, that what is happening to the Tibetan plateau is due to the mismanagement by the Chinese People Liberation Army's businesses; the desertification of the steppes, the cutting of the forests, the creation of big cities by colonising Tibet, increasing the temperature. Tibet has a fragile environment, which needs to be sparsely populated. It is even not good for the Chinese who are brought up there; their bodies are not used (to the high altitude); (Han migration) raises the temperature faster than global warming. Then with all major rivers of India have their source in Tibet; the desertification of the plateau is a mega ecological disaster (for India). It will be a major problem for every city in India. It is a slower, but more dangerous than a tsunami. A true sustainable globalisation involves a re-localisation of economic practices, rebuilding village community. You probably know the story of the Scottish engineer who was sacked during the British Raj because he recommended rebuilding village tanks and objected to mega-projects. Big projects to be successful, have to be footed in the local economy, otherwise you will end up with problems like the disappearance of the Aral Sea or the forests of Siberia. Tibet is therefore important for Asia. And then, there is another danger. In its imperial mood, China is surrounding India. It is very much a danger. With Tibet following the India tradition of ahimsa and the global visibility of the Dalai Lama who embodies these values, he should be supported by India as a diplomat. It would be in India's self-interest and instead of being embarrassed about his presence, India should recognise this (role). By appeasing China, India does not get anything in return; they (the Chinese have not stopped) claiming Arunachal, part of Kashmir, etc. As for America, we can't afford to continue its (role) of world policeman. America needs to help local people to work their problem locally. Non-violence should become something important for the US. America should support sensible dialogue and negotiations amongst people (like in the Israel-Palestine case). America should rely on good practices and ethical behaviour; it is essential for US interests. When President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama, they did talk about human rights and the preservation of Tibetan culture, he did not pretend that it was only a social meeting. Is it true that the Dalai Lama had to come through the kitchen door? It was not really the kitchen door. Obama acted like Gandhi, you have to be sensitive to your 'enemy's' feelings. The Dalai Lama would have agreed with him. The fact that there was some garbage was due to the terrible snowstorm, there was two feet of snow and garbage had not been collected. It was not to please the Chinese. Not the garbage bags. The (exit) was maybe to appease the Chinese; it was probably decided with the Chinese. The Dalai Lama does not want (to antagonise the Chinese). He looks happy (in the photograph) playing with snowballs. People noticed the door, but what was not mentioned was the fact that Obama gave the Dalai Lama a bound copy of the letters written by Presidents Roosevelt and Truman to the Tibetan government before the Chinese arrived. It was bound in leather. This was a strong signal. The point was to show that the US has been (directly) dealing with Tibet in the past. The Chinese probably had a fit over this, though they were smart enough to not make a fuss about it. It was a strong signal despite the appeasement stuff. This interview was first published on Rediff.com in April 2010. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had on Saturday paid a visit to the violence-hit areas of Asansol and Raniganj. IMAGE: Local women agitate before West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi during his visit to violence-affected areas of Asansol in Burdwan district of West Bengal on Saturday. Photograph: PTI Photo Defying the state government's prohibitory orders, a Bharatiya Janata Party delegation on Sunday visited violence-hit Asansol to take stock of the situation there after last week's Ram Navami violence. The four-member BJP delegation, led by its national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, visited Asansol amid tight security and were joined by the local BJP leaders at relief camps. After returning to Kolkata, Hussain blamed the Trinamool Congress government for 'having failed' to control the situation in the Asansol-Raniganj belt of West Burdwan district and said, "It (the government) has played the role of a mute observer." "We visited relief camps in Asansol and found that whatever had happened was wrong. It was a failure on the part of the state government," he told reporters. Hussain said the delegation will submit to BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday a report on whatever they observed in Asansol. The delegation had been formed by the BJP chief. Besides Hussain, the delegation included BJP national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Om Prakash Mathur, Palamu MP and former director general of Jharkhand police Vishnu Dayal Ram and Rajya Sabha member Roopa Ganguly. "We want the administration to take strict action against the culprits responsible for the riots here," Mathur said. On the way to the coal town of Asansol, the delegation was first stopped by the police at Basra More and then near Kalipahari as prohibitory orders were in force in the area. The BJP leaders, however stuck to their plans and proceeded to Asansol. The Mamata Banerjee government had yesterday said it would not allow the BJP team to visit the coal towns of Asansol and Raniganj as prohibitory orders under section 144, Code of Criminal Procedure were in force in the riot-hit towns. It had also said that with the dates for the panchayat polls announced and the model code of conduct being in force, it would not be able to provide ample security for the BJP delegation visiting Asansol. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had on Saturday paid a visit to the violence-hit areas of Asansol and Raniganj. He had held a meeting with senior officials of the police and administration and appealed for peace. The Asansol-Raniganj belt had witnessed clashes between two groups over Ram Navami celebrations, resulting in the death of one person. Two police officers too were injured in the clashes. The internet services remained suspended in both the towns, a senior police officer said. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh on Sunday left for Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of 38 out of 39 Indians, killed in the war-torn country, officials said. The minister is expected to bring back the bodies by Monday. "The minister left around 1 pm from the Hindon airbase and is expected to return with the bodies tomorrow," an official said. After coming back, he will first go to Amritsar followed by Patna and Kolkata to hand over bodies to their relatives, official sources said. "I am going to Mosul to get mortal remains of 38 Indians. We won't get one man's remains as his case is pending. We will hand over coffins to the family members with evidence so that they have no doubts about it. My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased," Singh said before leaving. Families of some of these victims had met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here on March 26. Earlier this month, Swaraj had told Parliament that as many as 40 Indians were abducted by terror group ISIS from Mosul in Iraq in June 2014, but one of them escaped posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh. The remaining 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed, she had said. Meanwhile, authorities in Amritsar are making the required arrangements to receive the bodies expected to arrive by a special aircraft on Monday afternoon, a senior official said. "All necessary arrangements have been made to transport the mortal remains of 31 Indians killed in Iraq, who hail from different places in Punjab and Himachal, to their native places when the bodies reach tomorrow," Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha said on Sunday. Of the Indian citizens killed by the terrorist organisation, 27 belonged to Punjab while four hailed from Himachal Pradesh. "As per the information we have received, the bodies are expected to reach the international airport at Amritsar at around 1:30 pm tomorrow," Sangha told PTI over the phone. According to the schedule, Union minister Singh will reach Amritsar followed by Patna and Kolkata to hand over bodies to the relatives, officials said. Sangha said he held a meeting on Saturday with various stake-holders involved in the process of smooth handing over of the bodies to the relatives. "Those who took part in the meeting included director of the Amritsar international airport, officials of the customs, immigration, CISF, police, IAF and bureau of civil aviation," he said. The Amritsar DC also spoke to his counterparts in other districts in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Arrangements for ambulances and other vehicles for ferrying the coffins to the native places have been made by the respective district administration with all necessary assistance extended by the authorities in Amritsar, he said. "As it is a sombre occasion and to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to the grieving relatives, we have made arrangements so that there is no chaos at the airport. The bodies will be brought out from a different exit passage," he said. Eight victims belonged to twin districts of Amritsar and adjoining Tarn Taran. Family members of the 39 Indians massacred by ISIS were still trying to come to terms with the grim reality. Dimplejeet Kaur, sister of Dharminder Kumar, 27, said he was the sole bread winner supporting a large family. "All our hopes are dashed now; we are heart broken," she said. Kumar went to Iraq to earn for his family in 2014. He was a resident of village Talwandi Jhira in Gurdaspur district. Among the 39 Indians, most were from different places in Punjab like Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of budget session of the state assembly over a week ago, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had promised adequate compensation by the state government for the families of the Iraq victims. He also demanded that the Centre also compensate the victims since the tragedy occurred overseas. With inputs from ANI. Photograph: ANI Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. Women from across Rhode Island hold up The Woman Projects Petition 2.0 during a performance of Codify Wednesday in the library of the statehouse. Nancy St. Germain, 70, of Warwick, has advocated for years for the right of women to have safe abortions. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Yes, undoubtedly... as the position right now is not conducive for small and medium manufacturing units to survive, given that bank financing and loans are hard to get and prices of rough don't allow making profits out of the manufacturing process. Taking an overview of the rough supply situation in India, one can see that it is the SMEs that are hard hit at present, more so now with the rather disturbing on-going events of the PNB fraud cases. In India, the present situation is a chaotic time for the Indian diamond manufacturers, especially the SMEs who are caught between 'a rock and a hard place' - literally. Admitted that the Indian gem and jewellery industry is currently burdened with a cartload of challenges to worry about, but here, let's take it one at a time. Being the world's largest cutting and polishing sector that employs hundreds of thousands of artisans and processes 14 out of 15 diamonds consumed globally, ensuring a continuous supply of rough could easily be considered the biggest concern. Feeding the manufacturing units, small and big, has been the first and foremost concern for the Indian diamond industry over the years. The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India (GJEPC) has been consistently striving to convince the Indian Government to introduce a turnover-based taxation system as it would help in attracting foreign diamond mining companies to trade rough diamonds in India and make it a diamond-trading hub. Currently, rough diamonds are mainly imported into India from such trading centres as the European Union (mainly Belgium), Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and other countries, including Canada, the United States of America, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Singapore, Botswana, South Africa, Australia, etc. On the topic of tax and customs system in India's diamond trade, as well as the reason why it has taken so much time to establish direct sales of rough from mining companies inside the country, Promod Agarwal, Chairman, GJEPC said: The Indian diamond industry is the world leader in cutting and polishing diamonds. We have achieved this status without a single mine in India. We source rough diamonds from various trading centres like Belgium, Dubai, Israel, etc. In India currently with the setting up of India Diamond Trading Centre - SNZ - at Bharat Diamond Bourse, top mining companies have this opportunity to bring in their diamonds for viewings to buyers, but sales dont take place in SNZ." Agarwal also stressed that introduction of a presumptive taxation system would be a game changer for the industry as it will allow the sale of diamonds in India and it will give India a level playing field with other competitive markets. The Council has proposed the introduction of presumptive taxation to the Government of India. Being the leader in cutting and polishing diamonds, such a policy is essential to take the industry to the next level, he added. In December 2015, an SNZ (Special Notified Zone) was also established at the Bharat Diamond Bourse, Mumbai, where import and trading of rough diamonds could be allowed, thus helping miners to bring their rough supplies directly for trading in India. But, till date, due to the complex tax system, there has been only 'viewing' facilities at the SNZ, but mining companies cannot come to India and auction their roughs without any tax liabilities. The explanation given by Colin Shah, Vice Chairman, GJEPC, too, reflected the tax issues: "Under the Indian direct tax regime, any income arising from the sale of any asset/property or source of income situated in India is deemed to accrue or arise in India. Given this, the sale of rough diamonds from SNZ triggers a tax rate of 40% (plus surcharge and cess as applicable) vis-a-vis carat tax / presumptive rate ranging between 0.125% - 0.16% applicable to the sale of rough diamonds at Antwerp. This makes the direct sale from SNZ as non-competitive. So, obviously, it is more convenient to buy 'rough' from major diamond hubs, like Antwerp or Dubai due to the tax benefits." Echoing similar sentiments, Vipul Shah, former chairman of GJEPC, too, pitched for a reasonable and presumptive tax structure for the diamond industry. He reiterated that 'the GJEPC has been representing the industry's woes to the government and hoped that necessary steps will be taken in the future. But he did not forget to warn that such changes from the government will take its own time. Shah also asserted: "Now, most mining companies are taking part in displaying their goods in the SNZ at BDB, Mumbai for the buyers' 'viewing', which has been helpful to the industry to an extent". Dinesh Navadiya , Gujarat Regional Chairman, GJEPC, also had a very candid opinion on the same topic: "The miners from the other countries are facing many issues making direct sales to Indian polishers such as they have to send the rough diamonds as sales and not as a consignment for auction or display which is very inconvenient if the material is not needed or of the expected standard." Most Indian diamantaires find it more convenient to buy rough from major diamond hubs like Antwerp or Dubai. Why? Navadiya answers: "The diamond hubs like Dubai and Antwerp having Government policies allowing consignment-based transaction which attracts mining companies and buyers both. They get business-friendly environment and presumptive tax structure to deal with the business freely. The business-friendly Government policies are very lenient, and miners are permitted to sell the goods directly and on the spot after the display of the goods." In general, while the large manufacturers have the financial power to survive in tough times like high rough prices, shortages etc., it's the SME's who face the brunt. But then, the SMEs form a major part of the cutting and polishing sector and cannot be left to fend for themselves. Their role, as well as the market share of small-scale diamond manufacturers in India, compared with big manufacturing businesses is of utmost importance. Navadiya commented: "Small-scale Diamond manufacturers may roughly form about 40% of the total Diamond manufacturers in India. Though there is no proper data available for the same. The SMEs are playing a major role by providing employment, offering cutting and polishing work at a cheap rate. The SMEs in this sector having the skill to cut and polish small sized diamonds where the cost of the raw material is not high as compared to labour, but this is the factor that playing an important role making India a hub for diamond cutting and polishing." For a country which processes almost 85% of the world's rough, India imports just around 15% of rough directly from the producing countries, while the balance is shipped in from the trading hubs. Therefore, it is imperative that the Indian government simplifying the tax structure thereby saving transaction cost, facilitate more FDI into the country, and help in the smooth trading of goods. Dinesh Navadiya has for decades taken upon himself to protect the small manufacturers and look for avenues to support them for their rough diamond needs. He explains the role traders play accurately: "For Small unit holders it is not affordable to visit overseas diamond hub and participate in rough diamond auctions or direct purchase it from mining companies. SMEs rely on the Diamond traders who fill the gap and play a role of a bridge between Miners / big players and small manufacturers by procuring rough diamonds in bulk quantity from the supplier and providing the same to SMEs in the local market as per their requirements." Almost 90-94% of the cut and polished diamonds that are manufactured in India are exported. The industry should, therefore, be declared as zero-rated indirect tax regime and make taxes paid only on invoices raised to Indian companies and not on re-exports of rough diamonds imported through Special Notified Zone (SNZ). The SNZ was supposedly established for import and trading of rough diamonds in India, and help mining companies bring their rough supplies directly for trading in India. The global diamond producers are aware that the large market for their rough diamonds in India means that they can make a couple of percent more by selling directly in India instead of the traditional trading centres of Belgium, or UAE. But the complicated procedures and potential taxation disputes make large producers hesitant to set up operations in India. Now the onus is on the Indian government to take the right steps to support the country's gem and jewellery industry, which is an example for 'Make in India' initiative and an employment creator. By making necessary changes to the current tax structure, the government's claim of helping in the 'ease of doing business' may actually get real. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished Alexander Gorynya is a Director General of the St. Petersburg-based Kongo jewellery company. He is a Chairman of the Union of North-West Jewellers. In 1978, he graduated from the North-Western Extramural Polytechnic University. Since 1983, he worked at the LPO Russkiye Samotsvety (Russian Gems), and rose through the ranks from the Deputy Head of a workshop to the Director General. In 1995, he was elected the president of the AOOT Russkiye Samotsvety. In 1999, he set up and headed the jewellery company Gringor that is a supplier to the Russian Imperial House. He is an Honored Artist in Applied and Decorative Arts and awarded the medal Yuvelirnaya Rossiya (Jewellery Russia) and the Order of Honour, a Russian Federation national award, and many other awards. It is known, that the idea of the new jewellery contest named after Faberge belongs to you. Should it become a sort of the jewellery Oscar contest? With regard to the Faberge contest: now there exist a serious stratification of society in our country. And practically, starting from 2008, the middle class has been gradually decreasing. Those who had big money have got even more money - but this money is not used for the benefit of Russia and rather channeled abroad by some reasons, which shows the instability, turbulence within the country. Also, there exist another group of people having not very much money. As we work in the jewellery business, we should satisfy the needs of the both groups. All the commercial jewellery exhibitions aim at meeting the needs of the most population in jewellery and in good quality one, if possible. It should be noted, that there was no promotion of premium-class exhibitions in our country. And it is highly required as the jewellery industry has achieved a quantum leap in design and processing of metals and stones over the last 20 years: new enabling technologies, tools and 3D software appeared, so now it is possible to manufacture jewellery of beautiful designs and also in any quantity. In addition, people certainly want to have exclusive and hand-made jewellery pieces and the premium-class exhibitions serve this purpose. That is why a simple idea has come up to hold a wider not just a Russian-wide but a world contest named after Carl Faberge. Why a Faberge contest? I think that St. Petersburg is one-of-a-kind. The Faberge family not only moved here - to the centre of the Russian Empire. Later on, Carl and Agathon Faberge finished the Annenschule, consequently, their children studied at the Peterschule. In this city as nowhere else, this jeweler was greatly respected even Benvenuto Cellini, the only jeweler to whom a monument was raised could not boast of anything of a kind. We have a Faberge House, a square named after him, a Faberge Museum where the works of his company are collected their number exceeds 1,500 pieces and they are unique. It was determined that 140 enamel colors and hues were used by his craftsmen in their works which is amazing by itself. A simple idea came to me that I shared with Valeriy Budny at first: about the contest in St. Petersburg, in the Shuvalovs Palace on the embankment of the Fontanka River. Just imagine the participants in the contest would sail along the Fontanka River up to the Faberge Museum, they would step up the red carpet to the Palace, show their works, receive their awards, then the prize- and award winners would go down to their boats and sail to different countries. This is the picture Valeriy Budny and I discussed as well as the plans to work out a sightseeing tour to the places associated with Faberge. Probably, in future this jewellery Oscar contest will be held this way but so far, the premium-class exhibition, a rather costly one, at is first stage was held in Moscow the place where more money is available. So, this contest was launched and I hope it will continue. Its presentation at the World Trade Center was a success and the idea started to take its shape and wings. The contest should be an interesting event and connect the times. At the conference devoted to Faberge, I told about this idea to Tatiana Faberge, a great-granddaughter of Carl Faberge. Being a wise woman she noted: Can you imagine what kind of top-notchers will arrive here? I answered that it would be nice if the contest could become a world-class one. Normally, on the average it requires three years to develop such contests. We were supported by Gaetano Cavalieri, President of the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), who liked the idea and agreed to chair the panel of judges for the contest, to represent and promote the contest at the international exhibitions in Hong Kong that became a jewellery capital and in Las Vegas and later on everywhere. What will differ it from the similar contests? We are interested in the participation of the major global brands in it. And when it is held under the auspices of China, Hong Kong, Italy and associates with a country, the brands do not take part in it. In this case, the contest is named after the jeweler who is beyond any competition. Even Cartier, Tiffany and any world-class brands could take part in it. And it will also attract premium jewellery to Russia. What is the scope of activities of the Union of the North-West Jewellers headed by you? The industry faces many problems: credits to buy the materials, purchasing of metals and stones, excessive smuggled and counterfeit goods (today over 50% of jewellery in retail is of unclear origin), VAT reimbursement, diamond cutting&polishing - it is uneconomic to manufacture diamonds within the country and small-size rough diamonds are taken abroad for polishing. A lot of challenges. A lot of people are engaged in the jewellery industry: in the jewellery manufacture it is necessary to solve many various tasks: design, technology, packing, marking, selling. People say jewellery - very elaborate - work and it means a manual work process. From 800 thousand to one million people with the family members are engaged in the industry. That is why the prosperity of the industry is a national task and requires at least the participation of the government. We contact the Ministry of Finance, Assay Chamber and State Precious Metals and Gems Repository. However, the government mainly deals with the resource industries gas, oil, coal, metals, diamonds, or with the defence industry aerospace equipment, shipbuilding industry and rocket and missile engineering. And as for the population employment and payment of taxes, the jewellery industry could be almost the leading one among the processing industries. But it is a big topic requiring a special discussion. Could you distinguish our companies working to the glory of Russia? I always like everything new only my eyes see only the new items - and the low-quality ones. As for the mass production segment, there exist the Alfa-Karat firm, but it is VIP-2000. As for the technologies and design, the processing of silver and gold, they start to outperform the Italians. This is a technological breakthrough. I also liked the Siyanie Sibiri company that was set up in Barnaul but now it is mainly a Moscow-based company. They use small size diamonds (probably, Yakutian ones as they cooperate with ALROSA) and also they cut and polish pearls I heard about it but see it for the first time. It is interesting. From the point of view of design I am not a master hand at this, I am not an artist but I like, certainly, the jewellery pieces by Vera Kabarovskaya from Kostroma: she also tries to combine the precious metals and enamels. The Yakutian firms have made a big progress I have been keeping my eye on their work since the 1990s. The main thing is that the government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) supports them. At their earlier stage, they underwent their study and training at our Samotsvety company and now they have their own school. Of course, they like to use and it is natural their national motives and diamonds that should be processed and promoted. How did you came to the jewellery industry? Quite by chance. My background, at first, is electrical engineering, I received my second education at the University of Marxism-Leninism at the faculty of Foreign Relations, and my third education is the economics - I got my education studying in the evenings because I have been working since the 8th school year. I worked in the defence industry, at the Lenmashzavod, where I became the Head of the workshop at the age of 26, and then I was the Deputy Head of Production. We lived at the Rzhevka district and it took me one hour and a half to get to the factory and I always passed the Russkiye Samotsvety firm. I came to them off the street and they hired me as the Deputy Head of the workshop at once. In four months, I became the Head of this workshop (the most difficult one) - there were 650 workers. Later on, I became the Head of Production, Deputy Director General, Director General So, it means that you liked it. By the way, you have a rare and famous surname. Arent your forefathers relatives to Gorynya Nikitich? My surname is among the oldest: by the way, Gorynya means the Goddess of the mountains. So, you were destined for dealing with semiprecious and precious stones and precious metals. I trace my ancestry to the Western slavic people, most probably from Poland. I was born in St. Petersburg in the apartment of Yakobson, a leading artist at the Faberge firm. He got this 6-bed apartment at the crossroads of Vosstaniye and Ryleyev Streets from Vasiliy Zuyev, another miniaturist painter from the same firm who had left for some place in the Volga area. After the Siege of Leningrad, my father, a combat pilot, returned from the war and also started to live in that flat (note: requisitioning of a part of somebody's living space for new tenants was practiced during and after World War II to place other families who lost their living space or were evacuated). When I was born, I was baptized in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral and my Godmother was Tamara Yakobson, an Honoured Actress of the RSFSR. Why do you like jewellery manufacturing? First of all, I like everything miniature. At the age of 12, I even became a champion of Leningrad in ship scale modeling. And the jewellery industry is interesting by itself. When I worked in the defence industry, we used 150 tons of metal every month and when they told me at the Samotsvety that their production process is difficult I was about to laugh. I started to work as always I had interesting workshops that reached a breakthrough and everything was going well. Still, in 1999, I left the company and started my own business, launched a new product for the market silver jewellery with diamonds - and I have been doing this for about two decades. Why silver and why with polished diamonds? In 1998, if you remember, there was a default. And white gold was in fashion at that time. As I left the Samotsvety and had no money - and gold requires big working capital - it was necessary to bring something new. At first, it was strange to people that I had left such an office at such a large company. But in three-four years, people started to accept our jewellery. And I also like environmentally friendly goods and I manufacture them. That is why we use only cadmium-free solders even when working with gold, and silver is an anti-bacterial material, so the Lord himself has commanded to use silver. And few can recall that earlier the settings for polished diamonds were made of silver, in 95 percent of items. They started to make gold settings in the early 20th century only. What interesting is in doing your own business? Gringor is a classic small-scale enterprise. I set it up and then defended my thesis Ensuring the Competitiveness of Jewellery Produced by a Small-Scale Enterprice based on my experience and data. I defended my thesis at the Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance, the procedure lasted for two and a half hours and I answered 72 questions everybody was interested in the subject. There was a proposal to do academic work but it is not my thing. Doing my own business is interesting because it is the means to implement my own ideas. And such large-scale enterprises like the Russkiye Samotsvety company have different management methods and tasks. And what about polished diamonds? I like everything perfect and a diamond is the hardest mineral on the Earth. This is a stone that decomposes a white colour into all the colours of the rainbow. Cutting is a real science - rough diamond planning, nowadays, there are laser technologies, all operations improved and became faster. And there is some magic in this stone. As for jewellery, I play it cool, I am even indifferent to it. But there was such a case: once a difficult task was set to make a riviere necklace using a 3-carat central diamond and down to 0.3-carat ones. As usually, it should be made as soon as possible and we finished the work at 11.00 p.m. And the next day, when we washed it and put under the warm light it looked like a fire snake. I was under great impression for the first time, I felt the magic of diamonds. And even from the physical point of view: when you polish the metal of the jewellery, nothing happens to the stone. Other stones deform, and a polished diamond is hard. I like to work with it. Galina Semyonova for Rough&Polished This might sound a bit repetitive but the truth is quite simple folks. Despite the result at the end of yesterdays sold out heavyweight fight at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Lupesoliai Laauliolemalietoa Joseph Parker, is still our champion. By a long, long way. So lets begin by congratulating our very own Lupesoliai Parker for a credible performance against such a devastating puncher in the heavyweight division. The mere fact he has become the first fighter to survive 12 rounds with Joshua speaks volumes about the character of the man. They sure make them tough down at Tapatapao and Faleula. Indeed, Parker might have lost but there is no disgrace in Lupesoliais defeat. He should be proud, hold his head high and so should everyone in his camp, families, friends and the Samoan people in Cardiff who supported him against the deafening roar of the crowd there. That said; lets also applaud and give credit to Anthony Joshua. In the lead up to the fight, I have quietly admired his mannerisms, intelligence and classy approach. And after yesterdays display, it must be said he is rightfully the owner of all those belts. There is a reason why he holds the W.B.A, I.B.F., I.B.O. and now Parkers W.B.O. title. He is an amazing athlete, consummate professional, gifted with the sort of physique and muscles that allowed him to keep Parker at bay. If anything, that was the difference between the two boxers. Joshuas physique allowed him to dominate ring movement. His height and weight advantage worked for him because it forced Parker to work extra harder just to land a punch. And because he couldnt get inside to ruffle up Joshua, Parkers speed and combinations were nullified. Which is something most people who supported Parker became increasingly frustrated about as the fight wore on. We would have loved to see Parker unleash more flurries than he did. We would have loved to see him open up and use a bit more power. Alas he didnt. Joshua on the other hand was equally conservative. He preferred to stay behind the jab and make Parker do all the work. The few occasions where he let his punches go didnt hurt Parker. They just backed him off but the Parker would come back at him. If we are honest, it wasnt the explosive fight many were looking for. It definitely wouldnt go down as one of the greatest fights of all times. In hindsight, both boxers would look back and perhaps feel they could have given it a bit more. For Parker especially, he would look back and he might regret the fact he didnt let his hands go as much as he would have liked. Keep in mind that there were a couple of times when he had Joshua in trouble but couldnt follow up with that killer instinct. If anything, that is what Parker has been missing and it was again evident yesterday. He needs to smell the end and move in to capitalise. Every time they tangled and Parker landed a good shot on Joshua, you could tell that the big Brit was on alert but Parker would not follow up quickly. But thats okay. Parker would learn a lot from yesterdays loss. He can only get better. The fact is more 95 per cent of people would have predicted Joshua to knock out Parker. Many of them went as far as to say the fight would not last past the first three rounds. In defeat yesterday, Parker once again proved himself as a genuine world champion. Even Joshua admitted that in the end which is a huge compliment. Besides, on top of facing a giant like Joshua who had knocked out every opponent up until yesterday, Parker had other odds to overcome. He travelled across the world to a complete new place, plucked up the courage to stay composed infront of 80,000 people many of them calling for his head and in the end, although he was defeated, he remained standing and walked away from Cardiff with new found respect from people there. That in our eyes is the mark of a true champion. Well done, Lupesoliai Laaulolemalietoa Joseph Parker! At the tender age of 26, we know he is not done yet and he will be back. And we can hardly wait. Have a great week Samoa, God bless! Hypocrite. Thats the word used by the Minister of Prisons, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt, to describe Member of Parliament, Olo Fiti Vaai. The comment is the latest in the longstanding dispute between the two men. At the beginning of the year, Olo called on the Minister to step down as Minister of Prisons Services. Olo said if he cannot fix the problems at the Prisons, then he should resign and let someone else get the job done. Olo said he is baffled as to why no one from the Samoa Prisons and Correction Services has been charged for the unlawful release of notorious criminal Tagaloasa Filipaina during the holidays last year. Who is above the law and who isnt, he asked. Why is that no one from the Samoa Prisons and Correction Services has been held accountable for the unlawful release of inmates? The law has been broken, yet nothing has been done about it. Speaking to the Samoa Observer, Tialavea has wielded the axe on Olo. How can Olo point his finger to me when he also requested for one of his relatives to be released from jail, Tialavea said. Of course the request was granted. According to the warrant of prisoners temporary release obtained by the Samoa Observer, on 3 March 2017, Olo wrote to the Commissioner of Prisons, Taitosaua Edward Winterstein. He asked for a prisoner from his constituency to be released to attend his fathers funeral. The request according to the warrant was granted with conditions that Olo will be responsible for him. Asked for a comment, Olo made it clear that he merely followed procedures put in place for the release of the inmate based on a request from his constituency. The family of the inmate came to me asking if I can request on their behalf to release the said prisoner for his fathers funeral, Olo said. I wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police to request a special release for the prisoner to be released to attend his fathers funeral. I made the request via the Commissioner of Corrections and the decision to release the prisoner is their prerogative. I didnt force them to release the prisoner. They granted my request. Can Tialavea say the same regarding the release of Filipaina? Was there a written request, or was it just verbal request? What he did was illegal. I went through the legal process and if they had denied the request, I did my due diligence by following the regulations and protocols put in place for release of prisoners. The Samoa Observer has requested a copy of the release warrant for Filipaina. Minister Tialavea referred the request to the Commissioner, who has yet to respond as of press time last night. Asau, Savaii is officially about to get a second chance to revitalize the districts economy with works in development to improve its harbour. Two weeks ago in Parliament, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi announced that the government has secured funding to widen and deepen the channel. Currently the channel is ineffective and dangerous for marine vessels to come into, what is considered Samoas most protected harbour -making it an attractive feature to develop. Asaus Member of Parliament and the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Lopaoo Natanielu Mua, said that this is a very exciting development not only for Asau but for Savaii because it will create opportunities to boost tourism and exporting for the big island. The Prime minister announced that funding through the Chinese government has been secured to deepen and widen the channel in the Asau Harbour, he said. This is going to trigger the re-use of the port because once that is done no matter what we do on the wharf I tell you, this will help the economic growth in Savaii. It will stop migration to Apia and theres a lot of lands where companies can come and lease because they are all customary lands in Asau. Were talking about a base a little bit of a distance from Apia but Asau is more from an economic point of view, it is the most protected wharf/port in the whole of Samoa. According to Lopaoo, in Apia, when they are swelling, they send the boats out. And when the boats are coming in and its swelling, they go to Pago first. But here in Asau, its so protected and the boat can come in safely but the channel is the problematic area and now the PM has already secured funding to widen and deepen the channel. It will be safe for the yachts to come in, in the olden days 60s 70s because of all the economic activities that were going on here because of Potlatch we had lots of yachts come in , they bring in tourists. In the mid 1960s, the Samoan government funded a new harbour and wharf facilities at Asau to accommodate the operation of Potlatch, a large American wood products firm that moved toward full production in the early 1970s. While it was Samoas largest employer during that time, the economic boom did not last long due a combination of governmental mismanagement of funds and the irrevocable damage being done to the areas primary rainforests by inadequate forest management. However Lopaoo says that the district still has the advantage of having the foundations of a prosperous harbour and wharf still existing waiting to be developed. This is an exciting move and Im really thankful to the Prime minister for doing this. I think back to when I was a young guy growing up in Asau when Potlatch was here - it was buzzing, business was booming and then when our native forests was gone, the company pulled out because they were only here for the hard timber. But now our people are more integrated and we are looking at what we can do with our hands, we can produce the goods that going to feed the supply chain here. If we can bring in manufacturing companies to build here there will be a port here to deliver their products out to the overseas market. We wont have to go to Apia and it will cut costs between Savaii and Upolu its all better for the whole island and therefore for the economy of the whole country. The project is expected to be completed over two years. CITY COUNCILS DEL MAR The Del Mar City Council will meet in closed session at 3:30 p.m. to discuss personnel and in regular session at 4:30 p.m. Monday in council chambers, 2010 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Suite 100. The council will discuss: an update on the protection and potential improvement to the North Bluff Preserve (James G. Scripps Bluff); the proposed Del Mar Charter Amendment; and proposed changes to regulations regarding dogs off-leash on city beaches in the early morning. ESCONDIDO Advertisement The Escondido City Council will meet in closed session to discuss property negotiations at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers, 201 N. Broadway. In regular session at 4:30 p.m., the council will consider supporting the passage of the Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018, a response to Proposition 47, which reclassified what it deemed as non-serious, nonviolent crimes as misdemeanors. The council will also consider a request to support filing a legal brief on the side of the federal government in opposition to California designating itself a sanctuary state. Library meeting The Escondido Public Library has scheduled one additional strategic planning meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Escondido Public Library, Turrentine Room, 239 S. Kalmia St. RSVP by email: library@escondidolibrary.org or by phone: (760) 839-4601. Cant make the meetings? Leave a comment at library.escondido.org/strategicplan. POWAY The Poway City Council is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers, 13325 Civic Center Drive, when it will hold several public hearings, including on a permit requested to build a drive-through restaurant at 13464 Poway Road; the abatement of public nuisances at 16943 Valle Verde Road and 12805 Beeler Creek Trail; and for sales of several properties. VISTA The Vista City Council has canceled its consolidated workshop meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday. SCHOOL DISTRICTS Advertisement CARDIFF The Cardiff School District board will meet in closed session to discuss litigation at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Cardiff Elementary School auditorium, 1888 Montgomery Ave. In regular session at 5 p.m., the board will consider ratifying a collective bargaining agreement with the Cardiff Elementary Teachers Association; and will consider a raise for classified, confidential and classified management employees. FALLBROOK The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in Room 106 of the district office, 321 N. Iowa St., when it will consider a tentative two-year agreement with the California School Employees Association and an increase to all salaries and schedules for management, confidential, and unrepresented employees. Advertisement VALLEY CENTER The Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Valley Center High School media center, 31322 Cole Grade Road. Advertisement laura.groch@sduniontribune.com Just as they have for the last 35 years, hundreds of people converged on Balboa Park as dawn broke on Sunday for an Easter service featuring a mix of inspiring music and prayer. One of San Diegos most consistent traditions, the parks annual sunrise service at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion didnt disappoint those who braved the early morning mild chill many of them wearing beanies or carrying blankets for their laps. Some used their smart phones to film parts of the hour-long service, particularly musical performances by St. Stephens Cathedral Choir, and post them on social media for others to experience. Overcast skies deprived the celebration of whats typically the highlight of an early morning Easter service: the sun rising as a metaphor for the resurrection of Jesus Christ that the holiday celebrates. Advertisement But no one complained or seemed to mind, with the booming organ music, traditional choir vocals and thoughtful sermon by Elder Fred Johnson carrying the day. Johnson, an elder at St. Stephens Cathedral Church of God in Christ, urged those in attendance to embrace Christ as a way to quench their thirst for satisfaction and meaning in life, warning them that likes on Facebook and other social media affirmations will never do the trick. Only Jesus can satisfy the longing thirst of the soul, said Johnson. The church is among five that annually rotate handling the program at the organ pavilions sunrise service. Faith Presbyterian is scheduled to handle the 2019 ceremony. The others are La Jolla Presbyterian, Mount Sinai Baptist and Grace Lutheran. The ceremony is one of many Easter sunrise services across the county, including large gatherings at Mount Helix, Cabrillo Monument and the Carlsbad Flower Fields. But the Balboa Park event has had a unique twist since it began in 1984: all of the proceeds go to homeless services every year, with the San Diego Rescue Mission receiving all of this years donations from the audience. The event raises between $10,000 and $15,000 in a typical year, even with crowds dwindling somewhat recently, said Cindy Peterson, a La Jolla resident who has coordinated the event every year since founding it. Advertisement We dont have as many people as in the past because religion is not as important in some peoples lives, said Peterson, who sings in the La Jolla Presbyterian choir. Thats not to say Sundays crowd was sparse. Every bench surrounding the iconic organ pavilion had at least one person on it and people continued to arrive after the 6:30 a.m. service began, but there was no need to sit shoulder-to-shoulder. The crowd was also an eclectic mix of local residents, some of whom brought their dogs along, and out-of-towners visiting San Diego on spring break. Virtually all age groups and ethnicities were represented, with some folks dressing up for the holiday service and others choosing to wear sweats and other casual clothing. Advertisement Peterson, 87, said she has no plans to stop coordinating the annual event or to turn it over to someone else. But other congregations have expressed interest in having Easter sunrise services, so the long-term future isnt totally clear, she said. Peterson raises the $500 it costs each year to have the Sunday service at the organ pavilion, plus a Saturday rehearsal. She could take the money out of the collections received, but she wants every cent of that to go to the Rescue Mission. Its hard, but we scrape it all together, she said. The event began when Peterson, inspired by an Easter sunrise service held each year at the Hollywood Bowl, suggested something similar at Balboa Parks Starlight Bowl outdoor theater. Advertisement The College Avenue Baptist Church hosted the first of four sunrise services Peterson coordinated at the Starlight, which gave way to the organ pavilion in 1988. I think its a nicer, warmer place, Peterson said. That organ is so magnificent. Organ music opened Sundays service, which also included hymns, readings from scripture, Johnsons sermon and several songs by the St. Stephens choir whose members were dressed all in white. Advertisement david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick Hes been spotted at the sprawling Pabellon Rosarito shopping mall, with a woman at Peter Piper Pizza. Elsewhere along the coastal strip that spans Tijuana and Rosarito Beach, Thomas Markle has patronized a taco shop, purchased beer, ordered a take-out sandwich at a local cafe. Nothing remarkable for an American retiree leading a quiet life south of the border. But these days, no detail of Markles life is too small for the paparazzi who come knocking on the door of his house overlooking the Pacific Ocean and follow his tracks to nearby businesses. Hard as he has tried, Markle cannot escape the limelight: His daughter, the former actress Meghan Markle, is preparing to marry into the British royal family on May 19. The British press depict Prince Harrys future father-in-law as a shy and reclusive man, and theres a question of whether he will walk her down the aisle of St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, or deliver a father-of-the bride speech. Advertisement He has not been giving interviews: No comment kids, thank you, Markle told staff from the London tabloid, The Sun, when they trailed him to a convenience store near his Baja California residence, and reported his purchase of three packs of cigarettes. Markles life in Baja California is worlds away from Buckingham Palace, and the less formal lifestyle here seems better suited to the 73-year-old former soap opera lighting director. He makes his home in a quiet gated community overlooking the Pacific Ocean, one of a string of ex-pat enclaves that line the toll road from Tijuana to Ensenada. Hes an extremely laid back man, with a very nice vibe, said Estefania Villareal, owner of a coffee shop in a small strip mall near his house. He always tries to speak Spanish, he says gracias, por favor, very basic things. At the taco shop next door, taquero Israel Gonzalez could not place Markles name one afternoon last week, but his face lit up as he recognized his customer from a photograph. Markle has a predilection for tacos dorados de pollo, the name for a small rolled-up tortilla, filled with chicken and deep fried, Gonzalez said. Markle walks in with a smile, is friendly with staff, and always leaves a good tip, he added. He seems very nice, very unpretentious, it doesnt matter to him if youre rich or if youre poor, Gonzalez said. Just imagine, that one day hell be the father-in-law of the British prince, and he interacts with us. Ramon Moreno, who rents out a storage unit to Thomas Markle, and said they have become friends. (Sandra Dibble ) Ramon Moreno, who rents out a storage unit to Markle, said he has also become his friend. Hes very down to earth, a nice man, a loving man, Moreno said. Hes one of those persons you see and like immediately. Advertisement Moreno said that Markle is happy about his daughters wedding. Hes very excited, apparently they do have a good relationship. But he gets very nervous about the press. He just wants to be by himself, he enjoys his privacy here. A former actress who starred in the television legal drama series Suits, Megan Markle has spoken fondly about her father. A recent article in The Telegraph newspaper reports that in her deleted lifestyle blog, The Tig, Meghan Markle recalled how he would find the time to take her to her Saturday ballet class, despite working 75 hours a week. He took her on trips to Big Bear Lake, and helped with the lighting of her high school musical shows, the article said. In a 2016 article in Elle UK, she wrote about her bi-racial identity, half black, and half white Growing up in a homogeneous community in Pennsylvania, the concept of marrying an African-American woman was not on the cards for my dad, she wrote. But he saw beyond what was put in front of him in that small-sized (and, perhaps, small-minded) town..He wanted me to find my own truth. Advertisement Thomas Markle worked lighting director on the set of the soap opera General Hospital, and the 1980s sitcom Married With Children. He was also a lighting consultant for another television sitcom, The Facts of Life. He is long divorced from Meghan Markles mother, Doria Ragland, a social worker and yoga instructor. But the two issued a joint statement following their daughters engagement last November. Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us parents. Today, the 73-year-old Markle is one of thousands of U.S. retirees who live or vacation in Baja California, many of them in the enclaves that dot the coastline from Tijuana to Rosarito Beach. They say the area gives them an affordable and peaceful oceanfront lifestyle within easy reach of Southern California, allowing them to cross for doctors appointments and shopping excursions. Meghan Markle is the daughter of an African American social worker and a white Hollywood TV cinematographer. Advertisement Weve had a lot of bad press, but Id rather live here than Los Angeles or San Bernardino, said Donna Wilson, a retired school teacher originally from Nebraska. Living here is a lot more like the Midwest than Southern California. People wave when you walk by. For those eager for activity and connections, there are numerous ways to get involved. Members of the expat community support the Rosarito Beach Red Cross, and have formed a Friends of the Library chapter. They volunteer in local orphanages, take painting classes, go on wine tours, put on English-language plays, and are known to frequent certain bars and restaurants. But others, like Markle, keep to themselves. And that just fine, said Wilson, who lives in the same enclave but has never met him. I couldnt tell you if he lives here or not, she said. Gil Sperry, editor of the Baja Times and organizer of the annual Rosarito Beach Mariachi Festival, is one who tried to track down the father of the woman expected to be named Duchess of Sussex. Advertisement He likes to be incognito as much as he can, said Sperry, who found that out last month, when accompanying a German journalist trying to nab an interview. Sperry said that when he knocked on Markles door, nobody answered. But immediately, a separate camera crew laying in wait leaped out of a nearby car to capture any action. We probably saw four or five people in the car trying to get an angle on this before the wedding. While Thomas Markle may command headlines across the Atlantic, his daughters upcoming marriage has drawn only mild interest here. And with foreign media on the prowl, those who know him are feeling protective. He hasnt been coming around because you guys are chasing after him, poor guy, said Villareal, the coffee shop owner. Cesar Smith Cortes, an employee at Peter Piper Pizza in Rosarito Beach, said he remembered helping Thomas Markle at the amusement arcade. Advertisement The latest Thomas Markle sighting was reported just over a week ago by the Daily Mirror, a British tabloid, which sent its U.S. editor and a photographer to Rosarito Beach. They found Markle with a younger woman and her daughter at the Peter Piper Pizza. Days later, employee Cesar Smith Cortes said he remembered helping them when their ticket got stuck as they played games in the restaurants amusement arcade. They tackled Spin and Win, Treasure Chest and Wacky Duck, he said. They were nice, Cortes recalled. Every time they asked me for something, they said please. sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com @sandradibble A month after a guard was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting inmates at the womens jail in Lynwood, auditors touring the lockup noted a number of troubling practices that could lead to sexual abuse. Some women were visible while they showered. Although inmates can report sexual misconduct, those with keys to the complaint boxes included sergeants who might be the targets of the accusations. Even a seemingly innocuous job title was problematic: An officer who monitors different areas of the jail was called a prowler a term, the auditors noted, that conjures a stalker of prey. Those are among several concerns cited in a preliminary report, which concludes that the Century Regional Detention Facility one of the nations largest womens jails is not meeting standards required by the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act. Advertisement At least 400 county jails in the U.S., including about 20 in California, have met the rules under the 2003 law, which mandates basic safeguards to curb sexual assault and sexual harassment behind bars. The independent review, conducted in October and released publicly last month, was requested by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department to provide a road map to fulfilling requirements under the prison rape law. The sheriff runs the womens jail and six other lockups as part of the nations largest jail system. None has met the guidelines, which were finalized in 2012. Although not a final audit, the 138-page document provides a detailed accounting of how the Sheriffs Department, in the midst of reforming its troubled jail system, is lagging behind national benchmarks to ensure inmate safety. An estimated 200,000 inmates in U.S. jails and prisons women and men are sexually victimized each year, according to the most recent federal statistics. Of the 16,600 inmates in the L.A. County jail system, roughly 2,100 are women. Its a bit shocking to see that they didnt pass anything, said Patti Giggans, a member of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission who heads the groups ad hoc committee on the prison rape law. Giggans acknowledged that the jail system faces legitimate obstacles. Those include complicated rules governing jail access for advocates of sexual assault victims and an outdated computer system factors that would delay compliance with the law. Its going slower than anybody wants, but we just have to keep up the pressure, said Giggans, who is also executive director of Peace Over Violence, a rape crisis center. Although the oversight commission can make recommendations and issue reports, it has no power to force Sheriff Jim McDonnell to take action. Advertisement Still, McDonnell said making the changes demanded by the prison rape law is a tremendous priority. Were committed to making sure those inmates in our care and custody are treated as well as we can provide for them, he said. He said he hopes to hire more staff to reach those goals, adding that current employees are stretched very thinly and it has been difficult to recruit deputies. The preliminary audit, released in response to a public records request from the Los Angeles Times, was financed by the PREA Resource Center, an organization that oversees implementation of the prison rape law nationwide. Deputy Brenda Lopez oversees the beauty salon inside the Century jail. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times ) Advertisement The womens jail fell short of some standards because the department withheld documents, auditors noted. For example, jail officials said they dont hire anyone with a history of sexual misconduct, but they refused to provide documentation to corroborate the claim. One of the most notable problems was the lack of screening to assess inmates risk of sexual victimization, said Amanda Goad, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California who focuses on LGBTQ rights and improving conditions for incarcerated people. Goad said many people in jail have already experienced sexual trauma in their lives, putting them at acute risk for further abuse and retaliation in custody. The audit found that Century jail staff involved in intake, medical care and mental health revealed they do not understand how to assess sexual safety or the purpose of doing so. Its infuriating, Goad said. There is this perception that sexual assault is just part of the penalty for people who are incarcerated. Advertisement When news broke in September of the arrest of 31-year-old Giancarlo Scotti, a deputy at the womens jail accused of sexually assaulting six inmates, a sheriffs official said the allegation being filed was an example of the system working properly. The good thing about what happened is the women felt safe enough to report, Karen Dalton, the Sheriffs Departments PREA coordinator, said last fall. But the process for inmates to complain about sexual misconduct and measures to ensure that they are not retaliated against for doing so were among key flaws the report cited. Inmates could report abuse verbally or in writing to staff, but the procedure did not guarantee the grievances would always reach the proper authority or result in corrective action, according to the audit. Alternatives, including a Crime Stoppers telephone line and an email address for third parties to submit complaints, were inoperable, auditors found. Advertisement At least two CRDF inmates revealed that allegations of sexual abuse and sexual harassment had been made to staff and summarily ignored, the report said. Michele Ynfante said she was sexually assaulted by a deputy at the Century lockup when she was held there in 2011. She said no one was held accountable after she complained. A weak complaint process can inflict psychological harm on those returning to the community, said Ynfante, who is now an activist with Dignity and Power Now, a group that advocates for incarcerated people and their families. You release a bunch of people who are angry and upset because no one listened to them, she said. Advertisement The Sheriffs Department has been working on improvements the past five years and paid $216,000 in federal grant money to a health and human rights organization, Just Detention International, to help draft new policies. Some practices have changed: Males guards now announce themselves when they enter a dorm. The jail also gives inmates a pamphlet on their rights and how to report sexual abuse. Posters throughout the jail reinforce the message. The department has also created a video on the issue for inmates to view during intake. But the department has yet to implement broader policy recommendations that would meet PREA guidelines. For example, it has failed to establish a uniform system for collecting data on complaints and documenting outcomes. As a result, auditors were not able to establish the total number of alleged sexual assault and harassment incidents at the jail in recent years. In addition, many staff who may hear of allegations first said they hadnt been trained in how to properly respond to a victim or preserve evidence. Dalton, of the Sheriffs Department, said data systems and inmate screening must be revamped to carry out some policies. In a statement, spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said sheriffs officials appreciate the information in the interim audit and hope the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will approve more funding to make changes. Advertisement Karla Espinoza, left, and Josefina Ramirez speak to other inmates at the jail. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times ) Although state prisons can lose some federal funding for not complying with the prison rape law, county jails generally face no such penalty. Still, a county could be liable if a sexually abused inmate filed a lawsuit and used a failed PREA audit as evidence that a facility was not meeting its constitutional obligation to prevent abuse. Three inmates told a reporter visiting the Century lockup last fall that they felt safe and benefited from parenting, domestic violence awareness, and other programs inside the jail. The deputies are positive, said Josefina Ramirez, 38, who was selected by jail officials to speak. In the street you know them as the cops that are your enemies, but theyre not. Theyre wonderful people like us. Advertisement None of the women were allowed to talk privately. Several guards, citing security concerns, stood in the interview room. One took notes. Dalton said there is no deadline for when the Century facility or any of the L.A. County jails must satisfy the mandates under the prison rape law. maya.lau@latimes.com Twitter: @mayalau President Donald Trump has California Democrats on the defensive over immigration these days. Hes moved to put a citizenship question on the 2020 census and is picking up support from some California cities and counties in his fight against the states sanctuary laws. Policy merits aside, the politics may work for Republicans, at least in the macro sense. Not surprisingly, the San Diego-area congressional delegation is split along party lines on the census question, while Republican boards and councils are the ones lining up to join Trumps lawsuit to dismantle the sanctuary statutes. Advertisement The citizenship question on its face doesnt seem like a big deal: Lets use the census to count how many citizens actually live here. Thats a simple concept to grasp. The reason we shouldnt is less so. Most experts and current and former census officials say it will result in an undercount when the main purpose of the census is to get an accurate count of whos actually living here, regardless of citizenship. Theres plenty of empirical and anecdotal evidence that even legal immigrants might be reluctant to participate, let alone those who are unauthorized. The Trump administration says the evidence is not definitive. An accurate count is important because it helps determine the composition and number of congressional districts and thus electoral votes and the distribution of federal funds. That money goes to schools, police departments and all sorts of social service and business programs, among other things. California is the state with the most immigrants, legal and not, and seems a sure loser if the question remains part of the census. Billions of dollars could go to other states along with one or more congressional districts. Reps. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, and Darrell Issa, R-Vista, issued statements backing the president on the census. But neither answered a question about the potential loss of funding or congressional districts. I fully support efforts to have the census ask if someone is a U.S. citizen or not, Hunter said in a statement. ... Fact of the matter is, as a sovereign nation, the U.S. has the right to know how many citizens we have residing within our borders. Said Issa: Asking citizenship on the census is unquestionably the right decision. I support this Administrations commitment to a fair and accurate counting. In December, Issa voted against the Republican tax bill, contending that it would raise taxes for some of his constituents. He supports the citizenship question even though it could result in an undercount that could reduce funding for services his constituents rely on. Advertisement It may be a coincidence, but in December he was a candidate running for re-election; now he is not. Hunter acknowledged the tax bill could hurt some Californians, but voted for it because he thought it was the right move for the country overall. Long ago the once-a-decade census asked a citizenship question but it was dropped in 1950. However, one is included in the American Community Survey, which reaches a smaller number of households. Many experts say citizenship data already is gleaned from the community survey, so why risk getting an inaccurate census count? Advertisement Democrats portrayed the administrations action as politically motivated. This cynical move clearly violates the Constitution, which requires an actual enumeration of our population, and is being done purely for political gain, said Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, said: These numbers determine how federal funds are distributed, businesses rely on them to determine market demands and (they are) used to apportion congressional districts thats what this move is all about. President Trump visits San Diego, the border wall prototypes, and the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar. Advertisement Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, also called it another Trump attack on immigrants. This is another blatant attempt by President Trump and his Administration to silence the immigrant community and force them to retreat into the shadows, he said. ... An inaccurate count will have a detrimental effect on underserved communities that require funding for essential services. While it appears there would be a general shift of money and political power from blue to red states with smaller immigrant populations, thats not uniform. New York and Illinois have large unauthorized immigrant populations, but so do Texas and Florida. California already has sued to keep the citizenship question off the census while New York and other states are gearing up do the same. Advertisement Meanwhile, Trumps lawsuit against Democratic-backed sanctuary laws has gained support within California. Much of the conflict is over SB 54, which prohibits local law enforcement from telling immigration officials when unauthorized immigrants are being released from jail if they havent been convicted of one of 800 listed crimes. Orange County is at the forefront of a growing trend to buck the states resistance to Trump. The board of supervisors voted to join the administrations suit while Yorba Linda agreed to file a brief in support of it. Los Alamitos passed an ordinance seeking to exempt the city from SB 54. In San Diego County, the Republican-dominated Escondido City Council and board of supervisors plan to discuss joining the Trump suit in the near future. Escondido seems certain to join and the smart money would be on the supervisors doing the same. San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore said he will recommend the supervisors not go there on public safety grounds. He and many other top law enforcement officials believe if their officers are viewed as immigration agents, immigrants will be reluctant to report crime or agree to be witnesses. Advertisement Besides, he said, the state law allows his department to notify immigration officials on the release of many unauthorized immigrants. Keep in mind that San Diego County sheriffs do not lock people up simply because they are in the country illegally, but because theyve been accused or convicted of committing other crimes. Theres a public selling point there. Requiring jailers to notify the feds about the release of all unauthorized immigrant criminals, even petty ones, probably has more support than Democrats would like to think. Tweet of the Week Goes to Sara Libby (@SaraLibby), managing editor at the Voice of San Diego. The most California quibble: Reader emails to complain that Josh Butner is surfing in this campaign ad, but Californias 50th District is landlocked. San Diego received an additional $251 million for border construction in the spending bill signed by President Donald Trump. That money is part of $1.6 billion that the omnibus legislation allocated to various infrastructure projects, a mixture of replacement and new fencing, along the southwest border. The San Diego funds will replace 14 miles of secondary fencing, steel mesh topped in some places with razor wire that runs, with some gaps, from Border Field State Park to Trumps border wall prototypes in Otay Mesa. That fencing went up in the 2000s as a second layer to give agents time to respond when people made it across the shorter fence closer to Mexico. The new secondary fence must provide cross-barrier visual situational awareness, which, for agents, generally means that they want to be able to see through the barrier to know if anyone is coming. Only the San Diego fencing project has this requirement explicitly laid out in the legislation. Advertisement Over the course of the border wall debate, both agents and the president have emphasized this need as a matter of agent safety. Only some of the barriers currently in place are see-through, and most of the wall prototypes are not. Trump called the $1.6 billion in funding a down payment on his promised border wall. But the legislation limits the fundings use to designs that are already in place along the border, which means the administration cant use the presidents wall prototypes for the new projects. The spending bill allocates $641 million for projects in the Rio Grande Valley, the Border Patrol sector with the highest numbers of apprehensions of unauthorized border crossers. It gives $445 million to replace fencing in unspecified locations along the southwest border, $38 million for planning and design and another $196 million for border security technology. Ronald Vitiello, Customs and Border Protection acting deputy commissioner, echoed the presidents characterization of the funding in a press conference on Friday where he described 100 miles of border wall system that the agency plans to install with the money. It does not fully fund our needs in the most critical locations, Vitiello said. He was particularly frustrated that the legislation prevents the agency from using the money to build in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Congress decided our priorities werent theirs, he said, and they moved it elsewhere. Advertisement He dismissed claims that some agents have said they dont think a border wall is necessary. The truth is walls work, and the data show it and agents know it, Vitiello said. Some projects of the about 100 miles he discussed were funded before the most recent bill, including another 14 miles of replacement fence in San Diego, 2 miles of replacement fence in Calexico and 20 miles of fence replacing a vehicle barrier in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Vitiello said all of the projects would happen this year. Advertisement The previously-funded project in San Diego will replace 14 miles of primary fencing the fence closer to Mexico made of Vietnam war landing mats that went up in the 90s along the same stretch as the project to replace secondary fencing. The area is covered under a waiver signed last year by the homeland security secretary to expedite border construction by ignoring certain environmental, land management and natural resource laws. Environmental groups challenged this waiver in court, and a federal judge sided with the Trump administration in late February. The new primary fence will be similar to the bollards, or posts set close together, currently being constructed in Calexico. Agents have said they prefer the bollard-style fencing because they can see through it. Trump tweeted photos of the Calexico construction project this week, calling it the start of our Southern Border WALL. Advertisement The $18-million Calexico project was planned in 2009, well before Trump began talking about a wall as a candidate. Many have questioned whether its a wall at all because of its see-through design. The new bollard fence there is 30-feet tall, a trait it shares with Trumps border wall prototypes. Prior to the Trump administration, agents commonly referred to the barriers currently in place as fences, but now they are often using wall to describe whats already there. The Santa Teresa project will be the next on the list to break ground. Its scheduled to start in early April. Advertisement Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence Advertisement Follow me on Facebook for live updates about immigration news kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter The last rebels standing in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta were poised to leave on Sunday, Syrian state-affiliated media reported, cementing a significant victory for the government of President Bashar Assad. An agreement was reached with the powerful Jaish al Islam rebel faction to leave Douma, a town of at least 100,000 people roughly six miles northeast of downtown Damascus and the last area in Ghouta still in rebel hands, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported Sunday. The agreement, brokered under the stewardship of Russia, a staunch Assad ally, called for the fighters to abandon their heavy weapons and depart to the city of Jarablus on Syrias northern border that is controlled by Turkish-backed rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition watchdog based in Britain, said the fighters departure would be followed by the entry of Russia military police, who would guarantee the safety of residents who want to remain in Douma. Advertisement Jaish al Islam did not confirm the report; Saudi news broadcaster Al Arabiya said that a hard-line faction within the rebel group had rejected all negotiations and was insisting on fighting to the end. A defeat in the Ghouta would be a massive blow to an embattled opposition still reeling from the loss of its bastion in the northern city of Aleppo in late 2016. It would also secure Assads seat of power in Damascus, whose eastern neighborhoods had been the target of an almost daily barrage of mortars and rockets since the rebels overran Ghouta in late 2012. In February, pro-government troops, backed by Russian air power, launched a ferocious campaign to retake the rebel-held enclave. The Observatory said that more than 1,600 people were killed as intense artillery, shelling and airstrikes made way for a ground offensive that saw Ghouta split into three separate pockets of rebel control. In recent weeks, the government offered the now-standard deal it had extended to the opposition in other besieged areas of the country, granting safe passage to those who refuse to lay down their arms to leave to the rebel-held province of Idlib in the countrys northwest. Tens of thousands of people have since been bused to Idlib, including fighters from Faylaq al Rahman and Ahrar al Sham, Islamist groups backed by Qatar and Turkey. Reports of the deal came as the last of the Faylaq al Rahman fighters were leaving Douma. Most of its fighters had already departed as part of an evacuation deal for another rebel-held pocket overrun earlier this week. But the ones who left Sunday had been stranded in Douma during the fighting. Advertisement Bulos is a special correspondent. Twitter: @nabihbulos UPDATES: 1:35 p.m.: This article was updated with background about the current evacuation of fighters from the group Faylaq al Rahman. Advertisement This article was originally published at 12:45 p.m. Bird, a company that rents electric scooters via a mobile app, has proposed a voluntary code of conduct to regulate the emerging bikeshare industry. Thousands of scooters, bikes, and electric bikes have hit San Diegos streets in the last month, creating a sensation over the new way to get around, but frustrations remain over how they are blocking sidewalks. One of Birds competitors, Ofo, says that the voluntary code is a way to avoid regulations. Nearly a month after thousands of bikes and scooters rented through a mobile app hit San Diegos streets and sidewalks, one company has proposed a voluntary agreement to get the emerging industry to police itself. Bird, a company that lets riders rent motorized scooters, unveiled Save Our Sidewalks, or S.O.S last week and challenged its competitors to sign on. The three-part covenant is an attempt to make the emerging but largely unregulated industry a better neighbor. We started this pledge based on our belief that we are all in this together, said Kenneth Baer, a spokesman for Bird, in a statement. And by that, we mean not just all the companies competing to replace cars for last-mile trips, but also the communities we are serving. If we get this right at the start, then we can transform transportation, curb traffic, get people out of cars, and reduce carbon emissions. One of Birds competitors, however, is criticizing the proposal as an attempt to avoid rules and to discourage cities where the rental companies operate from creating new regulations. Advertisement Its important to understand the broader context here and that Bird has shown a clear trend in operating first without prior approval, said Taylor Bennett, a spokesman for Ofo, in a statement. This is about deliberately bypassing cities and rules, putting untested, unregulated e-scooters on the streets without permission. Santa Monica previously filed a criminal case against Bird after it operated in that city without required permits, a case that was resolved for $300,000 in fines and fees. Bird and another scooter-rental company, LimeBike, also operate in San Francisco where the nimble vehicles arent specifically permitted and regulated in local regulations, nor are they prohibited. State law largely governs scooter riders, and regulations require users to wear helmets, have a drivers license or instruction permit and not ride on the sidewalk. Regulations also prohibit electric scooters as well as bikes from being parked in a way that block pedestrian traffic or are parked on their side. There are also rules that prohibit companies from doing business in San Diego parks without governmental approval. CORRECTION: This story has been amended from its original, which misstated the law in regards to motorized scooters on the sidewalk. In San Diego, businesses, particularly in Little Italy, have complained that the bikes are being left in the way of pedestrian traffic. The Little Italy Association asked San Diego to ban the dockless bikes, but the city declined. Our sidewalks are only 11 feet wide and have been turned into show rooms for these thousands of dockless bikes, the associations chief executive administrator, Marco Li Mandri, said in a statement. This has caused our sidewalks to be crowded for pedestrians, strollers, wheelchairs, senior citizens and children, who are all trying to enjoy the sights and amenities in this community. Companies in San Diego all have have the required business tax certificates, and are operating without any sort of official partnership with city government. San Diego does, however, have an exclusive deal with DecoBike, a company that has docked bike stations throughout the city where riders must pick up and return bikes. In an open letter to four other rental companies, Bird CEO Travis VanderZanden, suggested that they all agree to remove misplaced vehicles from city streets each evening and to reposition the errant rides to high-use areas the next day. He also said they should cull their fleets of all vehicles that are not used at least three times per day, and give each city $1 per vehicle per day. Advertisement In San Diego, the industry operates unregulated beyond the standard business license requirements. Other jurisdictions have put in some restrictions including limits on the number of vehicles each company can offer for rent. We support smart regulations that protect public safety, promote innovation and consumer choice, while not being overly onerous for this new industry, Ofos Bennett said. While we do caution against regulations that stifle innovation, we always work with cities to craft the right approach, helping to enhance communities and provide greater mobility and access to affordable transportation. Merchants around San Diego have complained that the scooters and bikes, which can be rented with a few taps on a smartphone app, are being inconveniently left on sidewalks and right-of-ways, making it tough for people to get around. VanderSanden, who previously lived in Little Italy and Pacific Beach, wrote in his letter that the industry has the potential to cut car use as well as traffic jams and greenhouse emissions, but they can create new problems as well. Advertisement Yet, we have all seen the results of out-of-control deployment in China huge piles of abandoned and broken bicycles, over-running sidewalks, turning parks into junkyards, and creating a new form of pollution and new problems for cities, he wrote. We cannot let this happen to our cities here in the US, VanderZanden continued. The letter was addressed to the CEOs of LimeBike a company that rents bikes, as well as electric bikes and scooters as well as Ofo, Mobike and Jump. All but Jump have vehicles in San Diego. With the exception of Ofo, the other businesses that operate in San Diego did not return requests for comment. Li Mandri at the Little Italy Association said that the bikeshare companies need to operate in a more manageable way. Advertisement We are for creating ease of mobility in our community, however we feel it should been done in a respectful order not launching these dockless bikes from the sidewalks, but rather from red zones or from parking spaces in the streets with the consent of the City of San Diego, he said. He added that the association believes that the city needs to soon develop standards to control the new industry, and that any money the companies pay to cities be spent in the communities affected by bikeshare programs. While San Diego doesnt have regulations specific to the burgeoning bikeshare industry, Coronado government has taken a more assertive approach, and announced earlier this month that it would target bikes and scooters left in public rights-of-way. Vehicles left in inconvenient public places will be tagged and if theyre not removed within two hours, impounded. Companies could be hit with a fine as high as $500 that they must pay before getting the bike or scooter back. So far, however, Coronado is just charging companies a $45 fee to return impounded bikes. LieBike, Mobike and Ofo said they are trying to get their riders to avoid Coronado. Advertisement Twitter: @jptstewart joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com Advertisement (619) 293-1841 One of two young men suspected of robbing a Spring Valley gas station at gunpoint was arrested Saturday, while the other escaped, a sheriffs official said. The second youth, believed to be a teenager, pulled a .357 magnum handgun on employees at Valero Gas Station on Sweetwater Road, Sgt. Matt Cook said. The robbers demanded money from the register and one worker handed over the cash. Cook said several other people were in the gas station store at the time. No one was injured. One of the clerks told OnSceneTV that the gunman threatened them, saying, If you want to live, give us cash from the register. They put quite a bit of money into a backpack, the clerk said. Advertisement Cook said the robbers ran east on Troy Street about 12:10 p.m. Deputies, National City police, the California Highway Patrol and a sheriffs helicopter converged to search for the pair. One deputy spotted them at Tyler Street and Central Avenue. As he came closer, the two ran in different directions. One of them, age 18, was caught, Cook said. The suspect was to be booked on charges of robbery, conspiracy, making criminal threats and assault with a deadly weapon. pauline.repard@sduniontribune Twitter: @pdrepard To witness the universal power of Easters message, drop in on St. Albans Episcopal Church in El Cajon for todays 9:30 a.m. service. Here, the Gospel account of Jesus Christs resurrection rings out in English, Arabic and Karen, the tongue of Myanmars Karen people. We always print the readings in all three languages, said the pastor, the Rev. David Madsen. And theres a Spanish congregation that meets after us. Even as Washington moves to reduce the number of refugees allowed into the U.S., churches, temples and synagogues in San Diego and across the nation are seeing growing support for foreigners who seek shelter here. Advertisement Thats true even among white evangelical Christians, despite some polls showing this group strongly opposed to welcoming refugees. Our experience has not necessarily borne that out, said Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization for World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. Weve really seen an uptick in volunteers. The Trump administrations attempts to ban refugees from some majority-Muslim countries may have unintentionally spurred more people to champion these newcomers. We definitely have seen a lot more interest from the community to help, said Etleva Bejko, director of refugee and immigration services for Jewish Family Service of San Diego. Especially since last year, when the refugees have been such a hot topic. Still, this is not a spiritual slam dunk. Like their secular neighbors, churchgoers worry about terrorists pretending to be refugees. And theyre concerned that even genuine refugees will tax the economy and burden our schools. Religious tensions, too, can be a hurdle. When Oceansides St. Thomas More Catholic Church decided to sponsor a refugee family, some were dismayed when the congregation was assigned a Muslim clan. We heard, why didnt we look for a Catholic family? said Sister Maureen Brown, a pastoral associate at the parish. Her answer: We took who had the greatest need. They are all our brothers and sisters in God. Advertisement So, no, this isnt easy. Yet Bejko has been surprised by the many people who have rallied to this cause. Everybody is willing to help and work and create this network of support, she said, regardless of whether its Catholic Charities or Jewish Family Service or another church. Its just becoming a community of support. A new life and a tragedy About two years ago, a global tragedy the war in Syria prompted a local response. Advertisement We decided we wanted to do something, said St. Thomas Mores Brown, a nun who belongs to the Sisters of of St. Joseph of Carondelet. After consulting with the pastor, the Rev. Michael Ratajczak, she asked Catholic Charities of San Diego if they had a needy Syrian refugee family. They did: the al-Mustafas, a Muslim family of seven. Catholic Charities is one of four local agencies that helps resettle refugees. (The others are Jewish Family Service, the Alliance for African Assistance and the International Rescue Committee.) Although the Trump administration has called for more extreme vetting of refugees, the al-Mustafas had already endured years of background checks. To be classified as a refugee, people must flee their native country due to fear of persecution due to race, national origin, religious or political affiliations, or membership in an unpopular social group, such as the LGBT community. Advertisement Once in a new country, they can apply to the United Nations for refugee status and move into a refugee camp. The U.N. High Commission for Refugees performs a background check and recommends a placement. If they are routed to the U.S., most face years of waiting. All are subjected to further investigations. The FBIs counter-terrorism people, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security refugees have to go through all these checks as well as a health screening, said Jewish Family Services Bejko. The refugees are the most vetted group of immigrants who enter this country. Refugees are also subject to annual quotas set by the U.S. president. In the Obama administrations last year, the number was 110,000. President Trump set this years quota at 45,000, the lowest number since Congress passed the 1980 Refugee Act. Advertisement In San Diego County, the flow of refugees once several thousand a month has slowed to a trickle. Weve received only about 160 refugees in the last five months throughout all of San Diego, said Robert Moser, executive director of Catholic Charities of San Diego. Husan al-Mustafa, his wife and their five children flew into San Diego International Airport in early 2017. Catholic Charities found them an El Cajon apartment, where some neighbors speak Arabic. Parishioners from St. Thomas More donated furnishings for the familys new home and helped meet some other needs. Some, not all. Advertisement There are things you can pay for and things you cannot pay for, Sister Brown said. For instance, we cannot give them cash if we do, they have to report that and then the government deducts that from what they receive. On their arrival in the U.S., refugees without other financial resources receive payments from the federal government. The amounts are modest $420 a month for a couple and limited to the first eight months. Thats an investment, said World Reliefs Soerens, who cited studies that show most refugees are self-sufficient taxpayers within their first year. I tell people its like my four-year-old daughter, Soerens said. If you look at her today, shes a big drain on taxpayers. Advertisement This new life comes with no guarantees. In April 2017, the al-Mustafas son, Mohammed, drowned during an outing to Mission Beach. While still in mourning, the family trekked from El Cajon to St. Thomas More in Oceanside. They came to the church after Mohammed died to say thank you, Sister Brown said. Not just for the support after Mohammed died, but for the whole thing. If there had been any barriers at all in the congregation, I think the death of Mohammed broke them down. Dueling narratives As the numbers of refugees admitted to the U.S. plunges, the networks built to assist these newcomers are shrinking. A lot of agencies are losing staff, said Catholic Charities Moser. Advertisement Some employees have been laid off, while others many of them multi-lingual have left for more stable employment. While individual congregations are not equipped to replace these agencies, many are supplementing these efforts. World Relief last year partnered with 424 new churches, a record number, despite lingering concerns in the pews. Pastors call and ask, How do we help our congregations who are often divided on this? said Soerens. When Soerens speaks at churches as he will at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Encinitas on April 29 he cites biblical commands to love the stranger that dwelleth with you (Leviticus 19:33). He then discusses refugees extensive vetting before they arrive and strong work ethic and record of successful integration after they arrive. Advertisement Hes mindful that many have absorbed alarming messages from the internet and some radio and TV commentators. Thats the association a lot of Americans have in their mind, he said. To people who consume a certain type of media, the question is, Do you want to welcome terrorists into the United States? Another narrative, though, touched Lynne Calkins. Reading a news story about St. Thomas Mores support of the al-Mustafa family, she decided her own church, San Dieguito United Methodist in Encinitas, should do something similar. Her minister was supportive and so was a friend Lisa Attardo, a St. Thomas More parishioner who had been involved in helping the al-Mustafas. Advertisement We put together a little evening, a simple refugee dinner of soup and salad that was open to all parishioners, Attardo said. The session was a success. We had some offers of donations from that very first dinner, Calkins said. Working through Catholic Charities, San Dieguito Methodist arranged to assist a Congolese family of eight. They arrived Feb. 14 and were quickly settled in the same El Cajon apartment complex where the al-Mustafa family lives. Calkins said she had braced for some push back, some grumbling in the church about this new mission. It never happened. Advertisement If anybody is unhappy about this, I havent heard it, she said. Its our mission. Christians are taught to be as Christ-like as possible, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and that God loves us all equally. Thats not a political stance, said St. Albans pastor, nor does it shift with political administrations. We havent changed our approach to our work, Madsen said. We still welcome those who come here and offer assistance to people trying to make ends meet. No matter where those people came from. Advertisement 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. Srinagar: A militant was killed and two army men injured in an ongoing gunfight with the government forces in Dragad village of south Kashmirs Shopian district on Sunday. Reports said that the militants have taken shelter in the house of an IPS officer posted outside Jammu and Kashmir. Two to four militants are believed to have been engaged by 3 RR and 44 RR of army, 14 Bn CRPF and SOG Shopian. The exchange of fire was on at the time of filing of this report. Update: Meanwhile, train and Internet services were suspended in south Kashmir on Sunday following the killing of two militants in Anantnag and Shopian districts of south Kashmir. Official sources said the train service from Srinagar to Banihal has been suspended today. However, the trains chug between Srinagar and Baramulla. Mobile Internet service has been blocked in Shopian and Anantnag district of south Kashmir. While the Anantnag gunfight ended with the killing of a Hizb militant, firing exchange continues between the forces and the militant at two village Kachdoora and Dragad in Shopian district. Srinagar: Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid on Sunday said that eight militants, including top commanders, were killed in two gunfights with forces in Anantnag and Shopian districts of south Kashmir. In a tweet, Vaid said that seven bodies of militants have been recovered from the site of a gunfight with forces in Dragad village. He said the slain included top commanders. Another gunfight is underway between the militants and forces in Kachdoora village. Three army men are believed to injured in the gunfight. Another militant, he said, was killed in a gunfight with forces at Dialgam in Anantnag, after efforts of his family and Jammu and Kashmir Police failed to make him surrender. One militant killed in Dialgam Anantnag after efforts of his family/ J&K Police failed to surrender, one caught alive. In Draggad Shopian 7 bodies of terrorists recovered including top commanders, tweeted Vaid. Earlier, a police spokesman said, a militant surrounded by the forces during Anantnag gunfight surrendered after requests from the family and police. The gunfight had begun late last night after the government forces launched a cordon and search operation in Peth Dialgam area in the jurisdiction of Police station Anantnag. As the search started and the location of militants was zeroed in, the security forces made repeated requests on loud speaker asking them to surrender, as per the Standard Operating Procedure, said the spokesman. On this, one of the militants (name withheld) came out of the house and surrendered before the forces. He has been taken into custody. The family of the militant who surrendered at the encounter site also helped the police in motivating him to come out of the house and surrender. The other did not do so and instead resorted to firing on the forces which was retaliated and in which he was killed. He was identified as Rouf Khanday. Rouf had gone missing early this year and his gun-wielding photograph had surfaced on social media in last week of March. The body of Rouf has been handed over to the family for last rites. Both of them were part of outlawed organisation Hizbul Mujahideen. Necessary legal proceedings have been stated into the matter Srinagar: In south Kashmir, Indian troops in their anti-rebel operations slain 12 people including civilians and injured as many as 100 in Islamabad/Anantnag and Shopian districts, today.The youth were killed in firing on protesters and in gunfight operations, launched by Indian forces in the two districts of South Kashmir. Eight of the slain were killed in Dragad and four in Kachdoora areas of Shopian district.Two civilians identified as Jan Mohammad Lone and Zubair Ahmad Butt were succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Jan Muhammad Lone was a resident of Braipora, Shopian, while Zubair Ahmad Butt belonged to Gopalpora, Kulgam. Earlier, forces killed a youth identified as Rouf Bashir Khanday in an overnight operation at Dialgam in Islamabad district.Names of some other died youth include Yawar Itoo, Nazim Nazir, Adil Thokar, Ubair Shafi Malla, Rais Thokar, Ishafaq Malik and Zubair Turay. Police said that Mushtaq Ahmad Thokar was picked up by the Indian army last night. The troops took him to the Shopian area and killed him in custody, today. Police further said that two Indian soldiers were killed during the operation in Shopian distric, today. There is the eighth body that was also recovered from Druggad. Police said they have identified him as Mushtaq Ahmad Thokar, a local resident. He is the same person whom the army had taken last night to guide them to the area, one officer said.Reports said the area is hugely tense as tens of thousands of people have assembled in their villages.Meanwhile, around 100 civilians were injured when Indian forces used brute force and fired pellets and bullets on protesters in Draged and Kachdora areas. Medical Superintendent (MS) District Hospital Shopian, Dr Shafat informed media that they received over 50 injured. Many of them were shifted to Srinagar hospitals for further treatment. We are unable to maintain the record of the injured because of the heavy rush, Dr Shafat said. Independent sources say that the number of injured youth may exceed 100. At least ten youth in the age group of 16 to 26 with eye pellet injuries were brought to SMHS hospital Srinagar from Shopian.Indian police in a statement claimed that the youth were killed in gunfights. However, locals refuted the police claim saying that all the youth were killed either in fake encounters or during protests.The authorities have suspended train and Internet services in South Kashmir districts following the killings. On the other hand, a two-day shutdown is being observed across the occupied territory from, today, against the killings. Call for the strike has been given by the Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik. Srinagar: The death toll of slain youth by Indian forces actions in south Kashmirs Shopian and Islamabad districts on Sunday has mounted to 17 after three more youth died due to pellet and bullets. The first civilian killed was identified as Iqbal Butt, of Khasipora Shopian. Reports said that Iqbal had received bullet injury in his abdomen. The 2nd civilian, identified as Zubair Ahmad Bhat, was killed many were were injured after protesters were fired in Dragad and Kachdoora. The 3rd deceased civilian, reportedly a house owner, was identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Thoker. The 4th civilian, identified as Mehraj-ud-din Bhat, was killed in forces firing in Kachdoora. He was declared dead on arrival at district hospital Pulwama. Youth were killed in different firing and anti-rebel operations launched by Indian troops in two districts Shopian and Islamabad of south Kashmir. Three army men were also killed in the encounters in same districts. The death toll of people mounted to 17, including 13 youth in anti-rebel operations and four in firing on protesters. Over 100 civilians were injured and many of them are critical. In the operations troops destroyed four residential houses also. With inputs from agencies. 12-yr mentally challenged girl gang raped in Sunsari A 12-year-old mentally challenged girl of Khanar in Itahari Sub-metropolis-13 was gang raped by three persons in a wheat field on Tuesday, said police. The In Class education column will be published regularly to highlight area school happenings. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- They waited and waited for Hatch Day, when the chicks would break free of the eggs in their classroom at Notre Dame Academy, Grymes Hill. The 2- and 3-year-old students were as patient as they could be -- monitoring how the chicks were growing inside the eggs each day since the beginning of March, when teacher Kerri Paone surprised them with an the incubator filled with chicken eggs. And finally, on Monday, March 19, the young students arrived at school to find two freshly hatched chicks. And then Hatch Day became Hatch Days -- when five more chicks busted out of their eggs the following day! View the gallery above to see some adorable photos of the kids with the chicks. The children worked very hard in the days leading up to the chicks' arrival. They helped to prepare a brooder, or heated house -- laying down bedding, food and water. In addition, they learned what the chicks would need to grow and be healthy. Soon the chicks will be donated to a farm in upstate New York. As part of our new education column, In Class, we are highlighting some of the activities Staten Island students are engaged in -- both inside and outside the classroom. Here's a look at some additional recent education-related happenings. CELEBRATING EASTER Students at Zion Lutheran Preschool perform at their Easter Show. (Photo courtesy of Kim Luxoro) Students at Zion Lutheran Preschool recently participated in an Easter celebration. They performed poems and songs about the religious holiday, and a special guest made a surprise visit to the Willowbrook school. "We then walked them down the church aisle to the lobby, where there are pink paper paw prints on the floor --which look as if he really did come to our school," recalled Kim Luxoro, director of the preschool, speaking about the Easter Bunny. She added that when the children got back to their classroom they hunted for eggs left by the famous rabbit. HISTORY DAY At New York City History Day on Sunday, March 11, students from across the five boroughs expressed themselves through exhibit boards, documentaries, websites, papers and performances. Two groups of students from the Michael J. Petrides School, Sunnyside, received awards at the educational program that engages students from grades 6 to 12 in the interpretation of historical topics. Students Alison Holst, Caroline Gulan, Kayla Noseworthy, Olivia Pollice and Ashley Sienkiewicz were awarded second place for the Junior Group Performance Category for their "Constitutional Convention of 1787" performance. Students Amy Mohamed, Uma Sivadasan and Samantha Spector were awarded the Outstanding Project from Staten Island award for their "The Nuremberg Trials" project. SCIENCE AND SERVICE AWARD Aneesha Aggarwal, a senior at Staten Island Academy, was presented with The Honorable Francis H. and The Dianne M. Powers Award for Excellence in the Sciences and Community Service earlier this month. "Aneesha is the embodiment of the Powers Award," said Eileen Corigliano, assistant head of school. The award is given to a senior who has demonstrated outstanding ability in the 11th grade sciences or technology courses, and demonstrates significant commitment to community service and extra-curricular activities. The award was created in May 2006 by Francis H. and Dianne M. Powers, who are longtime supporters of the school. "It is an honor to support the Academy and the deserving students, I am so happy to see that service and volunteerism are still such an important part of the school's mission," said Dianne Powers. CALL FOR HOME-SCHOOLERS We're asking parents who home-school to let us know what it's like to teach their kids, what challenges they face and the benefits that come from home-schooling. And we'd love to learn about what it's like to be a home-schooled student. If you home-school and would be interested in sharing your experiences, send an email to aknudson@siadvance.com Do you have a story idea for the new In Class education column? Email education reporter Annalise Knudson at aknudson@siadvance.com. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The sister of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's former aide Joseph Percoco, who was found guilty of three felonies in a corruption trial, was charged by the Department of Education (DOE) for missing hundreds of days of school, according to the New York Post. The charges were made against Vita Percoco while she worked at P.S. 3, Pleasant Plains, during three consecutive school years, beginning in 2013. In a recently released disciplinary decision obtained by the Post, the DOE charged that Vita Percoco was excessively absent and engaged in verbal abuse, misconduct, insubordination and neglect of her duties. A school-based investigation substantiated allegations of verbal abuse in 2016, and she received letters to file for absences and verbal abuse in 2016, the Department of Education told the Advance on Sunday. Percoco was reassigned pending teacher tenure hearings from September 2016 to March 2017, when she was reinstated, the DOE told the Advance. She reportedly suffered from an unspecified ailment and was out on approved leave for some days, the Post reported. But records showed Percoco missed 80 days in the 2014-2015 school year, and 60 days in the 2015-2016 school year, the report said. Hearing officer Mary O'Connell decided against firing Percoco, and fined her $5,000. She is currently teaching at PS 68 in Port Richmond, the DOE told the Advance. Percoco didn't respond to a request for comment. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Beautiful minds Time, energy and resources need to be channelled towards fostering a positive perception of autism STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- As a black Nissan slowed to a stop on the lower-level of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on Saturday, witnesses said they assumed it was because of car trouble, or a fender bender. The hazard lights flashed, as a white male -- standing about 5-feet-9-inches tall and 170 pounds who looked to be in his late 20s -- exited the vehicle, according to a woman in the passenger seat of the car directly behind him. "He didn't look sad, and he didn't look angry," said Elyse Larangeira, 33, of West Brighton. She described his car as a black Nissan Altima. She recalled the man being clean shaven, with a bald or shaved head; wearing black sweatpants and a black hoodie with a blue-striped American flag on the back. He shut his car door, stared for a moment in her direction, then, ran for the edge of the bridge. "There was zero hesitation," said Larangeira. "He hopped over the railing like it was an obstacle course...which is the other thing that's so unsettling." Her brother, who was driving, ran to see if maybe the man landed on a section of the bridge before hitting the water, but he didn't see anything. "I can't get it out of my head," she said, noting her brother's two young children who were sitting in the backseat didn't see the incident. "It keeps playing on a loop...how was he so clear about what he was going to do that day?" Others took to social media about what they had witnessed. I watched someone run out of his car and jump off of the Verrazano Bridge in the matter of 5 seconds and I have never felt so helpless. Im still shaking. I cant imagine the pain he must have been going through. Sharmin (@DORSPLEEN) March 31, 2018 While it's uncertain if family or friends have come forward to police in regard to a missing person, it could take a while for authorities to recover a body, according to a source with experience in search and rescues in the water. The body often sinks, rises and then sinks again over a period of time before rising to the surface for good, due to multiple factors, including the science of the body and water temperatures, he said. This happened againyesterday as I was running past the bridge. It is something Ive witnessed with shocking regularity. I am running. I then see the familiar ambulances and EMS vehicles gather... https://t.co/sn3HPSsDDD Alexander Shapiro (@ArtistX62) April 1, 2018 The incident was reported just over 24 hours after the body of a 68-year-old woman was found near the Brooklyn side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Authorities identified the woman Sunday as Maria Tammik, of the 100 block of 80th Street in Manhattan. A medical examiner will determine the cause of death, as an investigation by police remains ongoing. Police said the woman fully clothed when she was discovered. Sources said it's not uncommon for bodies to float to the surface in the spring-- which last week included two in two days-- due to scientific factors in the body and water temperatures. Report: Amazon to Locate New HQ On the Banks of the Los Angeles River When Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced in September that Amazon would construct a second headquarters in North America, the smart money was on Atlanta. The South's biggest City has land, a large and largely underemployed workforce, transportation infrastructure and an accommodating local government. Since Amazon's HQ is in Seattle, it made sense that the company would pick the East coast, or even Toronto Canada for HQ2. AdvertisementBut in January, Amazon moved into the Sony Pictures studio in Culver City, and this was apparently a hint that they were thinking California. The report says that the online retail leviathan will select the area around Union Station and the LA River for it's new hub. Describing a preliminary memo making its way around Los Angeles City Hall, the report says "The State, along with the City, County, and Metro, have agreed that the build out of HQ2 would not be subject to any sales taxes." http://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/la-watchdog/15166-amazon-selects-la-for-5-billion-hq2 "Over the next nine years, Amazon will hire as many as 50,000 employees with an annual payroll of over $5 billion, an average of more than $100,000 per employee. Amazon has committed to spending over $5 billion in capital expenditures, in large part on more than 8 million square feet of Class A office space. The company has also indicated that it will aid in the revitalization of its portion of the Los Angeles River, help finance nearby affordable and market rate housing for its workers, develop permanent supportive housing for up to 2,000 homeless veterans in DTLA, and work with LAUSD on mentoring programs." Anyway, if it's all true, and if a deal is actually inked, expect local real estate prices to skyrocket even more. Hence the part about housing 2000 homeless veterans. The company is named for the world's largest river, so it is perhaps a sentimental choice as well, to locate it along the banks of a different river. Amazon.com, Inc., is an electronic commerce and cloud computing company based in Seattle, Washington that was founded by Jeff Bezos on July 5, 1994. The tech giant is the largest Internet retailer in the world as measured by revenue and market capitalization, and second largest after Alibaba Group in terms of total sales. In September 2017, Amazon announced plans to locate a second headquarters in a metropolitan area with at least a million people. Cities needed to submit their presentations by October 19, 2017 for the project called HQ2. The $5 billion second headquarters, starting with 500,000 square feet and eventually expanding to as much as 8 million square feet, may have as many as 50,000 employees Getty Images A pigeon flies over a railroad track near the LA River The amazon.com website started as an online bookstore and later diversified to sell video downloads/streaming, MP3 downloads/streaming, audiobook downloads/streaming, software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, and jewelry. The company also produces consumer electronicsKindle e-readers, Fire tablets, Fire TV, and Echoand is the world's largest provider of cloud infrastructure services. Amazon also sells certain low-end products under its in-house brand AmazonBasics. Amazon has separate retail websites for the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Brazil, Japan, China, India, and Mexico. In 2016, Dutch, Polish, and Turkish language versions of the German Amazon website were also launched. Amazon also offers international shipping of some of its products to certain other countries. Construction of garment processing zone in final stage The construction of Block A of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Simara of Bara district is in the final stage of completion. Block A of SEZ in Simara will function as the Garment Processing Zone, where factories related to clothes and fabric will be set up. EU gave correct recommendations in its report: SSFN Chairman Yadav Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal (SSFN) Chairman Upendra Yadav has said that the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM) had given correct recommendations in its report. Some US states press ahead on climate change goals, despite Trump Washington, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2018 US President Donald Trump has taken an axe to the environmental regulations he inherited from his predecessor Barack Obama, cutting dozens of rules ranging from fracking on public land to protections for endangered species. Yet supporters of the Paris climate change accord believe state-level efforts could mean the US will meet greenhouse gas emissions targets envisaged under the landmark agreement, despite being the only country to announce its withdrawal. Automobile fuel and emission standards are the latest regulations in the administration's crosshairs, according to a report by the New York Times. The paper reported Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt, a climate change skeptic with ties to the fossil fuel industry, has determined Obama-era controls placed too great a burden on manufacturers. It comes on the heels of the EPA's announcement last fall it was seeking to repeal the Clean Power Plan, Obama's signature environmental policy that would have limited each state's greenhouse-gas emissions. Already tied up by legal challenges, the Trump administration has vowed to bury it for good. These and other regulations constituted the building blocks of Obama's plan to fulfill US commitments to the 2015 pact. The targets, which were already modest compared to those of the European Union, are clearly in danger. But the United States' federal system of government and polarized political climate offer hope: states like California and New York are governed by opposition Democrats horrified by their Republican president's stance on global climate change, and are taking steps to oppose it. It was for these reasons that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was the most recent figure to suggest "there are expectations" the US will meet its erstwhile commitments, with or without Trump's blessing. - Hard to predict - Twenty of the 50 states, some hundred cities and a thousand companies have already set targets for reducing the greenhouse effect, according to America's Pledge, an initiative launched by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and the California Governor Jerry Brown. California on its own is responsible for about the same amount of greenhouse gases as France, and is gunning for a 40 percent reduction in its emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, targets as ambitious as the EU's. But the question remains: can action taken by certain jurisdictions and firms be a complete substitute for federal legislation at the center? "It's not impossible, but it's improbable that the US can meet its objectives with no further federal action," Marc Hafstead, an economist at Resources for the Future, a non-profit research institute, told AFP. According to America's Pledge, those states and cities which back the Paris agreement contribute only 35 percent of the country's overall greenhouse gas emissions. Texas, the country's biggest polluter, is not a part of the movement. The combined efforts of non-federal jurisdictions will reduce America's greenhouse gas footprint by only half of the original target, according to a report last September by the Germany-based NewClimate Institute. A more precise figure is set to be published by America's Pledge in September during a global summit on climate change in San Francisco. For now, warned Michelle Manion, the lead senior economist at the World Resources Institute leading analysis for this report: "if you just do a straight line from the states and cities that have committed to it, it doesn't look like we'll meet those numbers." "It's heading in the right direction, I can't tell you what the number is going to be in 2025, nor can anybody else," she continued, adding that future technological innovations could prove to be game changers. Ten years ago, no one foresaw the dramatic decline in natural gas prices, she recalled. Or predicted that the cost of solar panels would fall by 70 percent over the course of seven years. It remains imperative, she argued, for states to continue to work towards a low-carbon economy, through measures like the installation of electric charging stations for cars or more environmentally friendly building regulations. Vehicle emissions standards, which Trump is seeking to change, are a good example, she said. If California and the ten states in the country's northeast that account for 40 percent of all domestic light duty vehicle sales continue to impose tighter controls, it's likely that automobile manufacturers will adhere to the stricter standards rather than create a two-tier market. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement Boat carrying Rohingya stops on Thai island: official Bangkok, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2018 A boat carrying dozens of Rohingya refugees trying to reach Malaysia briefly stopped on a Thai island, an official said Sunday, as fears grow about overcrowded camps for the stateless minority fleeing violence in Myanmar. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have sought shelter in southern Bangladesh since Myanmar launched a brutal crackdown on insurgents in August that the US and UN have called ethnic cleansing. But the refugees have arrived to find cramped settlements and often squalid conditions in Cox's Bazar, where hundreds of thousands who fled previous waves of persecution are already living. An agreement to repatriate Rohingya from Bangladesh to Myanmar's Rakhine state has yet to see a single refugee returned. Rohingya migrants attempting the boat routes south have been a rare sighting since Thai authorities clamped down on regional trafficking networks in 2015, leaving thousands of migrants abandoned in open waters or jungle camps. The boat arrived off Thailand's western coast in Krabi province early Sunday due to bad weather. Images showed the passengers, who said they were Rohingya, being interviewed on shore and then getting back into the boat before departing. Krabi governor Kitibodee Pravitra confirmed that the people travelling on the boat were Rohingya but said he did not know where they had come from. "The initial report said they were docking near Koh Lanta this morning to avoid the storm," he said, referring to an island popular with tourists. "They want to go to Malaysia." He said there were about 56 women, men and children on board and that the Rohingya would continue toward their destination. A Thai official who was involved in the response but declined to be named told AFP naval authorities escorted the boat towards Malaysia and that it would likely arrive at the border area tomorrow morning. He said local villagers donated food to the Rohingya and that they were "happy" with the help. Many of the Rohingya ensnared in the 2015 boat crisis wound up in Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia as Thailand stuck to a policy of not accepting the vessels. The Thai official said in this case it was "their wish to continue the journey to the neighbouring country". Bangladeshi economic migrants have also taken the boat routes south. There are nearly 70,000 Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers living in Malaysia, according to the most recent statistics from the UN refugee agency. Al-Shabaab attacks AU base in Somalia: security official Mogadishu, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2018 Heavily-armed Al-Shabaab militants attacked an African Union military camp outside Mogadishu on Sunday, where peacekeepers from Uganda are stationed, security officials and witnesses said. Local sources said a massive blast was heard in the Bulomarer district, some 150 kilometres (93 miles) south of Mogadishu, and fighting broke out after dozens of heavily armed Shabaab militants stormed the base. "The heavy blast struck the base before fighting broke out but we don't have the details. We are hearing the militants used a minibus loaded with explosives to make their way in before the heavily armed confrontation started at the camp," said local security official Ibrahim Abdilahi. "There was heavy fighting and we could see smoke rising above the military base", said witness Mohamed Sharif. The number of casualties could not be immediately confirmed. Ugandan army spokesman Brigadier Richard Karemire wrote on Twitter that 30 Shabaab militants had been killed, while the Islamists claimed in a statement to have killed 59 Ugandan soldiers. The Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab was pushed out of the Somali capital in 2011 -- and subsequently other towns and cities -- by soldiers from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). But the Islamists still hold sway in large parts of the countryside and launch regular gun and bomb attacks on government, military and civilian targets in Mogadishu and ambushes on military convoys and outposts. East African leaders contributing to the 22,000-strong AMISOM force last month called for the United Nations to reconsider plans to withdraw troops by December 2020, saying the timeline was unrealistic and could lead to a reversal of gains. Algiers, April 1, 2018 (SPS) - The participants in the 6th International Conference on Peoples' Right to Resistance on Saturday, in Algiers, commended Algeria's support to peoples struggling for their liberty and dignity and its persistent call to speed up the referendum on Western Sahara people's self-determination, in line with pertinent UN resolutions. Arab and foreign delegations attending the sixth Conference on "Peoples' Right to Resistance: the Case of Sahrawi People, in a message to President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika, thanked Algeria for its efforts and for facilitations they received throughout the event, which they dubbed a "total success." Western Sahara activists welcomed the efforts of Algeria, under the leadership of President Bouteflika, for its "unfailing support to the peoples fighting for their independence and dignity, and its support for all liberation movements in the world." They stressed that such a support is not unknown to Algerian people, as they are imbued with the principles of liberty, political activism and attachment to the values of the Algerian Revolution (1954-1962). The speakers at the conference praised the leading role of President Bouteflika, under the chairmanship of whom the UN General Assembly expelled the delegation of the apartheid regime in 1974. The UN General Assembly's position toward the apartheid regime's delegation in 1974 "paved the way for the end of racial segregation in South Africa." The conference also underlined the recognition of the Palestinian cause, by the UN General Assembly under the chairmanship of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, based on the right of all colonized peoples to liberty and independence, including Western Sahara people. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS Humanitarian crisis Its wrong to believe that empires like Rome or America expanded in order to achieve security. Even though America is not a New Rome, there is a striking similarity between the two, Snowbasin planning major expansion, including 300-room Club Med hotel Snowbasin has quietly been planning for big changes. Now, operators of the Weber County ski resort are moving forward. They unveiled ambitious plans this week to build a 300-room hotel on Snowbasin grounds, add new retail offerings and upgrade some of the lifts that haul skiers. Some of the work is already underway and hotel construction is to be complete by the end of 2024. "These new developments put us on track to become the world-class resort destination envisioned for Snowbasin," said Davy Ratchford, the ski resort's general manager. The planned improvements will be the most ... Man arrested for raping 13-yr-old Police have arrested a person for allegedly raping a teenager at at Junichhade Rural Municipality-2 of Jajarkot District. Missing tourists found fallen off trail in Dhaulagiri Two foreign tourists, who had gone missing while hiking in Dhaulagiri trekking route, have been found on Saturday evening. 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NC leader Khadkas final rites today Nepali Congress (NC) leader Khum Bahadur Khadka who died at New Delhis Apollo Hospital on Friday, will be cremated at Pashupati Aryaghat in Kathmandu on Sunday. Crypto Exchange, Everything that You Need to Know about It NEA to work with Ministry of Finance A Nepal Economic Association (NEA) delegation led by its President Bhawani P Dhungana met with Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada this week to discuss pertinent national economic issues and to establish an action plan to tackle said issues. Deals in abundance at the CSE By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s): So far this year the CSE has seen so many deals crossings, buybacks and private equity. This trend was started by Onally Holdings PLC, engaged in property development and real estate business when its 12 per cent crossed on January 3. The buyer was Renuka Capital PLC which has been collecting this share since last year when it bought a 23 per cent stake in September. Ceylon Tea Brokers PLC (CTBL) saw its controlling stake trade on January 8. On the same day, Ceylon Investment PLC (CIP) part of the Ceylon Guardian Group shed its holding in cable manufacturer, ACL Cables PLC. Hemas Holdings fully-owned subsidiary Hemas Manufacturing Ltd bought Nimex from Atlas, owned by Ceylon Pencil Co. (Pvt) Ltd on January 19. January 26 saw Softlogic Holdings PLC enter into a private placement deal with Samena Ceylon Holdings Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of Samena Capital, a principal investment group focusing on the subcontinent, Middle East, Asia and North Africa, to raise Rs.3.11 billion for the company, to settle short-term debt. The month of February began with Janashakthi Insurance PLC selling its entire stake in the general insurance segment to multinational insurer, Allianz. March 21 saw Navara Capital selling its controlling stake in Serendib Engineering Group PLC, which provides engineering solutions to major state infrastructure outfits, to a Singaporean entity. On March 27, Dialog Axiata entered into an agreement to acquire 35 per cent of the share capital of Digital Reality Pte Ltd (DRPL) through a primary issuance, at a cash consideration of Rs.262.5 million to establish, operate and manage Sri Lankas first ever high-density data centre. Dialog Axiatas wholly owned subsidiary, Dialog Broadband Networks Pte Ltd (DBN), also entered into a shareholder agreement with Orion Citys main developer St Anthonys Property Developers Pte Ltd (SAPD) for the acquisition. On March 24, Serendib Hotels paid Rs.108.1 million for the balance 425,627 shares representing 48.85 per cent stake in Frontier Capital Lanka Private Ltd, the owners and operators of the villa chain, Lantern Beach Collection. United Motors Lanka PLC (UML) announced that it sold its entire stake in TVS Lanka (Pvt) Ltd to the TVS parent company in India for Rs. 1 billion. The Ishara Nanayakkara family-led LOLC Group on March 28 increased its stake in the company, buying over the 30 per cent stake held by Japans Orix Corporation, the one-time owners of the company. In a transaction done on the Colombo Stock Exchange, the deal is worth nearly Rs 13 billion or US$ 85 million dollars. The Nanayakkara family has increased its stake to 85 per cent from 55 per cent earlier with this transaction while the balance 15 per cent is held by the public. Nepal to propose power swap deal with India The Ministry of Energy is planning to finalise a number of deals on electricity trading with India during Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis proposed visit to New Delhi from April 6-8. EAP group exits from subsidiaries to save two finance companies View(s): Crisis-ridden, Edirisinghe Trust Investment Finance Ltd (ETIFL) a licensed non-bank finance institution, will be resurrected with a capital infusion of US$17 million by a Singapore-based investment fund, official sources revealed.The EAP Group has entered into a deal with Blue Summit Capital Management Pvt Ltd to sell some of its major subsidiaries to this Singaporean firm at a price of US $75 million in a bid to protect the deposits of over 35,000 depositors of ETIFL and Swarnamahal Financial Services PLC (SFS), a top official source closely connected to the deal told the Business Times. The Singapore fund has already remitted US$17 million to deal with ETIFLs liquidity issue and eroding capital, a senior Central Bank (CB) official confirmed. According to a due diligence conducted by relevant parties, the gap indicated in ETIs balance sheet was Rs. 17.5 billion at end-March 2017. This company has a 90 percent stake in SFS which has a negative book value of Rs. 1 billion. EAP is expected to receive $43 million by the end of April and the balance $15 million by mid May this year to finalise the deal of exiting the ownership of their subsidiaries namely SFS, EAP Films and Theatres Pvt Ltd, EAP Broadcasting and Swarnamahal Jewellers, the official source said. Only a 40 per cent stake in EAP Broadcasting, which owns the Swarnavahini TV station and several Sinhala and English radio channels, can be sold due to state restrictions imposed on foreigners to hold shares in media companies. The balance 60 per cent will be retained by the EAP Group. The CB restricted the withdrawal of maturing deposits and renewal of such deposits of ETIFL and SFS for six months with effect from January this year, and placed the companies under a 3-member expert panel comprising former CBAssistant Governor Sepala Ratnayake, former Bank of Ceylon (BoC) Senior Deputy General Manager P.A. Lionel and former BoC Assistant General Manager H.M. Thilakarathne. From that day onwards, EAP Group has tried to find an investor to infuse fresh capital into two finance companies, the official said. Earlier EAPs negotiations with a controversial Malaysian-based broker, who was once stopped at the Colombo airport with a large amount of undeclared foreign currency, and also linking a Singapore firm Straits Grid Pte Ltd, didnt work. It was after this that the EAP group was approached by another Singapore firm through another broker. The earlier negotiations also included a stake to be taken by UK based Lyca Group, owned by Sri Lankan-origin Allirajah Subaskaran, a high profile player in the mobile network space operating in 21 countries worldwide. The Lyca founder is a powerful financial backer of Britains Conservative Party. FM official tipped to head promotions in travel industry? View(s): The government is likely to consider a diplomat with sound knowledge of state bureaucracy to head the promotions arm of the state run tourism body. It is learnt that the criteria for the selection process is to find someone with the ability to engage in the proper procurement processes of the government and in this respect a former diplomat now back in the island from India is being mooted for the job. However, Tourism Minister John Amaratunga told the Business Times that they were yet to find a suitable candidate and noted that this particular lady official from the Foreign Ministry had expressed interest in taking up the job. The industry too has indicated to the minister at a meeting on Tuesday their eagerness to appoint a new Chairman at the helm of the promotions operations and had noted that they required a dynamic person to take up the posting. Since the removal of the former Chairman Udaya Nanayakkara, Tourism Ministry Secretary Esala Weerakoon has been in the job as acting Chairman. At the same Tuesday meeting, expediting the promotions campaigns was discussed and it was pointed out that there should be clear timelines for the global promotion campaign. The minister noted that they had received a lot of interest from overseas agencies to carry out the promotions campaign under the digital marketing programme that is scheduled to kick off by the end of April. He noted that while they would have to work within the stipulated costs as allocated by the Treasury however, they would have to negotiate with the bidders on this aspect as well. Meanwhile, the CNN advertising campaign is set to kick off in April, Minister Amaratunga said adding that following the digital campaign getting underway the global promotion campaign would also fall in line accordingly. (SD) Wide powers to Tax Chief in new tax laws effective today By Jayampathy Jayasinghe View(s): View(s): The new Inland Revenue Act effective from today (April 1) gives wide and far reaching powers to the Commissioner General of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) where, in one instance, he alone can decide whether a taxpayer can be accompanied by a lawyer or another representative to the IRD, or not. Also under certain circumstances the Commissioner General has the power to decide taxes that one should pay in terms of future profits, said Principal -Tax and Regulatory, KPMG Suresh Perera. He was speaking at a panel discussion titled New regime in tax laws on the changes in taxation from April 1 organised by the Sunday Times Business Club at the Movenpick Hotel, Kollupitiya on Tuesday. Movenpick is the host hotel of the club while the NDB is a sponsor of the club. Referring to real estate apartments, he said a final policy decision has not been taken so far on the enforcement of VAT. However selling a house and land will not be taxed if one owned it for three years and lived there for more than two years. He said under the new Act one has to evaluate his future profits in paying taxes. As far as the new Inland Revenue Act is concerned there will be no change for listed shares and will continue to be exempted from sales proceeds.However for unlisted shares there will be a change from April 1 if one sells it when it become taxable. Where listed debentures are concerned there will be a change in relation to its sales proceeds. Where foreign shares and foreign dividends are in the hands of Sri Lankans, they will not be liable for tax if one owns more than 10 per cent of the shareholding. Where Treasury bills and bonds are concerned there is a 10 per cent withholding tax at present but after April 1 there wont be any withholding tax. However interest on fixed deposits will be increased to 5 per cent. One salient feature of the new Island Revenue Act is that there wont be any tax holidays or exemptions. Meanwhile there will a change to employment income where the tax rate will go up to 24 per cent while the tax rate for professionals in practice will also go up to 24 per cent. He said although there are no tax holidays it does not mean that there are no incentives for investments especially by foreigners. Referring to migrants, he said if they acquire any foreign assets prior to migration they will be liable for taxation. The best will be to migrate first and then to acquire foreign assets, he added . Managing Director/ CEO Cargills Bank and the Chairman Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Rajendra Theagarajah said from a national point of view the focus was to mobilise all sectors and not a few companies to build an export driven economy. It was defined that companies have to show that 80 per cent of its export revenue to qualify for concessions. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce of Commerce has been lobbying from day one not to implement that proposal. He said the total combined profits of all banks for last year was less than Rs. 100 billion and within the next 18 months every bank is expected to double the amount of capital as a buffer. Referring to inward remittances and the NRFC scheme, he said people are in a quandary at present whether to bring money to the country or keep it outside owing to the withholding tax on interest accruing all deposits including remittances. Managing Director of Hemas Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd, Roy Joseph said that his company was engaged in building brands overseas that brings foreign exchange to the country but under the new Act they will not be entitled for any tax concession. He said even domestically the tax rate is moving up where cash flows are impacted. The three panellists spoke at length on the new tax laws, its impact on banking and the corporate community and on manufacturing and sales. Cabinet divided on school uniforms, fertiliser and glyphosate ban View(s): Whether material or cash should be given to schoolchildren for uniforms has become a controversy among United National Party (UNP) Cabinet ministers. At the weekly ministerial meeting last Tuesday, Housing Minister Sajith Premadasa said the present practice of issuing cash coupons was not working and was riddled with corruption. He said President Maithripala Sirisena should send an independent team to different districts and he would be able to ascertain the position. It was his view that eight out of ten recipients wanted the material. The issue of free uniforms to schoolchildren was the brainchild of the late R. Premadasa. The scheme, however, was changed by Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. Mr Kariyawasam claimed at last weeks ministerial meeting that at least thirty per cent of the material issued had been leaking to the market. Moreover, he said, poor quality material had been used. He argued that when coupons were given, the recipients could choose the material they wanted. President Sirisena told Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to study the issue and take an appropriate decision. Another issue over whether it should be cash or kind centred on fertiliser. President Sirisena expressed the view that the payment of money led to abuse and said he believed fertiliser should be given. Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake and Finance Minister Samaraweera were requested to formulate a scheme for approval by the ministers. Two ministers Navin Dissanayake (Plantation Industries) and Rajitha Senaratne (Health) locked horns over the ban on glyphosate, a weed-killer once used widely in tea plantations. Mr.Dissanayake wanted the ban lifted whilst, Dr. Senaratne said it should remain. A three-member ministerial team has been tasked to study the issue and make recommendations. They are Ministers Navin Dissanayake, Duminda Dissanayake and Rajitha Senaratne. Minister Senaratne proposed that Ven. Athureliya Rathana Thera, who led the campaign against the use of chemical fertiliser be co-opted. The team has been asked to submit its proposals within a month. If you want Air Force souvenirs, this is the place The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Commander, Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy, unveiling a plaque to declare open the SLAFs first souvenir shop in Colombo. The SLAF Chief of Staff Air Vice Marshal Sumangala Dias, Members of the Air Force Board of Management, SLAF Commanding Officer (Station Colombo) Air Commodore Waruna Gunawardana, Officers and other ranks were present on the occasion. Meet my demand, if you want my vote Exigent political situations often prompt politicians to cash in on their own demands. Wednesdays no-confidence motion on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is no exception.One UNF Government Minister told a colleague that he had given an ultimatum to his leadership that he would resign his post if the development funds promised for his area were not given. Interesting enough, he wants them allocated before the motion is taken up in Parliament. Another is a move by a group of UNP parliamentarians that include Palitha Range Bandara, the policeman turned politician representing Puttalam. Ahead of the no-confidence motion, they want to seek a declaration from their leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, that he would make changes to the UNP constitution. That is for the Working Committee of the party and the parliamentary group to elect all office bearers. But a question still remains Who will bell the cat? Banker offered to head SriLankan Moves are afoot for a change in the Board of Directors of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier. Those familiar with the changes say the post of Chairman has been offered to Ranjith Fernando, a former Chairman of the National Development Bank. A response from him is being awaited. Though the current Board of Directors was expected to resign last week, the matter has been put on hold. Expected to be on the new board are Mano Tittawala (currently serving in the Finance Ministry) and the first chairman of Airlanka, Captain Rakhita Wikramanayake, 80. MoD denies MoD letter The Defence Ministrys Media Centre has responded to last weeks report in these columns headlined S 300, Buk 27 Missiles or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles are being considered for SLAF. Our story said the Government was negotiating with Russia to purchase these missiles. The MoD statement says; Please note that no such moves as alleged in the said report are being considered by the Sri Lanka Air Force. You are therefore requested to correct this position in your next issue as it could lead to misunderstanding, please. Jamis Banda adds: Very strange indeed!! The MoDs left hand does not seem to know what its right hand is doing. It was on February 8, 2018 that the Defence Ministry Secretary wrote to the Russian Government giving a list of four different costly procurements Sri Lanka wishes to make. Unless there is a change of plans, in fact, he is even to lead a delegation to Moscow in the first week of this month to discuss these matters and is to be accompanied by an Air Force official among others. The fourth item on that letter is To purchase a Qty of Radar Controlled Air Defence Guns and Missiles. The S 300 and Buk 27 radar controlled missiles are the only two radar controlled versions manufactured in the Russian Federation. A more advanced type of these same missiles is highly expensive. The Defence Secretarys February 8, 2018 letter has also been copied to the Air Force Commander, the Director General of the External Resources Division and the Chief Executive Officer of Lanka Logistics and Technologies Ltd. Hence, it is pertinent to ask how a misunderstanding arises and over whom or what? It is a standard practice for the Ministry of Defence to procure what a service arm requires. In this instance, it is the SLAF. Both, the MoD and the SLAF should be aware of this, since the correspondence is available with them. I have only referred to one item from the list of four sought to be procured. Hence, I will refrain from mentioning what the other three are for the moment. I might add that the cost of these items would far exceed US$ 135 million which the Government wanted to pay to procure a Russian-built Gepard 5.1 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) after renewing a credit line for US$ 300 million. An agreement for this procurement is yet to be signed and it is not immediately clear whether the Defence Secretary would do so during his planned visit. This purchase did generate controversy as to who really is interested in these Russian arms, and what purpose they are for a country not at war. The underworld, Rajapaksa and yahapalanaya power games View(s): Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, now busily wrapping the reformist garb of a changed political persona around him, has had the audacity to complain this week that the underworld is now more active than during his Presidency. Criminals and the Rajapaksa project But the truth is that the underworld was managed and used at the time to protect the Rajapaksa political project. Those inconvenient to the family in power were disposed of while favorites were nurtured for use whenever the occasion presented itself. Discomforting details of involvement of senior police officers in the assassinations, assaults and underworld activities fostered with state patronage during the last five years of Rajapaksa rule (2010 2014) are now emerging into the harsh light of current-day realities. These are not casual discoveries that can be shrugged away by a genial smile or hypocritical protestations under the Rajapaksa satakaya. These atrocities were not brought before the public much earlier due to the power games of the (dis) unity yahapalanaya alliance, which have now become the butt of ribald jokes in the popular imagination. Wherever the relativities of the blame may lie for this, President MaithripalaSirisena and Prime Minister Ranil must shoulder joint responsibility for squandering the richness of the public trust placed in them in 2015. That much is clear. Following the departure of the Rajapaksa family from the seat of power in 2105, despicable police excesses are no longer linked to the highest levels of the political command in the Government as once was the case. However, systemic reform of the police establishment and credible leadership of the Sri Lanka Police continue to be lacking, leaving law and order to be increasingly imperiled. Selective or excessive law enforcement In its absence, we have the IGP absurdly directing his hapless subordinates to compulsorily engage in meditation classes. When communal violence takes place, law enforcement officers turn the proverbial Nelsonian eye to the instigation of agent provocateurs acting with vested political agendas.Worse, they are oftentimes openly supportive as was seen in the recent violence in the Kandy District. Thus too, when demonstrators take part in legitimate protests, the police reaction is excessively violent as we saw recently in the case of the Thambuttewegama farmers agitating against the proposed use of water in the Rajanagana reservoir for a drinking water project, despite those resources traditionally being used for paddy cultivation. As in the past, when the police was deaf, dumb and blind in the face of a (toy) pistol wielding so-called mayoral worship of Hambantota(later to be favored by the yahapalanaya regime), law and order is not enforced when it ought to be enforced or enforced selectively with excessive force in other instances. Eye of a calamitous storm On the other hand, police officers cannot work honourably even if they wish to do so, as their superiors override them. Indeed, such law abiding policemen are punished rather than commended with the National Police Commission appearing to be helpless in redressing these injustices.The notion of public service by the police continues to be a cosmetic trapping. Presidential promises of advisory committees looking into reform of the Police Ordinance also do not serve any purpose. What we face is a politically undermined police establishment resulting in the breakdown of law and order. No citizen is immune even if one minds ones own business and keeps out of trouble as is sometimes (mistakenly) believed. The politicization of the police service has many shameful godfathers, not limited to the Rajapaksas. Similar to the undermining of the judiciary, no political party can piously wash its hands of responsibility. Then again, those who served at the helm of the police and judicial establishments and the countrys thinking (or unthinking as the case may be) community who compromised on principle and acted on political agendas, continuing a disgraceful tradition which was evidenced in 2015 as well must shoulder a large part of the blame. The Police as political playthings But in the past at least, a minimal balance of institutional credibility was maintained in regard to the police service.The political leadership of the day realized cannily that such a balance was essential to keep alive, at least the perception of a functional law enforcement system. Such niceties were however cast to the four winds as civil and ethnic conflict aggravated in the country. In time, the police became a political plaything losing even the semblance of democratic functionality. Its role as a buffer between abusive government power and abused individuals was irreversibly reversed. Now police excess is no longer an aberration explained as justifiable in extraordinary circumstances of conflict or emergency. Daily reports of police inaction or police complicity in gross abuses are accepted as part of ordinary reality. That acceptance is dangerous by itself. We have come to accept the abnormal as normal. It is exactly for this reason that the proposed Counter-Terror Act, which gave police officers the authority to call for financial information of suspects from banking institutions without judicial warrant, was opposed so vigorously. And the same objection is true of the recent (and now withdrawn) emergency regulations imposed in the wake of recent attacks on Muslim civilians which conferred powers on police officers to issue detention orders. These are certainly not healthy precedents. The crisis goes far deeper than loss of discipline Essentially it must be recognized that this is not a simplecrisis of police officers being subjected to assaults by political goons when the law is enforced. Such incidents are the natural consequences of lawlessness. But the crisis goes far deeper. The institutional victimization of hapless police officers who try to administer the law without favour, speaks to the gravity of the systemic breakdown very well. Typically, these are the more junior officers just as (at times) far more courageous decisions asserting the Rule of Law are issued by the lower courts than evidenced at the appellate levels of the judicial institution. Law abiding police officers are penalized at the whim and fancy of their superiors acting on vested agendas. This is highly demoralizing where the basic discipline of the police is concerned. The establishment of an independent National Police Commission under the 17th Amendment was one small step towards institutional reform.Its undermining under the 18th Amendment was reversed by the (unduly) celebrated 19th Amendment. But is the NPC empowered to work actively and effectively? That is a core question. Still time for redemption Decades of political undermining of Sri Lankas police establishment has resulted in the police becoming part of the very criminality that it is supposed to prevent. This reality must be confronted in all its raw ugliness. This Government must redeem itself in the eyes of its disillusioned voters through ensuring the proper enforcement of the law and the independent working of theNational Police Commission. Even at this late stage, there is still time for political redemption if determined leadership is shown. Veritably, there is no other option. Theres a bad moon on the rise View(s): Ranil on the cross, JO searching for 113 nails to crucify him; and guess whos giving them the hammer to drive the nails home? Its there in the kohas avurudhu caw, its there humming in the buzz of the bees, its there in the breeze, in the rustle of the leaves, and its found and murmurs on the quivering lips of the people: Theres a bad moon on the rise for Lanka. On this Easter Sunday morning as the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe finds himself tied to the cross, branded a thief. Below him, he can see the Joint Opposition mob frantically searching for 113 nails to crucify him. And guess whos offering them the hammer to drive the nails home? This April 4, parliament will rise to debate and vote on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wicremesinghe. Its a motion born out of the joint oppositions elation in having garnered the popular vote at Februarys local government elections. They know they are bound to lose it. But are they worried? No, no. Its real purpose is not to win it but to put the shivers into government ranks, create a leadership crisis within the UNP and show the masses on what taught tightrope this coalition government precariously walks the walk today; and on what tremulous strands of coir it perilously balances its act. And that its doomed to fall. And it realises that, after having thrown the seeds of dissent, bringing down both the UNP and the SLFP before 2020 is nothing more than childs play. In fact, the puerile way the Government has reacted, the joint oppositions determined campaign is akin to stealing candy from a kid. For both parties in the coalition Government have taken the bait and are doing the joint oppositions bidding, dancing to its music and acting in accordance with the Mahinda script which has devised a tragedy at its ending. Its not the prime ministers scalp they are after. The no-confidence motion is to drain the lifeblood of this coalition Government and render it moribund for the nation not to resurrect the corpus come 2020 but to puke upon it. A governments duty is to govern. In that rose-hued dawn three years ago, much was expected of this Government and three years later Lanka finds that much has been denied to the masses. On the economic front, the country totters on the brink of an abyss. On the political front, it seems it has voluntarily gone over the precipice and lost the peoples confidence. The last three years tell a sad tale of how a Government voted to office with a silver spoon became the spendthrift of the nations hopes and trust; and how it squandered the goodwill and faith the people had lavishly reposed upon it. Its political pamphlet, promising the sun, moon and stars to usher a Yahapalana era of just governance, to lift the nation from the sewers of corruption and to embolden it with hope that a new enlightened epoch awaited them, today lies traduced in the dust for the people to trample upon. For the promised dawn, it vowed to usher now stand proven false. No wonder theres a bad moon on the rise. The coalition Government has gone beyond the pale of redemption. Its evident theres no love lost between the two main parties. The partnership is but a farce, a facade to hide the mad confusions that broil within its ranks subjected as it is to the oppositions oppressive heat. The oppositions duty is to oppose. And they have done a super duper job to make the Government cringe and crawl. From day one of losing the presidential election in 2015 to now, they have worked a miracle to ensure their resurrection: Even succeeded in turning Sirisena to a Judas. To betray the gratitude Sirisena said on a Derana 360 chat show in the run up to the local government elections in February he had to his running mate Ranil for making him president. This week on Wednesday Maithripala Sirisena showed the extent of his gratitude in no small measure. He gave Ranil Wickremesinghe a public slapping by stripping him of control of the Central Bank. He removed the Central Bank and the Securities and Exchange Commission from the Prime Ministers purview. A gazette extraordinary announcing the Presidents decision was issued on Tuesday, a week before the no-confidence motion against Wickremesinghe was to be taken up. Now the two institutions have been brought under the Ministry of Finance. President Sirisena has also put on hold some draft bills, proposed amendments, resolutions, orders etc, which Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was to present to Parliament, in his capacity as the Minister of National Policies & Economic Affairs. The amendments were to be moved to the Monetary Law Act, No. 58 of 1949, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Act, No. 35 of 2002, Exchange Control Act, No. 24 of 195, Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka Act, No. 36 of 1987, National Youth Service Council Act, No. 69 of 1979, Youth Corps Act, No. 21 of 2002, Children and Young Persons Ordinance, No. 48 of 1939 and National Insurance Trust Fund Act, No. 28 of 2006. It was nothing less than a public flogging. It couldnt have come at a worse time for Ranil, already on the cross waiting to be nailed, charged by the joint opposition, in its no-confidence motion against him, to be responsible for the bond scam. Twelve out of the 14 charges contained in the no-confidence motion against the prime minister deal with the bond swindle. All stem from the original sin, the first charge levelled against the Prime Minister: that of placing the Central Bank under the purview of the Prime Minister with the intention of committing the bond scam. But does the Prime Minister have the Constitutional right to place the Central Bank under his purview? Or does that constitutional right belong solely to the president? Has the joint opposition dialled the wrong number when it accused Ranil of arrogating the Central Bank to his pocket to make rich his wallet? Or should the phone have rung in the presidential residence at Paget Road, Colombo 7? According to Local Go vernment and Provincial Councils Minister Faiszer Musthapha, the answer is no. On Tuesday, countering a claim made by Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardana, he said the No-Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe affected only the PM and not President Maithripala Sirisena. Perhaps he should take another look at the constitution. Or read SUNDAY PUNCH of March 4. Under article 43(2) the President shall on the advice of the prime minister appoint ministers. Under Article 43(3) he does not need to consult the prime minister if he wants to reshuffle his cabinet pack and wishes to make a Jack a King or a Queen a Knave or the Joker the Ace. When it comes to the appointment of state ministers or deputy ministers the same applies. He shall do so on the advice of the prime minister. But when it comes to determining their assignments and functions as Ministers, he may do so in consultation with the prime minister only if he thinks such consultation necessary. Or Mr. Musthapha can save himself the trouble of reading constitutional clauses by simply taking note of the Presidents actions this week when he stripped the Prime Minister of the Central Bank and other institutions he had assigned to Ranil three years ago and unequivocally demonstrated the principle that the one who has the right to fire is the one who has the right to hire. Whether the President did so in consultation with the Prime Minister or whether he did so on his own, thinking that such consultation was not necessary as is his constitutional right is beside the point. What matters is that the Central Bank was assigned to the Prime Minister by the president and there is no getting away from that fact. Thus this Wednesday when the no-confidence motion is brought before Parliament with its first allegation placing the Finance Ministry under the purview of the Prime Minister with the intention of committing the bond scam, Sirisenas head too is on the block. On Friday the former hitman of the Rajapaksa regime who switched his allegiance to Sirisena once the latter was installed in power, Science, Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha announced that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party will vote for the no-confidence motion, moved by the Joint Opposition against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and called upon Wickremesinghe to resign as Prime Minister. Premajayantha assured that the SLFPs current position on the no-confidence motion would not change and that it would be confirmed by the Working Committee before April 4. Addressing the media at the SLFP headquarters in Colombo, Minister Premajayanatha said 12 out of 14 charges against PM Wickremesinghe on the motion tabled in parliament were regarding the Central Bank bond scam and those charges were similar to the outcome of the SLFP appointed bond scam committee report. Therefore, the SLFP MPs did not have any reason to oppose the NCM, he added. Wonder on whose side he is batting now, given his track record of scoring runs for the winning side? Perhaps, he too, had failed to read the President-appointed Bond Commissions report which exonerated the Prime Minister and only faulted him in making Arjun Mahendran the Governor of the Central Bank. But Ranil Wicremesinghe had no crystal ball to foretell what the future held when the fateful appointment was made. Neither did the Maithripala Sirisena have power of clairvoyance when he assigned the Central Bank to the Prime Ministers care and appointed Mahendran as its head. For under the constitution the president appoints the Central Bank Governor. Both fell victim and both must share the blame. Especially the one at whose table the buck finally stops. The former president Rajapaksa who did not sign the no-confidence motion he handed over to the Speaker last week along with Dinesh Gunawardena also chipped in. He said, the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would succeed as President Maithripala Sirisena was backing it. But is he? And if he does, will he not be committing political hara kiri? What did the president achieve by delivering a thundering slap to Ranil by removing the Central Bank from his jurisdiction? If he thought that Ranil was indeed responsible, no matter what his own presidential bond commission said in its conclusive findings, then was action taken three years after the event, akin to closing the stable door after the horse had bolted? And to whose province did he, using his constitutional right with or without consulting the prime minister, to appoint and assign, to hire and fire, hand over the Governments Banker. To Mangala Samaraweera, a stalwart of the UNP, faithful to his leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Do not his advisers tell him that the joint oppositions no-confidence motion is also an indictment on his presidency by placing the Central Bank under Ranils purview and appointing Arjuna as its governor: Both assignment and appointment being his duty and prerogative under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution which he himself introduced and got enacted with a thumping five sixth majority in Parliament. Lets hail him for that. And weep for his many failures. For his failure to execute the 2015 mandate the nation gave to him. To bring the crooks to book. Even after the local government poll results shook the government from its slumber, Sirisena slept. On many occasions had he promised to raise his sword to crackdown on corruption. But when the time came for it to be used when Ranil insisted that a strong man be used for the job, he chose a nerd instead and sheathed his sword out of fear that the joint opposition spittle will rust it. As dark clouds gather over the Yahapalana government, with its Prime Minister on the dock and an indecisive President with a death wish waiting in the wings to share the stage, discern the bad moon on the rise for Lanka. The Pope says theres no hell: Perhaps hes forgotten Lanka? In his Good Friday sermon, Pope Francis has said that hell does not exist. Perhaps the servant of the servant of God who visited the isle in 2015 was denied the chance to see the other side of Eden.A joke currently doing the rounds goes like this: Donald Trump, the Queen of England and a former Lankan President died and went to hell. They were met by Satan and were told to sign the register. Whilst doing so, Trump saw a red phone at the reception desk.He asked Satan: Whats that for? Oh, thats for calling Earth, Satan replied. Can I make a quick call, Trump asked in earnest, anxious to get in touch with Stormy Daniels. Sure, Satan replied, of course Universal Direct Dialing (UDD) call rates apply. Trump spoke for ten minutes. At the end of the call Satan charged him a million dollars. No prob, Trump said and wrote out a cheque for the same amount. The Queen then asked the devil. Excuse me, Mr. Satan, can I possibly call home. And where would that be, Satan asked. England, of course, you old fool, the Queen replied. Of, course, maam, the Devil said and gave her the phone. The Queen spoke for thirty minutes. She was charged ten million pounds, which she readily paid by way of cheque, guaranteed by the Bank of England. The former Lankan president waited till the Queen had finished her call and asked the devil whether there will be a problem if he spoke to his relatives in Lanka. No problem, my old friend, Satan said and handed over the universal direct dialing hotline to him. The Lankan president spent two and a half hours on the line. When kept, Satan charged him Rs. Fifty for the call. Trump rose in protest and shouted. What, I had to pay a million dollars for a ten minute call to the US and Her Majesty had to pay ten million pounds for a thirty minute call while this guy here is only charged fifty bucks for a two and a half hour call. Who is this guy anyway? Satan replied: This guy is the man who changed Lanka to Hell and therefore we treat it as a local call. Minister requests to dim the light of Vesak Its as if the Government does not have enough trouble on its plate. Now it has gone and set light to another blooming controversy. Buddhasasana Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, who was handling wildlife earlier, was reported to have said on Friday the Government had decided to prohibit pandals on Vesak and Poson Poya Days to stress the need to focus on the spiritual aspect of religion rather than on mundane activities. The Daily Mirror reported that the Government had made this decision to safeguard Buddhist principles and encourage Buddhists to engage in spiritual activities during Vesak and Poson. It immediately drew fire and rightly so from Wimal Weerawansa who said the Government was attempting to undermine Buddhist culture and asked on what basis the Government was prohibiting pandals on these Poya Days despite the same Government constructing the tallest artificial Christmas tree though it was disapproved by Colombos Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. Both the minister and the Government Information Department rushed last evening to clarify the matter. The minister claimed that his call had been not to ban pandals but to enlighten the public on the need to play more attention to practice rather than to rituals. On that same basis is he against Bodhi poojas, against Bodhi worship, against the Sri Dalada perehera? All rituals. Not precepts. The minister said it would be preferable to hold dansal near temples or within temple premises rather than pandals on Vesak Full Moon night. . Dansal? According to Buddhist philosophy, you feed a man today and he will still be hungry in the morn. As the Buddha has said: The greatest gift is the gift of the Dhamma. But whatever gave the Buddhasasana Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera the idea that thoran, or a pandal, which have been a regular feature of Vesak celebration is not one focused upon spiritual upliftment. For his edification, pandals illustrate the life of the Buddha in his previous 550 births as a Bodhisathwa. The pandals purpose which depict episodes in that long samsaric journey is to evoke within the eye of its beholder the inspiration to follow in the Buddhas steps. Dansal only serve to fill stomachs. A pandal is designed to inspire ones soul. He also said he had the Mahanayake Theras agreement. Who these Mahanayake Theras were, he did not state. And it does not matter. Man does not live by bread alone. And, as far as his claim that he has the Mahanayake Theras blessings for his new Buddhist doctrine, Buddhism knows no popes. 161st Anniversary of Ceylons First Postage Stamp By Dulshan Ellawela View(s): View(s): The first stamp for Ceylon was issued on April 1, 1857. The stamp features a portrait of Queen Victoria and is brown in colour. It is a 6 pence value stamp used to send a half ounce letter from Ceylon to England. A special feature of this stamp is its printed on a blued paper with a star watermark. Sir Rowland Hill Sir Rowland Hill proposed an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage. At the time it was normal for the recipient to pay postage on delivery, charged by the sheet and on distance travelled. The first postage stamp was printed in the United Kingdom in 1840. As Ceylon was a British colony in those days, letters were transmitted between both countries. As a result, Ceylons first postage stamp was designed in London and printed by Perkins, Bacon & Co. According to the statistics 65,000 stamps were printed. Printing plates contained 240 impressions in 20 rows of 12 and it was imperforated. Postal reforms came to Ceylon in 1856. An ordinance published that year established postal rates effective April 1, 1857 at 1 d., for oz. and an additional 1 d., for the next oz., with each additional ounce being 2 d. Newspapers and printed matter for domestic destinations was d., and for foreign destinations was 1 d. The first pound of a parcel was 8 d., with each additional pound at 4 d. Prepayment was to be made by stamps, however, until stamps, became available, prepayment could be made in cash. Behind the scenes of Aarthi the Amazing Comic artist Isuri, whose illustrations featured in this years Google Doodle for International Womens Day, tell the lesser known story of Aarthi - an extraordinary fisherwoman of limitless strength View(s): View(s): This years Google doodle on International Womens Day paid tribute to the voices and stories of women told by artists from across the globe. Twelve female artists including Sri Lankas own comic book artist, Isuri was chosen to tell these stories in forms that were abstract, fictional and some of a personal nature. As a young illustrator based in Colombo, Isuri spends much of her time painting murals, drawing comics and picture books. She studied Illustration at Columbus College of Art & Design and is currently working on her first graphic Novel, Podi (written by Deshan Tennekoon and Navin Ratnayake) forthcoming from Oni Press. In the following exchange over email, she fills the Mirror Magazine in on being invited to share her art on the Google platform and more. On the progress of Podi Isuri : Podi work is going full steam ahead! We've finished thumbnailing all 150 pages of the comic and I'm currently in the middle of penciling and inking. We're hoping to publish Podi towards the end of 2019. I've also been working on a few picture books over the years for the non-profit organizations Room To Read and Think Equal. My most recent picture book, The Girl Who Climbed The Tallest Mountain (written by Deshan Tennekoon) was published by Think Equal (Sri Lanka) earlier this year. The Girl Who Climbed The Tallest Mountain, based on the true adventures of Jayanthi Kuru-Uthumpala. On being invited to contribute to the Womens Day doodle Isuri: Art directors Alyssa Winans and Lydia Nichols from Google emailed last October inviting me to be a part of this years International Womens Day Doodle. Google wanted to showcase a selection of comic/narrative art pieces from women around the world and the goal for this years doodle was to bring forward unheard stories and voices, and to celebrate collective stories. Twelve female artists from different countries were invited to take part this year and each were given different themes (Adventure, Audacity, Chance, Connections, Growth, Heal, Homeland, Love, Possible, Strength, Together and Trust) to work with. My art directors liked that my work had a strong sense of wonder and adventure and wanted me to base my comic narrative around a theme of adventure. On the doodle storyline Isuri: The project brief was to create a 1-5 page story under the theme of adventure; the story could be inspired by a personal story, that of someone close to me, a mentor or a community. The story could have moments of whimsy and implausibility but I was advised to base my narrative on a non-fictional core. Each artist had to first submit 3 story ideas, out of which a final story would be selected to be finalised. The final comic you see on the doodle is a result of four months of work; from the initial story script and thumbnails to color roughs and final artwork. The biggest problem to solve with this project was to figure out a way to tell a complete story within 20 panels (6 pages) or less. Since the Google doodle was to be translated into many languages, we were encouraged to keep the dialogue/text in the story to a minimum; this was easier to solve than the first, given how my work takes on a laconic tone more often than not. On Aarthis character and inspiration in the comic Isuri: Aarthi the Amazing is an adventure story about a day in the life of an extraordinary fisherwoman. She braves the rough seas to catch fish; works day and night and earns the extra Rupee to feed and support her children. Aarthis story was inspired by the daily lives and struggles of fisherwomen in Sri Lanka. For me, Aarthis story is about a womans strength on every level: the interpersonal, love and perseverance of a single mother who works tirelessly to feed and support her two children; the emotional, fears and struggles of a woman who goes out to sea every night to catch a giant fish; and eventually, the nonconformity. In its heart, Aarthis story is an adventure story about an extraordinary fisherwoman, whose strength is limitless. On the creative journey and discovering her artistic voice and if she feels she has matured Isuri: Without a doubt, yes; over the years, Ive learned so much about myself and my work from the projects Ive taken on and those projects have helped me improve my craft. For me, artistic maturity is a lifelong process; five years in the illustration industry and I still feel as if I havent even scratched the surface of who I want to be as an artist. My main goal is to continuously strive to push myself as much as I can to improve my craft. Words of advice to other aspiring comic artists Isuri: Learn the fundamentals of drawing and colouring, read as many comics and graphic novels as you can and keep drawing! For more information on Isuri and her work follow her on artofisuri.com or www.instagram.com/isurimh CML, the newest importer to bring down international movies View(s): Carnival Movies Lanka (CML), the countrys newest movie importer aims to provide Sri Lankan movie goers an opportunity to experience a wide array of Hollywood and Bollywood movies here. It began its journey with Death Wish as the first movie to be imported under its flag, CML imported the Bollywood drama Hichki, a production from Yash Raj films now being screened in theatres. Hichki is an adaptation of the Hollywood film Front of the Class, which was based on the book of the same name. Its the story of a teacher with Tourette syndrome and Rani Mukerji plays the lead role. As cinema enthusiasts, our collective aim is to present a mixed genre of films from around the globe that will enhance the appreciation for cinema of the Sri Lankan movie goer, while luring them back to theatres to enjoy the authentic cinema experience, says Sandya Salgado, CML Directress. India is the largest producer of movies in the world and we are happy to share some of the blockbusters and independent movies from Hollywood and Bollywood with Sri Lankan film goers, said Vaishali Sarwankar, another Directress of CML. She also thanked Yash Raj films for giving an opportunity to screen Hichki in Sri Lanka to coincide with its global launch. CML hopes to share a mixed array of titles with all the local exhibitors and digital platforms in Sri Lanka. Its promoter Dr. Shrikant Bhasi, Chairman, Carnival Group believes in growing its movie distribution footprint beyond borders, a judicious blend of Bollywood, Hollywood and regional movies. The local partner of CML is Film Island Pvt Ltd., a film production company committed to enhancing the local cinema production industry by marketing Sri Lanka as a potential film set for the world cinema. Film Island is backed by award winning cinema personalities and Sri Lankan business strategists. Delving into Lens Distortions Pix and text by Mahesh de Andrado View(s): View(s): With a plethora of image editing and manipulation apps, one would think that you would have seen them all. Theres Mix by Camera360, Prisma, Snapseed and even apps such as B612. All of them make your images look better, offering features for image editing and filters. However, another app to make the headlines amongst photography enthusiasts is Lens Distortions. Available for Android and iOS, Lens Distortions is relatively new to smartphone mobile photography. In fact, the Google Play store lists the app as Unreleased. What does Lens Distortions do? Well, the answer is quite simple. As per the listing on the product page of the respective apps stores, Lens Distortions will add lens or light effects to your images. Now while it may seem a tad pointless to create an app to just add lens flares or light effects, we decided to take the app for a spin anyway. Introductory steps to Lens Distortions As you launch the app, youre greeted with a welcome screen that also has a video link. The video opens up in a separate browser and is essentially a rundown of how Lens Distortion works. We decided to skip the video and dive right into see what makes Lens Distortions tick. Learning the ropes The main screen for Lens Distortions is pretty straightforward. There are no options to tweak or advanced settings to configure. You simply pick an image from your devices gallery, and start adding filters. Speaking of filters, Lens Distortions offers a number of high quality effects to create the look that you want to create. According to the developer page, each overlay in Lens Distortions is created by capturing real-world elements in-camera. This gives the user a filter that is not only highly detailed, but also extremely realistic. Trying your hand out The filters and effects range from glass, to natural sunlight, rain, snow, and even fog. Each Filter category has a number of filters to its name. They are individually viewable so that you know exactly what each effect will look like. The free version of Lens Distortions gives you a total of five filters free from each pack. Additional filters or packs can be unlocked for a monthly rental of 0.99USD per month, roughly equivalent to Rs 175/- per month. Taking Lens Distortion for a spin Having gone through all the formalities, we decided to take Lens Distortion for a walk around Colombo. Our test device was a OnePlus 2 running Android 8.1 Oreo. It was a fairly old device but still had a good camera. According to the developers, a high end modern device was required for best performance. So we decided to see what we could achieve with a flagship killer of 2016. We first tried out the Luminary filter. This essentially adds a blurry effect to images making it seem like the photo was taken with a slightly blurred lens While it seemed pretty cool as a filter, it didnt really appeal to our tastes. So we decided to try out a different filter. As stated earlier, each filter pack consists of 5 filters with others being unlocked via payment. More Filters Moving on, our attention then fell on to the Principle Light Hits and Light Hits filters respectively. These provide a sort of solar flare or lens flare which is also manipulable. As such, the size of the filter can be enlarged or made small by simply using two fingers to pinch in or expand. It can also be dragged around the image till you find the perfect spot. The Fog, Rain and Snow Filters are pretty self-explanatory. They give your images a rainy, snowy or foggy look. It actually does a really good job of making your images look like they were captured in the rain or fog or snow. The Shimmer pack gives your images a star struck look, especially if taken in a dark environment. It also looks like your image was captured through a stained window. They are essentially light fragments and particles that can be used to artistically improve your images. Lastly, the Legacy pack gives you glass textures with a hint of blurred lines (pun intended). Who can make use of Lens Distortions? Well, if youre a budding mobile photographer who wants to try out these filters, then you can give Lens Distortions a go. In the event you feel that the filter packs included are not enough, you can even unlock them all by paying for the subscription. If youre a professional photographer, you can take Lens Distortions for a spin and see how it holds up against actual lens distortions that can be achieved through hardware or by software using applications such as Photoshop and Lightroom. The author is a senior tech writer at ReadMe a leading tech news provider. For more information log on to readme.lk Banned Indian banknotes: NRB official hopes Oli visit resolves issue Nepal Rastra Bank Deputy Governor Chintamani Shiwakoti on Saturday expressed optimism that Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis India state visit would resolve the 17-month long issue of exchanging banned Indian currency with valid legal tender. Shakespeare Centre calls applications for Graduation Programme View(s): Shakespeare Centre is calling for applications for its Graduation Programme scheduled for 100 days in 18 months on a weekend-basis, commencing in 2018. The institute, Shakespeare Centre, Sri Lanka, consequent on the successful completion of a series of ten courses on Shakespeare Theatre Art crossing the boundary of 25 years, has been able to produce disciplined, skilled artistes as well as good citizens for the community of the country. This Graduation Programme comprises two courses of which Shakespeare studies are conducted in the English medium whereas the performing arts are followed in both English and Sinhala mediums, said Visharadh Dawushala Lekamwasam, Secretary Shakespeare Centre. The final stage of the two courses will see some of William Shakespeares ever popular productions like Othello (Sinhala and English), Macbeth (Opera style in Sinhala and English), Hamlet (Sinhala), Julius Caesar (Sinhala) and Midsummer Nights Dream (English Ballet drama) with the students. The students who are registered will also get an opportunity to take part in the film Hamlet (Sinhala) presented by the Shakespeare Centre Anupama Dehiwala Secretary-Finance, Shakespeare Centre said. Those interested can post their applications with personal details to Secretary, Shakespeare Centre, Sri Lanka,327,Darley Road, Colombo 10 or send an e-mail to shakespearecentre.sl@gmail.com on or before April 23. More details could be obtained by calling on 0778516123/0710869964. Back in the wild View(s): Nine orphaned elephant calves that were brought up at the Udawalawa Elephant Transit Home were released into the Maduruoya National Park on Friday (30) by Wildlife Minister Ravindra Samaraweera. The five male and four female elephant calves all have GPS tracking collars fitted to them, which would enable authorities to track where the animals are, said Vijitha Perera, Chief Veterinarian at the Udawalawa Elephant Transit Home. He added they would continue to track the movements of these calves for several months after their release back into the wild. Minister Samaraweera said they periodically release orphaned elephant calves from the transit home. He commended the dedication of officials from the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) for continuing to carry out this task. Acting DWC Director General Manjula Amararatne, Director (Health), Veterinarian Tharaka Prasad and Veterinarians Malaka Kasun Abeywardana, Pinidiya Akalanka and Dinusha De Silva were among those who took part in the release of the elephant calves. Text and Pix by Wasantha Chandrapala at Maduruoya National Park CEB union backs LNG for power, but warns of pitfalls in unsolicited contracts View(s): The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) has urged the Government to draw up a strategic plan to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) in meeting the countrys energy demand instead of adopting ad hoc measures from time to time. In a letter to the President, the Prime Minister, Ministers and MPs, the union says that it is high time to choose LNG as a source of energy in the electricity general mix of the country. They point out that the CEBs Least Cost Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan 2018-2037 calls for LNG power plants with a total capacity of 1,500 megawatts to be added to the system. The union also says the shift to LNG needs to be undertaken only after conducting a proper study. It also notes that in the absence of a proper plan, several unsolicited proposals for LNG use (storage terminals, long term supply contracts and power plants) have been presented to the government by various parties. Unlike other sectors, there is high competition among investors to obtain contracts for LNG terminals and LNG supplies, the union says, and adds that the common feature among those who come with unsolicited proposals has been their reluctance for competitive bidding. They also ignore the countrys requirements. The union also says some investment proposals are being submitted by private companies as Government-to-Government concessionary contracts or as joint ventures. The union warns that proposals for such joint venture companies, where Sri Lanka will have only a meagre share were aimed at avoiding the competitive bidding procedures and to bypass certain regulations. Unlike diesel or coal, LNG cannot be purchased in varying quantities and also cannot be easily stored, the CEBEU notes. As a result, the LNG supply chain depends on complex technical and trade constraints. In the proposals before Sri Lanka, including an Indo-Japanese one, contracts are expected to be signed to buy a minimum quantity of LNG per annum for as long as 20 years. These are take-or-pay contracts; if you fail to buy the agreed minimum quantity, you still have to pay for the total consignment. When there are unfavorable terms like this in a twenty-year contact, it is difficult to avoid the country being pushed into an economic crisis, the union warns. The loss incurred by a contract like this can be a thousand times higher than the loss incurred due to a hedging deal signed by the CPC for fuel purchase. The worlds major LNG exporters are Qatar, Australia and Malaysia. Therefore, purchasing LNG from importers like India and Japan is a big puzzle to us, the CEBEU says. This may be a strategy of those countries to divert to Sri Lanka LNG they purchase on unfavorable long term contracts signed by them in the past. When there are a lot of investors keen on investing in LNG power plants and supplying LNG, the most appropriate way of implementing such proposals is through competitive bidding, the union insists. If there are concessionary Government-to-Government loan commitments, it is the responsibility of the Government to channel those funds to other sectors which cannot attract investments. The CEBEU calls for the formulation of a strategic plan on the supply and use of LNG with the assistance of experienced local and foreign experts. CPC loses Rs. 266 million a week: Fuel pricing formula urgently needed By Damith Wickaramasekara and Sandun Jayawardana Treasury, Petroleum union officials warn of serious consequences View(s): View(s): The Government has no funds to keep propping up the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), though it has chosen to keep selling fuel at current prices even after a petrol and diesel hike by rival Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC), a senior Treasury official said yesterday. The latest fuel crisis is very difficult to control, said the official, who did not wish to be identified. Losses in power and public transport sectors, among others, are colossal and the CPC has now become a big burden on the State, he said. By keeping petrol and diesel prices unchanged, the CPC is suffering an additional loss of Rs.38 million on a daily basis. Petroleum Resources Development Ministry Secretary Upali Marasinghe said the State-owned corporation was losing Rs. 266 million a week. The only way we can resolve this is by introducing a cost-reflective fuel pricing formula. This will allow fuel prices to move in tandem with world oil prices. We are having discussions on this but it cannot happen without a firm decision from the top political leadership. We cant continue to suffer such colossal losses for long, he said. The secretary said the Ministry and the CPC were in agreement that a pricing formula was the only way out of the crisis, but pointed out that the mechanisms needed to be worked out by the Treasury first. Mr Marasinghe, however, said the CPC had enough stocks to meet the increased fuel demand at its filling stations. He said current stocks wer sufficient for one and a half months and additional stocks had also been ordered in view of the National New Year season. The Government last year, pledged that a cost-reflective fuel pricing formula would be introduced by March this, along with a similar mechanism for electricity in September. Introducing such mechanisms was a pledge the Government had given to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to obtain a US$ 1.5 billion loan to avert a balance of payments crisis. The deadline for the fuel pricing formula has now lapsed, with officials confirming that despite earlier commitments, no concrete steps had been taken. The Treasury too has expressed alarm at the latest crisis unfolding in the fuel sector, noting that the LIOC will continue to suffer significant losses even after the price hike, while the losses to the CPC will be far greater given that its selling prices are unchanged. If the situation deteriorates, LIOC may even pull out from Sri Lanka entirely, the Treasury official warned. He said this outcome was undesirable, given that it would mean the CPC would again have a monopoly in the countrys fuel sector. This in turn would give petroleum sector trade unions far too much power to hold the country hostage through a strike whenever they felt inclined to do so to win their demands. Last week, LIOC raised the price of 92 Octane petrol by 9 rupees a litre and auto diesel by 5 rupees a litre. LIOC Managing Director Shyam Bohra said the companys losses even after last weeks price hike were still high. He said the latest world brent crude price hovered around US$ 70 a barrel. We are losing about Rs. 200-225 million a month. It cant be sustainable in the long run, he said. Mr Bohra said fuel prices had remained unchanged since January 2015. Increasing the price is a tough decision. So we waited long. But we couldnt continue doing so, he said. The LIOC again called on the Government to introduce a pricing formula. Pledging the LIOC would not quit the country as it was a long-term player in the industry, Mr Bohra, however, said a decision would have to be made on a further price increase if the introduction of the pricing formula was delayed. Petroleum unions too are calling for a fuel pricing formula, warning that the failure to do so would plunge the CPC into a bigger crisis. According to the CPC, it loses Rs. 14.69 on a litre of 92 Octane petrol, Rs. 14.32 on a litre of auto diesel, Rs.9.32 on a litre of 95 Octane petrol and Rs .9.49 on a litre of super diesel. On kerosene, the CPC loses as much as Rs.48.63 a litre. The CPCs Joint Trade Union Alliance Convenor, D.J. Rajakaruna, expressed fears that maintaining prices at their current levels would prompt the Government to use other avenues, including cutting down CPC worker salaries and benefits, or slashing its workforce in a bid to reduce losses. The situation is unsustainable. Not only is the CPC giving massive subsidies, but other State institutions such as the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) owe the CPC millions of rupees in unpaid bills. If this continues, the Government may label the CPC as yet another white elephant, he said.. RTI Com dismisses SriLankan Airlines refusal to divulge info on CEOs salary By Namini Wijedasa National carrier may now go to Appeal Court View(s): View(s): The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has dismissed an objection by SriLankan Airlines that it was exempt from divulging such information as salaries and allowances of its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on the grounds that it did not fall within the jurisdiction of the RTI Act. In its decision dated March 23, the Commission says it is in no doubt that SriLankan Airlines falls within the ambit of the RTI Act. A contrary finding would disturb an effective and smooth working system as contemplated by the RTI Act, bringing about uncertainty, friction and confusion, it holds. The Commission also states that the cure and remedy proposed by the RTI Act must not be rendered redundant. Neither must the legislative intent in the Acts avowed purpose to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in Public Authorities be defeated. In its view, the Commission maintains, it would be an anathema to give a ruling that places the national carrier as lying outside the definition of a Public Authority as contemplated in the RTI Act. This would give rise to the possibility that, not just the respondent national carrier, but a vast number of other companies may see fit to purportedly claim the benefit of that same exemption and render themselves outside the reach of the RTI Act, consequently resulting in Section 43 (e) of the said Act being reduced to a futility, it affirms. SriLankan Airlines may now seek redress against the decision in the Court of Appeal. This will require further expenditure of public funds in the struggling national carriers quest to withhold information on salaries, allowances and benefits of the CEO, Head of Human Resources and Chief Commercial Officer; information connected to its aircraft deal with Pakistan International Airlines; information on the cancellation of the Airbus A350 order; and information on the cost of personal flying training borne by Sri Lankan for the CEO. The application for such information was first filed under the RTI Act in June 2017 by the Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka (APGSL). The Guild appealed against its rejection to the RTI Commission in September 2017. The appellant, APGSL, filed written submissions in December 2017 and in January and February this year. The respondent, SriLankan Airlines, filed its submissions in January and February this year. In the course of the hearings, SriLankan took up a preliminary objection that it was not a company incorporated under the Companies Act No 7 of 2007 and, therefore, not a public authority as defined in Section 43 (e) of the RTI Act. The RTI Act defines a company as one incorporated under the Companies Act in which the State, or a public corporation or the State and a public corporation together hold twenty five per centum or more of the shares or otherwise has a controlling interest. Sri Lankan Airlines submitted that it was incorporated as Air Lanka in 1979 under the Companies Ordinance. It changed its name to Sri Lankan Airlines in 1999 under the Companies Act No 17 of 1982. It then re-registered under the Companies Act No 7 of 2007 as required by the Act. SriLankan maintained that, since it was not incorporated under the 2007 Act but merely reregistered as an existing company, the definition in Section 43 (e) of the RTI Act did not apply to it. But SriLankan did not dispute the fact that it was an entity owned by the Government of Sri Lanka. In its decision, the RTI Commission observes that the certificate of incorporation of SriLankan Airlines as a limited company under the Companies Act of 2007 describes it as an existing company which is registered as a limited company as if incorporated under the Act. Even if a distinction were to be drawn between a company newly incorporated under the 2007 Act or an an existing company incorporated under previous legislation, that is an artificial distinction that takes on colour for the limited purposes of regulating the regime under the 2007 Act at the precise point of that Act coming into force, rather than as a distinction that is meant to continue in perpetuity. The carriers objection that the RTI Act does not apply to it was raised after more than one year of SriLankan Airlines acting in compliance with the said Act, including making the appointment of an Information Officer and a Designated Officer, the Commission points out. Further, Sri Lankan Airlines has affirmed on record that it is incorporated under the Companies Act (2007) in its official documentation as well as in the legal notice available on its website. Top US University to partner in Sri Lanka View(s): The Government has signed an agreement to set up a Higher Institute of Technology, with the University of California in Berkeley ranked among the top ten in the world. Dr Nalin Walpita, chairman of the Prime Ministerial Committee on the Centre of Excellence for Higher Education, told a news conference that they had signed an agreement with this prestigious university for the first phase of the partnership to setup an undergraduate business and engineering school in Sri Lanka. Dr. Walpita said 25 percent of the intake would be for Sri Lankan urdergraduate students on scholarships.MBA programmes for those who were working as executives would also available The Higher Institute of Technology would be set up as a no-profit private-public partnership (PPP) and would enable South Asian students to receive world class education, he said. At a news briefing in Colombo, Adam Berman, who is the Executive Director of the Project for the New Academic Ventures unit at the University of California, said they were excited about the new collaboration to design a 21st century school. He said they were working closely with the leadership of the Higher Institute of Technology and corporate sponsors to develop a world class university that would deliver high quality education at an affordable cost. Yasoja Gunasekara, Director General of the SAARC Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the new venture could make Sri Lanka an education hub in South Asia. The project, the brainchild of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was approved by the cabinet on a proposal made by the Ministries of National Policy and Economic Affairs, Higher Education and Science and Technology. Officials said the Government would allocate land in the Port City area and the new university would lease a land at Keragala in Biyagama to develop a Technology Township, a technology park and innovation hub, housing and common facilities and infrastructure. Usually late: 900 SriLankan flights delayed in a month By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): More than 900 SriLankan Airlines departures were delayed in February, with 280 of them leaving Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and other airports more than one hour late, according to data obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The February on-time performance (OTP) of the airline was even worse than its January record when 840 departures were more than 15 minutes late (it was 911 in February), with 121 of them being more than one hour behind. The Sunday Times received monthly OTP data for SriLankan Airlines from January 2015 to February 2018. The industry definition of on-time is the percentage of flights that leave within 15 minutes of scheduled departure. Flagging punctuality is the latest predicament faced by the struggling national carrier for which there is no taker despite the Government trying for months to find a partner. Unions have repeatedly criticised the airlines management and Chief Executive Officer for the airlines accelerated slide since 2015. SriLankan has responded by contracting an international aviation consultant to float a restructuring plan. Of 2,826 departures in February, 145 were delayed between one and two hours; 88 were delayed between two and four hours; 35 were delayed between four and six hours; and 12 were delayed by more than six hours. And of 3,155 departures in January, 97 were delayed between one and two hours; 10 between two and four hours; three between four and six hours; and three more than six hours. Such disruptions translate into millions of dollars in losses for the airline. A large number of delays in February 3 9 direct and 308 consequential are attributed to technical reasons. Eighteen of them were experienced on the airlines narrow body aircraft while 21 afflicted the wide body planes. Thirty-three of these flights were held back more than four hours. The February OTP report says technical delays have significantly increased by eight percentage points from 3.8 percent in January to 11.8 percent the following month. Major disruptions last month include two aircraft returning to ramps, 12 AOG or aircraft on ground situations and two diversions. A total of 1,060 hours is listed as being wasted due to delays. The departure OTP percentage for February is a miserable 68 percent. This means that 32 percent of scheduled flights were late. It was 73 percent the previous month. The last time the departure OTP percentage dipped to 68 was in December 2015. The arrival OTP also dropped to 67 percent that month. (The departure OTP benchmark is 85 percent). In January this year, there were 36 direct technical delays26 of them on narrow body aircraftand 79 consequential technical delays. Twelve of them were late by more than one hour. For instance, on January 18, a flight was nearly three hours behind due to nose landing gear strut fluid leaking from gland seal. Two days later, there was a disruption of two hours and 35 minutes to allow an aircraft change owing to the late release of 4R-MRE [an airbus A320-232] after change of an engine. And on January 25 , there was a lag of three hours as an aircraft was changed over the on-availability of 4R-ALD [an airbus A330-243]. The AOGs in January were due to birds striking the aircraft in Colombo and in Abu Dhabi; a technical issue while the aircraft was in Bangkok; and snow and exceeding flight duty period while in Shanghai. Airline insiders claim that OTP data for March is likely to be worse. They cited one example of UL226 which, owing to technical issues, left Dubai airport several hours late on March 26 and then made an unscheduled stop at Cochin airport in South India for a crew change. Passengers stewed inside the plane for four hours in Dubai before spending another two hours on board in Cochin. Earlier last month, the Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka (APGSL) said the loss of a critical operational certification called Extended Twin Operations (ETOPs) by the company prevents newly-leased narrow body aircraft from operating on a direct route between destinations. The union warned that the absence of such certification and the grounding of aircraft due to technical failures had resulted in flight cancellations and disruptions that caused further unprecedented colossal losses. System-wide arrival OTP also dropped by 9 percent from 74 percent in January to 65 percent in February. This means 35 percent of SriLankan flights flew into BIA late. Some delays are divided into punctuality, technical, airline responsible and non airline responsible. In the airline responsible category in February are late closure of check-in counters due to sorting out overbooking situation; locating missing passengers; loading equipment breakdown; lack of loading equipment; and late completion of boarding. There are also delays caused by late cleaning due to lack of staff; and late loading due to shortage of ramp staff. Under engineering delays is late release of aircraft after A check; late positioning of aircraft; waiting for ground engineer to sign the journey log (23 minutes on February 21); waiting for ground engineer (31 minutes on February 24); and late release of aircraft after scheduled maintenance. And under flight operations is late flight crew pick-up by transport provider (46 minutes on February 1). Delays caused by shortcomings in airport facilities include check-in counter congestion; remote gate congestion; congestion at scanning; unavailability of gates; and immigration congestion. Delays at foreign airports are caused by, among other things, air traffic control challenges. SriLankan has said in the past that, for all airlines from West Asia, over-Oman airspace is a stubborn corridor to fly through with a narrow gateway, an impasse which is not able to cope with the present volume of air traffic in Muscat. As a result, nearly all of SriLankans flights are held on ground in Dubai and Abu Dhabi awaiting pushback clearance despite being ready to leave. In February, 86 percent of flights from Abu Dhabi; 82 percent of flights from Mumbai; 80 percent of flights from Dubai; and 79 percent of flights from Kuwait were late. But there has, for many years, been a consistent pattern of late departures from certain airports, particularly in West Asia. Aviation experts insist this could be dealt with by accepting the realities and adjusting the airlines schedules accordingly. Flights arriving late at BIA cause a ripple effect on other routes. When we have historical data to show our flights from certain airports routinely arrive late, we need to change our schedules to absorb those delays, one expert said. A classical trio, a concert to delight View(s): The Trio, comprising well-known and recognized performers, all of them with ties that bind them with Sri Lanka, with years of experience on the concert stages of the world and totally adjusted to appearing before audiences of all sorts, were in Colombo to perform for the Sunera Foundation at the Lionel Wendt Memorial Theatre, on March 27. The bill of fare was very much rooted in the 19th century ethos, and included, by and large, the First Viennese School of composers, with early Beethoven, Schubert and Brahmsand an encore, which was again in that same vein, a zesty vignette from Haydn. So, what would you expect from seasoned and accomplished players like these? Perfection? Perhaps. Thankfully and notably though, the audience was treated to a musical interpretation of compositions that have been heard for years, and recorded repeatedly by many many players from all over the world. The delight was in being ushered within the realm of a creative impress, and not a facile reading of familiar scores. Mandhira de Sarams self-assured presence as a violinist worthy of the name, was palpably evident; and this one can appreciate the more, being privy to the development of her artistry over the years when she has, from time to time been on the concert stage in Sri Lanka, and her trajectory as a performer has been plain to see. For Mandhira this was a first time, collaborating with the renowned pianist Rohan De Silva. For the Lankan audience too, it was a first to hear her performing on the same stage as cellist Rohan de Saram. They have performed together away from Sri Lanka a few times already. However, Rohan de Saram and Rohan the pianist have played before this date, at a previous fundraiser concert for Sunera in Colombo. The evenings tour de force was Brahms Piano Trio in B major Opus 8, which is about 40 minutes in performance. In particular the Scherzo (the 2nd movement) brought to the fore the maturity and artistry of the players. In chamber music of this sort, the awareness of each performer of the others in the trio, the parts they contribute with the expression and the finesse in dynamics brought to bear in the execution, matter ever so much. The Piano is the lead instrument, and there is much dramatic intensity that the composer has included, even as there are contrasting themes within the movement. It starts with a lively skipping minor theme, and then metamorphoses into a major key and an exciting level of exuberance, even as there appear some more startling departures in a different direction before ending in a very quiet and very controlled closing phrase. I found brilliance in this rendition at this concert. The pianist was note-perfect, and Rohan De Silva can be relied on to deliver that level of exactitude, and, in the context of the trio, the violin and cello complemented each other and wove their magic as appropriate for the writing for Brahms piano. The following Adagio was of a mysterioso quality, at times dark and sonorous, but with an amazing delineation of musical ideas, meditative, calming, and overall, demanding of discerning musical interpretation, which, again, was a delight to observe and relish. In contrast, the opening work at the concert,a Piano Trio by Beethoven, a single movement piece in a sort of sonata form,marked Allegretto, from early in his career, was almost light (Mozartian), though not frivolous or overly simple. Mandhira explained to the audience that Beethoven wrote this for a young girl of ten (who had once poured cold water on the composers head!). Although the theme is straightforward and simple there is much for the piano with impressive scales and soaring sections, which bespeak levels of sophistication and demands some articulated pianistic skill. The third of the works and second in order of presentation at the concert, was Schuberts Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat major, Opus 99. This too was an exciting and probably exhausting work to perform. The interplay among the musicians and the exploiting of the different textures in sound makes this a work that one wishes to listen to repeatedly to be able to savour those elements and contrasts. The fourth movement Rondo- Allegro vivace was performed with full cognizance of the gaiety as well as the crafted, lilting lyricism that one associates with Schubert. It would appear that audiences in Sri Lanka are destined to remain ensconced in the mouldy folds of nineteenth century musical compositions, even as these well-recognized and recognizable works by well-known composers are repeatedly brought before them at concerts. One would have expected that given the amazingly vibrant contributions offered the world of contemporary music by two of the present trio, both Mandhira and Rohan de Saram, we might have been offered the opportunity to hear and observe them in the performance of new music that is very much the oeuvre they serve in their professional work, in the concert arena of Europe. This exciting frontier is absent in Sri Lanka or still out of reach, despite the examination syllabi actually featuring the theory and performance of moderns. Here was a capital opportunity lost, to actually listen to the pros that can play with credibility and expertise! -Arun Dias Bandaranaike A match made through cinema By Randima Attygalle As the doyen of Sinhala film Dr. Lester James Peries turns 99, Sumitra Peries talks of their life together and her special gift to her husband View(s): View(s): The father of Lankan cinema Dr. Lester James Peries will turn 99 on April 5. His wife of a half a century and more, the celebrated film director Sumitra Peries will give him the best gift of all her latest film Vaishnawee (Divine Messenger) to be released on the same day, its script based on a synopsis done by Lester many years ago. When I told Lester that the film is to be released on his birthday on April 5, his response was that he prayed for it every day, says a radiant Sumitra, the divine messenger in Lesters life. With a chuckle she adds that this time it will be her turn to embrace his catchwords: it made my day! Theirs has always been a film connection. Rekawa was meant to be the Line of Destiny not only for Lester James Peries, but also for 21-year-old Sumitra Gunawardena who boarded a train to Paris in exchange for the sleepy Swiss town of Lausanne where she had spent two years at the University of Lausanne. This was the time Lester came with Rekawa for the Cannes Film Festival. Introduced to the budding film-maker, by her older brother Gamini in Paris, Sumitra chuckles, He was certainly not the young girls dream boy. There were absolutely no emotional strings attached to him until several years later. Sixty two years later, Sumitra says: I am what I am because of him. Why waste time learning more French? Go to London, was Lesters advice to Sumitra when they met in Paris. Sumitra who was headed for the Idhec Institute of Cinema in France wasted no time in getting herself enrolled at the London School of Film Technique. That was the first and the most decisive decision Lester helped me take, she says. By the time Sumitra completed her course in London, her brother brought pleasant tidings that Lester was working on an ambitious canvas, a new film Sandeshaya.Literally it was a message of good luck to Sumitra. I had three years in Europe and I also felt a calling to come back, says Sumitra who came on board as Lesters assistant. Driving a rickety old jeep to the set, Lesters young assistant sporting cropped hair and baggy pants complemented the setting of Sandeshaya the band of guerillas up in the mountains who wanted to storm the fort! Lester who was always meticulously dressed even on location was most embarrassed when his assistant turned up dressed like a hippie, laughs Sumitra. She was the only woman in a unit of about 40. As for the romance, it just grew, says Sumitra. They tied the knot in 1964 soon after Gamperaliya which she sees as their most treasured collaboration. The film not only launched Sumitras film-editing career but also brought her the best editor accolade. Even the location Maha KappinnaWalauwa in the deep South which we discovered together brings back so many memories. I remember Geoffrey Bawa saying that he watched the movie so many times just to behold the beauty of this 300- year-old Dutch period mansion! Bridging all gaps possible in the match, in the words of Sumitra, their journey together has been cemented by their cinematic marvels, driving them to measure everything in life by their creations. Outside film making, very little interested both of us, remarks Sumitra who wonders what kind of films she would have made if Lester wasnt in her life. I remember a European friend of mine saying after I took up film directing- Oh so you are in competition. It has never been so, I have never felt inadequate next to Lester. On the contrary, he has let me breathe and flower on my own. We always respected each others work. Even when I had a doubt about a shot, an edit, Lester would subtly guide me without ever imposing. It is this very subtlety which earned her husband the reputation of being a gentle giant, says Sumitra. I believe it is the example he set by being a strict disciplinarian. He always won the respect of everyone without ever demanding it. Lester is one of those exceptionally tolerant people who hardly took any offence. Lesters portrayal of the most subtle human feelings on the silver screen continues to enthral her. As Lester once said of people who worked with him, I get the best out of them, but I do it without much effort. Directing came most naturally to him, Sumitra says. So much so he always claims he discovered his roots through cinema. Be it Gamperaliya, Delovakathara, Golu Hadawatha, Nidhanaya, Desa Nisa, Yuganthaya or Wekande Walauwa there were no limitations for the Lester-Sumitra collaboration . We ripped our own curtains and brought our own furniture, recollects Sumitra. This came at an enormous cost. Antique silver mirrors were lost, heirlooms were chipped and favourite sarees were drenched in rain sequences and spoilt. Yet if they are to do it all over again, they would, says a smiling Sumitra. Await two famous concertos on violin and piano by mother daughter duo View(s): If you have come to expect sublime lyricism and melody from Tchaikovsky, his violin concerto will certainly not disappoint. One of the most popular pieces of music ever written, this concerto is nevertheless described as the most fiendishly difficult of all violin concertos. This work is not just about display, but interlaces passages of rare and delicate beauty with what can only be called a daring high-wire act for the performer. Here to perform this iconic work with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL) is captivating Israeli violinist, Hadar Rimon, one of the featured artists at Virtuosi in Concert on April 7 at the Ladies College Hall. A distinguished graduate of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel-Aviv, as well as of Zurich University of the Arts, Hadar Rimon has enchanted audiences performing regularly in recitals and chamber music concerts in Israel and abroad with her mother, pianist Natasha Tadson. Virtuosi in Concert will also feature Griegs hugely popular piano concerto, performed by Natasha Tadson. Born in the former Soviet Union, Natasha Tadson is the winner of numerous major international competitions. Virtuosi in Concert, sponsored by the Peoples Bank, will feature both Hadar and Natasha, performing with the SOSL, under the baton of resident conductor Dushyanthi Perera. Extracts from a Q and A session with Hadar: Why did you choose the Tchaikovsky violin concerto for this performance ? Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto is one of my favourite pieces, it is one of the most beautiful pieces for violin ever written, and I am sure the audience will enjoy this incredible music. What is your opinion of this concerto in terms of its impact on the player and on the audience? For the player, it is a very challenging piece, it is extremely virtuosic and emotional at the same time. Its rich melodies and musical drive are always moving for both the audience and the soloist. This piece was written soon after Tchaikovskys disastrous marriage ended. Is the composers personal life reflected in the music? It is true this piece was written shortly after Tchaikovskys marriage to Antonina Miliukova ended. He had gone to Switzerland to recuperate, and there he composed the Concerto. I am sure the composers difficult relationship with Antonina, which brought him to a very difficult state of mind at the time, had influenced his work which is filled with a wide range of emotions, from deep sadness to great hope and joy. You have performed at many concerts, both home and abroad and participated in many international competitions. Is there any particular event that stands out as the most memorable of all? I feel great joy every time I perform, each time is special and memorable for me. Most recently I could mention a very joyful moment in my professional life, I was invited to play as a soloist the Brahms Violin Concerto with Haifa Symphony Orchestra, where I work as Concertmaster of the orchestra, and this was very special for me to share this performance with my colleagues. Extracts from a Q and A with Natasha: Griegs piano concerto is considered one of the most loved of all concertos. How do you feel playing this piece, especially as it is so familiar? Griegs Piano Concerto is a beloved piece for both the soloist and the audience, but for me it holds a special memory of my professional career. It was the first Concerto I performed as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra when I was 18 together with conductor Paul Paray. It is a pleasure to return to it every time. How would you describe this concerto? It is fresh, melodic, virtuosic, dynamic, and beautiful. After your Carnegie Hall debut you were invited to participate at the Malrboro Music Festival, considered classical musics most coveted retreat. Was this under the artistic direction of Mitsuko Uchido and what was the experience like? It was a very special experience, incredible atmosphere, fantastic musicians. When I was there, the festival was under the direction of Rudolf Serkin, legendary pianist. I was there twice, and worked with brilliant musicians such as Brunu Canino, Rudolf Serkin, Ivan Galamian and many more. Tickets and box plan are available at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. Poaching, smuggling on rise in Chure area Incidents of poaching and smuggling of wild animals have been on the rise in the northern part of Chure forest in recent years. Close knit group who meet to knit and chat By Hiranyada Dewasiri View(s): View(s): The Mount Lavinia Hotel will host an Avurudu sale of the Knit and Chat Group of Methodist Church Mount Lavinia on April 6 and 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sale will feature knitted items, crocheted items, apparel, household goods, most of it handcrafted by this group of lively ladies, including mothers and grandmothers. It has been around 10 years since the Knit and Chat group began, says Sujatha Samarajiwa, a founding member. The group meets at the Church every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and charges a membership fee of Rs.350 a month. Christopher, the Palli Appuis very helpful and gets the place ready for the ladies to gather. Most of the ladies have been professionals in their fields and are now retired. The group had started with a few people knitting, crocheting and teaching their art to others. It expanded by word of mouth and more ladies joined. This kind of gossip is good, says Mrs. Samarajiwa smiling. The Methodist Church of Mount Lavinia has been generous in offering a space in its premises for the weekly gathering of the group whose mission is to reach out to people that need help. The Knit and Chat Group offers companionship and support, its a place to relax and have a good time and we see the happy chatter and laughter that fills the room. Ladies who come here to knit no longer need buy their gifts. They use their talents and the craft they learnt to create beautiful gifts with love. Their children are very appreciative of what they do here and their grandchildren think the world of these grandmothers, shared Mrs. Samarajiwa. The art of knitting is an important physical activity which requires good hand-eye coordination and nimble fingers. Mrs. Samarajiwa is concerned about the welfare of the aging population since she feels that the government is not taking any serious action to address their problems. She hopes this sale will help create awareness of Sri Lankas senior citizens. This is the third time the group is having such a sale at the Mount Lavinia Hotel that has always been supportive of this initiative. For Rani Jayatilaka, a retired teacher from Ratmalana, the Knit and Chat Group is like a family gathering. We always have a cup of tea and snack and we try to get together and go on trips. We have made arrangements so that at every gathering someone brings something to eat. From 9 to 12 we are enjoying life here, she added, heartily. Dont cry for the crucified Christ, but stand up for the weak and down trodden By Kumudini Hettiarachchi As Christians around the world celebrate Easter Sunday today, the Parish Priest of humble Hingurakgoda Fr. Lasantha de Abrew preaches and practises the true meaning of Holy Week View(s): View(s): He died for us..He was killed. Why? This is what Fr. Lasantha de Abrew, a priest of the Jesuit Order, asked from the pulpit of a serene chapel in Colombo, just before Christians not only in Sri Lanka but across the world stepped into Holy Week. Starting last Sunday, which was Palm Sunday and ending today, Easter Sunday, Christians attempt to re-trace the last week on earth of the life of their beloved Jesus Christ. Welcomed as a victor by the masses who laid down palms as Jesus rode into Jerusalem triumphantly on a donkey, Holy Week would quickly and tragically telescope into Holy Thursday where He sat down to the Last Supper with His disciples and established the sacrament of Holy Communion, followed by Good Friday when He was subjected to the cruellest of tortures including scourging and having a crown of thorns hammered into His head while being taunted and spat on and finally crucified between two thieves. It is on Easter Sunday that He rises in glory after His resurrection. It was during the Last Supper, just before the Passover Festival, when Jesus knew that the hour had come that He expounded the new Commandment of Love Love one another as I have loved you, says Fr. Lasantha, the Parish Priest of humble and rural Hingurakgoda. And last Saturday, he shakes the complacency of those gathered in the chapel with searing questions is it adequate just to attend mass, do the Way of the Cross, while lamenting before the 14 stations of agony of Christ on His final journey up Calvary, battered, bruised and bloodied, before being nailed to the cross? No, is Fr. Lasanthas resounding answer. There is no need to mourn and cry for Jesus. The need is to get out of your comfort zone and follow Christ in defending the weakest of the weak and standing up for what is right even though in its wake would follow persecution, he says. For the youth of his parish, Fr. Lasanthas Way of the Cross has been, pointing them in the direction of the poorest of the poor of Hingurakgoda. This week they lent helping hands to clean up the homes of two impoverished families, for truly they are the brothers and sisters that Jesus advocated that Christians should help. These families, both Buddhist, come mid-April, would then have a more joyful Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The message of Easter for me is the victory of faithfulness, says Fr. Lasantha when we contact him this week. Jesus was faithful to His Father, to strong values and also to the duty entrusted to Him to promote the Kingdom Project and the new Commandment of Love, he says, explaining that this project was to show, act and imbibe the values set out by God the Father that we are Gods creation and children and we should all live as brothers and sisters of one family. This was the purpose of Jesuss life, whatever He did, whether preaching or facing the challenges posed by religious and political leaders. His loving adherence to the Kingdom Project was evident when He cried, mourned, consoled and even got angry when cleansing the temple and wielding a whip overturned the tables of the vendors and chased them away. He was being faithful to His calling, a calling set by God, during which He went against the negative values of the religious and political leaders of His time which were satanic, stresses Fr. Lasantha. So on Good Friday, the clash between Gods values and the satanic (worldly) values of the then religious and political leaders who formed a nexus, came to a head, he points out, with Jesus being defeated defeated by being crucified. Though all left Him and Jesus felt utterly and completely alone, experiencing even the absence of God (My God, my God, why have You forsaken me,), finally there is enlightenment where Jesus is confident that God is there (I dont see You but I know You are there, Psalm 22). But was the crucifixion defeat, asks Fr. Lasantha, replying it was only temporary. Victory and triumph follow three days later with the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Now, we need to ask ourselves, do we believe and live the Good News that we are Gods children. Are we treating others as our brothers and sisters especially after 30 years of conflict and tension and hatred in more recent times in Ampara and Digana? Who are our brothers and sisters are they people closest to us, our family, our kith and kin and friends or are they the forgotten, the marginalized and the weak of whatever community, caste, creed or social strata? he asks. Fr. Lasantha adds that without crying for the crucified Christ what we need to strive for is to be like Him, helping, without bias and discrimination, anyone who needs our help.for the final checklist will be: When they were hungry, did you give them to eat; when thirsty did you give them something to drink; when naked did you clothe them; when they were sick did you look after them and when they were in prison did you visit? They would be the least of my brothers and sisters for if you do unto them, you do unto Me, as Jesus said. Little girls can be giants By Oshani Alwis There was fun and lessons imparted when the public premiere of The Little Girl Giant Puppet took place last week at the Independence Square View(s): View(s): Wearing a colourful dress of yellow and orange with white lace around the neck line, she looked at the passersby with her large expressive eyes. Many who saw her, stopped in their tracks to take a picture of this pretty girl. Children were excited by the mere sight of her and a few intimidated, for she is all of 14 feet tall. The public premiere of The Little Girl Giant Puppet took place on Saturday, March 24 at the Independence Square. An initiative of the Power of Play (Pvt.) Ltd. founded by Sulochana Dissanayake in collaboration with the Merrill J. Fernando Charitable Foundation, the event was organized by the Department of Cultural Affairs to coincide with World Puppet Day celebrations. The giant girl puppet was employed as a perfect medium to draw attention in a non-aggressive way to the myriad issues surrounding women and girl children that need urgent attention. Little girls can be giants and should be raised to be so and women are expected to have giant patience, commitment and resilience to be like a super human. But especially young girls grow up in restricted situations as they are deprived of equal rights or opportunities, Sulochana said, explaining the inspiration behind the female giant puppet. The performers at the public premiere were Nandika Liyanage, who handled the giant puppet, Sandaruwan Silva, Dilrukshi Coradon, Thasith Rajapaksha, Trillishiya Kularatne, Anjali Anuththara, Asela Madushanka , Sadew Asendu Kumara, Sashiranga Dilshan, Kalpa Dananjaya and Sulochana herself. Both kids and adults had fun at the premiere dancing with the puppet to Sinhala cover hits, children running after the pretty giant girl to shake her hand. It all began in 2009, when Sulochana witnessed giant puppets for the first time at the National Arts Festival (NAF), one of the largest performing arts festivals in the world at Grahamstown, South Africa. You feel that you have just come out of a movie set or a fantastical land, Sulochana recalled how she had been fascinated by the mere sight of 20 giant puppets walking along the streets. She was also attracted to the fact that the human inside the puppet was very visible, not in hiding. It was this giant puppet moving around as if in a fantastic set and the cool juxtaposition where you could see the human as well, she says. The giant puppets had been created by Les Grandes Personnes, a company based in the south of France, which travelled to Africa and Latin America conducting workshops on giant puppetry and other forms of performing arts. Sulochana experimented on her own creating giant puppets. One an elephant which Sulochana had seen in Bali, inspired from the traditional Balinese Baron, was to raise awareness that our elephants should not be used for decorative purposes and puppets could be an alternative. Sangeeta Signo, the musical man, was fashioned for the Colombo Music Festival in 2012 and the latest was the giant Santa Claus. Yet these giant puppet structures were very basic, had technical difficulties as the puppet was too heavy, uncomfortable to the performer and they were not as expressive as the puppets Sulochana had seen in Grahamstown. In 2014, seeing a similar giant puppet on YouTube where the structure seemed light and extremely expressive, Sulochana contacted the creator, Felix Widen Norgren, Director, Compania Pirata, a Swedish artist specialized in giant puppetry and trained by Les Grandes Personnes. Felix arrived in Sri Lanka financing the visit himself to teach the technicalities of giant puppetry making. The MJFC Foundation, Moratuwa Centre hosted a three-week intensive workshop on giant puppet construction and performance with participants from various MJFCF departments learning to fabricate a giant puppet out of recycled materials and design techniques to achieve the lightest weight for maximum flexibility in performance. 60% of the structure of The Little Girl Giant Puppet is made with recycled materials like wood, papier mache, cloth and recycled Dilmah tea labels. The Little Giant Girl will now travel to selected primary schools in Colombo, Kalutara, Panadura and Puttalam with the assistance of Sevalanka Foundation and the Department of Cultural Affairs Sri Lanka and is also available for corporate events. Mutual respect and beauty of chamber music By Shakya Wickramanayake View(s): View(s): For those unfamiliar with the classical music scene, this classical trio could perhaps be described as of particular eminence. British-born Rohan de Saram, is one of Sri Lankas best known musicians, having been described as a Cello Phenomenon, one of the greatest cellists of our time by the German newspaper Kolnische Rundshau, and a rare genius and born musician by Greek conductor Dmitri Mitropoulos. Equally famous is Juilliard graduate, pianist Rohan De Silva, whose illustrious career in the U.S. has seen him perform twice at the White House for the visits of Queen Elizabeth and the then Israeli President Shimon Peres. And last but not least, young Mandhira de Saram, daughter of the famous Druvi de Saram and niece of Rohan de Saram, an up and coming musician, and leader of the much praised British string ensemble, The Ligeti Quartet. Last Tuesday (March 27), the Sunera Foundation presented A Classical Trio at the Lionel Wendt Theatre with the three musicians performing in aid of the Foundation, a cause they have supported over the years. The Foundation founded by Sunethra Bandaranaike in 2000 works with disabled individuals, using performance art as a tool to help them integrate into society. The Sunday Times caught up with the musicians after a pre-concert practice at the Wendt. For Rohan De Silva, the foundations cause is one that is close to his heart, as his friend, the violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, whom he has a close musical partnership with, suffers from polio. Mandhira echoes these sentiments having worked with differently abled people. I love the idea of using the arts to rehabilitate people, she says, adding that the shows put on by the foundation are truly wonderful. All three have been involved with Sunera before, with each performing at its fund raising concerts, in fact the two Rohans have performed together back in 2008 for the Sunera Foundation. But this concert marks the first time that all three musicians will be performing together. The short rehearsal time, seems not to be an issue. This is because everyone is familiar with each others ideas, explains Mandhira. When the idea is good, you have to let it speak. Then half the battle is won, adds De Silva, noting that mutual respect is important. They explain that the beauty of chamber music -which they would be performing- is its intimacy. Though played as a group, the setting is such that each ones personality shines through. Its not putting in but rather taking out (from the music),says de Saram, quoting the great Thomas Beecham, adding that theyre just channels for the music to flow through. Playing in Sri Lanka is significant for them as De Silva puts it, because its their home, one where they spent their formative years. Sri Lankan artistes of the western music tradition, especially young artistes should have more support. Theres so much talent. Theyre just not nurtured enough, he says. But there is definitely interest when concerts of this calibre take place, as Mandhira notes the enthusiasm surrounding their concert. Art has two sides, the producing and the receiving side, says de Saram. The eastern music tradition, he explains is very much like the western music tradition in Europe during the classical music eras, with music being seen as a lifestyle and craft that was handed over from one generation to another. But most importantly they both depended on patronage from the upper echelons of society. This, he explains, is the receiving side supporting the producing side of art. Likewise he explains that for western classical music to develop in Sri Lanka there must be enthusiasm and patronage from audiences. By having concerts of this nature, with artistes of this calibre a culture and love for classical music can be fostered and developed in the island which will in turn lead to greater development of our local musicians. Hopefully concerts of this nature will inspire young musicians, possibly making Sri Lanka a cultural hub for western music in the region. Traditional chic and tropical vibes Text by Shakya Wickramanayake and Tera Jayewardene. Pix by Indika Handuwala, Sameera Weerasekera and Amila Gamage HSBC Colombo Fashion Week 2018 came to a close last Sunday for the 15th year of a successful drive to expand and develop the countrys fashion industry. The week saw various collaborations with art, music, and food but the focus of course was the Main Designer Showcase. Both established local and international designers took the stage at the Grand Ballroom of Hilton Colombo from March 22 - 24. Following are highlights of Day Two and Three: View(s): View(s): HSBC CFW @15 Day 2 Day Two started with a collection by Parisian haute couture designer, Eymeric Francois whose evening wear featured corsets, asymmetric hems and wide messy fringes. The use of leather and worked shoulders in some of the designs gave the collection its edgy yet sultry feel and femme fatale aura. LICC jeans featuring designs by Chalukya and Kaushalya centred mainly around denims, with floral embroidery on sheer panels, patchwork, metal embellishments, as well as the classic ombre-washed denim look. Designer Catherine Rawsons brand The Old Railway collection was inspired by South London street style. An eclectic mix of designs, the collection featured loose and oversized silhouettes, a cacophony of prints and styles to create a funky vibe. Indian Designer Urvarshi Kaur presented traditional Indian fabrics and patterns given a cosmopolitan twist with the use of modern cuts and silhouettes. The brown and black palette gave the collection a sombre yet refined look. Annika Fernando for Maus unveiled a collection that featured A-line silhouettes, tapered waists, and a muted colour palette. The more notable designs were the loose fitting male jumpsuit, which gave a relaxed tropical yet chic vibe. The second evening wear collection for the night was presented by Indeevari Yapa Abeywardenas brand, Indi. Inspired by all things bohemian, the collection saw elegant gowns accented with intricate embroidery, lace, net frills and textured handwoven fabrics. Drawing on the rich art and tradition of ancient Ceylon, Asanga De Mels collection for LOVI Ceylon wowed the crowds that night. In addition to a range of chic upgraded sarongs the collection saw several intricately worked jackets as well as bomber jackets. The use of traditional Sri Lankan patterns on the jackets invoked a regal feel. Capping off the nights showcase was a stunning batik collection by Sonali Dharmawardena. Using a range of techniques from batik to foil print to patchwork-esque patterns, Sonali ensured that her collection wont be referred to as just another batik collection. Day 3 Bangladeshi designer Bibi Russell opened Day Three with a casual wear collection that used a green palette and hand-woven patterns to give a bohemian look to the sheer shirts, tops, and pants. Charini Suriyages collection saw bright strong colours and exaggerated sleeves in flowy dresses and elegant sareesthe masterful blend of colours a standout. Fouzul Hameeds menswear collection combined formal jackets and shorts to create a fusion look, providing food for thought for the daring young male. Dimuthu Sahabandus collection had been inspired by Joan of Arc and the vintage feel of medieval France was created by translucent elements, floral weavings, glistening embellishments and unique sleeve designs. Ponds presented a collection of white and beige casual as well as formal pieces to the tune of Gyles Dharmaratne. The collection possessed glistening embellishments and simple patterns woven into lace to complement the natural makeup line that Ponds is promoting. Conscious showcased a mens wear collection perfect for an active sporty lifestyle, with mens pants with asymmetric folds tucked into each other or flaring out at different angles. Buddhi Batiks by Darshi Keerthisena saw the designers signature batiks in a gorgeous collection of sarees and casual wear on the ramp. The collection highlighted a message of peace with anti-war slogans on the tops Make Love Not War and Peace in English, Sinhala and Tamil. Wrapping up Day Three Indian designer Hemant Trivedi made a statement in pure white with a strikingly elegant collection featuring interwoven fabric as a highlight. Lanka chairs UN anti-slavery commemorative conference View(s): In his capacity as Vice President of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN, Ambassador Rohan Perera chaired a commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, held on March 26 in the General Assembly Hall of UN Headquarters in New York. Delivering a statement on behalf of the President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Perera reflected on the legacy of slavery and underlined its lasting impact on present day social and economic inequalities. Discrimination, racism and xenophobia continue to plague our world. People are still stripped of their humanity exploited and abused for economic gain. Divisive and dehumanising rhetoric is on the rise. Minorities and the vulnerable are targeted as the cause of problems. We must look at these warning signs and take corrective and preventive action, he stated. These sentiments were echoed by UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who reiterated the importance of education and outreach, commending programmes such as the UNs Remember Slavery Programme and UNESCOs Slave Route Project. He acknowledged that the Transatlantic Slave Trade was the largest forced legal movement of people in history and asserted that the way to honour the lives of its victims would be to ensure that all people live in dignity. The keynote address of the event was delivered by former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Panama, Graciela Dickson. As a young woman of African descent and the great granddaughter of a former slave growing up in Panama, Ms. Dickson emphasised that the descendants of slaves are the living testimony of the triumphs of their ancestors and the resilience of black African women. Statements were also delivered by the Permanent Representatives of Qatar on behalf of Asia Pacific States, Gambia on behalf of African States, Belarus on behalf of the Eastern European States, Uruguay on behalf of Latin American and Caribbean States, Israel on behalf of Western European states, as well as the Permanent Representatives of the United States, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Cuba and Brazil. Representatives additionally commended the efforts by the UN in commemorating the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, including through the permanent memorial The Ark of Return set up by Haitian American architect Rodney Leon at the visitors plaza of the UN Headquarters in New York. The meeting was followed by a cultural and culinary experience at the United Nations Visitors Lobby, featuring fare from a number of member states, including a Sri Lanka Tea station. Province 3 Assembly defers discussion on capital A meeting of the Province 3 Assembly scheduled to discuss the provincial capital has been postponed until further notice. The move has deferred the deliberation on designating the provincial capital for the time being. Service seekers in dark about time, service charges at govt offices A considerable number of service seekers in the government offices in Gulmi and Salyan are unaware of the time taken and charges to be paid to get government services, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Vigilance Centre. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- An 18-year-old was stabbed in the back near Zumiez at Destiny USA on Saturday, according to Syracuse police. Officers responded to a call about a stabbing in the mall at 4:52 p.m and found the teen who had been stabbed, police said. An AMR Ambulance transported the teen to Upstate University Hospital, police said. His injuries do not appear to be life threatening, police said. The teen was not cooperative with police and didn't provide suspect information, police said. Police ask that anyone with information contact the Syracuse police's criminal investigations division at 315-442-5222. All calls will remain confidential. Anonymous tips can be submitted using the SPD tips app. Redistricting proposal places Tama County outside Rep. Hinsons district New maps could lead to a remaking of the political landscape in Iowa Tama County included. What is now a quadrant of four U.S. ... UML-Maoist Centre Unification: Top panel to act upon merger documents The taskforce of the left alliance headed by senior CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has finalised the political document for unification between the UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre). The 42-page paper will guide the new party after merger until the unity convention is held. As scientists continue with their hunt for extraterrestrial life, a new paper published in the journal Astrobiology proposes that alien microbial life could be present in the atmosphere of planet Venus. The Potentially Habitable Clouds Of Venus The idea that the clouds of Venus are potentially habitable was proposed decades ago by biophysicist Harold Morowitz and astronomer Carl Sagan. The recent study, however, was inspired by the idea of Grzegorz Slowik of the University of Zielona Gora in Poland. During a chance meeting, Slowik told study researcher Sanjay Limaye, a planetary scientist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about bacteria on Earth with light-absorbing properties that are similar to those of unidentified particles that compose dark patches in the clouds of Venus. These particles have nearly the same dimensions as some bacteria on Earth. Limaye and colleagues now suggest the possibility these patches could be comparable to algae blooms that can be found on Earth's bodies of water. Life Forms That Can Thrive In Extreme Environments Researchers said that terrestrial microorganisms on Earth, particularly bacteria, can be swept into the atmosphere and have been found alive at altitudes as high as 25 miles. There are also microbes that are known to live in incredibly harsh environments on Earth such as in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, acidic lakes and the hot springs of Yellowstone. These microorganisms can feed on carbon dioxide and produce sulfuric acid. Study co-author Rakesh Mogul, from California State Polytechnic University, said that the cloudy, highly reflective and acidic atmosphere of Venus is mostly composed of carbon dioxide and water droplets that contain sulfuric acid. Search For Extraterrestrial Life Scientists have been studying Mars and the moons of Saturn and Jupiter as possible worlds that can support life. However, the new study calls for another look at the clouds of Venus for a possibility that they can host life. Limaye noted that planet Venus has had plenty of time for life there to evolve on its own. The scientist cited models suggesting that Venus used to have a habitable climate and had liquid water on the surface for up to 2 billion years, which is much longer compared with what is believed to have occurred on Mars. "Particles in Venus' lower clouds contain sufficient mass balance to harbor microorganisms, water, and solutes, and potentially sufficient biomass to be detected by optical methods," the researchers wrote in their study, which was published on March 30. "The comparisons presented in this article warrant further investigations into the prospect of biosignatures in Venus' clouds." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 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 Three Spaniards die in Swiss avalanche Geneva, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2018 Three Spanish cross-country skiers died after being engulfed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps, police said Sunday. Police in the canton of Valais said two fellow skiers survived the avalanche, which hit Saturday afternoon as they headed for the Fiescheralp area at an altitude of some 2,450 metres (8,000 feet). Spain's foreign ministry confirmed to AFP the three casualties were Spanish nationals. The ministry did not give further details but said its officials were in contact with Swiss authorities. "According to the investigation, the victims are Spaniards. Formal identification of the deceased is under way," a police statement said, adding that another group nearby managed to raise the alert. The five swept away were all wearing detection devices, helping rescuers to locate the two survivors and airlift them to hospital. However, poor visibility hampered an operation which had to be broken off overnight before rescuers recovered three bodies on Sunday. Valais police had Thursday warned that fresh snowfalls and high winds had notably increased the risk of avalanches above 2,000 metres. Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission In a country created through noble dissent, Americans rarely expect or demand that even a small group of citizens will fully agree on anything. One broadly embraced exception is the requirement that all 12 members of a jury be unanimous in convicting a defendant of a felony. That principle, written into the law of almost every state in the land, grows from an equally durable American tradition, respect for personal liberty. The idea is simple but profound. A nation that honors freedom as a founding value shouldnt take that freedom away from any citizen unless he can be proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. In the overwhelming majority of courtrooms throughout the United States, that standard of certainty relies on the unanimity of 12 jurors reaching the same conclusion. After all, if a dozen Americans, viewing the same evidence, cannot agree on a defendants guilt, how can reasonable doubt be eliminated? Thats why unanimity is required by juries considering felony cases in 48 states. Shamefully, the only exceptions are Oregon and Louisiana. +4 How this La. law deprives, discriminates and drives incarceration: Tilting the scales Matthew Allen was 20 when he stared across a courtroom in Houma at the 12 men and women who would decide whether he would spend the rest of hi Louisiana residents often take pride in doing things differently than most everyone else in the country. That eccentricity can be charming, but theres nothing appealing about the states 10-2 rule for felony cases, which requires that only 10 members of a jury agree in order to convict a defendant of a serious crime. Louisianas departure from the national norm emerged after the Civil War, when residents feared extending the full protection of law to newly freed slaves. In 1898, Louisiana leaders pledged to restoring the supremacy of the Anglo-Saxon race enshrined the departure from unanimous juries in the state constitution. It was a way of ensuring that the white majority would still prevail in trials that now involved an occasional black juror. An expedient born of blatant racism remains in Louisiana law to this day, often favored by prosecutors because it obviously makes convictions easier. We dont believe that all the advocates of the 10-2 rule are racists; many seem to sincerely believe that its a valuable tool in sending the guilty to jail. But regardless of how the 10-2 rule originated, its continuing effects are clear. A yearlong Advocate review of more than 3,000 criminal cases tried before Louisiana juries in the past six years revealed compelling evidence that the rule disproportionately disadvantages black defendants. +2 Tilting the scales: What to know about Louisiana's controversial non-unanimous jury law For the last 120 years, Louisiana has had an unusual and long-standing allowance for split jury verdicts in felony cases. That should be reason enough to ditch this dishonorable deviation from judicial norms, but a broader imperative is at stake. The 10-2 rule ultimately compromises justice for all defendants, depriving them of the same standards of fairness followed almost without exception everywhere else in the United States. It also increases the likelihood that the innocent will go to jail while the real offender is still free, threatening public safety. Changing the law will require a constitutional amendment. We implore state lawmakers to approve legislation placing such an amendment on the statewide ballot, and we urge voters to approve it. Trouble seeing this graphic? Click here Transcript from the above animated slideshow: Needing only 10 of 12 jurors to agree, Louisiana is one of only two states in which juries can convict by nonunanimous decisions (Oregon being the only other state). Louisianas split jury law was adopted in 1898 during a notoriously racist constitutional convention. An excerpt from the Official Journal of the Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of the State of Louisiana reads: Our mission was, in the first place, to establish the supremacy of the white race in this State to the extent to which it could be legally and constitutionally done. The Advocate found jury voting records for 993 convictions over about six years. The decisions reached in 402 of those trials would have been invalid in 48 states. Roughly 40 percent of the people who are convicted after jury trials in Louisiana are convicted by nonunanimous juries. Of the nonunanimous convictions, we found 53 percent were 11-1 jury votes, while 47 percent were 10-2 jury votes. The Advocate analysis also found that Louisianas aberrant majority-verdict law poses a disadvantage for black defendants. They are more likely than white defendants to be convicted by nonunanimous juries. Blacks make up 32 percent of Louisiana's population, but 66 percent of state inmates, and 74 percent of Louisiana lifers. But while defendants are disproportionately black, jurors are disproportionately white. The Advocate analyzed nine of the most trial-heavy parishes statewide. In all but one parish, black residents were underrepresented on juries. Only one of the nine parishes has as many black jurors as the population would dictate. Some have dramatically fewer. In jury selection, state prosecutors reject, or strike, prospective black jurors at a dramatically higher rate than they do white jurors. In part, thats because prosecutors see black jurors as more skeptical of the state. They are right. Black jurors are 2.5 times as likely as white jurors to dissent in split convictions. Louisiana is the most incarcerating state in the country, and the 10-2 jury rule is a factor. Another factor in Louisianas high incarceration rate is its huge number of people serving life without parole (LWOP): 4,828. On a per capita basis, Louisiana has the most people serving LWOP, twice the rate of Mississippi. Louisiana also has five times as many inmates serving life without parole as Texas, even though Texas has six times as many people. Louisiana also has 1,224 inmates serving "virtual life" sentences of 50 years or more. Those 6,052 inmates serving LWOP or "virtual life" make up about one in five state prisoners. The vast majority were convicted by a jury. More than one-third of those convictions were nonunanimous, according to The Advocates analysis. Louisiana is the only state in the United States where anyone is serving life on the word of a split jury. Louisiana has about 2,000 serving life based on a nonunanimous verdict. In order to examine how Louisianas unusual law allowing non-unanimous verdicts was impacting the criminal justice system in the state, The Advocate undertook a year-long investigation with the goal of compiling as comprehensive a data set as possible of trials, defendants and juries. How this La. law deprives, discriminates and drives incarceration: Tilting the scales Matthew Allen was 20 when he stared across a courtroom in Houma at the 12 men and women who would decide whether he would spend the rest of hi The analysis shows that at every step, from the day jury summonses go out to the final proclamation of a verdict by the foreman, race is a crucial part of how the scales can be tilted against defendants in Louisiana. The Advocates ongoing series can be found at theadvocate.com/tiltingthescales. The Advocate is making the data used in the series available to anyone interested in further analyzing them. The data are housed in two csv files, one with details on defendants, charges and the outcome of those charges, and the other with details on jurors in each case. The two sets of data can be joined on the trial_id fields. Download data on charges. Download data on jurors. Download the data dictionary, which explains the fields used in the records. If the data are used for any analysis, please credit The Advocate. If you have any questions about these data sets, please email Jeff Adelson at jadelson@theadvocate.com. The data and collection methodology Data on criminal charges and juror selection in Louisiana were collected by reporters at The Advocate, with the intention of developing a data set that covered as many trials as possible. The data largely cover 2011-2016, though they include some records from outside that range. Nearly all the data were collected from court minutes, other public records or media reports on trials, as almost no parishes in the state provide machine-readable data on trials or jurors. Data collection focused on the busiest court districts in the state, eventually collecting substantial numbers of records from nine of the top 10 parishes by caseload. The tenth, Lafayette Parish, refused to comply with requests for information from The Advocate. Additional data were gathered on trials in another 35 parishes, although in many cases those parishes could not provide detailed records on those trials. The charges data set includes information on 3,028 trials involving 3,120 defendants and 5,394 individual charges. Of those, 2,931 cases occurred during 2011-2016, out of a total of 3,906 cases in those years reported to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Tilting the scales: What to know about Louisiana's controversial non-unanimous jury law For the last 120 years, Louisiana has had an unusual and long-standing allowance for split jury verdicts in felony cases. Given the focus of the investigation, special attention was paid to gathering information on whether verdicts were unanimous. While it is typical for attorneys to call for that information after a verdict is rendered, it is not always requested, and the results are not always recorded in court records. Of the cases in the data set, it was possible to determine whether verdicts were unanimous on 993 convictions out of the 2,027 cases that ended with at least one guilty verdict from a jury. Those cases cover half of the states 64 parishes, though they are heavily weighted toward the large parishes of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, East Baton Rouge and Caddo. Collectively, those parishes are responsible for about 68 percent of the convictions in the state and roughly 69 percent of the data on jury unanimity in the data set. Once basic information about the trials was entered into the data set, efforts were made to gather information on jury selection in as many of those cases as possible. The records kept about the jury selection process vary from parish to parish, and in some cases from judge to judge, which limited the ability to get a full accounting of the process. The jurors data set includes information on 41,303 potential jurors who were called to a venire, when attorneys from both sides determine if they will sit on a jury. Information was recorded on whether the potential juror was picked to serve on the jury, was eliminated from service by an attorney on one side or the other, or if there was some other outcome. Personally identifying information about the jurors other than their race and sex has been excluded from the data sets The Advocate is making public. Information about jurors' race and sex was taken from court records where available and gathered from voter registration records or other databases when it was not. Tilting the scales: In Louisiana, is it truly a 'jury of one's peers' when race matters? The right of a defendant to be judged by a jury of ones peers is a bedrock concept in American justice, dating to ancient English common law. That process yielded information on 939 trials with 10,995 jurors, a data set that significantly overlaps the trials in which the unanimity, or lack of it, of verdicts is known. The data cover parishes that represent all geographic regions, demographic mixes and urbanization patterns found in the state. The process of collecting data on jurors and potential jurors focused on 12-member juries, as opposed to the six-member panels that can decide on less serious offenses but need a unanimous vote to convict. In a small number of cases, full information was not available about the jurors who served on a case or the people who were questioned during a venire. In other cases, the process was halted because of a plea deal or a mistrial during jury selection. Those cases are included in this data set for the sake of completeness, though it is recommended they be excluded for analysis. A final round of data collection involved seeking information on the racial breakdown of the juror votes when verdicts were not unanimous. That information was available for only 109 cases involving 157 verdicts. Almost half of those cases were in East Baton Rouge, where the Clerk of Courts Office assisted in tallying the votes. For the last 120 years, Louisiana has had an unusual and long-standing allowance for split jury verdicts in felony cases. It's one of only two states Oregon is the other with such a system, which allows people charged with felonies to be convicted when only 10 of 12 jurors agree on guilt. It wasn't always this way: From most of the 19th century, Louisiana required unanimous verdicts, but began allowing supermajorities in 1898. It was the first law of its kind in the nation. But now the aberrant practice is destined for the dustbin of history. On Nov. 6, Louisianians overwhelmingly voted to amend the state constitution to require that future juries return unanimous verdicts. The law will go into effect for cases involved crimes committed on or after Jan. 1, 2019. The measure was approved by a majority of voters in 61 of Louisiana's 64 parishes, and got 64 percent approval overall. The landslide came after a bipartisan push to put it on the ballot and to educate voters about the old law. The voter-education effort drew heavily on an exhaustive, first-of-its-kind analysis of the law's history and impact that was published by The Advocate in April. Here are some links to that coverage and some key milestones along the way: How one law deprives, discriminates, incarcerates like no other The law that allows a Louisiana jury to send someone to prison for life without the consensus of all 12 jurors did not happen by accident. It was enshrined in the notoriously racist 1898 constitution, which sought to disenfranchise newly empowered black people in the years after Reconstruction. Since 1974, 10 votes have been required for conviction instead of the nine called for in the 1898 constitution. Todays defenders of split verdicts say Louisianas law now stands not for racism but efficiency, by limiting hung juries and potential retrials. But the law still has clear racial implications, according to an exhaustive analysis by The Advocate. Although the majority-verdict law disadvantages all defendants, the newspaper's review found that its effects on black people accused of crimes are especially profound. It acts as a capstone to a trial system that becomes more tilted against black defendants at each stage: when jurors are summoned, when theyre picked for juries, and in deliberation rooms, where voices of dissent can be ignored. READ THE FULL STORY HERE DATA: Download data used in The Advocate's exhaustive research in 'Tilting the scales' series Understanding Louisiana's non-unanimous jury law findings: Interactive, animated slideshow (Click image below) In Louisiana's split-verdict rule, white supremacist roots maintain links to racist past The fix was in against black Louisianians when 134 delegates gathered at Tulane Hall in New Orleans in February 1898 to draft a new state constitution. Their marching orders: whitewash the voter rolls as thoroughly as possible without running afoul of federal law. E.B. Kruttschnitt, a lawyer and New Orleans school board president who led the 1898 convention, bluntly described the gatherings purpose. The goal was to eliminate "the mass of corrupt and illiterate voters who have during the last quarter of a century degraded our politics," he said. Many of the laws of the 1898 convention have been erased over time, chiefly by court rulings and federal legislation during the civil rights era. Can't see timeline below? Click here. But one product of that ugly meeting remains largely intact: a constitutional provision that abandoned Louisianas long-standing practice of requiring unanimous jury verdicts to send people to jail. After the convention, only nine of 12 votes would be needed, a practice unique in America. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Walt Handelsman animation: In Louisiana, the film is better known as '10 Angry Men' If you like the 1957 film classic "12 Angry Men," then you'll love Louisiana's version ... (Can't see video below? Click here) Is it a truly a 'jury of one's peers' when black people are underrepresented? The right of a defendant to be judged by a jury of ones peers is a bedrock concept in American justice, but when lawyers started to pick a jury for his 2012 trial, Terren Johnson, accused of breaking into a womans home and trying to rape her, might have wondered where all of his peers went. Only four black people, all women, were among the 28 prospective jurors who filed into the courtroom that morning in East Baton Rouge Parish, where nearly half the population is black. His case was far from an anomaly. READ THE FULL STORY HERE With a trial or not, unusual split-verdict law helps fill Louisiana prisons Louisiana and Oregon are the only two U.S states that allow for split-jury verdicts in felony cases. And Louisiana is alone in the way it combines that lower bar for conviction with harsh sentencing practices and a punitive multiple-offender law. Its a potent cocktail that puts awesome power in the hands of prosecutors, who need only 10 votes on a jury to convict. The combined effect is simple: more people serving more time in prison. On a per capita basis, Louisiana is the nations leading jailer. And it has nearly twice as many people serving life without parole as its nearest rival, Mississippi. jurists and defense attorneys say the split-verdict rule plays a significant role in keeping Louisiana at the top of the nation's incarceration pyramid. Precisely how big a role is open for debate. READ THE FULL STORY HERE State Senate passes bill to let voters decide fate of split-verdict rule The state Senate recently advanced a bill that represents the most serious challenge in nearly a half-century to a state law that allows for convictions in serious felony cases without unanimous juries. The bill, which needed a two-thirds majority, passed with a 27-10 vote, following spirited appeals by its author, Sen. JP Morrell, D-New Orleans, and other lawmakers. READ THE FULL STORY HERE For prosecutors, Louisiana's split-verdict law produces results Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, served as an assistant district attorney in New Orleans in the late 1980s. He recalled filing more severe felony charges than the evidence might have warranted against some criminal suspects simply to ensure that jury unanimity would not be required. Prosecutors in Louisiana have broad discretion over such choices. For instance, they can charge a suspect found with a modest quantity of illicit drugs on a possession count or alternatively, with possession with intent to distribute the drug. The former would be tried by a six-pack jury, where unanimity is required. The latter, because the sentence is necessarily at hard labor, demands a jury of 12 only 10 of whom must agree, even if they ultimately find a defendant guilty only of simple possession. The Advocates review of thousands of jury trials over a six-year period including those involving both types of juries suggests that the tactic Claitor revealed may in fact improve prosecutors chances. READ THE FULL STORY HERE State House committee unanimously votes to send measure on jury unanimity to full House A bill that would let Louisianians vote on whether to continue allowing split jury verdicts in felony cases -- or to require unanimous votes -- was approved unanimously by a key House committee and heads to a vote of the full House. But it didn't happen without any feathers being ruffled. The meeting of the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice featured some testy exchanges between two Louisiana district attorneys -- John DeRosier of Calcasieu Parish and Don Burkett of Sabine Parish -- and several African-American legislators, in particular state Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge. Ive heard a lot about this being a vestige of slavery, DeRosier said of the law allowing for split verdicts, which he urged the committee to keep in place. Im not proud of that, and I have no reason to doubt it. But it is what it is. James called those comments unacceptable, and he was joined by several colleagues. The measure calling for a referendum passed the committee unanimously. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Gov. John Bel Edwards is a quiet supporter of requiring Louisiana juries to return unanimous verdicts The bill to put on the Nov. 6 ballot a measure allowing Louisianians to vote on whether juries in felony cases should have to come back with unanimous verdicts doesn't require the governor's signature or input. Instead, it needs the support of two thirds of each chamber in the Legislature. Nonetheless, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced recently that he supports the move, citing the law's racist origins and adding: "We are an outlier when we shouldnt be." READ THE FULL STORY HERE As Louisiana mulls change to split-verdict law, Oregonians fret they'll be all alone For 84 years, Oregon has shared a constitutional quirk with Louisiana that allows criminal trials to be decided by nonunanimous juries. In every other state and the federal court system juries must reach unanimous verdicts in felony cases. It's an unlikely kinship for two states that diverge on everything from politics to topography and an increasingly unwanted distinction in this drizzly corner of the Pacific Northwest. "It puts us in the same category as Louisiana, and people don't like that," said John Hummel, district attorney of Deschutes County, one of Oregons largest. 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 READ THE FULL STORY HERE New York Times editorial page weighs in on Louisiana's unusual law allowing split verdicts As the Louisiana House prepared to take up a bill allowing a statewide referendum on jury unanimity, the New York Times' editorial page weighed in. "How many jurors does it take to deliver a guilty verdict?" the newspaper asked. "In 48 states, the answer is simple: All of them. Juries in felony cases must agree unanimously in order to convict. The rule is the same in federal trials, and for good reason." The Times cited The Advocate's research on the question -- in particular the newspaper's finding that the law has racially disparate impacts -- and urged the House to pass the bill. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Louisiana's unique split-verdict law could be on its way out The state House approved a bill that will allow Louisianians to vote on whether to keep a law, born in the Jim Crow era, that allows for split jury verdicts in felony cases. The measure needed 70 votes in the House, and cleared that bar easily, passing by an 82-15 margin. It had already passed the Senate by the required two-thirds margin. A constitutional amendment to require unanimous verdicts will be on the Nov. 6 ballot. The bill to undo the practice enshrined in the 1898 constitutional convention got a boost from conservative lawmakers, including Rep. Sherman Mack, R-Albany, who led support for the bill on the House floor. "It's time Louisiana got it, and it's time we got on board," Mack said. Should the proposal be approved by voters, it would require unanimity starting Jan. 1, 2019. The law would not apply retroactively. It does not require a two-thirds majority. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Amid push for jury unanimity, bill to keep jury votes secret becomes law Even as the Legislature surprised many observers by passing a bill that will allow Louisianians to vote on a constitutional amendment requiring jury unanimity, the body also passed a law that seeks to cloak jury votes in more secrecy. The bill -- signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards -- says that if jurors are polled on their verdicts, it must be done in writing, not orally -- as is often the custom now. It also says that a judge may place those polling slips under seal, with reasons, and that even if they are unsealed later, the jurors' names on those slips must be redacted -- making it harder for the public to see how individual jurors voted. If voters on Nov. 6 pass the amendment requiring unanimous verdicts, the law will soon become moot, because there is no mystery about how each juror voted in a unanimous verdict. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Why are Louisiana jury votes often absent from court record? So what was the jury vote? Was it unanimous? Were there holdouts? While polling of juries simply wasn't done in hundreds of cases examined by The Advocate, there was an even larger group in which polling was done but kept out of the record. The practice varies by jurisdiction, but in some, like Jefferson Parish, the polling slips are kept under seal in most cases. The Advocate was able to gather the data on nearly all of the jury votes there only with the help of the Clerk of Court's Office. Orleans Parish, which has the busiest trial docket in the state, works under an antiquated record-keeping system, little of which is available on the court's cursory online "docket master." Verdict counts rarely show up there. Some Orleans judges said they have long torn up the juror polling slips as soon as they are read. Others file them into the record under seal. Several judges agreed to unseal polling slips in a few dozen cases a fraction of the total at The Advocate's request. Even then, some signatures on the slips are indecipherable. Others are confounding. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Changing law unlikely to cause slew of hung juries, data suggest Require unanimity, the argument goes, and the state will be awash in hung juries, and thus costly retrials and delayed justice for crime victims. Pete Adams, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, conjured up that same specter when he testified March 20 before a Senate committee considering a bill to allow voters to change Louisianas system. Adams said studies show that Louisiana and Oregon have far fewer mistrials than the other 48 states. He said some studies predict nearly 50 percent more mistrials would occur if Louisiana were to change its system. Adams may be right. But data gathered by The Advocate show the number of mistrials is so small that even doubling them wouldnt make many waves in Louisianas criminal justice system. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Louisiana split juries have convicted several people wrongly, but not enough data to discern a trend There have been at least a dozen instances in recent times in which inmates who were found guilty by nonunanimous Louisiana juries later won their freedom, their convictions deemed bogus, according to a roster provided by the Innocence Project New Orleans. Ten of those 12 men later received payments of up to $250,000 from the states Innocence Compensation Fund, state data show. Nine of those 10 men are black. To qualify for that money, a judge must declare or the state must concede that they were factually innocent of those crimes, a higher bar than just "wrongfully convicted." Those figures, while troubling, are far too small to draw any statistical conclusions about whether divided juries are more likely to send innocent people to prison. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Split verdict in Cardell Hayes' trial shines light on how Louisiana's unusual law affects jury deliberations One by one, jurors at the Orleans Parish courthouse were lining up to find Cardell Hayes guilty in the killing of Will Smith, a hero from the New Orleans Saints' epic Super Bowl win in 2010. Juror No. 12 couldnt stop the train. Only 10 of 12 votes were needed for a conviction, and once it became clear that he and the jury foreperson were set on acquittal, the rest of the group tried to find a consensus without them. Those 10 jurors would go on convict Hayes of manslaughter in Smiths killing and attempted manslaughter for a shot that struck Smiths wife, Racquel, in both legs. READ THE FULL STORY HERE. Citing The Advocate's reporting, Sabine Parish judge rules split-jury law unconstitutional weeks before election Less than a month before Louisiana voters head to the polls to vote for the first time on whether jury unanimity should be required, a Sabine Parish judge ruled that Louisiana's law -- rooted in the Jim Crow era and updated in 1974 -- was unconstitutional. The ruling from 11th District Court Judge Stephen Beasley drew heavily on The Advocate's research, as well as that of several scholars. Beasley found that the law's original intent was racist, and that its current iteration continues to have a racially disparate impact. The latter finding relied largely on the data compiled by the newspaper, which showed that black defendants are 30 percent more likely to be convicted by split juries than are white defendants; that black people are underrepresented on Louisiana juries; and that black jurors are much more apt to disagree with the jury's verdict than are white jurors. The impact of Beasley's ruling is unclear, as Louisiana's law has previously been upheld by the Louisiana Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. For now, his ruling has the force of law only in Sabine Parish, but District Attorney Don Burkett has said he intends to appeal it. READ THE FULL STORY HERE. Big-city DAs come out in support of jury unanimity as Nov. 6 election looms Louisiana's 42 elected district attorneys were once seen as the biggest barrier to junking the split-jury system and requiring unanimity. The DAs are a potent political force, and as the Legislature in March prepared to consider a bill putting the amendment on the ballot, the director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association "begged" a Senate committee to vote it down. But the plea fell on deaf ears, and the LDAA soon dropped its opposition, preferring to remain neutral as an organization. Still, some elected DAs -- notably John DeRosier of Calcasieu Parish and Don Burkett of Sabine Parish -- were outspoken in their opposition, urging a House committee to block the amendment. Burkett told the committee that Louisiana's DAs were nearly but not completely unanimous in opposing the measure. But the House eventually voted it through, and by October, at least 10 of the state's district attorneys -- including Hillar Moore of East Baton Rouge Parish -- told The Advocate they were supporting it. Eight others, including DeRosier and Burkett, said they were against it, and four -- including Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro -- said they were remaining neutral. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Landslide: Louisiana voters dump 120-year-old practice of allowing convictions by split juries In the end, it wasn't even close. Louisianians voted by a 64-36 margin to jettison the law allowing verdicts when as long as 10 of 12 jurors agree. The measure was approved by a majority of voters in 61 of 64 parishes. Under the wording of the amendment, juries in trials of cases involving crimes committed on or after Jan. 1, 2019, will have to come to unanimous verdicts or declare themselves deadlocked. READ THE FULL STORY HERE From the ACLU to the NRA: Campaign for unanimous juries targeted voters across the political spectrum The push to change Louisiana's Jim Crow-era law started out as a liberal cause, but conservatives joined the fight enthusiastically in 2018. The campaign to educate voters on the constitutional amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot got donations from a diverse bunch, including liberal billionaire George Soros and the libertarian activists Koch brothers In the end, the amendment was more popular with liberals -- it passed with the biggest margins in parishes that were won by Hillary Clinton in her 2016 campaign for president, and it fared the worst in parishes where Clinton barely registered in 2016. But the real story was that voters of all stripes generally backed it, and Amendment 2 got more than 60 percent of the votes even in heavily conservative suburban parishes like St. Tammany and Ascension. READ THE FULL STORY HERE The right of a defendant to be judged by a jury of ones peers is a bedrock concept in American justice, dating to ancient English common law. But when lawyers started to pick a jury for his 2012 trial, Terren Johnson, accused of breaking into a womans home and trying to rape her, might have wondered where all of his peers went. [Editor's note: This is one part of an occasional series examining Louisiana's non unanimous jury law. Click here see the entire series.] Only four black people, all women, were among the 28 prospective jurors who filed into the courtroom that morning in East Baton Rouge Parish, where nearly half the population is black. Prosecutors removed two of them and persuaded Judge Bonnie Jackson that a third wasnt fit to serve. That left one black person on the panel the lone vote against guilty verdicts on both charges when deliberations wrapped up after an hour. Johnson now answers to inmate No. 432043 at David Wade Correctional Center in Homer, sentenced to 20 years for aggravated burglary and sexual battery. His case was far from an anomaly. The proportion of black people in Louisiana juries is often diluted. Almost every parish in the state pulls prospective jurors at random from voter rolls, with some also using the list of licensed drivers. But in most Louisiana parishes, the crowds of people who turn up at the courthouse for jury service, called venires, are less diverse than the lists from which theyre drawn, sometimes substantially. In East Baton Rouge Parish, this step is where most of the falloff in black jury participation occurs, whereas in other parishes, like Terrebonne, most of the dilution happens in the courtroom at the hands of prosecutors. The Advocate built a database showing what happened to each of about 41,000 prospective jurors who filed into court for a trial over a six-year period in nine of the states 10 busiest courthouses. Court officials in Lafayette Parish refused to provide the newspaper with records relating to trials. In East Baton Rouge Parish, the difference between the proportion of black people in the populace and those in the venires exceeded 10 percentage points. Thats a gap the U.S. Supreme Court defined as unacceptable in a landmark 1979 decision. Can't see video below? Click here. In that case, the court granted Billy Duren a new trial on robbery and murder charges on the grounds that women were grossly underrepresented in Missouris venires. The justices said it didnt matter whether the government intentionally kept women off juries: All the defendant had to show was that too few women reported for jury service. 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 Its not immediately clear why the black presence in venires is so diluted in some Louisiana parishes but not in others. In St. Tammany Parish, for instance, the share of black people in the parish's venires is 43 percent smaller than the share in the jury-eligible population. But in Calcasieu Parish, the proportion of black prospective jurors almost exactly mirrors the populace, according to The Advocates review of jury selection in 58 trials there. National studies of the question have shown that black people are more likely to be renters than white people and thus move more frequently and are less likely to receive a jury summons. Other socioeconomic factors also tend to disproportionately depress black turnout at the courthouse, including a greater dependence on public transit and their relative poverty, which can make it harder to swallow the lost income of jury service, studies have shown. Also, convicted felons who have not had their rights restored are ineligible, and this group in Louisiana is disproportionately black. Court officials in most of the parishes examined by The Advocate said they do not track the race of the people they summon to court. As a result, many said they didnt realize black people were underrepresented in the venires. But Mona Collins, the jury coordinator for East Baton Rouge Parish one of the few parishes that does pay attention to race said the falloff was hard to miss. Although the group she summons to court is representative of the populace, thats not true of people who obey the call. She said white people in East Baton Rouge Parish are much more apt to turn up at the courthouse. "The Caucasians report more than the African-Americans, Collins, who is black, said bluntly. I cant make one race show up more than another. I cant tell you why some people dont show up, but what we call is like 50-50 (white people versus black people)." Even though more than 46 percent of East Baton Rouge Parish residents are black, The Advocates data show that fewer than one-third of the people who turn up for jury service in East Baton Rouge Parish are black. Most of the parishes surveyed by the newspaper do little to punish those who ignore jury summonses. East Baton Rouge Parish generally has been in that number. But Collins said she believes the parish needs to try harder. At her urging, she said, court officials earlier this year pioneered a new system aimed at bringing in reluctant would-be jurors. The new regime culminates in a contempt of court ruling for those who ignore repeated warnings. In the past, she said, there were few consequences for no-shows. Supporters of split verdicts say Louisiana needs its unique justice system because its more efficient. The framers of the 1898 constitution invoked efficiency when they created the law, and so did those who changed it in 1973 to require 10 votes rather than nine for a conviction. [Editor's note: This is one part of an occasional series examining Louisiana's non unanimous jury law. Click here see the entire series.] Require unanimity, the argument goes, and the state will be awash in hung juries, and thus costly retrials and delayed justice for crime victims. Pete Adams, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, conjured up that same specter when he testified March 20 before a Senate committee considering a bill to allow voters to change Louisianas system. Adams said studies show that Louisiana and Oregon the only other state to allow split verdicts have far fewer mistrials than the other 48 states. He said some studies predict nearly 50 percent more mistrials would occur if Louisiana were to change its system. Adams may be right. But data gathered by The Advocate show the number of mistrials is so small that even doubling them wouldnt make many waves in Louisianas criminal justice system. Of 1,840 Louisiana criminal cases tried before 12-member juries between 2011 and 2016 that went to deliberations, just 84 ended with the jury declaring it was unable to come to a verdict, the newspaper found. That works out to a hung-jury rate of 4.5 percent. A pioneering 1966 study found that 42 percent of the hung juries in states that require unanimous verdicts had only one or two holdouts. The remaining 58 percent of the hung juries were more evenly divided. A 1975 study of California's 10 largest counties showed a similar 60-40 split. Can't see video below? Click here. 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 Assuming these rates are predictive of jury behavior generally, these studies suggest that Louisiana's current rate of hung juries would rise by about two-thirds if the state were to join the rest of the nation in requiring unanimity a bigger spike than Adams' forecast. That would bump Louisiana's rate of hung juries up to about 7.7 percent close to the rates found in several large-scale studies on hung juries around America. The 1966 study, for instance, found a rate of 5.5 percent; another major study, published in 2002, examined 30 large counties around the country and came up with a hung jury rate of 6.2 percent. Other studies have found slightly higher rates in urban counties. But the effect of such an increase in Louisiana would be less alarming than it sounds. In 2016, there were 472 jury trials in Louisiana, the state Supreme Courts annual report shows. Of those, about 370 were tried in front of 12-member juries, according to The Advocates database, with the rest requiring only six jurors. (Those juries must arrive at unanimous verdicts already, so the hung-jury rate in those cases would be unaffected by a change to the law.) In a year with the same number of trials as 2016, the result, for Louisiana, would be a net increase of about 12 deadlocked trials per year a figure that would hardly break the bank. That assumes the number of trials remains level in a state where the total number of criminal cases tried before juries has been steeply falling, from more than 1,000 in 2011 to 472 in 2016. These estimates also suggest that the vast majority of the cases that are now settled with split-verdict convictions would not become hung juries. Most probably would be resolved with defendants being convicted unanimously either as charged or on a lesser charge. Predicting that a change in the law would cause even 12 new retrials each year may be overstating things. At least two national studies have found that prosecutors retry only about one of every three cases that end in a hung jury. If those same norms applied in Louisiana, requiring unanimous verdicts would result in only about four additional trials per year. The other extra hung-jury verdicts would result not in new trials but in a combination of plea bargains and dismissals. The court minutes from the February 2013 trial of Jarrell Arline on a charge of dealing cocaine are so cursory they border on cryptic. A Jefferson Parish jury convicted him of attempted possession of the drug, rather than dealing it, a compromise verdict that led Judge Henry Sullivan to hand him 2 years in the state penitentiary. The lesser verdict wasnt the only clue that the jury of two men and 10 women struggled with a decision. They asked Sullivan to clarify the meaning of attempted possession, and they deliberated until 9:30 p.m. The three hours they spent haggling over the verdict was far longer than in most cases, according to an Advocate analysis of thousands of criminal trials over a six-year period. [Editor's note: This is one part of an occasional series examining Louisiana's non unanimous jury law. Click here see the entire series.] So what was the jury vote? Was it unanimous? Were there holdouts? The forewoman described heated deliberations that ended with her and another woman voting against the verdict because they thought Arline was guilty of the original charge. But all the docket minute says on the matter is that a polling was not done in this case. Given the effort put into keeping accurate records of court proceedings, its surprising that such a critical fact how many people voted guilty? is never even asked in a large share of cases. Even when polling is done, there's often no public record made of the total vote count, never mind the individual juror votes frustrating efforts to fully understand how Louisiana's split-verdict law plays out. Competing bills now under debate in the Legislature could alternatively make that question easier to determine, or even harder. Jefferson Parish, Louisianas second-largest parish, has record-keeping superior to that of most jurisdictions around the state. Records show Jefferson Parish jurors were not polled in about 20 percent of the 237 criminal convictions rendered by 12-person juries between 2011 and 2016. That includes many cases where the defendant was facing the potential of a lengthy prison sentence. Those roughly 50 cases without any polling include five where the defendant was found guilty of second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole. State law specifies that polling may be done on paper polling slips or out loud from the jury box, but it happens only upon request. Often, when a jury renders a guilty verdict, defense attorneys want a poll because they plan to lodge a rote appeal of a nonunanimous conviction, in case a court someday overturns Louisianas unusual law. Even if no such appeal is planned, failing to poll the jury amounts to malpractice, in the view of many defense lawyers. What could be more important, after all, than making sure there are enough votes to send a person to prison for life? And the record shows that sometimes, as in the case of Kevin Alexander, the jury miscounts. Alexander was tried in St. John the Baptist Parish in 2012 on a charge of armed robbery. After just over an hour, jurors said they had a verdict. But polling showed only nine jurors were ready to convict him. Judge Mary Hotard Becnel sent the jury back out, and nearly an hour later, the panel came back. This time, they had 10 votes for conviction. Alexander is now serving a 22-year prison sentence. Can't see video below? Click here. Or the case of Jeremy Bambi Patterson, who was convicted of murder in 2010 after Orleans Parish Judge Frank Marullo sent the jury back to deliberate further after finding they too had returned a faulty conviction. "When they filled out the little slips to show what their vote was, it wasn't 10-2; it was 9-3," said Patterson's trial attorney, John Hall Thomas. "(Marullo) fussed at them and sent them back in, and they came back 10-2. It wasn't very long, like 10 minutes." 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 An appeals court later overturned that conviction, finding that Marullo had failed to let Thomas eliminate a potential juror he didn't want. Prosecutors tried Patterson again in 2014, and a jury again convicted him of second-degree murder. The vote this time was 11-1. Patterson is now serving life. While polling simply wasn't done in hundreds of cases examined by The Advocate, there was an even larger group in which polling was done but kept out of the record. The practice varies by jurisdiction, but in some, like Jefferson, the polling slips are kept under seal in most cases. The Advocate was able to gather the data on nearly all of the jury votes there only with the help of the Clerk of Court's Office. Orleans Parish, which has the busiest trial docket in the state, works under an antiquated record-keeping system, little of which is available on the court's cursory online "docket master." Verdict counts rarely show up there. Some Orleans judges said they have long torn up the juror polling slips as soon as they are read. Others file them into the record under seal. Several judges agreed to unseal polling slips in a few dozen cases a fraction of the total at The Advocate's request. Even then, some signatures on the slips are indecipherable. Others are confounding. Dale Lambert was found guilty of murder in the 2013 shooting death of Bernard Santiago and later petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming the split verdict against him was unconstitutional. The trial transcript shows that two jurors answered in the negative when the judge polled them orally over the verdict. Yet all 12 verdict slips those jurors filled out in the jury room read yes or guilty or both to the question: Is this your verdict? Those who argue for getting rid of Louisianas allowance for 10-2 verdicts say that, at a minimum, the courts should collect complete data on jury votes as a matter of course and make it public. In a recent opinion piece, Emily Maw and Jee Park, of Innocence Project New Orleans, pointed out that no court collects this data consistently, thoroughly and comprehensively so that we can confidently say what effect the law has. They noted that it would be easy enough to remedy that lack of data. Juries must be polled after every verdict, their answers and demographic data recorded, they wrote. The Louisiana Supreme Court or the Legislature could easily require this. Can't see video below? Click here. State Sen. JP Morrell, D-New Orleans, has filed a bill in the current legislative session that would do just that. The bill would create a Louisiana Jury Study Task Force, and it would require court officials around the state to collect and make public various data about jury selection, strikes of prospective jurors, and verdicts, including how each juror voted in a case. Morrell separately has a bill pending before the Senate that would let Louisianians vote on a constitutional amendment to get rid of the nonunanimous jury law. Another pending bill, however, could make it even harder to suss out the votes of individual jurors. Sponsored by House Rep. Joseph Stagni, R-Kenner, it would mandate that polling slips be sealed and barred from public release without a court order. Stagni's bill passed out of committee last week on a 13-0 vote and is due to be debated Thursday on the House floor. Outside of a courtroom, Louisianas unusual split-verdict rule has gone mostly unchallenged for 45 years, since lawmakers raised the bar for a conviction from nine votes to 10 in a compromise during the last rewrite of the state constitution. This year, however, the Legislature is for the first time seriously considering a bill that would lay the issue before state voters. State Sen. JP Morrell, D-New Orleans, and state Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, have filed identical bills to place the split-verdict rule on the fall ballot. [Editor's note: This is one part of an occasional series examining Louisiana's non unanimous jury law. Click here see the entire series.] The Senate bill cleared a committee last month on a 5-1 vote. It could head to the Senate floor this week. The measure would require a two-thirds majority in both houses to pass a tall order. Not surprisingly, given that the law allowing 10-2 verdicts is widely thought to make life easier for prosecutors, the powerful Louisiana District Attorneys Association has come out in opposition. A week before the Senate committee hearing, The Advocate provided the district attorneys group with data showing the nonunanimous verdict law has a disparate effect on black defendants. Among other things, the law often silences the voices of black jurors, who are far more prone to dissent from the majoritys view, according to The Advocate's data. The groups executive director, E. Pete Adams, declined in an interview to opine directly on the newspapers findings, saying only that they were not dispositive of whether justice is better served by requiring 12 jurors to agree. Adams added that the states district attorneys already had voted as a group that the issue needs more study. Their recommendation, he said, was to send the question to the Louisiana State Law Institute, a body that recommends revisions to a variety of state legal codes. If its better, if the verdicts are sounder, if you get justice that way better, then were OK (with unanimous verdicts), Adams said. But we just think at this point in time, were not sure its better. Were not sure that were not just as good as the unanimous-jury states. Adams told The Advocate he couldnt speculate on how to design a research project to determine the route to sounder verdicts. And he acknowledged to the Senate committee that it was fair to assume such a study would take more than a year. One of Adams arguments in favor of the status quo echoed what proponents argued in 1973 to keep the law: That it prevents one rogue juror from thwarting justice. 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 todays Twitter, social media society, everybodys kind of in their little corner, he told the Senate committee. More so today than ever, I think, people take their agenda into the courtroom. Can't see video below? Click here. Adams begged the committee to vote down the measure, to no avail. The lone no vote came from Republican Sen. Bodi White, of Baton Rouge. White argued that changing the law could bring a high price tag, with additional retrials resulting from more deadlocked juries. Although bills to change the nonunanimous verdict law have been proposed since its passage in 1974, theyve never gotten serious consideration. The question came up, but only in passing, when the state Justice Reinvestment Task Force first met in fall 2016 to craft a slate of recommended reforms aimed at reducing Louisianas incarceration rate, which has been the nations highest for two decades. The avoidance of a serious discussion may have been a political calculus. Any move to change the law likely would have turned the district attorneys, already queasy about some of the proposals, against the entire package. Anyhow, members reasoned that gauging the effect of changing the 120-year-old law in prison beds and money would be guesswork at best in a process aimed at specific reductions in both of those measures. "It was just this weird piece that didn't quite fit in that discussion. The idea was, this needs to be brought up separately," said state public defender Jay Dixon, who sat on the task force. Proverbs from Africa the young may think are just old out-dated African proverbs quoted by their elders as simple ways of speaking. However, as they grow older they are surprised to learn that many, if not all fear and frauds African proverbs had been used for centuries not only their parents, grandparents and ancestors but also all over the world. The influence of fear and frauds African proverbs over the hearts and lives of African people is unquestioned as spoken authority and the last word. African Proverbs About Fear and Frauds African Proverbs About Fear Fiends and Frauds Fear The cow that has been burnt out of its shed sees the evening sky red and trembles. Once bitten by a snake he fears a rope. Who has burnt himself with hot food blows at cold. Frauds There are many preachers and teachers who don't hear themselves. A healer of others, himself diseased. Wise teachers give fruits not flowers. Fiends When the poor man grows rich, he beholds the stars at noonday. When he had filled his belly, he began to mock the poor. When the old goat goes to church, he does not stop until he gets to the altar. Definition of African Proverbs African proverbs are life decoded in simple words. African proverbs communicate timeless insight about truth and sincerity, kindness and wickedness and wisdom and foolishness. African proverbs touch the place in our hearts where we are silent, listening to the wise words of our ancestors. The African culture expresses lessons learned through wisdom in Proverbs. This is why African proverbs express the timeless wisdom of African people. African proverbs are the wisdom and humor of epochs of African ancestors thoughtfulness to point to a moral lesson or embellish a story. Proverbs of African people are the index of their lives. Proverbs from Africa contain the essence of moral truth and practical lesson; they are drawn from real life and are generally the fruit of philosophy grafted on the stem of experience. African proverbs help the people of today see Africans as they are and understand African culture better. More African Proverbs about fear and frauds Fear, frauds and friends can influence not just the quality of your life but also the length of it; through African proverbs choose who guides you in life wisely. Read More African Proverbs On a fools beard, the barber learns to shave. Nothing falls into the mouth of a sleeping lion. To wash a donkeys tail is loss of time and soap. After mischance everyone is wise. The one-eyed are kings in the land of the blind. A good lawyer is a bad neighbor. He does a good days work that rids himself of a fool. He who rides on the giants shoulders sees further than he who carries him. What is learned in the cradle lasts until the grave. One half of the world laughs at the other. What is enough was never little. A friend is known in the time of need. There is no such thing as an insignificant enemy. Too late the bird cries out when it is caught. A fine cage wont feed the bird. For the last-comer the bones. Unstringing the bow does not cure the wound. The eagle does not hunt flies. The tree does not fall at the first stroke. JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images We recently discussed the gorgeous diamond brooches owned by the grand ducal family of Luxembourg, and researching that post made me think of another favorite diamond floral brooch: the gorgeous diamond rose brooch from the magnificent Braganza Parure. As this GIF from the wonderful De Kongelige Juveler shows, the brooch is a part of the incredible Braganza Parure, a set of jewels that originated in Brazil and now belongs to the Swedish royal family. (All the details on how it got from South America to Stockholm can be found over here.) screencapture The craftsmanship on this piece is just exquisite. This view emphasizes the gold and silver settings of the piece, as well as the masterful pave work on the petals and leaves. And just look at that diamond in the center of the wild rose! Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Heres what the piece looks like when worn. The delicate design makes it a bit difficult to photograph well when its not absolutely stationary, but this also gives you an idea of scale and positioning. Chris Jackson/Getty Images Queen Silvia wears the brooch in various combinations with other jewels, but almost always for major gala occasions. Here, she wears the brooch with other pieces from the Braganza Parure for the celebrations of her husbands 60th birthday in April 2006. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images She also sometimes wears the brooch for the annual Nobel Prize ceremony and banquet, usually paired with Queen Sofias Tiara. (See our recent close-up post on that diadem over here.) In December 2009, she wore the tiara and brooch with pearls. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For the December 2013 Nobel festivities, Silvia wore the tiara and brooch with diamonds, specifically earrings and a necklace that are also apparently a part of the larger Braganza suite. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images The Bernadottes are always inventive jewel-wearers, so it should come as no surprise that members of the family have also employed the brooch as a diamond hair ornament. Here, Princess Madeleine wears the brooch in her hair for the pre-wedding dinner and concert given in June 2010 for her sister, Crown Princess Victoria. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Clara Siagian (The Conversation) Sun, April 1, 2018 11:19 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc4fefd 2 Opinion migrants,#children,#ChildProtection,border-areas,Sabah,Indonesia-Malaysia,KUHP,Criminal-Code-amendment Free There are thousands of stateless children in Sabah, Malaysia. The estimates vary between 30,000 and 52,000 as there has been no census or statistics collected on them. Most of them are children of Indonesian migrants. These children face the risk of being stuck in legal limbo if an Indonesian bill to amend the criminal code is passed in its current state. Criminalising private activities Indonesia is deliberating the bill to change the countrys 100-year-old criminal code. Some people are ardently opposing the bill because it contains clauses that, once implemented, will compromise freedom of speech and public health efforts. One contentious clause will criminalise sexual activities by a man and a woman who are not legally married. This carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. This clause is problematic because many Indonesians, including those working abroad such as Indonesian migrants in Sabah, do not register their marriages. Layers of registration with religious institutions and the state create barriers for many couples to legalize their marriage. None of this would have significant impacts on children if not for the coupling of birth registration with marriage registration. The current draft of the criminal code bill will deter unregistered migrant parents in Sabah from going to the Indonesian consular offices in Kinabalu and Tawau or to the occasional mobile registration services to register their children. Bringing their children to obtain a birth certificate without having proof of marriage would be evidence of having sexual activities outside legal marriage. Stateless children As a foreigner, children of migrant workers are not eligible for Malaysian nationality, although legally speaking they are entitled to birth registration. But, even when one of the parents is Malaysian, the absence of a marriage certificate serves as a structural obstacle to proving their legal relationship to Malaysia. Most of these children have parents who are working and living in Malaysia without a legal permit or who have overstayed their initial licence. For their parents, applying to the Malaysian government for marriage and birth certificates means exposing themselves to the authorities and risking jail, deportation, and sometimes separation from their families. The hostile public sentiment in Sabah against migrant communities adds to the fears, with cases of crackdowns on undocumented migrants recorded in recent years. Obtaining a marriage certificate at the Indonesian consulates or mobile registration services are, for now, the only safe way for Indonesian migrants to obtain legal documents for the purpose of obtaining a birth certificate for their children. But even in this case, distance and cost come into play. These children and their families mostly live in remote palm oil estates. Worse off for the poor In Indonesia, there is a strong correlation between poverty and not having a marriage certificate and birth registration. A survey in 17 provinces in 2013 shows that 55 percent of couples in the bottom 30 percent for household income do not have marriage certificates. Of these couples, 75 percent of their children do not have their births registered. In general, children whose parents do not have a marriage certificate are twice as likely not to have birth certificates as those whose parents have their marriages recorded. The challenges include lack of awareness, the cost of going to civil registrars (at district and sub-district level), and the complexity of the bureaucracy. A birth certificate contains information on a childs place of birth and parents; both are crucial to establishing a childs nationality by the jus soli or jus sanguinis principles. Without birth certificates, the children in Sabah who are entitled to Indonesian nationality will not be able to get a passport that ensures safe passage back to Indonesia. They will also not have access to government services such as education and health, save for the informal education provided by NGOs in Sabah. Children have expressed their desire to visit their parents home country but are afraid of being caught if crossing the border. Crossing the border illegally is very dangerous. Some accounts point to high levels of human trafficking. The impacts of criminalizing sexual activities between consenting adults will disproportionately affect poor people, including many Indonesian migrant families and their children. This runs counter to the Indonesian governments pledge or rhetoric to protect migrant workers and their families, as enshrined in the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Indonesia ratified the convention in 2012. This criminal code bill, as it stands today, will underpin the failure of the Indonesian government to protect its young citizens. Clara Siagian, Senior Researcher at the Center of Child Protection and Wellbeing (Puskapa), Universitas Indonesia This article was originally published in The Conversation. Read the original article. Friends, family and colleagues of Stephen Hawking gathered Saturday to pay their respects at his private funeral in Cambridge, where the British science great spent most of his extraordinary life. Hawking, who died on March 14 at the age of 76, was famously an atheist but his children Lucy, Robert and Tim chose St Mary the Great, the church of Cambridge's prestigious university, to say their farewell. "Our father's life and work meant many things to many people, both religious and non-religious. So, the service will be both inclusive and traditional, reflecting the breadth and diversity of his life," they said. Tributes poured in from around the world upon Hawking's death, from Queen Elizabeth II to NASA, reflecting his huge impact as a physicist and an inspiration, in his refusal to give up in the face of his crippling motor neuron disease. Read also: Climate change: Hawking's greatest warning to humanity The funeral service -- being held a short distance from Gonville and Caius College where Hawking worked for more than 50 years -- was only open to around 500 guests who knew him. A private reception was to follow at Trinity College. A wider audience will attend a thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey in London on June 15, when Hawking's remains will be buried near the grave of another legendary scientist, Isaac Newton. Actor Eddie Redmayne, who played Hawking in the 2014 biographical drama The Theory of Everything, was to give a reading from the Bible, followed by a reading by Martin Rees, Britain's astronomer royal. Eulogies were to be delivered by Robert Hawking, the physicist's eldest child, and Professor Fay Dowker, one of Hawking's former students. An arrangement of white lilies, to represent the universe, and another of white roses as the polar star were to be placed on Hawking's solid oak coffin. The church bell was to toll 76 times, once for each year of Hawking's life, when his coffin arrives. - New photographs revealed - Ahead of the funeral, Gonville and Caius College released new black and white photographs of Hawking taken in 1961 at a summer school for young astrophysicists at a castle in Sussex, southern England, when he was 19. They showed him playing croquet and in a sailing dinghy, two years before he began experiencing the first symptoms of the motor neuron disease that would later leave him almost completely paralyzed. Fellow students contacted by the college recalled his left-wing views and his mischievous sense of humor. Hawking defied predictions that he would only live for a few years, although his rare condition -- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- gradually robbed him of mobility. He was confined to a wheelchair, almost completely paralyzed and unable to speak except through his trademark voice synthesizer. But the illness did nothing to dull his mind, and Hawking became one of the world's best-known and most inspiring scientists, known for his brilliance and his wit. His work focused on bringing together relativity -- the nature of space and time -- and quantum theory -- how the smallest particles behave -- to explain the creation of the Universe and how it is governed. Read also: ALS: The disease that Stephen Hawking defied for decades But he was also a global star -- his 1988 book A Brief History of Time was an unlikely worldwide bestseller, and he appeared as himself in television shows from The Simpsons to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Born on January 8, 1942, Hawking died in his home in Cambridge. After taking his undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford, he moved to Cambridge for his doctorate and stayed there for the rest of his career. Hawking's family has asked six college porters, many of whom provided support for Hawking when he visited for dinners and other events, to carry his coffin. Possibly everyone is battling bad habits or on a journey to reverse them. These bad habits, for instance, are keeping a messy desk or procrastinating. These habits could be perceived negatively, but a study has revealed that some bad habits may indicate our intelligence and good health. Kompas.com listed the positive sides of seven bad habits. Procrastinating A number of studies have analyzed why people like to procrastinate and try to find a way to reverse this habit. However, Wharton management professor and author Adam Grant pointed out that procrastinating doesnt always indicate laziness. People who procrastinate might only be waiting for the right time or take the time to develop their ideas. Grant explained to Business Insider how Apples late Steve Jobs took time to seek possibilities and let more divergent ideas come up, instead of going forward with more predictable moves. You cant rush creativity, Grant concluded. Arriving late People who are habitually late are often considered as rude and lacking discipline. The New York Times once quoted Diana DeLonzor - author of Never Be Late Again - that these people are optimistic and unrealistic, believing that they can do a lot of different things in a short amount of time. They are hopeful and positive, but unfortunately, their positivity could be perceived in a negative way. Complaining Looking at the bright side, people who complain with a specific result in mind are living a better life than those who only grumble. Especially if they channel the complaints properly. The complaint should be effective, aiming at problem-solving and directed at the people with the authority to solve the problem. Chewing gums Fortunately, it is only a bad habit when it takes place on such occasions as a job interview or formal business meeting. According to www.wisebread.com, chewing motions increase blood flow to the brain, therefore improving concentration, memory and reaction. Certain types of gum, particularly sugar-free ones, protect the teeth by reducing plaque. Meanwhile, herbal gums can relieve nausea from motion sickness. Keeping your desk cluttered While a neat and tidy desk might be a sign of a clear mind thats ready for success, a cluttered desk indicates creativity. Joseph Redden, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Minnesotas Carlson School of Management, was quoted by www.inc.com saying that a messy office may enhance the ability to tap into the creative solutions and ideas required to grow business. Clutter, he went on to say, helps think outside the lines of conventional reasoning. Redden and his colleagues also carried out a study that concluded, Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights. Fidgeting Despite it being annoying to some, fidgeting is a small physical activity that can go a long way. www.prevention.com reported that fidgeting can make a noticeable difference in our health. A study conducted by the University of Missouri found that fidgeting helps to combat reduced blood flow and artery function typically seen when were seated. Study author Robert Restaino, a graduate research assistant at the University of Missouri, said sitting for a long time every day causes reduced blood flow that piles up over time and can have detrimental effects from the higher risk of heart disease to premature death. Fortunately, fidgeting can help. Authors in a study conducted by University College London wrote that women who fidget constantly in between sitting for seven or more hours have a lower risk of dying prematurely. Read also: Five habits before bedtime that may help you lose weight Daydreaming Josh Davis wrote in Harvard Business Review that letting our minds wander facilitates creativity, planning and putting off immediate desires in favor of future rewards. Each of those contributes to working effectively. It has been confirmed by the journal Psychological Science, that we engage in so-called creative incubation during mind-wandering. When facing a challenge that demands fresh ideas, let the mind wander and give space to the incubation that leads to creative solutions. (mut) Are you one of those who love to drink coffee, taking it three or more times a day? Well, this research may benefit you. Scientists from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil have found that drinking three cups of coffee a day can lower the risk of having clogged arteries and combat heart disease. Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association last Saturday, the study was done to evaluate the links between coffee intake and coronary artery calcium (CAC). Around 4,400 residents of Sao Paulo participated in the study, answering a food frequency questionnaire and having their CAC readings through computed tomography. Read also: Wake up and smell the coffee Based on the gathered data, the researchers found that 56 percent drank coffee twice a day, while 12 percent had three or more cups a day. Scientists also found that people who consumed more of the drink each day had fewer calcium deposits in their aortic valves. However, one of the researchers still warned that drinking too much coffee could still pose risks. Andreia Miranda acknowledged: Coffee is a complex mixture of minerals and various components. We have not tested the limit of cups of coffee for which there was a protection, Miranda told The Daily Mail. Other studies have already shown that excessive consumption of this beverage may not bring health benefits. There's an art to taking the perfect selfie -- from the angle, to the focus, cropping out that pesky outstretched arm and above all, the smile. In a celebration of self-portraits in the social media age Tommy Honton and Tair Mamedov are set to open the Museum of Selfies in Los Angeles this Sunday -- an interactive exhibition exploring the history and cultural phenomenon of snapping a photo of yourself. And for those who think if a moment wasn't photographed, it might as well have not happened -- the good news is that at the Museum of Selfies, selfies are compulsory. Read also: Selfies: Root of all evil in Indonesian tourism Event planner Lori Nguyen, 45, said she doesn't take selfies very often because "I'm not, like, super young." But another visitor, Nina Crowe, said she takes "one a day". Neither missed the chance to snap several at the Museum of Selfies, including at an exhibit mimicking the rooftop of Los Angeles' tallest building. In reality there's a backdrop photograph of the "ground below" printed on a small platform, from which sprouts a tube that looks like the building's antenna complete with a red signaling beacon. Add a selfie stick, an "I'm afraid of heights" grimace and a click -- and the result is very realistic. The exhibition begins with mirrors, perhaps the most basic kind of selfie. But Honton and Mamedov view the concept as something more than just a simple photo. "The selfies have a surprisingly rich history, and go back as far as people have been making art," Honton explains. "Rembrandt did hundreds of self-portraits, Albrecht Durer five, Van Gogh dozens. I mean they did their portraits too, what's the difference?" he said. "Yes, artistic technique and scale is one thing, but in reality, if cell phones and cameras had existed, everyone would have taken them." Another selfie museum opened in the Philippines in 2015, but there's no sign it stayed open. Meanwhile in Glendale, a Los Angeles suburb, the exhibition is just the latest in the city's stream of quirky museums focusing on everything from rabbits and death to neon and velvet. - 'Selfie magnet' - The show is full of fun facts about the trend: women take pictures of themselves more than men, for example. In Sao Paulo, 65.4 percent of selfies are taken by women -- in New York, 61.6 percent. In Moscow, the divide is even more extreme, at 82 percent. There aren't statistics for Los Angeles, but Ally Bertik admits she is a frequent selfie-snapper. "It shows off my good side. And I get to show people like 'hey, this is where I am, maybe you guys should check it out too, this is what Im doing.' It's just a fun way to like spread you know what Im doing, show people where Im at," she explained. Wandering through the museum, guests will be able to pose with Colette Miller's "Angel Wings" and a work by Darel Carey, who creates multi-dimensional rooms using plastic tape -- a concept the museum describes as a "selfie magnet". There are pieces by Brazil's Rob Vital, German-Canadian Joseph Nowak, Italy's Michele Durazzi -- and a copy of the Russian government's recommendations for taking a selfie safely, created following several accidents and as many as 12 selfie-related deaths in the country. Also featured is David Slater's controversial monkey selfie -- which became embroiled in a legal battle over who has the copyright to photos taken by monkeys using his camera. Read also: Perfect selfie requires more than just luck In a corner, meanwhile, are three statues resembling Michelangelo's "David" -- painted blue with a pink cell phone -- and a Game of Thrones-esque throne created using selfie sticks. You just "can't avoid" taking a selfie there, says Mamedov, a Russian actor who arrived in the US four years ago. The Museum of Selfies will be open in Glendale initially for two months. Its founders are open to extending its LA run and taking the exhibition to other places around the US, if not the world. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 31 2018 Anticipation is high for action film Wiro Sableng 212, set to hit cinemas at the end of this year. In addition to the legendary, fictional Indonesian hero himself with his strong fan base, the movie is also the first coproduction project in Southeast Asia for Fox International Productions (FIP), a division of Los Angeles-based 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. Lifelike Pictures producer Sheila Timothy said when she met with FIP, the company was considering entering three countries in Southeast Asia, namely Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. However, Wiro Sableng managed to lure FIP as the intellectual property was very familiar to several generations, including millennials. G... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 1, 2018 16:52 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc56de3 2 City Monas,monas-park,anies-baswedan,easter,Christians,PGI Free Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and a congregation of thousands attended an Easter celebration at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta on Sunday morning. Anies came to the event, which was held by an Indonesian Bethel Church congregation, at around 6 a.m., during which the congregation sang before preacher Gilbert Lumoindong gave a sermon. In his speech, Anies said he received a letter from the church conveying its wish to celebrate Easter at the Monas. The request was granted immediately. Monas is a monument owned by all people. This was the area used by Indonesian citizens to gather for the first time after the declaration of independence, Anies said as quoted by kompas.com. He went on to say that he wanted to spread the message of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), the countrys national motto. Diversity is a reality, a fact, and something that we have had ever since we were founded. The message [I want to convey] is unity, something that shaped Indonesia, he added. The chairman of the event, Tommy Sihotang, expressed gratitude over the city administration having allowed the church to celebrate Easter at the Monas. He said there were no political motives tied to the event. We came to Pak Anies and said that the event wouldnt be political. Christians only want to worship and be grateful that Jesus had been resurrected, he said. Previously, the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) suggested that Christians celebrate Easter in their own churches to maintain the congregations focus and uphold the value of modesty associated with the event. However, PGI spokesman Jeirry Sumampow said the body allowed churches to celebrate at the Monas as it did not have the authority to prohibit such an activity. (cal/wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) New Delhi, India Sun, April 1, 2018 12:50 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc5214e 2 World India,disaster,building Free A dilapidated four-storey building has collapsed in a central Indian city killing at least 10 people, police said Sunday, the latest such disaster in a country infamous for poor construction and safety standards. Rescue workers retrieved several people left trapped under tonnes of debris after the building collapsed in a crowded neighbourhood of Indore on Saturday night. "We pulled out 12 people from under the debris. Ten of them have died," police inspector Sanju Kamle told AFP. Local media reports said the collapse took place after a car drove into the building's front portion. "We are investigating. At the moment it is difficult to say how it collapsed," Kamle said. Rescue workers had managed to clear the debris and some of the injured were being treated at a government-run hospital, Kamle added. Building disasters are common in Indian cities where millions are forced to live in cramped, run-down properties due to spiralling real estate prices and a lack of proper housing. Activists say owners often cut corners on construction to save costs with little regard to safety. Some 30 people perished in September last year when a 117-year-old apartment building collapsed in India's financial hub of Mumbai. And in 2013, 60 people were killed when a residential block came crashing down in one of the country's worst housing disasters. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 1, 2018 16:30 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc56651 4 City drug-abuse,Depok,Jakarta-police Free The Jakarta Police narcotics unit recently arrested Adj. First Insp. Dadang Sumantri, an officer of the Sawangan Police in Depok, West Java, over the alleged possession of crystal methamphetamine, the police said over the weekend. Hes undergoing an investigation at the Jakarta Police detainment center, narcotics unit chief Sr. Comr. Suwondo Nainggolan said as reported by kompas.com on Saturday. His team arrested Dadang at his house on Jl. Rebana IV in Sukmajaya district in Depok on Wednesday, Suwondo said. The police seized 6.34 grams of meth allegedly owned by the suspect. Along with Dadang, the police had also detained Alfi Rizki, who allegedly had 7.53 grams of meth in his pocket. Were currently attempting to determine who they got the drugs from, Suwondo said, adding that Dadang and Alfi said they purchased the meth from a man in Mampang, South Jakarta. (vla/evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 1, 2018 18:08 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc5aad4 2 City blaze,fire,North-Jakarta Free It took more than five hours for firefighters to put out a blazing fire at a wig factory operated by PT Misung Indonesia in the Kawasan Berikat Nusantara industrial zone in Cilincing, North Jakarta, on Saturday. North Jakarta Fire Agency chief Satriadi said the fire started as a result of a short circuit that caused a refrigerator in the factorys cafeteria to explode. Dozens of firefighters from at least 22 fire stations were deployed to extinguish the fire, he said as reported by wartakota.tribunnews. He said the firefighters arrived at the scene after the fire had grown wild because they were not immediately notified. The companys firefighters had tried to extinguish the fire first. They failed, and that was when they called us for help. They should have called at the beginning, Satriadi added. A firefighter working under Satriadi, Rudi, said it was difficult to extinguish the fire. There were numerous flammable objects like chemical liquids, plastics and rubber, he said. The center of the fire wasnt accessible and the wind blew quite hard. It took as many as 22 fire engines and its teams to finally put out the fire, he added. A witness and security officer of a neighboring manufacturer, Farihuddin, said he first noticed the fire at 11:29 a.m. No casualties were reported in the incident. (vla/wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Muh Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 1, 2018 18:57 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc5c7fc 1 Business Garuda-Indonesia,IMF-WB-meeting,bali,additional-flight,tourism Free Jakarta: National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is preparing additional flights to deal with an anticipated increase in passengers to Denpasar, Bali, ahead of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings in Bali in October. Our current capacity is enough to handle [an influx of passengers], Garuda Indonesia president director Pahala N. Mansury said in Denpasar on Saturday as reported by Antara. He said the airline was in talks with the government about opening additional flights to Bali, especially routes from cities in Northeast Asian countries. Garuda is also preparing to modify several flights to Bali. Some routes, such as Shanghai-Jakarta, Beijing-Jakarta, might still be needed, but we can reroute them to make them stop in Denpasar first before they head to Jakarta, Pahala said. He also said the company was ready to assist meeting delegations looking to visit Indonesian tourist sites after the IMF-World Bank meetings, adding that the airline had 202 Garuda and Citilink airplanes. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya previously said that flights the week before and after the meetings had been fully booked and he believed airlines would be ready to handle an increase in air traffic to Bali. The IMF-World Bank annual meetings are scheduled to take place from Oct. 8 to 14 at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center. Some 15,000 delegations comprising state leaders, financial ministers, central bank governors, businesses and academics from 189 countries will attend the event. JP/(ami) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Kuwait City, Kuwait Sun, April 1, 2018 17:02 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc56ee0 2 World Middle-East,death-penalty,murder,Philippines Free A Kuwaiti court on Sunday sentenced in absentia a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife to death by hanging over the murder of a Filipina maid, a judicial source said. The court issued the sentence in the first hearing in the case of Joanna Demafelis, the 29-year-old maid whose body was found in a freezer in Kuwait earlier this year. The sentencing can still be appealed if the couple returns to Kuwait, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. The Demafelis murder triggered a diplomatic crisis between Kuwait and the Philippines, prompting Manila to impose a departure ban for its citizens planning to work in the Gulf state. The Lebanese-Syrian couple was arrested in February in the Syrian capital Damascus following an Interpol manhunt. Syrian authorities handed the husband, Nader Essam Assaf, over to Lebanese authorities, while his Syrian wife remained in custody in Damascus. An estimated 252,000 Filipinos and Filipinas work in Kuwait and depend on remittances to help their families back home. Rights groups have raised alarm around the plight of workers in the Gulf and other Arab countries, where migrant labour is regulated under a system known as "kafala". The kafala, or sponsorship, system ties migrant workers' visas to their employers, prohibiting workers from leaving or changing jobs without prior consent. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin N. Adri (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Sun, April 1, 2018 12:20 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc51257 1 National oil-spill,pertamina,#Pertamina,fire,Balikpapan,environment,#environment,#BalikpapanOilSpill Free State-owned oil and gas company, PT Pertamina, said on Saturday its operations in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, were proceeding as normal despite an oil spill that led to a fire. The fire left two dead and one other injured. Pertamina, which manages Refinery Unit V in Balikpapan has denied that the spill was a result of its operations. Balikpapan Police are investigating the cause of the spill and the fire. Read also: Pertamina, BPBD, deny fire caused by oil spill cleanup First, the spill is not crude oil, but marine fuel oil or MFO, Pertaminas general manager for Refinery Unit V, Togar MP, said on Saturday in Balikpapan. MFO is a fuel used by ships. The spill was spotted from Jetty 2 of Semayang Port to Kampung Atas Air, Mekarsari, an area north of the refinery unit. Togar said Pertaminas investigation of all its installations at Balikpapan Bay found no leakage. Neither did it find any leakage from the undersea pipeline connecting Lawe-Lawe Terminal to the refinery unit, he added. However, Pertamina had deployed a team once it was alerted to the spill at 3 a.m. on Saturday. The team helped prevent the spill from spreading too far, Togar said. The team also took a sample to identify the source and found that the spill was not from Pertaminas operation. Togar said teams from Pertamina and private oil company Chevron Indonesia helped extinguish the fire. The fire left two fishermen dead and injured a crewmember of the vessel MV Ever Judger 2, which was docked in the bay. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Dhaka, Bangladesh Sun, April 1, 2018 14:09 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc532ed 2 World Bangladesh,lawyers,trial,Islamists Free A prominent Bangladeshi lawyer who fought the state's case in a high-profile murder trial against Islamist extremists has disappeared, police said Sunday, with grave fears for his safety. Ratish Chandra Bhowmik, a respected prosecutor and champion of minority rights, has not been seen since he left his home in Rangpur early Friday morning. His disappearance comes a fortnight after seven militants from the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh were sentenced to death for murdering the caretaker of a Sufi shrine in November 2015. Bhowmik led the case that saw nearly a dozen hardliners from the homegrown extremist group convicted for killing the caretaker because they considered him a heretic. Lawyers in the northern Bangladeshi city have staged protests calling for information about their colleague. "We are concerned and worried," said Abdul Malek, a lawyer who represented the state with Bhowmik in the trial against the militants. Bhowmik, a Hindu and leading cultural activist, also lead the state's prosecution against five JMB extremists sentenced to death for the murder of 66-year-old Japanese farmer Hoshi Kunio in 2015. Rangpur regional police chief Khandaker Golam Faruque told AFP that Bhowmik had refused the offer of an armed escort during the high-profile trials. "There was no threat against him. His family filed a complaint about his disappearance on Friday night," Faruque said. JMB regrouped after the execution of its founder and top leadership in 2007 and has been blamed for a wave of attacks on religious minorities, atheist bloggers and foreigners in recent years. In July 2016, suspected JMB militants stormed a Dhaka cafe and massacred 22 hostages, including 18 foreigners, in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group. Bangladesh has been waging a campaign against JMB and other homegrown militant outfits in the wake of the attacks. Security forces have shot dead more than 70 alleged militants in a crackdown since the cafe assault. Hundreds of suspected Islamists have also been arrested, and scores have been sentenced to death. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 1, 2018 18:51 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc5b9f7 1 Business Rini-Soemarno,state-owned-enterprise,digital,adoption Free State-owned enterprises must no longer experience losses starting next year and for that reason they have to be willing to adopt changes and involve young people in their management, said a top official on Sunday. "The management of state-owned companies must be based on existing management, involving the millennial generation to make progress along with them," State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said on Sunday during the commemoration of the 117th anniversary of state pawnshop PT Pegadaian. No state-owned company will suffer losses starting next year, she said. To achieve the target, the management of state-owned companies must be willing to make changes and follow developments. Rini said the management of state-owned companies must be digitally based and involve millennials. On the other hand, the minister said state-owned companies must work together to make greater contributions to the national economy. "I always stress that state-owned companies belong to the nation and therefore, they must synergize," she said was quoted by Antara. She further underscored the need for state-owned companies to conduct digital transformation to make them more competitive. She said many state-owned companies that were more than a year old had contributed significantly to the national economy. JP Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Stockholm, Sweden Sun, April 1, 2018 15:15 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc5484e 2 World Sweden,tax,policy,environment Free Sweden introduced a new aviation tax on Sunday that will add an extra charge to all passenger flights from the country in a bid to lessen air travel's impact on the climate. "The objective of the tax is to minimise the carbon footprint of flights following a sharp increase in air travel," climate minister and Greens spokeswoman Isabella Lovin wrote in Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. All flights departing from Swedish airports will have an added charge of between 60 to 400 krona ($7 to $49, six to 39 euros), depending on the destination. It will apply to everyone except babes in arms, flight crews, passengers stopping over without changing planes and -- in some circumstances -- those in transit to take another flight. According to a survey published on March 25 by Dagens Nyheter, 53 percent of Swedes are in the favour of the new tax. However the opposition Centre party has criticised the move, calling for airlines to be required to use a percentage of biofuels. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ashley Tang (The Star/Asia News Network) Serdang, Malaysia Sun, April 1, 2018 19:18 1273 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9cc5cf5c 2 SE Asia Najib-Razak,Malaysia,Chinese,digital-economy Free Young Chinese entrepreneurs will be given RM25 million (US$6.47 million) to help them ride the wave of digital transformation, says Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. The Prime Minister said the funds will be channelled into the newly launched eCommerce Micro Credit Scheme, which will help Chinese entrepreneurs aged 18 to 45. I hope we will be able to achieve big results in at least three key areas through the Micro Credit eCommerce initiative, he said when launching the initiative at Wisma Huazong here on Sunday. He added that the program was to offer an efficient and affordable financing facility to assist young Chinese entrepreneurs. He said the program will also help traditional Chinese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) transform their businesses with digital technologies. We know this is crucial to our future. Advances in transportation and Internet technology are metaphorically 'shrinking' the geographic distance between even the most advanced cities and the most remote rural areas, he said. Najib added that there were three key focus areas in this programme - to nurture technopreneurship among young people, to improve living standards for youths in terms of income and quality of life, and to transform traditional SMEs so that they can remain competitive while enabling rural products to go global. He said 41 Chinese-based associations and chambers of commerce nationwide have volunteered and committed to join the program as strategic partners, adding that digital transformation was important for all businesses. It has been reported that one-third of leading firms will be disrupted by new competitors within five years, and it will be a case of transform or perish. There really is no alternative. We must transform or be left behind, Najib added. Also present at the event were Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong, Second International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan and Malaysian Chinese Women Entrepreneurs Foundation founder Tan Sri SP Lim. Topics : This article appeared on The Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Bunaken National Park (BTNB) in Manado, Sulawesi, is reportedly prepping for potential mangrove tourism on one of its islands, Mantehage. Kompas reported that BTNB head Farianna Prabandari on March 24 said they were preparing the mangrove forest on the island to become an ecotourism destination. We will equip the area with mangrove trails, a visitor information center, a research building, toilets, a watch tower and a bird observatory, she said in a press release. By next year, Farianna said a number of facilities would be available. Ecotourism activities in Mantehage can be enjoyed by strolling along the mangrove forest on a katinting (traditional boat) or through bird-watching. Tourists can choose to see the mangroves beauty by land or sea, said Farianna. Read also: Divers in Bunaken urged to plant coral Mantehage is an island in the conservation area of BTNB. Four villages are on the island, along with its protected animals. The islands biggest potential is a mangrove forest with an area of more than 1,300 hectares. With easy access from the Manado port, a harbor in Wori and its close proximity to Bunaken Island, Farianna is optimistic about the islands future. The park has started a mangrove improvement program on Mantehage Island. Around 1,500 mangrove seeds have been planted in Tinongko village, Wori subdistrict, North Minahasa regency. The North Minahasa government, Manado VIII Naval Main Base, Wori Police head, Wori subdistrict military command, babinkamtibmas (police officers assigned to villages as advisors on security and public order), as well as local communities and students from Wori public schools were involved in the program. Along with mangrove restoration, Farianna also stressed communicating to the public about the necessity of the mangrove ecosystem. Mangroves are essential habitats where fish live. They also protect the shoreline and are a component of the ecosystem that can absorb carbon, she said. (wng) If you are a history buff and looking for somewhere to go, Pekanbaru in Sumatra could be your best bet. With a number of historic places right in the heart of town, the following list includes places recommended by Tempo: 1. Kampung Bandar Harbor Situated by the Siak River, it is a perfect place for taking pictures. Every few hours, a tongkang comes to unload from the Panjang strait or Tanjung Pinang. Tongkang is a wooden boat commonly used in the early 19th century to carry goods. When a bridge connecting Pekanbaru and Rumbai was yet to be built, tongkang carried everyday necessities, such as cooking oil, building materials and groceries. The harbor is located around 300 meters from point zero of Pekanbaru. 2. Tuan Kadi Halfway House A traditional halfway house by the name of Tuan Kadi is considered a trademark of Riau. It is located right beside the Siak River, and has been a silent witness of traders coming to and from Riau in the 1800s. The house used to be a halfway house for the sultan of Siak, frequently visited during his visit from the Inderapura kingdom to the Great Mosque, or Nur Alam Mosque. Shaped like a typical Malay house on stilts, the building has been through minor changes. On the back side lies the Siak III bridge that connects Riau and Rumbai. Tuan Kadi Halfway House is located 500 m from Pekanbarus point zero. Read also: Jokowi to kick off Padang-Pekanbaru toll road construction: Minister 3. Kampung Bandar House of Weave Situated around 50 m from the harbor, here you can shop for woven fabric. Inside, you can witness how the weavers work with their simple tools. There are a number of patterns to choose from. All depict highly regarded Malay values, such as siku keluang, which represents a responsible person. 4. Kim Teng Coffee The oldest coffee shop in Pekanbaru, it is located on Jl. Senapelan. It also has branches in the towns shopping malls. The shops trademark is the Hokkien-style coffee. The owner, Kim Teng, was of Chinese descent. He was rumored to have had a role in helping Indonesians fight in wars by smuggling weapons from Singapore. To visit Pekanbaru from Jakarta, you can fly from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport or Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport. There are a number of options with flight tickets starting from Rp 500,000. (wng) The Javanese Christian Churchs (GKJ) Karangdowo congregation in Klaten, Central Java, held a reenactment of Jesus Christs crucifixion in the middle of a paddy field on Friday. The procession, which depicts the chronology of Jesus capture right up to His crucifixion, also involved a number of Muslim actors. The congregation had gathered since early morning at the small church not far from the paddy field to attend the procession that started at 10 a.m. The reenactment began when Jesus was captured and brought to Pontius Pilatus, the Roman ruler. About 100 congregants were involved in the procession themed Love, Believe and Hope. Two people played the role of Jesus, including GKJ minister Karangdowo Praditya Wisnu Pratama, who appeared at the beginning of the procession, and Muslim actor Jimbling Supriyadi who played the part where Jesus was captured and then crucified. Jimbling, who hails from Cawas, said he wanted to be involved in the crucifixion reenactment, not in the religious procession. I want to feel how Jesus was tortured and crucified. Thats the main reason, he added. Read also: Thousands expected to celebrate Easter in Monas Kokor Bimo, who helped the church with the Easter festivities, said a number of Muslim artists were involved in the event to showcase tolerance and friendship between the two religions. They were not only involved in the procession, but also helped out with security as well as managing traffic during the procession, Kokor said. After Jesus capture, the visualization continued with the scene where He was dragged to the fields, which is located about 200 meters from the church lawn. The cross-bearing walk was followed by congregants and artists who also carried bamboo crosses. "The Stations of the Cross procession sends a message that we must sacrifice ourselves to stand up for others. Jesus gave Himself for the goodness of humankind, said Praditya. He also called for harmony between religious groups. If all religious groups can observe and worship according to their beliefs, I am convinced that Indonesia will be a harmonious place. For there is no religion that teaches negativity. Diversity is beautiful, he added. (asw) Indias most popular tourist attraction, the Taj Mahal, has announced that visits will be capped at three hours. As of Sunday, April 1, visitors will have to manage their time wisely while visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site, or risk having to pay extra for exceeding the time limit. The measure is aimed at crowd control; the Archaeological Survey of India points out that the monument can receive up to 50,000 visitors a day during peak season. Overall, its estimated that the white marble mausoleum attracts between seven to eight million people a year. Read also: India's top court demands answers on Taj Mahal protection efforts Though the Taj Mahal website mentions that there is no limit to how long tourists can visit the monument, that will change as of Sunday. Officials with the ASI told The Times of India that tickets will be time-stamped and most likely be manually checked by staff. Tickets to the Taj Mahal are currently Rs 1,000 ($15) for foreign visitors, Rs 40 for Indians and Rs 530 for visitors from SAARC (the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries. The Taj Mahal is the latest tourist destination to struggle with overcrowding and introduce new visitor policies. Italys Cinque Terre implemented a new ticketing system recently, with the aim of regulating the number of visits, while residents in cities like Barcelona, Venice and Amsterdam have taken to the streets in anti-tourism protests. Simon Hayhoe, University of Bath For centuries, people who were born blind have been the intellectual curios of philosophers studying consciousness. This is particularly true for those exploring the way our consciousness is effected by our bodies, especially our eyes, which Leonardo da Vinci described as the window of the soul. Esref Armagan. One interesting fallacy is the belief that people born blind have no real idea of colour. In the 17th century, for instance, the philosopher John Locke thought parts of the world were peculiar to the individual senses. These parts could be seen in the lack of understanding of people who were blind or deaf. Similarly, David Hume believed that when the senses werent stimulated by individual energies, such as light or sound, then no ideas could ever be formed. Even in the 20th century, it was commonly believed that people born blind were unable to have a true understanding of the world around them. For instance, in 1950 the psychologist Geza Revesz wrote : [No] one born blind is able to become aware of the diversity of nature and to apprehend all the rich and various appearances of objects. Philosopher Thomas Nagel felt that blind people had only the most shallow understanding of colour in comparison to those with sight. Up until the 21st century, we had little idea about how we could test our beliefs about visual concepts. But then scientists became aware of a Turkish artist named Esref Armagan . Born totally blind, Armagan has no direct visual experience. Yet he paints and draws using not only colour, but also shadow, light and perspective in his unique imaginative scenes. So how did Armagan learn about colour ? The answer seems to be through a creative understanding of visual elements through language and his remaining perceptions. The artist has strong memories of what he was told about the visual world by his father. Armagan was often taken to this fathers engineering workshop as a child, and would ask questions about his surrounding environment. Crucially, he also had opportunities to use this knowledge. Being an engineer, his father owned a scribe a sharp tool for scratching, cutting and drilling points on metal and Armagan used it to etch images on a card board. Armagans father would guide his blind sons hand over the engraved lines and describe what he saw. The young artist then practised making lines to represent visual edges and shading, which he showed to family members who provided feedback and more verbal descriptions. Having mastered visual ideas such as edges and shade, the teenage Armagan began drawing in colour, and continued to seek comments and feedback from those around him. He described this process to my former student Ruth Cole as one of learning by repetition: By asking and showing over and over again. Eventually, he switched his medium of choice to paint, recalling: I started with coloured pencils and then switched to oil paints. But they took a long time to dry so I finally discovered acrylics. Interestingly, Armagan does not paint with watercolours, because he builds layers of paint on board and paper with his fingers, letting each layer dry before he adds another. This technique allows Armagan to sense the various colours and shades hes creating as a substitute for seeing his new image. A new artistic perspective He has achieved a visual understanding through constant examination and discussion, supplemented through touch (he likens the colour red with the feel of something hot) and hearing (he compares the dimming of sound as it becomes distant with his use of visual perspective). He says: I have created my painting in my head, including colours, before I ever start to paint. It is strictly memorisation. Armagans case challenges centuries of beliefs about colour. Whats more, given the accurate descriptions provided by sighted family and friends, his work shows that it is possible for people born blind to understand, describe and create visual pieces of art. King: Boys and Girls Club works to inspire youth to become leaders The Boys & Girls Club aim to inspire the youth to become leaders 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. MBABANE Will Minister of Finance Martin Dlamini and his budget technocrats emulate the review of zero-rated items the same way it did when it increased VAT? This question emanates following developments in South Africa that Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene has requested the chair of the Davis Tax Committee Judge Dennis Davis to appoint a panel of independent experts to review the current list of zero-rated items and consider the most effective way to mitigate the impact of the increase in the VAT rate on poor and low-income households. Nenes request puts Swaziland under pressure the same way when the then Minister of Finance Malusi Gigaba did when he increased VAT from 14 per cent to 15 per cent. If South Africa successfully reviews its list of zero-rated items, Swaziland will have to follow suit to enable the easy declaration of VAT by vendors. Swaziland and South Africa implemented the Sekulula VAT Easy a system that enables suppliers not to part with cash on importation of goods purchased from VAT registered shops in South Africa. Another main pillar of Sekulula VAT Easy is the same consumption tax rate between the two countries. This makes it easier and cost effective to administer the scheme. If Swaziland sits at different rates it may present administrative challenges for the country. Regarding the zero-rated items, this system will require that zero-rated items in South Africa have to be declared zero-rated even here in Swaziland and the opposite is true regarding VAT exempt supplies. It is for that reason that Swaziland will find itself under immense pressure to review its zero-rated items as well because it buys. Observably, the list of zero-rated items of South Africa is the same as those of South Africa. There are about 19 food items that are currently free from VAT. A tax expert who commented on condition of anonymity said Swaziland will be left with no choice but to review the list of zero-rated items so that it would be easy for suppliers to declare. The expert went on to say that the forced review would benefit the poor as the pool of zero rated basic commodities will be expanded. It is good news that South Africa would be doing the review and Swaziland has to do it as well to enable smooth trade between the two countries, the expert said. Efforts to get the Minister of Finance Martin Dlamini and Principal Secretary Bheki Bhembe were futile as their cellphones rang unanswered yesterday. According to South African publication Business Day, a statement from the National Treasury on Thursday evening said the review would also consider expanding the list of basic food items that were VAT zero-rated. Business Day reported that it would also consider how specific expenditure programmes such as the National School Nutrition Programme and food stamps among others could be improved to better target poor and low-income households. The Minister of Finance and Judge Davis have agreed to appoint Professor Ingrid Woolard to lead this process together with prominent experts. A full list of panel members and comprehensive terms of reference will be published in the next fortnight including a draft programme of work. The panel will take public comments and convene hearings and will engage with different stakeholders from civil society organisations organised labour and business and all interested parties Treasury stated. The panel is expected to deliver an initial report with all the options and recommendations to the minister of finance by June 30, 2018 in time to be considered by Cabinet for incorporation in the draft tax legislation that will be published in early July. Parliament will then consider the bills and provide for its own public hearings it added. E400 E60 = E340; E859 E128.85 = E730.15; E3 500 E525 = E2 975. Compare these new taxes to: E400 E56 = E344; E859 E120.26 = E738.74; E3 500 E490 = E3 010. What is this madness about? This is what the increment of Value Added Tax (VAT) will do to the income of some citizens of this country. This is how they will be getting poorer through being taxed yet there is no increment in their income. Senior citizens of this country are getting a meagre E400 per month and are actually getting things to the value of E 344 per month because they are taxed 14 per cent of everything they purchase. That is excluding the non-rateable items. So in reality they are being given E344 per month because the rest goes back to the government that gives it to them. When the increment on VAT is implemented, senior citizens will be actually getting E340 per month. That is E4 per month from what they have always been getting. That is E48 less per month per person. We have heard that the Regulation of Wages (Domestic Employees) Order of 2018 gives domestic workers a minimum salary of E859 per month. That means domestic workers will actually be getting E738.74 per month. With the increase of VAT, they will be getting E730.15 per month. The rest goes to government. That means per year they will now be giving government E103.08 more than what they have been contributing. The last calculation is the E3 500 minimum wage proposal that has been advanced by the labour movement. And I am just giving an example about it because we are still far from getting there if in 2018, some people are still to get less than E1 000. My question then to those who planned the increase and those who allowed it is; Is this it? Is this what you want to see happening to Swazis? Is this fair to the people who are to be taxed so that it becomes easy for SRA officials to do their counting? Why are the SRA officials being taken care of at the expense of the whole people of the country? Should the whole nation suffer just because government cares a lot about the SRA officials? I smell a rat here. Would I be wrong to say SRA is being made a scapegoat for the increase of taxes? When introducing the increase of taxes by the Ministry of Finance and those who are supposed to be representing the poor allowing that to happen, what was in their mind? Did they think of the person who has to stand in the sun the whole day during construction work and get a very small salary that must be taxed to finance the living of others? Did they think of the people working for municipalities collecting all sorts of garbage that I shudder to even think of? Did they consider the security guard who has to spend the whole night outside just to be paid a lousy salary allowed by the very same government? Did they consider the civil servant who is crying for a cost of living adjustment that the very same government is refusing with? Did they consider the elderly who have not received any increment to what they get monthly as a grant? All these people and more others are going to feel the pinch of the increments in taxes yet there have been no raise in their emoluments. Is this what our parliamentarians and Cabinet want to see of Swazis? And they will be going out telling us that we must re-elect them? What is even more worrying is that some people were cushioned for these tax increments in advance to the detriment of the majority. I can now see why some officials were suddenly given increments despite protests from others. Its just that we did not know at that time why this was being done yet it was to cushion them from these taxes. Do I see some animals more equal than others? What is even worse is that taxes hit hard on the poor and the money is not used for their benefit. The report by the Auditor General is very worrying because it seems the money we are taxed is to finance abuse as almost all the ministries are not getting clean audits. There is a lot of over-expenditure that is not explained. Fuel consumption is a free for all in ministries and cars that are not even serviceable are still filling fuel and no one is raising a finger to stop that. Instead poor Swazis are taxed heavily so that those few benefitting from the taxes should continue to get more. Is this fair to the taxpayers? Is this it? MBABANE Government is going ahead with plans to install gadgets in schools to monitor teachers absenteeism. This is despite the High Court having ordered government to stop installing the gadgets until proper consultation was done with the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT). However, the Ministry of Education and Training is said to be imposing the gadgets, known as the Smart Schools System (3S), and is in the process of installing the equipment in six schools. These schools are namely Salesian High School, Masundvwini High School, Bhunya Usuthu High School, Mazombizwe High School, Mbokojweni Primary School and Ntuthukweni Primary School. Governments action has prompted SNAT to run back to court to file an urgent application for an order setting aside the decision to unilaterally impose the new system pending completion of the consultative process. SNAT Secretary General Zwelethu Mndzebele has informed the court that on March 14, 2018 they wrote a letter making their position clear that the introduction of the mobile software system was premature because the consultations were still underway. SNAT suspends ADEA participation In the letter, Mndzebele informed acting Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training Sibongile Mtshali that the SNAT National Executive Committee wished to inform her office that SNAT was suspending its participation in the ongoing ADEA (Association for the Development of Education in Africa) activities. SNAT had the impression that consultations were still ongoing with key stakeholders. In the case of SNAT, this is the General Council which constitutes branch leaders and all national committees. In our meeting with the ministry officials, we had emphasised consultation with our general council. To our dismay, we note that the ministry is proceeding with the process of implementing the programme. To this end, your office is informed that SNAT suspends her participation in this exercise immediately, pending completion of consultations within the association and adoption of same by the teachers organisation, he wrote. However, the ministry allegedly did not respond to this letter, instead, it decided to go on with the project despite its contemptuous nature. Mndzebele alleges that this was done yet the ministry had not lodged an appeal against the existing judgment and neither had it filed a review application contesting the legality and or correctness of the judgment. He therefore asked the court to interdict the ministry from proceeding with the projects as their branches are still discussing the issue and are yet to make their comments and views thereon. The views, Mndzebele said, would be collectively conveyed to the ministry in due course once all of them had taken a position on the issue. MBABANE There is nothing wrong with using traditional medicine to heal ailments, says King His Majesty the King said this to different church leaders affiliated to the League of African Churches during their service held at Ngabezweni Royal Residence yesterday. The King said there are many interpretations of the word of God which are available as people understand things in the manner that favours them. He noted that people had an issue with others who use traditional medicine and label them satanic. They say that those people are Satans children who practice devilish ways, he said. The King wondered if the devil had ever created a tree, as only God created trees. He went on to say that God does not want us to ingest medicines that will harm us and he also warns us to stay away from such medications. There are certain trees or traditional medicines that one can ingest and end up looking extremely frightful; these are the medicines that God does not want us to take, said the King. He made an example of Adam who was warned not to eat a certain tree and he ate it after his wife insisted. He had no choice really, Adam could not refuse his wifes bidding as he may have lost out on other goodies, His Majesty noted, causing ripples of laughter from the church leaders. Due to the fact that the two had eaten a fruit that God had warned them against, they earned his wrath, the King said.. Even when we take these medications, we need to know that God blesses the traditional medication that we are using, he said as he noted that people used traditional medication for different things. He made an example that when some tribes in Africa ingested certain medication, they became animals and became very scary. God does not want us to take those medicines; it is unfortunate that when people take the different types they keep it a secret, said the King. His Majesty said God did not want people to use medicines that make them scary when they approach others. He said God wanted his people to use muti to heal stomach aches, blood pressure and inyongo known as bile. He noted that it was important to heed Gods word and stressed the fact that there were medications that helped a lot in different diseases. He noted that even men of the cloth get rid of inyongo as they normally go and sort this ailments out. I know that this session is called siwasho and during this process they wash away all their ailments, he laughed. On a serious note, the King said even in Swaziland, there were medicines that could be taken and some that people warned others not to use. God blessed trees a long time ago, eat them even if you are a Christian. just do not use the ones God has not blessed. which day is best to worship God? Another issue that Church raised was the contentious issue of which day was the best to worship God; Saturday or Sunday? His Majesty, who responded wisely, said God was to be praised at all times; every minute and every second. If you are a Christian, you do not need a specific day or time, each moment alive is a chance to praise God. He advised that if a Christian stopped for a second to praise God, then the devil had a chance to spoil ones life. His Majesty also advised the men of the cloth to have the wisdom needed to interpret the bible. He said if one felt they were not at the stage where they could read the bible with the needed understanding, it was wise to seek assistance from those who /had experience in the word. Cloudflare DNS server locations. (Image credit: Cloudflare) Cloudflare, a well known internet performance and security company, announced its own privacy-focused, fast, and secure Domain Name System (DNS) resolver with the easy to remember address of 1.1.1.1. What Is A DNS Resolver A DNS resolver is a server that stores a central database of website names and links them to their respective IP addresses. Without DNS servers, wed only be able to connect to websites using the IP address of the websites servers. Therefore, DNS resolvers make using the web much easier for humans. However, DNS resolvers have much power, too, in the sense that they could either censor certain websites or they could track what websites users visit. For instance, the Turkish government is known for ordering its ISPs to stop resolving the domain names of particular websites or services. Then, for the vast majority of internet users in Turkey, those sites will be as good as censored. However, some Turkish users realized how the censorship was being done, and started using other DNS resolvers to visit the censored websites. They even promoted Googles own DNS resolver, hosted at 8.8.8.8, because of how easy it was to remember. A Privacy-First DNS Resolver Cloudflare is now launching its competing DNS server, hosted at 1.1.1.1, but according to the company, the service is implemented and operated based on privacy-first principles. Cloudflare said that most DNS servers by default not secure, not encrypted, and they certainly arent too privacy-focused. As weve seen recently, ISPs have started tracking users browsing habits, similarly to Google and Facebook, because all the data goes through their cables. Encrypted data transferred over HTTPS is protected, but if you use the default DNS resolver provided by your ISP, then the ISP will be able to see the requests you make to specific websites. Cloudflare claimed that its 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver supports encrypted DNS and DNS over HTTPS, and that its data logs are deleted after 24 hours. No user data or IP address is stored. Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, said: We think its creepy that user data is sold to advertisers and used to target consumers without their knowledge or consent. Frankly, we dont want to know what people do on the Internetits none of our businessand weve designed 1.1.1.1 to ensure that we, along with ISPs around the world, cant. Cloudflare also claimed that the 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver is already one of the fastest on the internet. The company plans to eventually lower the latency between any user requesting a website in their browser and its DNS servers to under 10 miliseconds. APNIC is a non-profit organization that helps Cloudflare operate this service for the Asia-Pacific region. It also provided Clouflare with the easy to remember 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 IP addresses. Geoff Huston, Chief Scientist at APNIC, said: At APNIC Labs, were aware that the DNS is not always private, fast, or secure, and were always looking for ways to improve how it works. Were working with Cloudflare to refine this basic Internet function so that users have a much more private and faster experience. How To Set-Up Cloudflares 1.1.1.1 DNS Resolver If youve ever changed your DNS servers on your computer before, then you also know how to set-up Cloudflares DNS resolver, because its no different. If youve never done that, then you all you need to do is look up the network settings on your PC, Mac, iPhone, or Android device, find the DNS server setting, and add the 1.1.1.1 address in there. For the alternate server, Clouflare also provides the 1.0.0.1 address, in case theres any downtime for the primary one. Cloudflare also chose two IPv6 addresses that only use numbers, again for the sake of simplicity: 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001. The company provides more information on how to set-up its DNS servers at https://1.1.1.1/. Cloudflare also assured us that the launch of this service is no April Fools prank. The reason for why it chose to launch the service today, on a Sunday, on 4/1/2018 is that the data contains 4/1, which can be read as four 1s, just like its DNS server address: 1.1.1.1. - Amid widespread Missouri GOP rebuke, Navy buddy argument reveals that the Guv is running out of allies and turning to the people who helped put him into office. - If the Guv was a Navy Seal at the time these allegations were made, his admitted conduct would have garnered far more strict consequences without the benefit of a jury trial. - It's cool to have an old friend stand up for the Guv during a hard time, and the legal drama currently confronting the Guv deserves scrutiny. However, a big part of this argument advocates for the political benefit of the Governor and his continues tenure despite calls to resign. Fact is, his personal drama continues to detract from his ability to serve the voters of Missouri and even a great many Republicans have turned their back on the guy after a betrayal of trust. This testimony in favor of the Guv plays upon personal loyalty rather than a policy and public opinion crisis confronting the Governor. Eric Greitens is a good man who helped me at a hard time in my life. Eric and I served in the Navy SEAL teams together. We went through BUD/S training together. He was one of the best officers I ever worked with, and when I was in a hard waysuffering from some of the after-effects of my servicehe reached out to me. Then he wrote me long letters about how to get through what I was going through. Hed call me, check in, and make sure I had what I needed. When I was down and out he got me up and in. It was an extraordinary act of friendship, and I havent forgotten it, ever. With my permission and encouragement, he wrote about our exchange in a book called 'Resilience'. At the time, we changed my name to protect my privacy, but Ive come forward in the past, and am coming forward now, because this good man is under attack. I dont need to go into the particulars of the case. You can read all that for yourself. But the basic gist is that a few years ago, Eric made a personal mistake. Eric dealt with his mistake, and his wife and family forgave him for it. Everybody moved on. Now, his political enemies are trying to turn that mistake into a crime. They want to take advantage of a difficult private family matter and smear him using the legal system as a weapon. The whole thing feels like a prosecution out of a banana republic, not the United States of America. Here's a personal and alternative perspective from a military colleague in support of the Guv which contradicts a great deal of the recent media pile on . . .First, the testimony is important and deserves a bit of conversation . . .Still, it's worth a red . . .Intro . . .###########You decide . . . Tribute To Local Lady After Tragedy Friends remember Kansas City woman killed in fire Kansas City, Missouri firefighters are investigating the cause of an early morning fire that has left one person dead. Sharon Owens-Bradford, 65, was found dead by firefighters. According to officials, the fire was reported shortly before 5 a.m. near Cambridge Avenue and 87th Street on Kansas City's eastern side. Kansas City Is Prepared Atlanta fell victim to a cyberattack. Could Kansas City be next? The ransomware cyberattack that has wreaked havoc on Atlanta's digital infrastructure for more than a week could happen here. Or anywhere. But with strong cybersecurity procedures already in place, officials say Kansas City is in position to thwart the relatively common attacks. The city regularly trains staff on cybersecurity, spokesman Chris Hernandez said. Show-Me Fair Support For Troops Missouri House advances bill on hiring veterans The Missouri House is advancing a bill to protect private businesses from lawsuits if they give preference to veterans in hiring or promotion. The measure would shield businesses that favor veterans, spouses of veterans and spouses of veterans who have died. The bill is one of Republican Gov. Kansas Taxes Ar Fair Senate passes Kansas State Fair tax bill Kansas senators have unanimously passed a bill for state sales taxes collected during the Kansas State Fair to be used for capital improvements at the fair. But The Hutchinson News reports that the bill only would allow for money to return to the fair if the event stays in Hutchinson. Home Team Will Get'em Next Time Royals postpone today's game amid weather concerns Due to concerns about today's weather, the Royals have decided to postpone their game against the White Sox. They will now play a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, April 28, with the makeup contest scheduled for 1:15 p.m. and the previously scheduled game moving to 7:15 p.m. Our afternoon news update for when you're not enjoying family time. Take a peek:And this is thefor right now . . . Smoke-free Missouri prisons are required after a prisoner who was originally sent to death row for strangling two women complained about second-hand smoke . . . As a result of the lawsuit, all tobacco products including chewing tobacco and vaping devices will no longer be sold in prisons. They also cant be used anywhere on campus by inmates guards or visitors. Visitors and corrections officers will have a designated smoking area off of prison property. "Addiction is an affliction and we are offering this assistance to children of God in suffering no matter the heinous crimes the have committed. Helping those in need is part of the mission of holy mother Church and this effort should not only make life easier for inmates but also reduce the possibility of violence among those who are sure to suffer from withdrawal symptoms in the face of this drastic change. The Lord works in mysterious ways and sometimes by way of a smoke break." In a gesture of kindness and good faith, Kansas City Catholics offer a show of mercy toward local prisoners amid today's tobacco crackdown.Checkit:Deets:In anFr. Nick Charles O'Donahue Farley of the Midtown KC Our Lady Of Perpetual Suffering Church explained the effort . . .Developing . . . Why have KCI negotiations with labor unions stalled? Negotiations between Kansas City's labor unions and the firms involved in building the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport are still stuck. The impasse over a labor agreement at KCI doesn't threaten the project - yet. All sides may meet this week to see if they can hammer out a deal over labor and minority participation at the airport. No joke, we warned months ago that the. . . TV news and a host of other outlets followed-up on our coverage. Now, the newspaper catches up to the discussion. Take a look at a conflict that started before any agreement was signed: Greek New Zealanders have always been a very active community reinforcing the historic ties between the two nations and certainly boosting tourist inflows over the years Two brothers whose much-loved Greek-food business was among the first to rebuild after a devastating earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand, are on the move, according to the following article by greekreporter.com: Dimitris Greek Food Caravan a long-standing fixture in Christchurch will soon be leaving the citys Re:Start container mall to be part of continuing regeneration work in a recently built farmers market. Brothers Nick and Dimitri Merentitis have been serving their famous souvlakia in the South Island city since the mid-80s. Colored in the distinctive blue and white of the Greek flag, Dimitris was one of the first businesses to reopen after 185 people died and 80 percent of the citys business district was destroyed during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. After a specific request from the council, Dimitris became part of the Re:Start container mall which included vibrantly decorated shipping containers that saw locals, as well as tourists from all over the world, visit the precinct. The Riverside farmers market which opens later in the year is being constructed where Dimitris served their famous souvlakia; the Merentitis brothers have again been invited to be part of the citys ongoing transformation. The police and the army blocked all the roads, so we couldnt go back to our shop for months. Jenny Barnes, who works in Christchurchs Quake City Museum says having Dimitris as part of the new farmers market was significant in linking the citys past and future. When you have lost so much its great to have the continuity, Barnes notes. Dimitris is well loved in Christchurch. Its a comfort for people coming back into the city to be connected with old Christchurch that follows through to new Christchurch and you can get a sense of home. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Bayswater marina License: CC-BY-SA Source: greekreporter.com The Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) will host a forum tomorrow (April 2) in an effort to expand the trade relations between Brazil and its fourth largest export destination abroad, the Arab world. The Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum will be held at Hotel Unique in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The one-day economic forum will be held under the theme Building the Future, in partnership with the Union of Arab Chambers and the League of Arab States, said a statement. High-level authorities, representatives from development agencies, and specialists are joining six thematic panels during the forum to talk about incentives, investment policies, and opportunities that can be taken advantage of by both Brazilian and Arab companies and organisations, it said. Rubens Hannun, president, ABCC, said: There are synergies still to be explored and plenty of room to grow in the flourishing relations between Brazilian and Arab organisations. The forum will provide an ideal platform to discuss key avenues that will enable us to bring our ties to the next level of development, he said. Bringing major stakeholders under one roof is definitely a step closer to our goal of strengthening further our cooperation to achieve mutually beneficial results, he added. Many leading sectors provide numerous collaborative opportunities for both Brazil and the Arab region, including construction, finance, renewable energy, food security, logistics, innovation, tourism, technology, and investments. The panel discussions during the forum will highlight the growth potentials of some of these key areas. In renewable energy, for example, Hannun pointed out that the efforts of the oil-rich Arab countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia to pursue clean energy and build green cities in their respective territories have generated considerable and substantial new opportunities. Furthermore, Arabs consider Brazil as a major food supplier and have recently sought investment prospects in the areas of food security and infrastructure. Among the most recent initiatives in this regard are the acquisition of a stake in the Saudi Salic fund in the Minerva refrigerator and the contributions of DP World of Dubai in port terminals in Santos through Embraport. While already exporting approximately $10 billion in food to the 22 member countries of the Arab League, Brazil can still expand trade in food products as well as in other areas. In the case of food, Hannun said the nation is only able to meet 10 per cent of the demand from the Arab countries and only 20 per cent in relation to the demand for meat. TradeArabia News Service Maserati has revealed the first Levante built around a V8 engine at the New York International Auto Show, being held in the US. The Levante Trofeo, the ultimate Maserati of SUVs, is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in just 3.7 seconds (0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds) and reaching a top speed of over 187 mph (>300 km/h), said a statement. The Levante Trofeo is equipped with one of the most powerful engines ever fitted in a Maserati. A 3.8-liter Twin Turbo V8 engine that has been engineered to perfectly mate with the Q4 Intelligent All-Wheel Drive System and delivers an astounding 590 hp at 6,250 rpm and 538 lb.-ft. (730 Nm) of peak torque at 2,250 5,000 rpm, it said. The engine boasts the highest output per liter (156 hp/liter) of any Maserati powerplant ever produced and, like all Maserati gasoline engines, is assembled by Ferrari in Maranello, Italy, it added. The chassis of the fastest Levante ever has been tuned to handle the higher power output and provides an exhilarating driving experience with no compromise in terms of comfort. This tuning ensures the Levante Trofeo continues to embody the essence of the Maserati GranTurismo philosophy with supercar performance. Tim Kuniskis, CEO, Maserati, said: Its proof that when you play with the elements you end up in a storm. In the case of Trofeo, the engineers and designers in Modena knew that the driveline parameters were more than able to cope with additional power and they also knew that Maserati had access to the finest engines on earth. So, they were up to the challenge of making the finest luxury SUV also one of the fastest, he added. The Levante design has reached new levels of sportiness in this top of the line Trofeo. The elegant restyling was mainly focused on the lower front fascia and the rear bumper and is underlined by the 22-inch forged aluminium Orione wheels the largest ever fitted on a Maserati available in both polished and matte finishes, said a statement. The side air intakes in the lower fascia feature a new, more aggressive design, defined by two aerodynamic wings that give a sense of further stability, visually pushing the weight of the cars nose towards the massive front wheels. And to help improve the airflow distribution, Trofeo is outfitted with carbon fibre side bezel blades and a carbon fibre splitter. The rear end also looks wider and more muscular with a sharper carbon fibre horizontal element and body-colour lower extractor that embrace the oval quad exhaust tips. In front, the Levante Trofeo has Full Matrix LED headlights, a front grille with double vertical bars in a piano black finish and lower honeycomb mesh fascia, as well as body colour door handles, oval exhaust tips in a dark finish and performance painted brake callipers in red, blue, black, silver or yellow. And to cap it off, specific Saetta Trofeo logos adorn the iconic c-pillars of the coupe styled SUV. Specific details, like the lower splitter, the blade side bezels in the front air intakes, the side skirt inserts and the rear extractor are made of ultralight, high-gloss carbon fibre, giving the Levante Trofeo a polished racing look. Even the hood is new, featuring two aggressive vent for better cylinder head cooling. And under the hood, the engine cover is also made of high-gloss carbon fibre featuring a V8 inscription and the iconic Trident logo, while cylinder heads and intake manifolds are painted red. Interior designers have come up with elegant ways to create a distinctive environment within the Levante Trofeo cabin. The sculpted sport seats feature a premium full-grain Pieno Fiore natural leather available in black, red and tan, all with contrast stitching and Trofeo logo stitched on the headrests. Pieno Fiore is like no other leather used in the automotive industry for its natural, soft feel and for the unique character it develops throughout the years, The production of the Levante Trofeo starts this summer at the refurbished Maserati plant in Mirafiori (Turin), Italy. The fastest Levante in Maserati history is initially intended for overseas export markets, including the US and Canada, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Royal Jordanian has announced amazing offer for passengers who are travelling from Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Egypt to Denmark's capital Copenhagen. Under the national carrier's Hej Copenhagen (meaning Hello Copenhagen) promotion, passengers can travel round-trip on economy class to Copenhagen from Amman for as low as JD299, from Iraq at $449, from Beirut at $280, from Saudi Arabia at SR2,439, from UAE at Dh2,105, from Kuwait at KD206 and from Cairo at E6,249, inclusive of all taxes. These amazing fares are available for sale in these markets from April 1 to 15. The travel must be completed during the period from June 3 to December 15, said a statement from RJ. Frequent Flyers flying from these countries to Copenhagen will earn double award miles when they travel in this period. Travellers will also be given extra baggage allowances, it stated. President/CEO Stefan Pichler said: "RJ is offering great discounts from Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Egypt to Copenhagen, which will give us a strong presence in the Scandinavian market to serve our customers, including tourists, businessmen, students, and Jordanians and Arabs living in the Scandinavian countries." According to him, Copenhagen is RJs first station in the Scandinavian region. "It gives travellers the chance to visit other cities in Northern Europe, and also offers those travelling from the Nordic countries the chance to visit Jordan with its great tourist and historic sites, and benefit from RJs global network, which connects them to the Middle East, the Gulf and the Far East via Amman," he noted. Our customers are invited to check our amazing sales promotion to travel to the Scandinavian countries until the end of this year. As of June 3, 2018, Royal Jordanian operates thrice a week to Copenhagen with Airbus 320 family planes: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.-TradeArabia News Service uttara@tribuneindia.com Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, April 1 Imports of cut and polished diamonds into India have already begun declining ever since the last budget increased duties from 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent. According to preliminary information available from the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, imports of cut and polished diamonds, gem and gemstones fell nearly 25 per cent to Rs 1,000 crore in February 2018 as against Rs 1,250 crore in the same period of last year. The increase in duty comes into effect from on Sunday. Those in the diamond trade feel that imports of cut and polished diamonds could fall sharply in the coming months and a lot of the cutting and polishing business could move to other locations. "The increase in customs duty form 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent would hamper India's chances of becoming an international diamond trading hub. The duty hike does not provide India a level playing field vis-a-vis other peers such as Belgium, Dubai and Israel," GJEPC said in a statement. Owners of cutting and polishing units say, the duty hike that comes on top of the credit squeeze by bankers following the banking fraud carried out by diamantaire Nirav Modi has badly hurt the sentiments of the industry. "The bigger players in the diamond industry are quietly outsourcing cutting and polishing operations to other places in the world," says the owner of a mid-sized cutting and polishing operation in Mumbai and Surat. Traders explain that cut and polished diamonds and gemstones are imported by jewellery makers mainly from the US. Stones from old diamond studded jewellery sourced from the US are recycled and used in jewellery that is re-exported. "Lower margins on this 'shut out' business would make this unattractive after the higher customs duties," says a diamond exporter. Though the customs duties are refunded on re-export, importers feel that higher duties would require them to arrange for more working capital. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 1 A 45-year-old man was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his house in Sanjay Colony, Industrial Area, Phase 1, on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Mohan Lal, a native of Uttar Pradesh who worked at a factory here. Sources said the police came to know that a man had died and his family had kept the body on ice. The police rushed to the place and found the mans wife sitting next to the body. The police said on examination, strangulation marks were found on the victims neck. A CFSL team was called to inspect the spot. Later, the body was shifted to the mortuary at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH) in Sector 16 here. A case of murder has been registered in this connection at the Industrial Area police station. The deceaseds wife has been rounded up for questioning. No arrest has been made in the case so far. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service Mohali, March 31 After failing to trace Lt Col BS Sandhu (retd), the Mohali police on Saturday procured the leading businessmans non-bailable arrest warrants (NBWs) from the court of JMIC, Kharar. Besides, the police have named four more persons in the FIR registered in the case of murder of CTU employee Abhishek Guleria. They also got a four-day extension in the remand of three persons, employees of Lt Col Sandhus Forest Hill Resort (FHR) at Nayagaon here, already arrested in the case. Notably, Sandhu was nominated in the case on March 27and was asked to join investigations by the Mohali police. Confirming the development, Superintendent of Police (Detective) Harbir Singh Atwal said they have procured non-bailable warrants against Sandhu. Our teams were making rounds of his (Sandhu) residences, offices and farmhouse for the past couple of days but he has been remaining elusive. We filed an application in the court on Saturday and got his arrest warrants, said SP Atwal. Apart from that, the police also named four more persons in the case. They are Ramesh, Ramesh Chand, Dharampal and Davinder, who are also said to be working as security guards at the FHR. They were involved in stuffing the victims body in a sack. We have nominated all of them. They would be examined soon, said the police. Meanwhile, the local police also procured an extension of four more days in the remand of the three arrested accused Balwinder Singh, Gurwinder Singh Bains and Tarsem Lal. The police sought the extension on a plea that the accused were needed for reconstruction of the crime scene and during cross-examination of the four persons, who have been named in the case. The police have also summoned the victims kin to get information about his (victims) missing wallet. The victim, Abhishek Guleria, a resident of Burail and native of Himachal Pradesh, had gone missing on March 14. He was found dead on the Pinjore-Baddi road on March 25. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 31 The Panjab University (PU) Senate meeting, scheduled for Sunday, will take final call on five per cent fee hike for its affiliated colleges in Punjab and Chandigarh. The Panjab University Syndicate in December last year had approved the hike. As many as 188 colleges are affiliated to Panjab University. The decision to hike the fee will impact close to 2.5 lakh students. According to minutes of meeting of a committee held under Prof RS Jhanji, Principal of AS College, Khanna, on September 29 last year, an overall five per cent hike was recommended in all heads of affiliated colleges, subject to a maximum of Rs 1,000. Other issues on agenda ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 31 A local court added murder as an alternative charge to an abetment to suicide case against a doctor and his father. The case dates back to November 6, 2015, when a 33-year-old woman was found hanging from a fan. Her father Rishi Kumar alleged that she was killed as she was being tortured and harassed for money by her husband Dr Vipul Mittal (38) and his father Balkrishan (60), both residents of Sector 33, Chandigarh. On Rishi Kumars complaint, the duo was earlier booked for abetment to suicide and cruelty towards married woman at the Sector 34 police station. On the complainants statement as a witness in the case, the court has added Section 302 and 120-B of the IPC as alternative charges in the case registered under Sections 306, 498 A and 34 of the IPC. The complainant had filed an application in the court. During evidence, he informed the court that both accused had conspired and committed the murder. In the application, he had mentioned that the victims feet were touching the ground and there was a window in the room from where the father-son duo perhaps escaped. It was pointed out that the deceaseds laptop, mobile phone and other belongings were missing. It was pleaded that there was enough evidence to highlight Vipul and his fathers conspiracy to kill the woman. The complainants counsel, Terminder Singh, said, The court amended the charges since the police did not investigate the matter properly. However, the defence counsel opposed the plea referring to it as strategy to delay the trial, due to which the accused were suffering, since they had already been challaned under other relevant sections. In his complaint to the police, Rishi Kumar had alleged that his daughter was regularly tortured by her husband and in-laws for bringing less dowry. They used to keep demanding money from her. Things got worse after they allegedly started pressuring her to give money for a hospital Vipul and her father wanted to build. On November 6, 2015, the victim called her father twice in the morning telling him that she was being tortured. However, she later called and told her father that she was fine and that they should not worry. This was eventually followed by a call from Vipul to his father-in-law telling him that his daughter had committed suicide. singhking99@yahoo.com Patiala, April 1 Yadavindra Public School, Patiala, organised a trip to Japan under the OISCA-ASAHIs Environment Educational and Cultural Study Programme. During the seven-day trip (March 27-April 3), a group of 16 students, along with two teacher are experiencing the worlds most advanced technologies (space, electronic and locomotive) and also the ancient and disciplined culture of Japan. A comprehensive itinerary had been provided to the students. On the first day of the trip, the students learned to make Bonsai, which is an ancient Japanese form of growing a small tree in a small container. Next day, the students were scheduled to visit a Nissan factory and the Tokyo Tower, which is the worlds tallest self-supporting steel tower. They will also attend a waste management class, where they will learn how to recycle the waste. TNS editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Karnal, April 1 Congress media in charge and Kaithal MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala has said the BJP-led Central and state governments are anti-farmers. The BJP has failed to even fulfil its poll promises. Instead of giving respite to the farmers and waiving their loans, the government is providing benefits to rich people only, he said, while addressing Jan Aakrosh rally at Nissing in the district on Sunday. He said that the Congress under the leadership of party president Rahul Gandhi would waive farm loans of small and mariginal farmers if voted to power in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The Congress is committed to provide interest-free loan to tenant farmers, sharecroppers and farmers owning and cultivating up to two hectares of land, he said. Due to its anti-farmer policies, the government had imposed GST on agricultural implements, tractors and pesticides. The BJP government had lost faith of the people in the state, he added. Surjewala criticised the BJP leadership for its failure to honour its pre-poll promises to youth, farmers and all sections of society. He said the Congress party was committed to bring back smile on the faces of farmers, youth, backward classes, scheduled castes and poor sections of the society. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Solan, April 1 A case of car-borne tourists firing in the air after a tiff with the driver of a Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation bus while taking a pass has come to light on the Kalka-Shimla highway near Jabli last evening. The tourists, who were returning from Shimla, entered into an altercation with bus driver Subhash while trying to take a pass as their vehicle (Pb-65-AR-0406) was hit by the bus. This infuriated the youths who manhandled the driver and hit his head with stones. They also fired in the air with their .32 bore revolver and fled towards Parwanoo when the bus passengers came out in drivers defence. The bus passengers alerted Parwanoo police about the incident and they were intercepted at Parwanoo. They have been identified as Daljeet Singh, Rajwant Singh and Jaspreet Singh. Hailing from Mohali, the three are farmers. The revolver used in the firing has been registered in the name of Daljeet Singh. Additional Superintendent of Police, Shiv Kumar, said a case under various sections of the IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act had been registered against the three who were later arrested. Further investigations were underway. The case The tourists, who were returning from Shimla, entered into an altercation with bus driver Subhash while trying to take a pass as their vehicle (PB-65-AR-0406) was hit by the bus. This infuriated the youths who manhandled the driver and hit his head with stones. They also fired in the air with their .32 bore revolver and fled towards Parwanoo when the bus passengers came out in drivers defence. editorial@tribune.com Dipender Manta Tribune News Service Manali, April 1 Around 700 workers have been on a strike for five days at the Rohtang tunnel, affecting the construction work on the project. The work has been awarded to a joint venture of AFCONS Infrastructure Limited, an Indian construction company of the Shapoorji Pallonji group, and Strabag AG, Austria, in September 2009. The BRO is the overall in-charge of the project. Dharmender, president of the workers union at the Rohtang tunnel, said the company had been exploiting labourers for a long time, depriving them of their rights. He alleged that workers were being forced to work overtime on fixed payment, which was in violation of labour laws. Similarly, they were provided shabby bedding facilities, making them prone to infection. There is no facility for the movement of workers, who are living at a long distance from the workplace. It is the duty of the company to provide transport facilities to them, he said. We are urging the authorities to implement labour laws. Since inception of this project, they are working under tough conditions below the freezing temperature round the year, he added. He said, We are ready to have a dialogue with the company management if it considers our demands, otherwise strike will continue indefinitely This correspondent tried to contact with the Rohtang tunnel company management but it was not available. The strike of labourers may prove to be a big blow for the BRO. This ambitious project was conceived in 1983 while the drilling of the tunnel began in June 2010. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Tribune News Service Srinagar, April 1 Militant groups in the Valley suffered a major setback as 12 militants were gunned down in counter-insurgency operations in three different areas in south Kashmir in which three Army jawans and four civilians were also killed. The police said that an ultra had also surrendered before the security forces in Anantnag district. At a hurriedly called joint press conference of Army, police and CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S P Vaid said this is one of the biggest counter-offensives in recent times against terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley. The three slain soldiers were identified as gunner Arvinder Kumar, gunner Nilesh Singh and sepoy Hetram. The operations by security forces rendered a severe dent to militant groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashker-e-Toiba, officials said here. Three Army jawans have lost their lives in the operations at Kachdooru in Shopian, officials said, adding three bodies of militants have been recovered from the debris so far. The operation has been called off at Kachdooru and the security personnel will search the debris tomorrow again, the officials said. Earlier, at a press conference called at Victor Force headquarters at Awantipura, around 33 km from here, Corps Commander of XV Corps, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, termed it one of the biggest operations in recent times and said the death of Lt Umar Fayaz, who was brutally killed in Shopian last year, had been avenged. "Among the militants killed are Ishfaq Malik and Rayees Thokar. They were responsible for his death," Bhatt said. Fayaz, 22, was killed by militants in May last year. His body was found with bullet wounds in the Hermain area of Shopian district in south Kashmir. The DGP also made a special mention of an SSP's efforts to convince a militant to surrender during the Dialgam encounter. "I would like to make a special mention about the Dialgam encounter where our Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) made a special effort, which is unheard of in any part of the world. "He called the family members of one of the terrorists. They spoke with him for 30 minutes, to convince him to surrender," the officer said. "Unfortunately, he did not heed the advice of his family. During the talks, the district SSP tried to get him over. Instead he fired on the police leaving the police with no option other than to retaliate. He was killed. The other one was caught alive," he said. On the ongoing operations at Kachedoora, the DGP said there was information about the presence of four to five militants, but "we will be able to give a clear picture only after the debris is cleared". One civilian death was reported from Draggad and the other at Kachudoora, both in Shopian district, the police chief said. Violence broke out at the Kachedoora encounter site in which 25 civilians received pellet injuries while six others suffered bullet injuries, the police chief said. The DGP said all the seven militants killed in the Draggad encounter were locals and their bodies have been claimed by their families. Inspector General of CRPF Zulfikar Hassan pointed out that people came in large numbers at the encounter site in Shopian. "The operations will not stop and we will have to take all offensive measures in case they do not refrain from throwing stones at the jawans engaged in the counter-insurgency operations," he said. It was painful to see young boys getting killed in this manner, the DGP said. "I urge all the parents to appeal to their children to shun the path of violence and join the national mainstream," Vaid said. With PTI editorial@tribune.com Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, April 1 The BJP on Sunday vowed to aggressively pursue its agenda in the government following criticism from its supporters for meekly surrendering before the PDP, its coalition partner, to remain in power. The BJPs aggressive posture was witnessed during its executive committee meet at Suchetgarh, where party leadership rejected the proposal of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to hold talks with Pakistan. Amid applaud by executive committee members, Avinash Rai Khanna, state J&K in charge, said there was no reason to hold talks with Pakistan in the present situation. He said as long as Pakistan continued to support terrorism in J&K, initiating a dialogue was impossible. The BJPs rejection to a dialogue with Pakistan holds significance in view of the fact that Mehbooba had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to initiate a dialogue process with Pakistan. Speaking at a function organised by a group of Kashmiri Pandits at New Delhi, Mehbooba had said that war was never an option. Reconciliation is the mantra we need to follow and therefore, I request Modi ji to engage with Pakistan, she had stated. Not only Mehbooba, all PDP leaders have also been demanding dialogue with Pakistan to restore lasting peace in the region. Meanwhile, during day-long deliberations on the second day of the executive meet, the BJP leadership realised there was anger among people and partys hardcore cadre in particular against the attitude of BJP ministers in the government and some highly controversial policy decisions taken unanimously by the PDP. The party, in its political resolution, also took strong exception to Chief Ministers suggestions to displaced Kashmiri Pandits that they should visit Kashmir as tourists. Kashmiri Pandits are natives of the Valley. Instead of calling them in Kashmir as tourists, steps should be taken to permanently settle them there, party resolutions read. What Mehbooba had said The BJP's rejection to a dialogue with Pakistan holds significance in view of the fact that Mehbooba had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to initiate a dialogue process with Pakistan. Speaking at a function organised by a group of Kashmiri Pandits at New Delhi, Mehbooba had said that war was never an option. "Reconciliation is the mantra we need to follow and therefore, I request Modi ji to engage with Pakistan," she had stated editorial@tribune.com Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Awantipora, April 1 A senior security forces officer on Sunday said stone-throwing and law and order at gunfight sites was increasing, especially in south Kashmirs Shopian district. Inspector General (IG), Operations, CRPF, Kashmir, Zulfiqar Hassan on Sunday said there was an unprecedented law and order situation in Shopian, where 13 militants, three Army men and four civilians were killed in two anti-militancy operations. Hassan appealed to the people to stay away from encounter sites. At least 80 persons were injured during clashes in Shopian as protesters tried to march towards the encounter sites to help the militants escape. There was a design to help the terrorists. What we want to make clear is that our operation will not stop because some people under the influence of anti-nationals go there to disturb the operation. We will handle the crowd with restraint but at the same time, we will not shy away from taking strict action, the CRPF IG said at a joint press conference at the Armys Awantipora headquarters in Pulwama district. The IG said anyone could get killed or hurt in such situations. At the encounter site, you have heavily armed terrorists firing in all directions. Anybody can get killed and anybody can get hurt, which has happened today. We see a trend in recent past of stone-throwing and law and order at encounter sites increasing, especially in Shopian. My request to everyone in Shopian is not to come to encounter sites, Hassan said. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Swayam Prakash Pani also requested the people to cooperate with the police and stay inside their homes and not to come to the encounter sites. editorial@tribune.com Naina Mishra Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 1 Vanita, an Alternative Innovative Education (AIE) volunteer at the Government Primary Central Girl School, Jagraon, who had miscarriage a couple of days ago on her way to school, has accused the Education Department and District Education Officer (DEO)behind the incident. The department transferred her to the Government Primary Central Girl School, Jagraon, in February owing to surplus staff at the Government Primary School, Mandi Jagraon. Vanita said, I requested numerous times to the Education Department to stop my transfer. They shifted me because of the surplus staff. I briefed them about my health way back but they paid no heed. She said strict action must be taken against the department and concerned officials. I am in a miserable state because of their negligence. I have filed the complaint with the Navchetna Bal Bhalai committee, said Vanita. Deputy DEO (Elementary) Kuldeep Singh Saini said, The woman had already threatened us for miscarriage way back. Under the Padho Punjab, Padhao Punjab project, BMT and BPEO proposed her transfer to a school which was hardly at a distance of 700 metre. Saini said Vanita was transferred to the Central Girl School in Jagraon, where students strength was 147 as against 51 students in school at Mandi Jagraon. There were only three teachers in the Central Girls School. Since she was the only contractual teacher in school at Mandi Jagraon, we transferred her. We never received any medical certificate from her side, he said. Meanwhile, Sukhdir Singh of the Navchetna Committee has filed a complaint with Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary, education secretary and Ludhianas Member of Parliament Ravneet Singh Bittu. He said, I strongly condemn the negligence of Education Department. I have forwarded the complaint to higher officials. editorial@tribune.com New Delhi, April 1 The Supreme Court order banning automatic arrest and registration of cases for alleged harassment of SCs and STs will dilute the law which aims to protect the marginalised, the government is likely to tell the top court. In its review petition to be filed in the apex court this week, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is likely to say that the SC order will weaken the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, sources in the government said. The ministry could also plead that the latest order would reduce the fear of law and may result in more violations. The top court had recently banned automatic arrests and registration of criminal cases under the Act. The law protects the marginalised communities against discrimination and atrocities. A delegation of NDAs SC and ST MPs, led by LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Union Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, had last week met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the apex courts judgment diluting provisions of the Act. Gehlot recently wrote to Prasad about a review plea against the Supreme Court verdict. He noted that there were concerns that the order would make the law ineffective and adversely impact the dispensation of justice to Dalits and tribals. PTI vermaajay1968@gmail.com Majid Jahangir & Azhar Qadri Tribune News Service Awantipore/Srinagar, April 1 Three counter-insurgency operations left 13 militants, three soldiers and four civilians dead in south Kashmir on Sunday as the Valley witnessed one of its bloodiest days in recent years. Over 100 civilians were injured in protests near the sites of gunfight and most of them were wounded by pellets fired by security forces to contain the protests. Of the 13 slain militants, the Army said two were involved in the killing of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, who was abducted in May last year when he was attending the wedding of a relative in Shopian. The Army described Sunday as a special day for the counter-terrorist operation in the Valley for all our security forces. Most importantly, we have killed two of the terrorists involved in the killing of Lt Ummer Fayaz in May. We have avenged his death, said GOC, 15 Corps, Lt Gen AK Bhat at a joint press conference at Awantipora in Pulwama district. He identified the two slain militants as Ishfaq Ahmad Malik and Riyaz Thokar. Security officials said the first anti-militancy operation was launched at Peth Dialgam in Anantnag around 10.30 pm on Saturday. J&K DGP Shesh Paul Vaid said one militant, Rouf Khanday, was killed and another captured alive in the Anantnag operation. The Anantnag SSP made a special effort that is unheard of in any other part of the world. He called the family members of the terrorist and engaged him in talks for about 30 minutes, asking him to give up arms and come out. Unfortunately, he did not heed to his familys advice and instead opened fire. Police and the forces had no option but to retaliate and he was killed. Another was caught alive. I dont think in any part of the world forces do operations in this manner, said Vaid. The other two operations were launched at midnight at Draggad and Kachdoora villages around 20 km apart in Shopian district. At Draggad, a group of militants hiding in a cluster of houses was asked to surrender, but they refused. In the gunfight that followed, seven militants and the house owner were killed. The slain militants were identified as Zubair Turray, Ishfaq Malik, Yawar Itoo, Nazim Dar, Adil Thoker, Ubaid Malla and Reyaz Thoker all residents of the district. The civilian killed was identified as Ahmed Tokar. The gunfight broke out near the ancestral house of an IPS officer, posted outside the state. The Army said the third operation at Kachdoora was difficult as nearly 13 civilians, including two children, had to be evacuated from the house where another group of militants was hiding. We lost three of our jawans in this gunfight, an Army officer said. Three militants were killed in the gunfight. The slain soldiers have been identified as Sepoy Hetram of Dungargarh, Bikaner (Rajasthan); Gunner Nilesh Singh of Khadipur, Sultanpur (UP); and Gunner Arvinder Kumar of Sariana, Mukerian (Punjab). Three civilians were killed at Kachdoora after clashes as people tried to march towards the gunfight site. Protests were witnessed even as separatist leaders called for a two-day shutdown. Mobile Internet services were suspended across the Valley. uttara@tribuneindia.com Suresh Dharur Tribune News Service Hyderabad, March 31 Andhra Pradesh is heading towards a season of biopics on popular political figures of the past to make an emotional connection with the voters ahead of the next years assembly elections. The two key contendersthe ruling Telugu Desam Party and the opposition YSR Congresshave launched the movie projects in the hope of reaping electoral dividends. Actor-politician and TDP MLA N Balakrishna launched a biopic on his father and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister late NT Rama Rao, the matinee idol of Telugu cinema who strode the film industry and politics like colossus. Another biopic is also being made to capture the life journey of popular Congress leader and former Chief Minister late YS Rajasekhar Reddy, who steered his party to power in AP twicein 2004 and 2009. His son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is now the president of YSR Congress. The Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu gave the muhurat clap for the film titled NTR at Ramakrishna Cine Studios at Nacharam in Hyderabad. Balakrishna, who is also the brother-in-law of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is playing the lead role in the biopic being directed by Teja. Balakrishna, himself a popular actor in his own right with 100 films to his credit, said he had done considerable research on the project and that he knows where to begin and how to end the movie. The biopic on a towering personality like NTR, a two-time Chief Minister, could be a tricky affair because his twilight years were marked by tumult and emotional trauma after he was dethroned in a family coup led by his son-in-law and the present chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. Incidentally, Balakrishna had sided with Naidu in the family drama. The film unit chose March 29 for the launch as several blockbusters of NTR were launched on the same day. Incidentally, he had launched TDP on this day in 1982 and went on to create a history by storming to power in the state in the elections held in 1983. The film is expected to be completed by the end of this year so that the TDP could invoke NTRs legacy to attract voters who still adore him. I thank my father for this life he gave. This is in a way is a thanksgiving to my father, my mentor and my idol, Balakrishna said. Meanwhile, the biopic on Rajasekhar Reddy, popularly known as YSR, is titled Yatra (journey) as a tribute to his 1,500 km long walkathon in 2003 that played a key role in Congress capturing power in 2004. YSR died in a helicopter crash in September 2009. The movie is expected to fetch political mileage for Jagan who is currently undertaking a state-wide padayatra. The movies director Mahi Raghav told the media that popular Malayalam actor Mammotty would play the role of YSR. This is going to be an inspirational movie, he said. The film is expected to go to the sets shortly and will be ready for commercial release by the year-end. The assembly elections in AP are scheduled in April-May next year. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Patna, April 1 Union Minister Ashwini Choubeys son Arijit Shashwat, accused of inciting communal violence in Bihars Bhagalpur district, has surrendered after evading arrest for over a week, the police said on Sunday. Arijit surrendered at around 12.30 a.m. outside the famous Mahavir temple near the Patna railway station. He shouted slogans like Jai Shri Raam, Bharat Mata Ki jai before surrendering, district police official Rakesh Dubey said. Arijit will appear before a Bhagalpur court on Sunday. Last week, a case was lodged against Arijit, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, on charges of taking out a procession without prior permission, inciting communal sentiments and roaming with arms on the streets of Bhagalpur. He had moved a bail plea in a civil court, following which the court on March 27 sought the case diary from the police to ascertain his role in the communal flare-up on March 17. The court then issued an arrest warrant against Shashwat. Choubey has already described the FIR as a piece of garbage that was registered by corrupt police officers in Bhagalpur. Arijit unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly polls as the BJP candidate from Bhagalpur, considered a stronghold of Choubey, who was elected MP from Buxar in 2014. IANS pardeepdhull@gmail.com Kolkata, April 1 A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation on Sunday visited the violence-hit areas of Asansol in West Bengal ignoring the ban imposed by the state administration and accused the state government of "completely failing to stop the violence". In spite of being stopped by police a few times, the four-member team, along with their security personnel, entered the areas that was most hit during the clash a week ago. "We have met the affected people and listened to their problems they went through during the time of clash. It is a complete failure of the state government to stop the violence. (Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee is roaming around in Delhi but kids here are getting tortured and murdered," said BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, who was part of the team. "We have come here for peace. We will prepare a complete report and submit it to the party president as directed." BJP President Amit Shah set up a four-member committee comprising party Vice President Om Mathur, Hussain and MPs Roopa Ganguly and B.D. Ram to take stock of the situation current situation in West Bardhaman district's Asansol-Raniganj area where a clash broke out between two communities following a Ram Navami rally. The state government had beefed up security and issued prohibitory orders in the area. It also clarified it would not be able to provide ample police protection and pilot cars to the BJP delegation as it would violate the model code of conduct issued in the state since Saturday for the impending rural elections here. Police accused the BJP delegation of violating prohibitory orders and said legal action would be taken against them. "They have violated the CrPC 144 imposed in the area by entering there. We would take actions against them according to law," Superintendent of Police, Asansol-Durgapur, L.N. Meena told IANS. A person was allegedly hacked to death while a deputy commissioner of police lost a hand after getting hit by a bomb during a clash between two groups centring on a Ram Navami procession organised by Sangh affiliates in Raniganj on Monday. Several shops and houses were vandalised and set ablaze during the clashes. Police stopped Union Minister Babul Supriyo, who is the local MP, from visiting the area a few days ago saying it would add to tension in the area. A Congress delegation led by state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury was also barred from entering Asansol while Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sujan Chakraborty and his associates were stopped by police from going to Raniganj on Saturday. IANS editorial@tribune.com Jaipur, April 1 Jaitaran town of Pali district, hit by a communal violence on Saturday following stone-throwing at a Hanuman Jayanti procession, continued to be under tight vigil amid curfew and suspension of Internet services, the police said on Sunday. The imposition of curfew and suspension of Internet services in Jaitaran and three adjoining subdivisions continue as a measure of caution, considering the sensitivity of the issue, said Inspector General of Police (Jodhpur Range) Hawa Singh Ghumaria. As many as 750 policemen have been deployed in Jaitaran and its neighbouring towns, he said.So far 50 persons have been arrested for triggering communal violence and disturbing peace, Ghumaria said. Seven extra companies, including Special Task Force, were deployed in Pali district to maintain the situation which is under control but tense, said NRK Reddy, ADG (Law & Order). The procession, under a Hindu organisation banner, was passing through a minority-dominated area when it came under attack from stone throwers after a heated argument over objectionable slogans shouted by some participants on Saturday afternoon. At 15 persons, including six policemen, had been injured in stone-throwing. Two seriously injured policemen were referred to Jodhpurs MBM Hospital. Twenty-five vehicles, including a bus, and six shops had been set on fire by the troublemakers. PTI/OC editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service & PTI Kolkata, April 1 Defying the state governments prohibitory orders, a BJP delegation on Sunday visited violence-hit Asansol to take stock of the situation there after last weeks Ram Navami violence. The four-member BJP delegation, led by its national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, visited Asansol amid tight security. Delegation members were joined by local BJP leaders at relief camps. After returning to Kolkata, Hussain said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government failed to control the situation in the Asansol-Raniganj belt of West Burdwan district. He said, It (the government) has played the role of a mute observer. We visited relief camps in Asansol and found whatever had happened was wrong. It was a failure on part of the state government, he said. Hussain said the delegation would submit a report to BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday. Besides Hussain, the delegation included BJP national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Om Prakash Mathur, Palamu MP and former Director General of Jharkhand Police Vishnu Dayal Ram and Rajya Sabha member Roopa Ganguly. Mathur said a mafia was responsible for the recent communal clashes in Asansol that saw loss of lives of at least two persons. I shall not hazard a guess whether it was the coal mafia or the drug mafia who were involved in the riot. A probe will bring out these details. The guilty should be identified and stringent action taken against them, Mathur said. The BJP leader alleged the police had been booking people from a particular community only in connection with the riots so far. The BJP would not tolerate that, he said. He said he went to people displaced due to riots and found that no relief had been provided to them by the government. It is the local people who are taking care of refugees. The state government, the district administration or the police are doing nothing for them, Mathur said. We want the administration to take strict action against the culprits responsible for the riots, he said. On way to the coal town of Asansol, the delegation was first stopped by the police at Basra More and then near Kalipahari as prohibitory orders were in force in the area. The BJP leaders, however, stuck to their plans and proceeded to Asansol. amansharma@tribunemail.com New Delhi, April 1 When Indira Gandhi chose the 'panja' over an elephant and a bicycle, few would have thought that a possibility would emerge almost 40 years later of the three symbols joining hands. The story of Gandhi's choice of the open palm symbol, recalled in a new book, comes amid talk of an electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh between the SP, whose symbol is the bicycle, and the BSP, which has the elephant as its electoral trademark. The Congress had an alliance with the SP in the last state Assembly elections. The former Indian prime minister opted for the hand symbol after a split in the Congress in 1978. Apart from losing the support of 76 out of the party's 153 members in the Lok Sabha, her new political outfit the Congress (I) -- also had to give up the symbol of a cow and a calf. Gandhi was reportedly relieved to be rid of the old symbol, says political journalist Rasheed Kidwai's book 'Ballot -- Ten Episodes That Have Shaped India's Democracy'. The symbol, the book states, had been ridiculed across the country - with the cow being seen as Indira and the calf as her son Sanjay. She asked for the old party symbol of a pair of bullocks, but that had by then been frozen by the Election Commission. Buta Singh, who was then AICC general secretary, petitioned the Election Commission for a new symbol, according to the recently released book. Indira Gandhi was away in Vijayawada with P V Narasimha Rao when Singh was asked by the Commission to pick a symbol and the choices given to him were an elephant, a bicycle and an open palm, the book published by Hachette states. Unsure of which symbol to pick, Singh sought Gandhi's approval. The line was possibly not clear or Singh's accent may have been thick, but Gandhi kept hearing the word 'haathi', or elephant, instead of 'haath', or hand. "She kept refusing even as he tried to explain that it was not the elephant but the open palm symbol that he was advising her to pick. "An exasperated Indira handed the telephone to Rao. In a matter of seconds, Rao, a master of more than a dozen languages, understood what Singh was trying to convey and reportedly shouted out to Singh to call it a panja. Relieved, Indira took the receiver and wholeheartedly agreed," the book states. Kidwai, the author of '24, Akbar Road' and 'Sonia: A Biography', believes Gandhi's choice may have had to do with the elephant not being considered auspicious in some quarters and the cycle regarded as "too pedestrian". Although discarded by Gandhi then, the cycle and the elephant "are alive and kicking" even after all these years -- as the symbols of the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, respectively, the book points out. There is also speculation about the three symbols joining forces, with talk about the Congress, SP and BSP forming an alliance against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 general election. It is the only option that might work (for the opposition), said Manindra Nath Thakur, an associate professor at the Centre for Political Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Stressing that there was "very much a possibility" of the three parties coming together in UP, Thakur pointed out that the Congress' support base was very small in the state and the party anyway had an alliance with the SP. "The two recent elections (UP Lok Sabha bypolls in Phulpur and Gorakhpur) have demonstrated that if they have to survive against the BJP, it's only going to happen if they (the SP and BSP) come together. The signals are quite clear (of them coming together)," Thakur told PTI. BSP supremo Mayawati extended her party's support to the SP candidates for the Phulpur and Gorakhpur bypolls, an understanding that paved the way for the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP's victory over the ruling BJP in both the parliamentary constituencies. Sanjay K Pandey, a JNU Professor and a political commentator, felt there was a possibility in Uttar Pradesh of the Congress, SP, BSP and Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal striking an alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Even if the Congress was not a part of the combination, there could be a post-poll tie up, he told PTI. For the Lok Sabha, I don't see much of a problem in all these four parties coming together or at least the two parties (SP and BSP) doing so, he said. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 1 Union Minister VK Singh flew to Iraq on Sunday afternoon to bring back bodies of the 39 Indians who were killed by the Islamic State jihadists. Victims bodies will land in Amritsar airport at around 1.30 pm on Monday. Their families have been advised against coming to airport. Twenty-seven of 39 Indians were from Punjab and four were from Himachal Pradesh. The rest were from West Bengal and Bihar. Minister of State for External Afffairs Singh will to return to Delhi on Monday night. I am leaving for Iraq, will be getting back mortal remains of the 39 Indians. Tomorrow, I will return to Amritsar, and then will go to Kolkata and then Patna. The families of the victims have been informed about the same, Singh said. On March 20, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed the Rajya Sabha members in the Parliament that the 39 Indian nationals, who went missing in Mosul in 2014, were killed by the terror outfit Islamic State (IS). The 39 persons, most of whom hailed from Punjab, were working on projects near Mosul when they were kidnapped. With agency inputs vermaajay1968@gmail.com Rachna Khaira Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 1 Punjab-based families of the 38 men killed by the Islamic State militants in the strife-torn Mosul city of Iraq appear aggrieved as some of them have been advised against opening the caskets or having a glimpse of the mortal remains scheduled to reach Amritsar airport from Iraq on Monday. The DNA samples of the 39th victim are yet to be matched with his relative. Minister of State for External Affairs Gen VK Singh (retd) reached Iraq on Sunday to bring home the remains. Gurpinder Kaur, sister of deceased Manjinder Singh, said they had been told not to open the coffin, as the remains had been exhumed from a grave and might emit toxic gases due to embalming. It is just not possible to cremate it before having a last look. What can possibly happen to us? This is not the end, but the beginning of a never-ending suffering, she added. Swaran Singh, brother of Nishan Singh, said though the SDM had asked them not to open the casket, the family had decided to do so. Well open the casket to have a glimpse of the mortal remains of my younger brother, who will be home for his last journey, he said. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Kamaljit Sangha said the remains are expected to reach Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport at 1 pm. All arrangements have been made to transport the remains with the support of district administrations. vermaajay1968@gmail.com Chandigarh, April 1 In view of the call for Bharat Bandh on Monday over the Supreme Court verdict that diluted provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Punjab government on Sunday announced suspension of all mobile Internet, SMS and dongle services. The government has also announced to close educational institutions, banks, and public transport system. The Army is on standby. The mobile Internet, SMS and dongle services will remain suspended till 11 pm on Monday. The biggest concern for the state authorities is that Punjab has the highest population of SCs in the country. The government said the decision was taken on the basis of security inputs. An official spokesperson said PRTC, Punjab Roadways and Punbus buses would remain off road. JS Grewal of the mini-bus operators union said private buses will also remain off road. He criticised the government for not plying public transport as it was supposed to protect property and not to help those calling for a bandh call. DGP Suresh Arora said Punjab Police had mobilised 10,000 additional cops, including eight companies of paramilitary forces, to maintain law and order. The National Scheduled Castes Alliance, meanwhile, has asked the SC community leaders to think above party policies and work towards creating better conditions for the community. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has appealed for calm. TNS ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service Patiala, April 1 Yadavindra Public School, Patiala, organised a trip to Japan under the OISCA-ASAHIs Environment Educational and Cultural Study Programme. During the seven-day trip (March 27-April 3), a group of 16 students, along with two teacher are experiencing the worlds most advanced technologies (space, electronic and locomotive) and also the ancient and disciplined culture of Japan. A comprehensive itinerary had been provided to the students. On the first day of the trip, the students learned to make Bonsai, which is an ancient Japanese form of growing a small tree in a small container. Next day, the students were scheduled to visit a Nissan factory to learn about the latest technology used in automotive industry and the Tokyo Tower (height 333 meters), which is the worlds tallest self-supporting steel tower. uttara@tribuneindia.com Washington The clouds of Venus may possibly host alien life, say scientists who suggest that microbes may have evolved on the planet. Some models suggest Venus once had a habitable climate with liquid water on its surface for as long as two billion years. "That's much longer than is believed to have occurred on Mars," said Sanjay Limaye of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US. On Earth, terrestrial microorganismsmostly bacteriaare capable of being swept into the atmosphere, where they have been found alive at altitudes as high as 41 kilometres by scientists using specially equipped balloons, according to David J Smith of NASA's Ames Research Center. There is also a growing catalogue of microbes known to inhabit incredibly harsh environments on our planet, including the hot springs of Yellowstone, deep ocean hydrothermal vents, the toxic sludge of polluted areas, and in acidic lakes worldwide. "On Earth, we know that life can thrive in very acidic conditions, can feed on carbon dioxide, and produce sulphuric acid," said Rakesh Mogul, a professor at California State Polytechnic University in the US. The cloudy, highly reflective and acidic atmosphere of Venus is composed mostly of carbon dioxide and water droplets containing sulphuric acid, he said. Supporting the notion that Venus' atmosphere could be a plausible niche for life, a series of space probes to the planet launched between 1962 and 1978 showed that the temperature and pressure conditions in the lower and middle portions of the Venusian atmospherealtitudes between 40 and 60 kilometreswould not preclude microbial life. The surface conditions on the planet, however, are known to be inhospitable, with temperatures soaring above 450 degrees Celsius. According to Grzegorz Slowik of University of Zielona Gora in Poland, certain bacteria on Earth have light-absorbing properties similar to those of unidentified particles that make up unexplained dark patches observed in the clouds of Venus. Spectroscopic observations, particularly in the ultraviolet, show that the dark patches are composed of concentrated sulphuric acid and other unknown light-absorbing particles. Those dark patches have been a mystery since they were first observed by ground-based telescopes nearly a century ago, said Limaye, who led the study published in the journal Astrobiology. They were studied in more detail by subsequent probes to the planet. "Venus shows some episodic dark, sulphuric rich patches, with contrasts up to 30-40 per cent in the ultraviolet, and muted in longer wavelengths," said Limaye. "These patches persist for days, changing their shape and contrasts continuously and appear to be scale dependent," he said. The particles that make up the dark patches have almost the same dimensions as some bacteria on Earth, although the instruments that have sampled Venus' atmosphere to date are incapable of distinguishing between materials of an organic or inorganic nature. The patches could be something akin to the algae blooms that occur routinely in the lakes and oceans of Earth, researchers said. "To really know, we need to go there and sample the clouds. Venus could be an exciting new chapter in astrobiology exploration," said Mogul. PTI vermaajay1968@gmail.com IN the course of his presidential speech at the Hindi Sammelan, which held its sittings this year at Lahore, Mr. Gandhi dwelt upon the artificial character of the differentiation between Hindus and Mahomedans, and said the same thing was true of the difference between Hindi and Urdu. He expressed the hope that the natural merging together of Hindi and Urdu would be brought about and remain, that Mahomedans would naturally use Persian, and the Devnagari script, and that both scripts must find a place in the national scheme, but this would not, he held, materially affect the process of fusion. The Mahomedans had already recognised Urdu as their national language, and if the Hindi-Urdu controversy was given up, the question of a common national language would be easily solved. As regards that controversy itself, Mr. Gandhi said it must be given up if the fight against the English language was to be fought. sanjiv@tribunemail.com Jyotirmay Thapliyal Tribune News Service Dehradun, April 1 The sole bailey bridge over the Assi Ganga river connecting Uttarkashi district with the Sino-Indian border collapsed on Sunday morning. No one was reportedly hurt in the incident. The 60-metre long bridge at Gangori on the Gangotri National Highway in Uttarkashi district has collapsed for the second time in over three months. The 190 feet bridge collapsed last on December 14, 2017. The bridge was repaired and opened to traffic on January 10. Located at a distance of 6 km from Uttarkashi town, the bridge is a vital link for transporting locals to and from 80 villages of Bhatwari region and tourists visiting the Gangotri temple. The bridge has a load bearing capacity of 19 tonne and is important in terms of ferrying ration and other reinforcements for the ITBP personnel guarding the Sino-Indian border in this part of the country. Efforts are now under way for immediate alternative arrangements to ensure smooth flow of traffic. The need for a permanent bridge replacing the current arrangement has been felt since long. The original bridge was washed away in the 2013 floods. Meanwhile, the district authorities are probing the reasons for the bridge collapse. Sources attribute the collapse to a large number of overloaded trucks crossing the bridge daily. With Char Dham Yatra round the corner, it has become imperative for the authorities concerned to repair the bridge as soon as possible. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Douma (Syria), April 1 A final deal has been reached for fighters and civilians to leave the last Opposition-held pocket of Eastern Ghouta, a monitor said on Sunday, paving the way for Syrias regime to retake the onetime rebel enclave near Damascus. The deal brokered by regime ally Russia would see fighters with the Jaish al-Islam rebel faction leave Ghoutas main town of Douma for opposition-held territory in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. There was no immediate confirmation from the rebels, but pro-regime newspaper Al-Watan quoted diplomatic sources as saying the agreement would see fighters give up heavy weapons and leave Douma for northern Syria. The retaking of Eastern Ghouta would mark a major milestone in President Bashar al-Assads efforts to regain control of territory seized by rebel factions during Syrias seven-year civil war. Backed by Russia, Assads forces have scored a series of victories over rebel forces in recent years, often through campaigns of siege, aerial bombardment and ground offensives that have drawn widespread international condemnation. The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said Sundays deal provides for Jaish al-Islam fighters and their families, as well as civilians who want, to be evacuated to rebel-held areas in the northern province of Aleppo. It will also see Russian military police enter the town and government institutions return to the area, the monitor said. Regime forces had already retaken more than 95 per cent of Eastern Ghouta in a six-week air and ground blitz that forced tens of thousands from their homes. Successive evacuation deals were reached with rebel forces in parts of the enclave, with more than 45,000 fighters and civilians bussed out in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of other civilians have fled to regime-held territory. More than 4,000 people left the devastated town of Harasta last week under a deal with the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group. And more than 41,000 evacuated a southern pocket including the town of Arbin this week under another deal with the Faylaq al-Rahman opposition faction. Earlier today an agreement had been reached with civil authorities in Douma for hundreds of civilians to leave for Idlib, a northwestern province still largely outside regime control, the Observatory said. A civilian committee taking part in the negotiations with Russia said a deal had been reached to evacuate humanitarian cases to northern Syria. It gave no further details nor did it say when the planned evacuations would start. The Observatory said evacuations were underway under that deal with civiliansincluding of the sick or wounded, or family members of the Faylaq al-Rahman rebel groupto head towards Idlib. Talks with Jaish al-Islam for the evacuation of Douma had dragged on for several days, with residents growing nervous. Of course I would rather leave. There are no more homes here, not a single place to settle, said Abu Rateb, 30. But I wont go to regime-held areas to join ranks with the Syrian army, he said, adding he would prefer to go to Idlib. Haitham, 38, a media activist who did not give his surname, said he would rather stay in his hometown. To abandon your home is to abandon your soul, he said. But if they give us the choice of dying or leaving, it will be another matter. Syrias army had yesterday vowed to finish off rebels in Douma. A statement said the military would press on with fighting in the area of Douma to rid it of terrorism, in reference to the rebels. The regime assault since February 18 has killed more than 1,600 civilians, the Observatory says, and devastated entire neighbourhoods. AFP laxmi@tribune.com Tokyo, April 1 Paro, the furry seal, cries softly while an elderly woman pets it. Pepper, a humanoid, waves while leading a group of senior citizens in exercises. The upright Tree guides a disabled man taking shaky steps, saying in a gentle feminine voice, right, left, well done! Robots have the run of Tokyos Shin-tomi nursing home, which uses 20 different models to care for its residents. The Japanese government hopes it will be a model for harnessing the countrys robotics expertise to help cope with a swelling elderly population and dwindling workforce. Allowing robots to help care for the elderly, a job typically seen as requiring a human touch, may be a jarring idea in the West. But many Japanese see them positively, largely because they are depicted in popular media as friendly and helpful. These robots are wonderful, said 84-year-old Kazuko Yamada after the exercise session with SoftBank Robotics Corps Pepper, which can carry on scripted dialogues. More people live alone these days, and a robot can be a conversation partner for them. It will make life more fun. Plenty of obstacles may hinder a rapid proliferation of elder care robots: high costs, safety issues and doubts about how useful, and user-friendly, they will be. The Japanese government has been funding development of elder care robots to help fill a projected shortfall of 380,000 specialised workers by 2025. Despite steps by Japan to allow foreign workers in for elder care, obstacles to employment in the sector, including exams in Japanese, remain. As of the end of 2017, only 18 foreigners held nursing care visas, a new category created in 2016. But authorities and companies here are also eyeing a larger prize: a potentially lucrative export industry supplying robots to places such as Germany, China and Italy, which face similar demographic challenges now or in the near future. Its an opportunity for us, said Atsushi Yasuda, director of the robotic policy office at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry or METI. Other countries will follow the same trend. More than 100 foreign groups have visited Shin-tomi the past year from countries including China, South Korea and the Netherlands. A few products are trickling out as exports: Panasonic Corp has started shipping its robotic bed, which transforms into a wheelchair, to Taiwan. Paro is used as a therapy animal in about 400 Danish senior homes. The global market for nursing care and disabled aid robots, made up of mostly Japanese manufacturers, is still tiny: just $19.2 million in 2016, according to the International Federation of Robotics. But METI estimates the domestic industry alone will grow to 400 billion yen ($3.8 billion) by 2035, when a third of Japans population will be 65 or older. Its potentially a huge market, said George Leeson, director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. Everyone is waking up to their ageing populations. Clearly robotics is part of that package to address those needs. To nurture the industry, the government is using a two-pronged approach. METI is promoting development, providing 4.7 billion yen ($45 million) in subsidies since 2015. The labour ministry is spearheading the spread of robots, and spent 5.2 billion yen ($50 million) to introduce them into 5,000 facilities nationwide in the year that ended last March. There is no government data about how many care facilities use robots. Government officials stress that robots will not replace human caregivers. They can assist with power, mobility and monitoring. They cant replace humans, but they can save time and labor, said METIs Yasuda. If workers have more time, they can do other tasks. Reuters The tech help Most of the devices look nothing like the popular image of a robot. By the governments definition, each has three components -- sensors, a processor and a motor or apparatus. Panasonic used government aid to develop Resyone, a bed that splits in two, with one half transforming into a wheelchair. Cyberdyne Incs HAL - short for Hybrid Assistive Limb - lumbar type is a powered back support that helps caregivers lift people. Those needing walking rehabilitation can grab hold of Tree, made by unlisted Reif Co, which crawls along the ground, showing where to place the next step and offering balance support A costly solution laxmi@tribune.com VATICAN CITY, April 1 Pope Francis, in his Easter address on Sunday, called for peace in the Holy Land two days after 15 Palestinians were killed on the Israeli-Gaza border, saying the conflict there does not spare the defenceless. The pope made his appeal in his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message from the central balcony of St. Peters Basilica to tens of thousands of people in the flower-bedecked square below where he earlier celebrated a Mass. He also appealed for an end to the carnage in Syria, calling for humanitarian aid to be allowed to enter, and for peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Francis appeared to refer directly to the Gaza violence last Friday, calling for reconciliation for the Holy Land, also experiencing in these days the wounds of ongoing conflict that do not spare the defenceless. Israels defence minister has rejected calls for an inquiry into the killings by the military during a Palestinian demonstration that turned violent at the Gaza-Israel border. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Federica Mogherini, the European Unions foreign policy chief, and other leaders have called for an independent investigation into the bloodshed. The Pope also begged for peace for the entire world, beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria, whose people are worn down by an apparently endless war. This Easter, may the light of the risen Christ illumine the consciences of all political and military leaders, so that a swift end may be brought to the carnage in course ... he said. He spoke a day after the Syrian army command said it had regained most of the towns and villages in eastern Ghouta. Tens of thousands of people have now evacuated once-bustling towns in the suburbs east of the capital, which had nearly 2 million people before the start of the conflict and were major commercial and industrial hubs. Reuters Easter Mass in packed St. Peters Square Tens of thousands of faithful have undergone heavy security checks to enter St. Peters Square to participate in Easter Sunday Mass celebrated by Pope Francis. Francis opened Easter festivities with a Tweet to his global flock: Our faith is born on Easter morning: Jesus is alive! The experience is at the heart of the Christian message. Pilgrims from around the world and Italy gathered in the square decorated with spring flowers to hear Francis deliver the traditional Urbi et Orbi (to the city and to the world) Easter message from the central balcony of St. Peters Basilica. laxmi@tribune.com Washington, April 1 The process of filing petitions for H-1B, considered as the most sought-after work visa among highly skilled Indian professionals, begins on Monday amid unprecedented scrutiny by the Trump Administration. A strong indication is coming from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency which is responsible to process H-1B visas, that there will be zero tolerance by it for even minor errors. Chatter at various social media platforms and groups indicate that immigration attorneys this time expect a much high rate of rejection. The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries such as India and China. The H1-B visa has an annual numerical limit cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year as mandated by the Congress. The first 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries with a US masters degree or higher are exempt from the cap. Days ahead of the start of the H-1B visa application process for the fiscal year 2019, beginning October 1 this year; the USCIS warned that all duplicate applications would be subject to rejection. In previous years filing of duplicate petitions, by companies, so that applicants could have greater chance in getting through the lottery had become a normal practice. The USCIS has also said it would reject H-1B petitions requesting an earlier employment start date or a start date of As Soon As Possible or ASAPP. Expecting a huge rush of application beginning Monday and greater scrutiny of all petitions, which would require much more man hours, the USCIS has also temporarily suspended premium processing. We will announce the start date for premium processing in the near future, it said. As of now, the USCIS has not indicated if it plans to go for a computerised draw of lots as has been the case in previous years after receiving several times more than the Congressional mandated cap of H-1B visas. PTI gspannu7@gmail.com Karachi, April 1 A man was shot dead while another one was injured in a targeted attack on the minority Shia Hazara community in the capital of Pakistans restive Balochistan province on Sunday. Police said unidentified gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in Quettas Kandahari Bazaar area killing Nazar Hussain on the spot while his driver was injured. The driver was rushed to nearby Civil Hospital Quetta. It appears to be a targeted killing but so far no one has claimed responsibility as yet, a police official said. Police and security personnel reached the site as an investigation into the incident is underway. The Shia Hazaras have been targeted frequently in the past in the province by outlawed militant groups with suicide bombings being carried out in Hazara town in Quetta. Pakistans National Commission for Human Rights last month released a report which said 509 Hazaras were killed and 627 injured in various incidents of terrorism in Quetta during the last five years. PTI vermaajay1968@gmail.com Kabul, April 1 With three children under the age of five and a husband who could neither read nor write, 25-year-old Jahantap Ahmadi dreamed of going to college. Her high school degree was enough to become a teacher at the only elementary school in her village in central Afghanistan in an open field but she wanted more. On March 15, cheered on by her husband, Jahantap set out for the Daikundi provincial capital of Nili to take the university entrance exam. She walked until her feet were blistered and bruised and then sat for 10 hours with her infant daughter, Khezran, cradled on her lap in a rickety bus over rugged rocky roads. Once in Nili, she took the exam and scored a respectable 152 out of a possible 200. But it was a picture of Jahantap posted on Facebook, sitting cross-legged on the classroom floor, her two-month-old baby asleep on her lap as she took the exam, that made the dream of going to college come true. A teacher in Nili who was moved by Jahantaps determination to get an education posted pictures on Facebook. In Afghanistan, where women still struggle for even the most basic of rights, it went viral. My brother, who was working in Kabul, called me and said I saw your picture in Facebook, she said in an interview in Kabul, where she is now enrolled at a private university. I wanted to get my education, so I could help my village, change my village. I want to help my society. But first I wanted it for my children, so one day they could be educated. Nearly 17 years after the overthrow of the Taliban government, which outlawed womens education, an estimated 60 lakh children are in school in Afghanistan and a third of them are girls. However, most girls dont study beyond elementary school, and of the 35 lakh Afghan children who have never gone to school, 75 per cent are girls, according to the 2017 annual report of the United Nations Childrens Fund. Zahra Yagana, who runs a small NGO, said the picture of Jahantap on the floor, while other students sat at desks, inspired her to get Jahantap to Kabul and into a university. When I saw the picture, I was so impressed, she said. Right away the next day I wrote a story about her, but I thought we have to do something for her, help her get her education. She inspired me. Yagana went to the government. Farkhunda Zahra Naderi, a senior adviser to President Ashraf Ghani, is paying Jahantaps university tuition and Sarwar Danish, vice-president, will pay the rent for the familys home in Kabul. AP laxmi@tribune.com Douma, April 1 A final deal has been reached for fighters and civilians to leave the last opposition-held pocket of Eastern Ghouta, a monitor said today, paving the way for Syrias regime to retake the onetime rebel enclave near Damascus. The deal brokered by regime ally Russia would see fighters with the Jaish al-Islam rebel faction leave Ghoutas main town of Douma for opposition-held territory in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. There was no immediate confirmation from the rebels, but pro-regime newspaper Al-Watan quoted diplomatic sources as saying the agreement would see fighters give up heavy weapons and leave Douma for northern Syria. The deal will also see Russian military police enter the town and government institutions return to the area, the monitor said. Regime forces had already retaken more than 95 per cent of Eastern Ghouta in a six-week air and ground blitz that forced tens of thousands from their homes. Successive evacuation deals were reached with rebel forces in parts of the enclave, with more than 45,000 fighters and civilians bussed out in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of other civilians have fled to regime-held territory. More than 4,000 people left the devastated town of Harasta last week under a deal with the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group. And more than 41,000 evacuated a southern pocket including the town of Arbin this week under another deal with the Faylaq al-Rahman opposition faction. Earlier today an agreement had been reached with civil authorities in Douma for hundreds of civilians to leave for Idlib, a northwestern province still largely outside regime control, the Observatory said. A civilian committee taking part in the negotiations with Russia said a deal had been reached to evacuate humanitarian cases to northern Syria. It gave no further details nor did it say when the planned evacuations would start. 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Tension on the flashpoint peninsula have showed signs of easing in recent months after the isolated, nuclear-armed North proposed summits with the South and their imperialist enemy the US. The annual Foal Eagle drilla series of field training exercises involving some 11,500 American and 290,000 South Korean troopsbegan early on Sunday, Seouls defense ministry spokesman said. The drillwhich was delayed to avoid clashing with Februarys Winter Olympics in the Southwill be held for a month in April, about half the time it usually lasts. This years drills feature fewer strategic weapons like a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Seoul army said earlier. The deployment of such powerful weapons at past drills has frequently drawn an angry response from the North. The two allies are also set to stage the annual Key Resolve drilla tabletop exercise using mainly computer-based simulationsfor the usual duration of two weeks beginning late April. Pyongyang, which habitually slams the joint army drills between the South and the US as a rehearsal for invasion, has remained relatively quiet on the issue in recent weeks. The Foal Eagle drill started the same day as a historic concert by South Korean pop stars in Pyongyang, which will be staged late today as a peace gesture ahead of this months inter-Korea summit. Eleven South Korean actsincluding popular K-pop girlband Red Velvetare set perform in the North Korean capitalthe first such concert for more than a decade. The flurry of reconciliatory moves comes after the Pyeongchang Winter Games, which the North used to mount a charm offensive, sending athletes, cheerleaders and even leader Kim Jong Uns powerful sister as a delegate. Kim, who last week met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on his first overseas trip as leader, also met Olympics chief Thomas Bach in Pyongyang yesterday, thanking him for helping to bring about a dramatic thawing of tensions on the peninsula. Kim is set to hold a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27 at the border truce village of Panmunjomthe third time ever that any leaders of the two rivals has met. AFP Ashgabat hosted an international scientific conference entitled Turkmenistans Chemical Industry in the Way of Progress celebrating Day of Workers of the Chemical Industry. The forum brought together more than 30 companies operating in the chemical industry from Russia, the United States, Germany, China, Japan, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark and other countries. As was noted at the conference, Turkmenistan's resource potential allows the country to produce a wide range of chemical products that are in high demand at the international markets. Production of mineral fertilizers and implementation of projects in this area with foreign partners were the focus of discussions. Summarizing the discussions, the conference participants noted that the exchange of views helped them to identify priority directions for diversification of cooperation in the chemical industry and would facilitate implementation of Turkmenistan's export potential. TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021 Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). The digitisation of banking processes and surge of online features is on the rise, Photo: Le Toan The human touch Lets take the recent case of a former Eximbank deputy director who took advantage of a VIP clients trust to steal her savings of VND245 billion ($11.13 million) as an example. Put simply, were it not for the human element, the money would not have gone missing. The former employee, who has fled prosecution, is said to have had the client sign a blank document, with which he then authorised three individuals related to him to withdraw the clients money. Now imagine these transactions as being digitised. Things could have turned out better if tighter control and security checks of the withdrawals had been performed by artificial intelligence. The human involvement in the process would be minimised or better supervised to prevent fraud. What happened at Eximbank has prompted the central bank to request all lenders to review internal checks on savings and deposit transactions and to strengthen the cross-inspection and rotation of bank officers, in a bid to prevent and minimise the risk of fraud. HSBCs 2017 Global Trust in Technology report found out that when it comes to finances, people seek safety and prudence from those who manage their money above all else. Trust is the cornerstone of all relationships. Banks have had decades to build extensive infrastructures, develop solutions for compliance and regulatory requirements, and most importantly, earn customer trust. That is why for banks to stay relevant, we cannot lose sight of our core purpose: to safeguard and responsibly look after peoples money, said Winfield Wong, head of wholesale banking at HSBC Vietnam. Going digital with savings and deposits should benefit both lenders and their customers, as no case of artificial intelligence turning greedy and going after customers money has ever been recorded. Digitisation helps enhance customer experience and improve efficiency while keeping them safe, stressed Wong. All things digital Digitisation will not stop at savings and deposits, which have already become computer-controlled at numerous banks, both foreign and local. In fact, payments and lending may go the same way. According to HSBCs Wong, the financial services industry is going through a period of extraordinary transformation. After centuries in which pen, paper, and physical cash ruled banking interactions, digital technology is now bringing a new level of analysis, connectivity, and transaction power literally to customers finger tips, he noted. The local government and the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) have been rather active in pursuing a digital path for the finance and banking sector, for the sake of socio-economic development. The APEC CEO Summit held last November in Danang, for instance, recognised and promoted digitalisation across all sectors, from agriculture to financial services. Natasha Ansell, representing the Banking Working Group at the Vietnam Business Forum last December, noted that if implemented timely and correctly, digitisation will expedite Vietnams administrative reforms and financial inclusion. Digitisation has already arrived Innovation and application of advanced technologies has been embedded into modern banking products and services at quite a number of banks with an open-minded approach. TPBank, for example, launched its new model of a digital banking transaction kiosk, called LiveBank, in 2016. The model is available around the clock, incorporated with user-friendly functions and located in residential areas and shopping malls, giving its customers easy access to make transactions anytime they want. HSBC, in partnership with the local government, provides an online payment platform, offering e-tax payment, e-customs payment, and the Evolve platform that helps save time, cut down on paper use, and improve the operational process. Evolve is an e-FX platform that gives corporate customers easy online access to liquidity through competitive pricing of FX spots, forwards, swaps, and time option forwards across the HSBC network. It enables customers to see real-time two-way pricing and the forward tenor curve of the selected product without contacting the banks traders. These innovations have supported our corporate customers well in integrating into the digitisation trend in the country, said Wong, adding that one of its clients, Digiworld a distributor of multinational ICT brands in Vietnam has used Evolve to buy foreign currency to facilitate its importing activities. They started using Evolve in October 2017 and highly value the tool, as it helps them save time, since they do not need to call the bank for price checks; to improve productivity, because the price is fixed and there is no need for negotiations; and to get better commercial benefit, as they can view the FX rate in real time, comparing among all banks and choosing the best pricing for the company. Digitalisation, in Wongs view, would serve as an add-on or replacement to some daily or routine functions to improve banks operational efficiency and customer experience, but some core elements of banking such as client understanding, client relationship management, and client consultancy still require the human touch. Physical branches and relationship managers still have their own value in serving banks main purpose, which is to safely and responsibly look after peoples money, Wong said. The Haiphong transport development project will pioneer the public-private partnership format for seaports, Photo: Le Toan According to the Peoples Committee of the northern port city of Haiphong, where the project is located, the operation of the facilities is in line with the schedule. The terminals are able to accommodate vessels of 50,000 tonnes and more. The beginning of operations marks an important milestone in the citys transport development. It will help Haiphong increase port capacity as well as help businesses ease difficulties they faced in the past, when channel levels frequently fluctuated due to the build-up of sand, Nguyen Van Thanh, Deputy Chairman of the Haiphong Peoples Committee, told VIR. The berths have been developed by a joint venture between Japanese firms and military-run Saigon Newport Corporation, which now holds 50 per cent of the countrys container handling market share. They plan to hold a workshop to introduce their services when the terminals are put into operation. With its favourable location, the infrastructure development of Lach Huyen Port also appeals to other domestic and foreign investors. Vietnams shipping giant Vinalines is waiting for the prime ministers approval to invest in terminals 3 and 4 of the Lach Huyen complex. It is also interested in investing in terminals 5 to 9. US-invested Cargill Vietnam among the three largest animal feed producers in the country is also keen on the possibilities of co-operating with the Ministry of Transport in developing grain bulk handling facilities in the port to facilitate its business activities. We are seeking a policy decision from the government, thus enabling us to call on more investors to join the development of other terminals, Thanh of the Haiphong Peoples Committee added. The Lach Huyen complex is currently under construction. Component A is to be funded by the state, while Component B is to be developed by private investors. Lach Huyen Port will have nine terminals to be built from 2020-2025, with the volume of handled goods expected at 35 million tonnes a year. The number of terminals will be increased to 23 by 2030, with the volume of shipped goods forecast at 118 million tonnes a year. The project, if successful, is expected to be a good model for other public-private partnership projects in the port industry amid a number of barriers, including a lack of risk-sharing mechanisms on exchange rates and the absence of a revenue guarantee, which have been discouraging foreign investors from joining transport projects. Salah has scored 37 goals this season for Liverpool. (File photo: AFP) Pep Guardiola's side maintained their 16-point lead at the top thanks to a scintillating first-half display at Goodison Park. City, on a five-match winning run in the league, can look forward to the delicious prospect of sealing the title when bitter rivals Manchester United visit Eastlands next Saturday. Leroy Sane put City ahead with a sumptuous volley from David Silva's pin-point cross in the fourth minute. Gabriel Jesus increased City's lead eight minutes later, the Brazil forward heading in from Kevin De Bruyne's cross. Thrashed 4-0 at Everton last season in one of the worst defeats of Guardiola's glittering career, City underlined their vast improvement since then as Raheem Sterling finished off a ruthless counter-attack in the 37th minute. Yannick Bolasie drilled home for Everton in the 63rd minute, but City's club-record 13th away league win means they have 84 points with seven games still remaining. "It was a huge victory," Guardiola said. "We were clinical, especially in the first half. "Now it is one more game and we will be champions. It's special. It's important we win (the title) - no matter where." Having already won the League Cup, City next face a Champions League quarter-final first leg against Liverpool on Wednesday. In rainy south London, Liverpool trailed when Luka Milivojevic drove struggling Palace into a 13th-minute lead from the penalty spot after Loris Karius fouled Wilfried Zaha. But Senegal winger Sadio Mane levelled four minutes after the break with a close-range finish. Salah, in the midst of an incredible debut season at Liverpool, proved the match-winner as he smashed home in the 84th minute. Salah, who has 37 goals in 42 games in all competitions this term, has scored in the joint-most Premier League matches (21) in a single 38-match season. That ties the mark set by Robin van Persie in 2012-13 and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007-08. "I think the moment you see it is Mo (on the ball) you feel good. It was a very cool finish and long may that form continue," Klopp said. Liverpool were unable to hold onto second place as Manchester United moved two points ahead of them with a 2-0 victory against Swansea at Old Trafford. "Lots of players played internationals, so they were tired in the second half. Every point is vital because we want to stay in second place," United manager Jose Mourinho said. Romelu Lukaku scored for United with a deflected strike from Alexis Sanchez's pass in the fifth minute. Former Chelsea and Everton star Lukaku, who has netted in five times in his last six appearances, now has 100 career Premier League goals. Chile forward Sanchez bagged just his second goal since joining United from Arsenal in January in the 20th minute. The Premier League's highest-paid player had gone seven games without a goal until he finished off Jesse Lingard's pass. HAPPY HAMMERS Marko Arnautovic lifted the gloom at West Ham as his double inspired a crucial 3-0 victory against relegation rivals Southampton. Hundreds of fans staged a march against West Ham's co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan before kick-off in the aftermath of the crowd protests that marred their recent home defeat against Burnley. Amid a tense atmosphere that saw extra security measures to protect the owners, on-loan Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario eased the anxiety with a 13th-minute opener for David Moyes' side. Four minutes later, Arnautovic doubled West Ham's lead and celebrated by shouting angrily towards Saints boss Mark Hughes, who fell out with the Austrian when they were together at Stoke. And Arnautovic ensured West Ham's fans went home happy for once with a superb volley in first-half stoppage time. "The supporters were great and they appreciated the performance of the players. We got the job done early which helped," Moyes said. West Ham are five points above the relegation zone, while Southampton drop into the bottom three. West Brom look certain to be relegated after Burnley's 2-1 win at the Hawthorns handed the bottom club an eighth consecutive defeat. Leicester struck late in a 2-0 win at Brighton, with Albion striker Glenn Murray missing a penalty before Vicente Iborra and Jamie Vardy sealed the points. Newcastle beat Huddersfield 1-0 and Watford drew 2-2 with Bournemouth. Collated English Premier League results on Saturday: Brighton 0 Leicester 2 Crystal Palace 1 Liverpool 2 Everton 1 Manchester City 3 Manchester United 2 Swansea 0 Newcastle 1 Huddersfield 0 Watford 2 Bournemouth 2 West Brom 1 Burnley 2 West Ham 3 Southampton 0 MoIT said any human resources issues at Sabeco will be addressed during the extraordinary meeting Truong Thanh Hoai, head of the Industrial Department at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), said to the media that according to Article 114 of Vietnams Law on Enterprises, shareholders who hold more than 10 per cent of stake in six consecutive months are allowed to nominate themselves into a firms board. In accordance with this law, ThaiBev can only become part of Sabecos management board in June, or six months after it bought 53.59 per cent of shares at the public auction. In accordance with this law, ThaiBev can only become part of Sabecos management board in June, or six months after it bought 53.59 per cent of shares at the public auction. This rule has been pointed out by VIR in the previous article about ThaiBev's complaint. In the case of Sabeco, MoIT has decided to make an exception and planned an earlier AGM, scheduled on April 23. This meeting will introduce new board nominees for Sabeco, three of whom allegedly come from ThaiBev. Hoai added that any decision regarding Sabecos management board will be finalised during the extraordinary meeting. According to the law, a shareholder can become part of the firms board if they receive at least 65 per cent of the votes from the participating shareholders at the meeting, who should represent more than 51 per cent of the total number of investors. Moreover, Sabecos charter states that among the seven board members, two must be independent. As of now, Sabecos board has three members from the government, representing MoIT with 36 per cent of shares and one from Heineken, representing another 10 per cent of shares. This means there are three members left for ThaiBev, two of whom must be independent. ThaiBev has nominated three new members into the board. Were checking the eligibility of these nominees, including the two that are supposed to be independent, said Hoai. In response to concerns that the Thai investor will erase the Sabecos heritage brand name, MoIT reminded the public that it still holds 36 per cent of stake at Vietnams number-one brewery. Every decision will be made according to the law, said MoIT. Last week, ThaiBev sent a complaint letter to the Vietnamese government, stating that it has not been allowed to join the management board or make any decision at Sabeco, four months after purchasing half of the outstanding shares. Will Thaibev's complaint about Sabeco be resolved in time of AGM? Thai Beverage is longing for Vietnamese authorities' solution to its official complaint over its lack of power at Saigon Beer, Alcohol and Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) ... Foreign investors alarmed after Sabeco was hit by tax arrears The authorities collecting VND2.5 trillion ($109.8 million) in tax arrears from Saigon Beer, Alcohol and Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) made foreign investors concerned about taking part ... You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Andrew David Johnson died unexpectedly on Thursday, September 16, 2021, at the age of 23. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, September 23, 2021, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Alexandria. Visitation will be held from 4-7 PM on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at the And By Shamim Nateebwa Ugandans have been asked to embrace forgiveness for development of the country during the celebrations of Easter. Religious leaders, politicians and cultural leaders have appealed to Ugandans to learn from the life of Jesus Christ to value forgiveness, humility, peace and accountable leadership by example. The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali has described Jesus as the only source of joy in this world. Delivering his Easter Message at the All Saints Cathedral Nakasero this morning Ntagali asked Christians to celebrate this day with open hearts that it may bring great joy amid the suffering and pain endured by believers today, through the hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. At Namirembe Cathedral, Bishop Kityo Luwalira has noted with great concern the way the people are gripped with the looming fear of death due to the prevalent diseases. Luwalira has reminded Christians of the hope and power of the risen Christ who conquered death, urging them to cast all fear of death on the cross and embrace the joy of the Lord as they celebrate Easter today. Relatedly, former Forum for Democratic Change president Dr. Kiiza Besigye has asked Ugandans to draw inspiration from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as they celebrate Easter today. In his Easter message to Ugandans, Besigye says Christ sacrificed himself and endured untold suffering till the end when he finally become triumphant by defeating death. Besigye has also challenged leaders to comfort and guide the people on how to appropriately respond to the Judas of our times and to overcome the challenges before them. He adds that although Christians are commanded to love God and their neighbors, Ugandans have continued to abuse and violate peoples rights as well as attacking the defenseless as seen the rampant killings and kidnaps. While the Woman Member of Parliament for the Dokolo District Cecilia Atim Ogwal has asked Ugandans to use Easter celebrations to reconcile with their enemies and also help each other in spreading the word of God. Speaking shortly after the Easter Service at the All Saints Cathedral Nakasero, the Minister of Science Technology and Innovation Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye has urged Ugandans especially politicians to be God fearing and exhibit Gods love while performing their tasks. By Shamim Nateebwa The Bishop of Namirembe Diocese Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira survived an attack by a stick-wielding man during Easter celebrations at Namirembe Cathedral on Sunday monring. No one was hurt in the incident and the motive of the attacker remains unknown. The police have identified the attacker as 35-year old Herbert Kaddu from MacKay village in Kampalas Rubaga Division. Speaking to KFM, the Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson Luke Oweyesigire has confirmed the incident, saying investigations are underway. The suspect is to be subjected to a mental health check up to establish his status before investigations can proceed or any charges can be preferred against him, Oweyesigire said. In the short video being circulated on social media, the man, clad in a back-cloth armed with big stick is seen running very fast towards the Holy Altar and diving in, to where the Bishop and his two colleagues were. Security was quick to take action and arrest the man who is currently in police custody at Namirembe Police Post for interrogation. Bishop Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira of Namirembe Diocese said his attacker looked possessed and could not be stopped. Luwalira told the congregation that he saw the power of darkness during his service but the power of God prevailed. On 29 March 2018, President Emmanuel Macron received a delegation of the Democratic Forces of Syria (DFS). According to Khaled Issa (ambassador of the Rojava to Paris), Macron announced that France was sending troops to the Manbij (Syria). The DFS is a new front for the armed members of the PYD, the party of the pro-US Kurds resident in Syria. To respect form, the delegation was composed of equal numbers of Arabs and Kurds. However on the ground, the DFS are almost exclusively members of the PYD under US training. According to the Elysee, President Macron recalled that France considered that the Turkish PKK was a terrorist organization. However the fact is that the PYD is an off-shoot of the PKK. Identically, the ideology of the Rojava, anarchism, is a cover that has two aims: one is to make us forget that the PKK, a Marxist Leninist party, has been transformed into an instrument of Nato; and the second is to make it sympathetic to Westerners. Members of the French Special Forces which were present in Eastern Ghouta have been evacuated in the UN diplomatic cars headed to Lebanon. This was in execution of the orders of the hawkish UN number 2, Jeffrey Feltman. But they will be returning, in greater numbers, to Northern Syria. Although their presence in the suburbs of Damascus was an open secret, their arrival at the Manbij is official, to the extent that it had been announced by the PYD but not confirmed by the Elysee. The French military presence violates international law. Bar three months from the end of Sarkozys mandate (the period running from the liberation of la Baba Amr (Homs) to the Conference of the Friends of Syria in Paris), this presence has been permanent since war first erupted in 2011. France under the leadership of Emmanuel Macron seems to be abandoning its support for al-Qaeda jihadists to enable it to concentrate its energies on creating a Kurdistan on Arab territory, the Rojava. At the Conference of Versailles (1918) and Sevres (1920), the United States supported the creation of an Independent state for nomadic people (Kurds) in the valley of the Euphrates. The Kurds had settled down in Anatolie after massacring Armenian Christians there (the Genocide was initiated by Sultan Abdulhamid II, and continued by the Young Turks). At least since 1921, France has resumed its demand for a State for the Kurds but no longer in Turkey. The offices of the Rojava at Paris are very kindly lent out by Bruno Ledoux. He is a very rich press proprietor (Liberation, LExpress, i24news) who has connections with Israel. On 30 March 2018, following President Macrons meeting with a PYD delegation, the party of the Kurds in Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a violent speech in which he issued a warning to France. According to the Elysee, President Emmanuel Macron received a delegation from the DFS (Democratic Forces of Syria) [1]. The DFS is a front behind which lies the PYD, the sister organization of the Turkish PKK. According to the former Turkish Chief of Staff, General Ilker Basbug, the PKK and the PYD, both of which had started out as Marxist-Leninist, pro-Soviet and pro-Syrian organizations, have now become anarchist groups that are pro-NATO [2]. In the speech he delivered this Friday, President Erdogan emphasized that France was hosting the offices of the PKK and the PYD in Paris, even though these organizations are responsible for a multitude of attacks costing the lives of 40 000 Turkish citizens. He went on to emphasize that Turkey does not need a mediator to deal with terrorist groups. Recep Tayyip Erdogan also issued a threat: if France did not give up this policy, it would not escape suffering on its territory, the negative consequences of Turkey pursuing its policy; a threat that brought back to our minds that threat President Erdogan made before the Paris attacks and the Brussels attacks. The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu, telephoned his French homologue, Jean-Yves Le Drian, to say that he was gobsmacked at Frances attitude. The Elysee has clarified that, contrary to the declarations of the ambassador or the Rojava to Paris, France was not planning operations in Syria outside the International Coalition; explanations that do not change anything because it is this Coalition which has created the FDS as a front in order to continue to use the PKK-PYD mercenaries against Damascus. On Thursday 29 March the President of the Republic [France], Emmanuel Macron, received a delegation of the Democratic Forces of Syria (FDS). Both the male and female gender were equally represented in this delegation as were Arabs and Syrian Kurds. The Syrian delegation informed President Macron of the situation, describing the security and humanitarian conditions in the North of Syria and the intervention zone where the FDS is still fighting courageously and with self-sacrifice against Daesh, together with the international coalition forces of which France is part. The President of the Republic paid a tribute to the sacrifices and the role of the FDS in the fight against Daesh, a role which determined a positive outcome. He also reaffirmed that this fight is a priority in times when this threat continues to loom over us. He then guaranteed to the FDS, Frances support, particularly to stabilizing the security zone in Northeast Syria, in the context of a system of government that was inclusive and balanced. For this was the only way to wipe out any chance of Daesh coming back in the hope of a political solution to the Syrian conflict. The President of the Republic recalled that, as a consequence of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2401, France clearly expressed its concern for the situation in the district of Afrin and requested that humanitarian aid be fully accessible to the civil populations. He recalled, furthermore, Frances undertaking to fight the PKK and its loyalty to the security of Turkey. He then noted FDSs commitment that it would not have any sort of working relationship with this terrorist group and would condemn all action of a terrorist nature, wherever it was coming from. [Macron] then went on to express his desire for a dialogue to be set up between the FDS and Turkey with the help of France and the international community. The President of the Republic indicated that France would continue to take the greatest efforts, together with the countries principally interested, to make the way towards an inclusive political transition in Syria. For this was the only way that peace could return to Syria and the only way to guarantee the security of the region in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Mr Speaker, I beg to move the motion on the order paper standing in my name. Three weeks ago, the Russian Federation was responsible for an attempted murder here in our country. This was not only a crime against Sergei and Yulia Skripal. It was an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom, putting the lives of innocent civilians at risk. It was an assault on our fundamental values and the rules based international system that upholds them. And it was part of a pattern of increasingly aggressive Russian behaviour, but which - with the first offensive use of a nerve agent on European soil since the foundation of NATO - also represents a new and dangerous phase in Russias hostile activity within our continent and beyond. So this debate is taking place, Mr Speaker, because there is no greater responsibility for this House - for this government and for me as Prime Minister than recognising threats to our national security and acting to meet them. So let me set out for the House what we now know about the recklessness of this act and its exposure of innocent people to potential harm, the evidence that Russia was indeed responsible, the wider pattern of Russias illegal and destabilising actions within our continent and beyond, the extensive actions this government has already been taking, and our determination to work with our international partners to confront the evolving nature of this threat, to defend the rules based international system and to keep our people safe. Mr Speaker, let me start by updating the House on the situation in Salisbury. Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain critically ill in hospital. Sadly, late last week doctors indicated that their condition is unlikely to change in the near future and they may never recover fully. This shows the utterly barbaric nature of this act and the dangers that hundreds of innocent citizens in Salisbury could have faced. An investigation continues into all the locations where the Skripals had been present on Sunday 4th March. As a result, we now have a fuller picture of the recklessness of this act against our country. While Public Health England have made clear that the risk to public health is low and this remains the case we assess that more than 130 people in Salisbury could have been potentially exposed to this nerve agent. More than 50 people were assessed in hospital, with Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey taken seriously ill. I know everyone in the House will welcome the news that he has been discharged and continue to hold him and his family in our thoughts as he makes his recovery. Mr Speaker, we are quite clear that Russia was responsible for this act. As I set out for the House in my statements earlier this month, our world-leading experts at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down positively identified the chemical used for this act as a Novichok a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by the Soviet Union. We know that Russia has a record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations and that it views some former intelligence officers as legitimate targets for these assassinations. And we have information indicating that within the last decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents probably for assassination and as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichoks. Clearly that is in contravention of the Chemical Weapons Convention and so it is right that we have been working closely with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons whose team arrived in the UK last week and collected samples. This is a normal part of us discharging our obligations under the Convention, although we are clear as to what the evidence is. As a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, upholding these non-proliferation regimes with our partners is central to our international security, while Russia has recklessly undermined and violated them. In conclusion, as I have set out, no other country has a combination of the capability, the intent and the motive to carry out such an act. There is no other plausible explanation. And that is not just the view of the UK government. It was the unanimous view of every single leader at last weeks European Council. And the view of our Allies in NATO and around the world. Mr Speaker, I know there are some who question whether there could be alternative explanations. So let me be absolutely clear. We have been led by evidence not by speculation. And when faced with the evidence we gave the Russian government the opportunity to provide an explanation. But they did not do so. They provided no explanation as to why Russia has an undeclared chemical weapons programme in contravention of international law. No explanation that could suggest they had lost control of their nerve agent. And no explanation as to how this agent came to be used in the United Kingdom. Instead they have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance. Incredibly, they have deployed at least twenty-one different arguments about it. They have suggested that they never produced Novichoks; or that they produced them but then destroyed them. They have tried to claim that their agents are not covered by the Chemical Weapons Convention. They have pointed the finger at other countries including Slovakia, Sweden and the Czech Republic and even tried to claim that the United Kingdom was responsible for a chemical attack on our own citizens. For a nation state like Russia to resort again to peddling such preposterous and contradictory theories is unworthy of their people and their great history. It is merely an effort to distract from the truth of Russias violation of international law. And this unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom, is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of the UN Charter. This act against our country is the latest in a pattern of increasingly aggressive Russian behaviour attacking the international rules based system across our continent and beyond. Russias illegal actions in Crimea were the first time since the Second World War that one sovereign nation has forcibly annexed territory from another in Europe. Since then Russia has fomented conflict in the Donbass, repeatedly violated the national airspace of several European countries, and mounted a sustained campaign of cyber espionage and disruption. It has meddled in elections and hacked the Danish Ministry of Defence and the Bundestag among many others. It is seeking to weaponise information, deploying its state-run media organisations to plant fake stories and photo-shopped images in an attempt to sow discord in the West and undermine our institutions. During his recent State of the Union address, President Putin showed video graphics of missile launches, flight trajectories and explosions, including the modelling of attacks on the United States with a series of warheads impacting in Florida. And of course Russia used radiological substances in its despicable assault here in London on Mr Litvinenko. Russia is also failing to honour its responsibilities in the international community as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. In particular, Russia has covered up for the Assad regimes use of chemical weapons in Syria especially in its attempts to impede the OPCWs Joint Investigative Mechanism. This has allowed the Syrian Regime to continue to perpetrate atrocities against the Syrian people. For the last month, in contravention of UNSCR 2401, Russian airpower and military coordination has enabled the Regime offensive in Eastern Ghouta, causing more appalling suffering and impeding the heroic efforts of the humanitarian relief agencies. Indeed, over the course of many years of civil war, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have died and many times that number have been displaced. Yet Russia has repeatedly failed to use its influence over the Syrian Regime to bring an end to this terrible suffering. Mr Speaker, from the outset, the UK has been at the forefront of the European and transatlantic response to these actions. In response to the annexation of Crimea, we led the work with our EU and G7 partners in constructing the first sanctions regime against Russia. We have stepped up our military and economic support to Ukraine, including directly training almost 7,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel. We are the second largest contributor of monitors to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. We are driving reform of NATO to better deter and counter hostile Russian activity and our commitment to collective defence and security through NATO remains as strong as ever. Indeed, our armed forces have a leading role in NATOs Enhanced Forward Presence with British troops leading a multinational battlegroup in Estonia. In the Western Balkans, we stepped up our support to our newest ally, Montenegro, when it suffered an attempt by Russia to stage a coup. While our Western Balkans Summit in July will enhance our security co-operation with all our Western Balkans partners, including on serious and organised crime, anti-corruption and cyber security. We are building up our defences against Russias cyber threat more broadly investing almost 2 billion in our National Cyber Security Strategy and have opened a new National Cyber Security Centre which is actively working with international partners, industry and civil society to tackle this threat. We are also working with our European partners to support the Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki. We are calling out Russias malign behaviour in cyber space as we did last month when together with the US and other allies we attributed the NotPetya cyber-attack to the Russian military. And we are investing millions in countering Russian disinformation efforts including more investment in public service and independent media operating in the Russian language, both through projects in the Baltic States, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. And through reinvigorating the BBC Russia Service as an independent source of news for Russian speakers. As the House knows, we already have the largest Defence budget in Europe and second largest in NATO, meeting the 2% standard and set to increase every year of this Parliament. We have also commissioned the National Security Capability Review, which will report shortly, and the Modernising Defence Programme to ensure that our Defence and Security capabilities are optimised to address the threats we face, including those from Russia. Following the incident in Salisbury we have of course taken further measures. We are dismantling the Russian espionage network in our country and we will not allow it to be rebuilt. We are urgently developing proposals for new legislative powers to harden our defences against all forms of Hostile State Activity. This will include the addition of a targeted power to detain those suspected of such activity at the UK border; and considering whether there is a need for new counter-espionage powers to clamp down on the full spectrum of hostile activities of foreign agents in our country. We are making full use of existing powers to enhance our 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 and our allies. This includes increasing checks on private flights, customs and freight and freezing Russian state assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents. We are also cracking down on illicit and corrupt finance, bringing all the capabilities of UK law enforcement to bear against serious criminals and corrupt elites neither of whom have any place in our country. We have given our law enforcement agencies new powers in the Criminal Finance Act and we will table an amendment to the Sanctions Bill to ensure that the UK cannot be a home for those who trade illicit finance or commit human rights abuses. And crucially, Madam Deputy Speaker, because this threat from Russia is an attack on the whole international rules based system and the collective security of the UK and its allies, so we must continue to work closely with all our international partners. That includes through the new security partnership we want to build with the European Union as part of our new relationship after we have left. And as I said in my speech in Munich, when we leave the EU it is right that the UK will pursue an independent foreign policy. But around the world the interests that we will seek to project and defend will continue to be rooted in our shared values. And nowhere is this more true than in standing up to Russias hostile actions and refuting its attempts to undermine the international rules based order. As President Macron said on Friday, Russias actions in Salisbury were an act of aggression against the sovereignty of an ally, which demands a reaction. And as I set out in my statement earlier, the EU and its Member States have already taken some immediate actions, including withdrawing the EUs ambassador from Moscow. And as I announced today, 18 countries have announced their intention to expel more than 100 Russian intelligence officers, including 15 EU member states as well as the US, Canada and the Ukraine. And this is the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history. Madam Deputy Speaker, if the Kremlins goal is to divide and intimidate the Western Alliance then their efforts have spectacularly back-fired. Todays actions by our allies clearly demonstrate that we all stand shoulder to shoulder in sending the strongest signal to the Kremlin that Russia cannot continue to flout international law and threaten our security. As I argued at last weeks European Council, we must reappraise how our collective efforts can best tackle the challenge that Russia poses. But we must and will proceed on a rigorous and legally sound basis, which is why the Council mandated Foreign Ministers to consider how best to proceed and to report back ahead of the next Council. Madam Deputy Speaker, as I have made clear before, we have no disagreement with the Russian people who have achieved so much through their countrys great history. Indeed, our thoughts are with them today and especially the friends and families of those who died in that awful shopping centre fire in Kemerovo in Siberia. Neither should we wish to be in a permanent state of perpetual confrontation with Russia. Many of us looked at a post-Soviet Russia with hope. We would much rather have in Russia a constructive partner ready to play by the rules. But while we should continue to keep open this possibility, we must also face the facts. President Putins regime is carrying out acts of aggression against our values and interests within Europe and beyond. The challenge of Russia is one that will endure for years to come. As a European democracy, the United Kingdom will stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies in the European Union and NATO to face down these threats together. We will defend our infrastructure, our institutions and our values against attempts to undermine them. And we will act to protect our national security and to keep our people safe. And I commend this motion to the House. On March 31, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Paris delivered to the French Foreign Ministry a note with a list of questions to the French side regarding the Skripal case fabricated against Russia: 1. On what grounds did France become involved in the technical side of the United Kingdoms investigation of the incident in Salisbury? 2. Has France officially notified the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of its involvement in the technical side of the investigation of the incident in Salisbury? 3. What evidence did the United Kingdom hand over to France as part of the technical side of the investigation? 4. Were French specialists present when biological samples were collected from Sergey and Yulia Skripal? 5. Did French specialists conduct their own tests of the biological samples collected from Sergey and Yulia Skripal and, if so, at which specific laboratory? 6. Based on which attributes did the French specialists conclude that the chemical warfare agent of the Novichok type (in accordance to British terminology) or its analogues were used in this case? 7. What expert knowledge does France have in studying chemical warfare agents of this type or its analogues? 8. Based on which attributes (markers) was the alleged Russian origin of the substance used in Salisbury established by French specialists? 9. Does France have control samples of the Novichok chemical warfare agent (in accordance to British terminology) or its analogues? 10. Have samples of the chemical warfare agent of this type or its analogues been developed in France and, if so, for what purpose? On March 31, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in London delivered to the British Foreign Ministry a note with a list of questions to the British side regarding the Skripal case fabricated against Russia: 1. Why has Russia been denied consular access to two Russian citizens who were injured in the UK? 2. Which specific antidotes and in what form were the victims administered? How did the British doctors at the scene of the incident happen to have such antidotes in their possession? 3. On what grounds did France become involved in the technical side of investigating an incident in which Russian citizens were injured? 4. Has the United Kingdom notified the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of Frances involvement in the investigation of the incident in Salisbury? 5. What does the incident involving two Russian citizens in the United Kingdom have to do with France? 6. Which norms of British procedural legislation allow for the involvement of a foreign state in a domestic investigation? 7. What evidence was handed over to France for testing and to conduct its own investigation? 8. Were French specialists present when biological samples were collected from Sergey and Yulia Skripal? 9. Did French specialists conduct their own tests of the biological samples collected from Sergey and Yulia Skripal and, if so, at which specific laboratories were the tests conducted? 10. Does the United Kingdom possess the results of the investigation carried out by France? 11. Have the results of the French investigation been submitted to the OPCW Technical Secretariat? 12. Based on which attributes (markers) was the alleged Russian origin of the substance used in Salisbury established? 13. Does the United Kingdom have control samples of the chemical warfare agent which British representatives refer to as Novichok? 14. Have samples of the chemical warfare agent of the Novichok type (in accordance to British terminology) or its analogues been developed in the United Kingdom? By Polycap Kalokwera The Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese John Baptist Odama has advised the armed forces on the dangers of torture that has taken a toll on Ugandas population, saying there should be respect for humanity. While delivering his Easter message at St Joseph Cathedral Gulu this morning, Bishop Odama said that the forces are meant to protect people on behalf of God but not to torture them and cause pain. He has advised the executive to create avenues for dialogue to ensure lasting peace in Uganda. Archbishop Odama has also asked Christians to pray for peace in South Sudan, DR Congo and Somalia where insecurity is still a threat to human life. At Christ Church in Gulu, Vicar General Godfrey Loum has told the Christians to always have faith and hope that they will resurrect just like Jesus Christ did. Question: Will you retaliate against the expulsion of Russian diplomats using tit-for-tat methods or something stronger? Sergey Lavrov: We will retaliate in kind, but there will be more. Virtually right now, US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman is at the Ministry and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov is explaining to him the substance of our retaliatory measures with regard to the United States. These include the expulsion of the same number of US diplomats and our decision to withdraw our consent to the operation of the US Consulate General in St Petersburg. As for the number of diplomatic mission staff from the other countries who will be leaving Russia, it is also a tit-for-tat procedure. Basically, this is it. I would like to say right away that in addition, we want to do more than just respond to the absolutely unacceptable actions taken against us under the harshest ever US and British pressure predicated on the Skripal case. By the way, I would like to mention with some satisfaction that earlier today the British authorities informed us about the condition of at least Yulia Skripal. They said Yulia is rapidly recovering. We again urged them to provide us with access to Yulia as a Russian citizen. I hope our British counterparts will be able to perform its obligations under the Consular Convention and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We will not just respond reactively to what the Anglo-Saxon tandem is doing with regard to Russia, forcing everyone to follow the anti-Russian course. We would like to establish the truth. Since the very start of this crisis, we have repeatedly stated that British Prime Minister Theresa May has baselessly accused Russia of being implicated in the poisoning of Sergey Skripal and his daughter. She urged us in an ultimatum-like manner to answer a question that could not be answered: she demanded that, within 24 hours, we confirm that the Russian leadership had ordered the poisoning of the Skripals or that they had lost control over their chemical arsenal. Clearly, it is impossible to respond to these things, even if we tried hard to find some answers. Instead, we suggested that they refer to international law, the Chemical Weapons Convention which contains a special article. Under this article, if any party to the CWC has questions for another party, it is recommended that they get in contact with each other, hold a bilateral exchange of views and information, and hold consultations. Great Britain arrogantly turned this down and instead dug out of the CWC a technical clause to the effect that a party to the Convention can apply to the OPCW Technical Secretariat for technical assistance. Under that clause, OPCW experts have now arrived in Britain at its invitation to form an opinion and analyse the substance, which, as the British allege, was used to poison Sergey and Yulia Skripal. I would like to note right away that this article only enables the OPCW Technical Secretariat to identify the chemical composition of a substance that will be presented for analysis. The OPCW Technical Secretariat has no power to confirm or verify Britains conclusions. It has no such rights. Also, the investigation itself is not over yet. As you know, Scotland Yard says that it will take months, but the verdict has been returned nonetheless. This is sad, because we have not seen so much mockery of international law for quite a long time. To get a normal discussion and to establish the truth, we have officially proposed to convene an extraordinary session of the OPCW Executive Council on April 4, where we will present a summary of the specific questions that we have repeatedly asked. I hope that our Western partners will not evade an honest conversation. Otherwise they will confirm once again that what is happening is a premeditated gross provocation. The British authorities have demonstrated their inability to ensure the safety of Russian citizens more than once. The glaring examples include the poisoning of former FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, the death of businessmen Badri Patarkatsishvili and Alexander Perepelichny under unclear circumstances, the mysterious suicide of Boris Berezovsky and the strangling of Berezovskys business partner Nikolai Glushkov, and lastly, the recent attempt on the lives and health of Sergey Skripal and his daughter Yulia. In the latter case, London acted contrary to all the norms of international law, ethics and even common sense. London has accused Russia of poisoning Russian citizens without providing any evidence or the complete picture of the crime. At the same time, it has provided the alleged name of the toxic agent, which has never been used in Russia, and has launched a large-scale political and media campaign against Russia. It has initiated the campaign to expel Russian diplomats from a number of countries and representative offices at international organisations and has announced a package of other sanctions. Meanwhile, it has completely disregarded our legitimate requests to share the samples of the alleged toxic agent. On March 16, 2018, Russias Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings regarding the attempted murder of Russian citizen Yulia Skripal and submitted a relevant request to the British side. We expect London to cooperate with us within the framework of the investigation that has been launched by the Russian legal authorities. The actions of the British authorities raise many questions. The British public is being kept in the dark regarding the key elements of this incident, which has been described as extremely dangerous, and the number of the people affected is kept secret. No information has been provided about the activities of Britains secret research facility in Porton Down near Salisbury, where chemical research was conducted. No information has been provided about Operation Toxic Dagger, an annual chemical warfare exercise conducted at the Porton Down facility together with the UK military, which was completed shortly before the Skripals poisoning. Meanwhile, London has initiated a worldwide campaign to spread the presumption of Russias guilt. We see a deliberate and purposeful escalation of confrontation and a demonstration of military force on Russias border. It is an obvious effort to undermine the political and diplomatic interaction that could lead to an objective and comprehensive investigation of the Salisbury incident. The analysis of all these circumstances shows that the UK authorities are not interested in identifying the real causes and the real perpetrators of the crime in Salisbury, which suggests a possible involvement of the UK intelligence services. Unless we receive convincing proof of the opposite, we will regard this incident as an attempt on the life of Russian citizens as part of a large-scale political provocation. We emphasise that the burden of proof rests solely on the UK. I have the honour to transmit herewith a letter on behalf of the civil society groups active in Eastern Ghouta (see annex). I should be most grateful if you would circulate the present letter and its annex as a document of the Security Council. Annex to the letter dated 27 March 2018 from the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council We address the President of the Security Council today, two weeks after the Secretary-General last briefed the Security Council on the non-implementation of Security Council resolution 2401 (2018) and the failure of the members of the Council to enforce Syrias nationwide ceasefire. Since the Secretary-Generals briefing on Security Council resolution 2401 (2018), attacks by the Syrian regime and its ally, Russia, have intensified, particularly in besieged Eastern Ghouta. Our partners on the ground have documented a major increase in the targeting of civilians through the use of internationally prohibited weapons, including cluster bombs, napalm and white phosphorus, as well as the toxic chemical, chlorine gas. We have also documented continued forced displacement, with tens of thousands of civilians forced into makeshift camps in the absence of any United Nations supervision. Recently, reports have circulated of men being interrogated and, in some cases, executed. Resolution 2401 (2018) has gone wholly unenforced. Violations have passed without consequence. While members of the Security Council have spoken forcefully of the need to respect Council resolution 2401 (2018), no action has been taken to enforce it. As a result, violations have multiplied and Russia and the Syrian regime have continued with their plan to seize full control of Eastern Ghouta and to cleanse the areas of all inhabitants who reject their terror and tyranny. Today, we call on the President of the Security Council to hold an emergency session of the Security Council in which you agree on the concrete actions needed to enforce Security Council resolution 2401 (2018) and deter the indiscriminate use of weapons and the deployment of prohibited weapons. If you cannot reach consensus and Russia insists on recklessly wielding its veto then we appeal to members of the Council to act in their own capacity to protect civilian lives in Syria, ensure all movement from Eastern Ghouta is voluntary, and stop the use of prohibited weapons. We also call for measures to protect the humanitarian aid workers and activists, who have chosen to remain inside Eastern Ghouta, despite the absence of any guarantees ensuring their safety. Millions of lives will be affected by the failure of the Security Council to take tangible action now. After Eastern Ghouta, it is clear that the Syrian regime will set its sights on Dara, Idlib and the northern countryside of Homs. The millions of civilians in these areas are counting on the resolve and the determination of the Council to enforce the very resolutions which Council members have adopted. Lives can still be saved but only if members of the Council have the will and courage to act. Alseeraj for Development and Healthcare Baytna Syria Citizenship League Dawlaty The Day After project Hurras Network Joint Medical Chamber Syria Local Administration Councils Unit Local Development and Small Projects Support Shaml, Syrian civil society coalition Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression Syrian Network for Human Rights Syrian Women Association Violations Documentation Center in Syria Women Now for Development Eddie Redmayne and Stephen Hawking. Photo: Hannah Taylor/BAFTA/REX/Shutterstock It definitely feels like Eddie Redmayne is in everything these days. The actor even joined almost 500 other mourners in paying tribute to Stephen Hawking at his funeral service on Saturday morning. Redmayne played Hawking in the 2014 biopic The Theory of Everything, winning an Oscar for his portrayal of the world- renowned scientist. Even though he probably has plenty of prepared monologues, the actor instead used his boyish charm to give a reading from Ecclesiastes. The private service was attended by a number of other celebrities with connections to the late physicist. Also present was actress Felicity Jones, who co-starred with Redmayne as Hawkings wife, Jane, as well as Queens Brian May, model Lily Cole, and Irish comedian Dara O Briain. Elon Musk was also there because, why not, hes pretty big into science. Redmayne was one of the first celebrities to publicly mourn the beloved researcher, issuing a statement to People that 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. Does anyone have any more awards we can give him? Kristin Kreuk. Photo: Chance Yeh/FilmMagic The day after the leader of an alleged sex cult was arrested and charged with sex trafficking, reports emerged that Smallville actress Kristin Kreuk had recruited women to be sex slaves. The actress has denied those claims, on Twitter. The cult, NXIVM, was started by Keith Raniere in 1998. It had been known as a cult-like organization since 2007, but was forced into the spotlight last year, when the New York Times published an expose. Raniere told young women that NXIVM (pronounced nex-e-um) was a self-help organization. Members were slaves who reported to masters, and worked to move up a ladder of enlightenment. They were also subject to ritual brandings and other humiliating practices, including losing weight in order meet Ranieres standards of beauty and having sex with him. Officially, Albany-based NXIVM offers Executive Success Programs Inc. programs that provide the philosophical and practical foundation necessary to acquire and build the skills for success. Many actors and actresses have enrolled in the courses over the years, including Kreuk. However, she wrote on Twitter last night that that was all she did. Sarah Edmondson, a Canadian actress who told the New York Times about her chilling experience with NXIVM, tweeted her support for Kreuk. For the record, my dear friend @MsKristinKreuk was never in the inner circle of #NXIVM. She never recruited sex slaves and has been out since 2013 before shit got weird. She is a lovely person who should not be dragged into this mess. Thank you. #Cult #DOS #freedom #TRUTH https://t.co/9PYiBgDOTe sarah edmondson (@sarahjedmondson) March 29, 2018 Raniere will appear in a Texas court next Tuesday, facing federal charges filed in Brooklyn. He denied the claims on his website, saying, These allegations are most disturbing to me as non-violence is one of my most important values. Love her or think meh of her, Taylor Swifts newest album, Reputation, was plagued by the fact she didnt do any interviews to coincide with its release. For fans, that sadly meant less Swift in their lives. For haters, that happily meant less Swift in their lives. But five months after Reputation fixated on Swifts big enemies and budding romances, the songstress is finally ready to do something she purposely eschewed for quite some time talking on the record. As recounted by The Tennessean, Swift made an unscheduled appearance at Nashvilles famed Bluebird Cafe last night, where she joined her old collaborator, the prolific country songwriter Craig Wiseman, for a short set. Swift performed stripped-down versions of Love Story, Shake It Off, and Better Man with her guitar, but not before Wiseman waxed poetic about the time when Swift consumed way too much whiskey at a Country Music Awards after-party. Taylor Swift singing Shake It Off, one of her biggest hits at the place where she got discovered is the greatest thing Ive seen today! pic.twitter.com/5P6sZJYG8w nico (@taylorsnewrep) April 1, 2018 I got her a shot of Fireball, and then I got her another one, Wiseman recalled. For the rest of the party, I would go get a shot of Fireball and snake my hand through the people [on this balcony] in her general direction. I dont even know if she took it, but it disappeared. It turns out the whiskey encouraged Swift and her pal, Ed Sheeran, to steal Wisemans huge inflatable bottle of Fireball from the party, to which we say dont steal inflatable objects, folks! Honestly, they become a nuisance after the second day! Im literally watching you, and Im just going to do what you do, Swift soon retorted, with the duo taking a shot of that cinnamon concoction together. And just like that, Swift climbed back into her Nashville abyss. Maine State Police say they are in the process of returning suspected stolen property. Its a part of an on-going investigation surrounding burglaries from storage units in Knox, Waldo, Lincoln and Sadgahoc counties Earlier in March, 37-year-old Joshua Vandine of Thomaston was charged with burglary and having a stolen gun. According to authorities he's been cutting padlocks from storage units and replacing them with his own locks for about two years. Maine State Police are asking storage unit owners and renters who were victimized to contact trooper Niles Krech or Adam Mcnaughton at 624-8947. By Kim Rahn North Korea has stressed that cooperation with China is essential for peace on the Korean Peninsula, saying they are "blood allies." The stance comes after its leader Kim Jong-un visited Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this week. This was Kim's first trip outside the North and first bilateral talks with the head of a foreign state since taking power in late 2011. Pyongyang's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper published an editorial titled "A historic visit that unfolded a new era of North Korea-China friendship," Friday, and said Kim's visit to China clearly showed Pyongyang values its relations with Beijing. "The blood alliance has been made through holy struggles that aimed for joint great achievement," it said. "As the relationship is not severable, it has been maintained and remained intact despite various troubles throughout history." The newspaper indirectly admitted relations had been strained before the summit, saying the two countries have faced changes in situations through time. "However, through the hardship, it was again proved that strengthening solidarity and cooperation between the nations is an essential prerequisite in building people's happy future and keeping the peace and stability of the region." It said the Pyongyang-Beijing friendship and brotherhood would last forever like the flow of the Amnok River, called the Yalu River in China, which runs along the western border of the two countries. Xi's exceptional hospitality to Kim North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second from left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, third from left, have dinner along with their wives during Kim's visit to Beijing for summit, Monday. / Yonhap Japanese Ambassador to Korea Yasumasa Nagamine leaves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in central Seoul, Friday, after the Korean government brought him in to protest against Japan's claim over Dokdo. / Yonhap By Choi Ha-young The government strongly denounced Japan, Friday, for claiming sovereignty over Dokdo in its guidelines for high school textbooks. Protesting the move, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha lodged a complaint in a phone call with Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on the same day. Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned in Japanese Ambassador to Korea Yasumasa Nagamine. "The government strongly criticizes the Japanese government for confirming the guidelines that include an inappropriate argument about Korea's inherent territory of Dokdo, and urges immediate withdrawal of the guidelines," the ministry said in a statement issued under the name of spokesman Noh Kyu-duk. "The islets are clearly the territory of Korea which Japan first occupied when it began invading the Korean Peninsula," the statement read. It said if the Japanese government refuses to reflect on its wrongdoing under the imperialism of its past by indoctrinating future generations with false historical facts about Dokdo, the country will lose the opportunity to move forward through historical lessons. "The Korean government will never tolerate any provocations about Dokdo, which is clearly South Korea's territory in terms of historical and geographical perspectives, and also according to international law," it said. The legally binding guidelines are scheduled to be applied for high school textbooks from 2022. In the section about territory, they stipulate that Takeshima, the Kuril Islands and the Senkaku Islands are Japanese territory. Takeshima is the Japanese name for Dokdo. Other than the Dokdo issue, Japan is involved in territorial disputes with Russia over the Kuril Islands and China, over the Diaoyudao Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan. For years, Tokyo has intensified the long-standing territorial disputes through textbook guidelines. Last year, the Japanese government claimed its sovereignty of Dokdo and Diaoyudao Islands, in the revised textbook guidelines for elementary and middle school students. In 2009, Tokyo's bid to claim its territorial rights over Dokdo in the high school textbook guidelines fell apart in the face of a backlash from Seoul. Political parties here criticized Japan's latest move. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea blasted Japan's lack of historical awareness. "Japanese imperialism exploited Dokdo to win the Russo-Japanese War, which led to the colonization of Korea," spokeswoman Kim Hyun said. "Japan's claim on the islets means the nation seeks to resume territorial rights of past colonies," Kim added. "Rather, the Japanese government should sincerely apologize for its crimes against humanity." Two minor liberal parties the Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) and the Justice Party that are moving to form a negotiation body, echoed the criticism. "Japan's move will hamper the diplomatic efforts of Northeast Asian countries to settle peace on the Korean Peninsula," PDP spokeswoman Chang Jung-sook said. The Justice Party pointed out this was part of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's strategy to overcome a deepening personal scandal as well as diplomatic isolation on the North Korean nuclear issue. "The prime minister seems to seek a breakthrough amid a corruption scandal involving his wife, as well as diplomatic isolation. However, the clumsy tactic will fall apart soon. It will further accelerate Japan's isolation," said spokesman Choi Suk. In 1983 Richard Berkowitz and Michael Callen, two gay men in their twenties, published a manual called How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach, under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Sonnabend. At this early point in the AIDS epidemic, it was unclear exactly how the disease spreadwhether from a single agent or a [] In a 2016 employee memo that was leaked this week, a Facebook executive defended the company's questionable data mining practices and championed the growth of social media at any cost - apparently even death. "Maybe it costs a life by exposing someone to bullies," company vice president Andrew Bosworth wrote in the memo, according to BuzzFeed News, which published it Thursday. "Maybe someone dies in a terrorist attack coordinated on our tools. And still we connect people. The ugly truth is that we believe in connecting people so deeply that anything that allows us to connect more people more often is *de facto* good." Facebook executive Andrew Bosworth. Credit:AP Bosworth, who oversaw Facebook's advertising and business platform at the time and is now in charge of the company's virtual reality department, has acknowledged writing the message but said he intended only to start a debate. "I didn't agree with it even when I wrote it," he wrote on Twitter after BuzzFeed published its report. Fashion brand Sambag, known for being worn by A-listers such as Elle Macpherson, is shutting down after 22 years in business. The closure of the bag and ballet flat brand, which owner and creative director Samantha Wagner started in Paddington Markets in 1996 in her mid-20s, is the latest in a series of failures for Australian fashion retailers. Sambag founder Samantha Wagner is closing her Woollahra store. Credit:Michele Mossop Other iconic fashion designers and brands which started out selling at the Paddington Markets include Lisa Ho, who shut up shop in 2013, Collette Dinnigan, Zimmerman and Johnny Schembri. In the early-2010s, Ms Wagner boasted a swathe of shopfronts, spanning Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Hong Kong. Yet nerve agent attack on British soil was something else: a brazen contravention of chemical weapons conventions, the first offensive use of such weapons in Europe since World War II. It was a tipping point. And while experts predict Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue with such behaviour because it suits him politically to pick fights with the West, capitals such as Canberra, Washington and London are telling him that such barefaced affronts as the Novichok attack will not be tolerated. If the West is to sustain its position, the world can expect more confrontation. Strategic scholars regard Russia as a revanchist power - under Putin it wants to restore its lost greatness and expunge what it sees as the humiliation of its Cold War defeat. It lacks many of the fundamentals to do so. Its economy is weak and overly reliant on oil and gas. Its population is ageing. Corruption is rampant. Investigators wear protective suits at the scene of the nerve agent attack in England earlier this month. Credit:AP To achieve its ambitions it therefore relies heavily on hard power: its considerable military might - including a massive nuclear arsenal - and its prowess, developed over many decades, at spying, manipulation, disruption and interference. With a president who spent 16 years at the KGB, with at least six members of its national security council as former KGB members and with a growing share of its federal budget going towards intelligence agencies, Russia is devoting more of its efforts to spying and interference than it has in decades. Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop meets with Russian ambassador to Australia Grigory Logvinov. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen In Australia, it is no secret that while China is the major preoccupation of the intelligence community when it comes to foreign interference, Russia has persisted and indeed grown as a concern. Turnbull said as much when he introduced his governments foreign interference legislation to the Parliament in December, accusing Russia of wreaking havoc across the democratic world. ASIO head Duncan Lewis told a hearing of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security last week: When looking at events such as the reported assassination in the United Kingdom a week or two ago ... we should not consider ourselves immune from such extreme acts. While Australia is not a first-order priority for Moscow, it is significant because it is a Five Eyes member. Its intelligence efforts in Australia have grown, informed observers in Canberra say, partly because Moscow is doing more spying overall, but also because its interest in the Pacific region has grown. It has formed a defence and intelligence relationship with Fiji for instance, which is run partly out of Canberra. The government resolved to expel two Russian spies on the advice of Australian intelligence agencies. They were the two whose expulsion was deemed most effective, though it is likely there are other undeclared agents among the 14 remaining diplomatic staff. The view within the Australian government is that the worldwide effort will cause Russia pain and disruption: 150 spies sent home - some of whom could have been in place for years - is not small beans for a country like Russia. Braced for retaliation: Australia is one of 27 nations to expel Russian diplomats. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Australia is somewhat unusual among the 27 countries that have expelled diplomats, being the only one that is not either in Europe or a member of NATO and therefore doesnt have Russia as an immediate strategic preoccupation. Australia is joining partly because Britain is a close partner but more importantly because right now the perilous state of the international system of rules and norms is of paramount concern to Canberra. And on Friday, the Turnbull government was bracing for an imminent retaliation from Moscow. Canberra has 10 diplomats in Moscow, and it is possible that there are no spies among them. The Australian Secret Intelligence Service is not a huge organisation and it concentrates its finite resources heavily on Asia. As a recipient of US intelligence under the Five Eyes sharing network, there is little sense in ASIS doubling up with the Americans on a patch where it cant be competitive. Loading So where will this tit-for-tat exchange leave us? Part of the challenge, experts say, is that Putin actually wants tensions with the West. Kyle Wilson, who served as a diplomat in Russia and an intelligence analyst with the Office of National Assessments and is now a visiting fellow at the Australian National University, said Moscow would not be particularly perturbed by the diplomatic expulsions. Theres an assumption [Putin] wants good relations [with the West]. He doesnt want good relations, he said. If he does want a rapprochement, it would only be on his terms, Wilson said. That means Russia would have to be treated as equal to the US and China, NATO would be abolished, US troops would leave Europe, and Russia should be free to dictate to the smaller countries to its west and south. Poisoned: Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripa, 66, and his daughter Yulia Skripal, 33. Credit:AP Provocations such as the Skripal poisoning serve his interests - rallying his most important constituency in the Russian secret services and feeding his narrative to the Russian people that the West hates Russia, which is crucial to sustaining his power at home. Its a kind of drumbeat which has become louder and now has become a kind of cacophony: Our enemies, who hate us, are virtually massing at the gates'," says Wilson. Its the oldest card in the political pack. We are surrounded by enemies. This is a time when you need two things: stability and a strong leader'. He cited one respected Russia observer who said the coming years under Putin would be characterised by three things: it would be reactionary, obscurantist and isolationist. Illustration: Richard Giliberto Michael Shoebridge, a former senior Defence official who has recently joined the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the expulsions by 27 countries were an important symbol to show Britain was not alone in deeming the use of a chemical weapon on British soil as an egregious breach of Russias own commitments to international conventions. But he added: I dont think this will change Russias behaviour. To actually affect the Russian leaderships behaviour, its got to be a more sustained set of steps than that, he said. Shoebridge said Julie Bishop was right to highlight chemical weapons conventions - to which Russia is a signatory - in her meeting with the Russian Ambassador Grigory Logvinov on Wednesday afternoon. Loading As a member of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Russia is subject to levers such as so-called challenge inspections that Britain and its friends could demand of Moscow. Australians in Russia have been warned to brace for harassment and a rise in anti-Western sentiment amid worsening political and diplomatic tensions. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued new travel advice for Russia on Sunday amid the ongoing global fallout from the assassination attempt in the UK of double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The Turnbull government last week expelled from Australia two Russian diplomats suspected of being spies as part of a coordinated Western response. Russia has retaliated by expelling Western diplomats, including two Australians. Worsening tensions: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull DFAT says Australians should exercise "a high degree of caution in Russia". Former Howard government minister Jocelyn Newman - one half of a legendary Liberal power couple and mother of former Queensland premier Campbell Newman - has died following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Described by her family as a "true feminist", Mrs Newman died peacefully at Berry on the NSW south coast on Sunday morning, aged 80. Born Jocelyn Mullett in Melbourne in 1937, the tough-talking lawyer entered federal parliament in 1986 - beating out 12 men to win preselection - and served in the Senate for 16 years. Former Howard government minister Jocelyn Newman has died after a long battle with illness. In her first speech to parliament she railed against the "burden of taxation" and "government interference" in people's lives. Melbournes traffic congestion is now as bad as Sydneys, if not worse, Credit:Angela Wylie Just because Tony Abbott advocates a particular course of action doesnt mean its wrong. Nor should his strange decision to launch a book by the anti-immigrant campaigner Pauline Hanson preclude reasonable consideration of his views on contentious issues of the day. Former prime ministers are entitled to be heard, whether you agree with them or not. What Abbott had to say in a recent address at the Sydney Institute about reducing immigration to enable the country to pause while an infrastructure deficit is overcome represents a reasonable response to an extraordinary level of community concern. Jakarta: Protests on the streets of Indonesia's capital are nothing new. From the downfall of former president Suharto, nigh on 20 years ago, when students took to the streets en masse to the more recent protests against former governor Ahok - a lazy 200,000 converged on central Jakarta for one rally in December 2016 - Indonesians aren't afraid to make themselves heard. Gojek, Uber and Grab drivers shut down part of Jakarta on Tuesday to demand equal pay. Credit:James Massola And so, last Tuesday, thousands of ojek (the Bahasa word for motor cycle taxi) drivers swarmed to the Jalan Meda Merdeka Barat, across the road from the Presidential palace, to voice their concern about pay and conditions. The riders worked mostly for GoJek, a local start-up that has grown exponentially in the last three years. Abuja: Four female suicide bombers in their teens have blown themselves up near Maiduguri in Nigeria's restive Borno state, killing one other person, police say. "Thirteen (other people) were injured and were taken to a hospital, where they are responding to treatment," Edet Okon, Borno's police chief, said in a statement on Saturday. The attack late on Friday bears the hallmarks of Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Boko Haram aims to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law and regularly launches suicide attacks in northeastern Nigeria. The group has been known to use young women as suicide bombers. Vika was one of six schoolchildren from the village of Treshchevsky who had travelled 45 kilometres that day to Kemerovo, a trip rewarding them for being good students. As they sat in the theatre watching an animated film, a fire broke out in the four-storey Winter Cherry mall. Vika and her classmates were among the dead. Teacher Oksana Yevseyeva, the trip's chaperone, had left the children to watch the movie themselves in the theatre while she did some shopping. She was on the first floor when the fire broke out above. "I begged the guards to give me a mask and let me in to the children when the fire started, but they said there is smoke everywhere, you will just die," she said. Igor Vostrikov, whose wife, three daughters and a sister died in the fire, told the AP that investigators had let him see him CCTV footage from outside the movie theatre, showing that the entrance doors to the room where they died were locked by a man who was possibly trying to keep the smoke out until a rescue team arrived. On Saturday, he posted a video apparently showing a woman opening the door to that room as smoke began filling the multiplex's hallway but she apparently says nothing. The video showed people fleeing other rooms. Six people have been arrested in the case, including the head of the regional construction inspection agency when the shopping centre was developed in a former candy factory, and the general director of the company that owns the mall. Spartak Moscow football fans hold handmade posters reading "March 25, 2018, mourn, remember, Kemerovo" during a Russian premier league game against Tosno in Moscow on Saturday. Credit:AP But distrust in Russian officials' promises of a thorough investigation is strong. "They're not telling us the truth. Judging by everything, nobody saved the children, they closed them off and abandoned them," said Olga Begeza, whose daughter Diana wanted to go on the trip but couldn't because her mother didn't have the 400 rubles ($9) to pay for it. "It seems that our lives don't count for anything. That's the only thing my family has understood," she said. Complaints about official corruption and incompetence are widespread in Russia, and in Kemerovo they are aggravated by what's seen as an insensitive response from officials. Although Putin visited Kemerovo on Tuesday, he did not speak to a large gathering of demonstrators demanding answers, protesting corruption and calling for regional officials' ouster. Deputy regional governor Sergei Tsivilyov did show up but incurred the crowd's anger when he dismissed as "a PR stunt" concerns that the death toll was far higher than officially reported. People in the Chechen capital Grozny stand behind banners commemorating the lives lost in the Kemerovo mall fire. Credit:AP In a meeting with Putin, regional governor Aman Tuleyev added to the anger by blaming "the opposition" and "local busybodies" for stirring the 10-hour protest. Tuleyev's resignation, after more than 20 years in the post, was announced on Sunday by the Kremlin. Tsivilyov is now the acting governor. In the days after the fire, tens of thousands of people in Moscow, St Petersburg and other cities have streamed to makeshift memorials to the fire victims, bringing flowers and stuffed toys. Officials appear concerned that dismay over the fire could encourage protests that could undermine Putin's mandate just weeks after he won election to a fourth term. Andrei Klimov, head of the committee for defence of state sovereignty in the upper house of parliament, warned that such protests could be exploited by Western countries that want to weaken Russia, echoing the frequent contention that the West is inherently "Russophobic." "With every protest, they try to transfer it into the political plane an example of this is the situation in Kemerovo," he said Friday. Ksenia Pakhomova, a 24-year-old in Kemerovo, complained that state TV channels were more concerned with Putin's reputation than with the city's suffering. "The federal channels are shouting that it's necessary to unite around Putin, bring condolences to Putin. What is happening? I feel like I am in some kind of anti-utopia," said Pakhomova, a regional activist for anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, Putin's most visible foe. Russia has a fire death rate far higher than most countries in the developed world. From 2011 to 2015, it recorded 7.5 deaths per 100,000 residents, more than seven times the per capita fire deaths in the United States, according to the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services. In Kemerovo, some fear that trend will only continue and that others will suffer life-changing losses like theirs. "Such tragedies will be repeated, unless the system of corruption is changed," said Dmitry Kirillov, whose niece died in the Winter Cherry blaze. "The mourning period will end, but their indifference to people never will," Begeza said. This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article. A government is an institution that holds the exclusive power to enforce certain rules of social conduct in a given geographical area. Do men need such an institution -- and why? Since man's mind is his basic tool of survival, his means of gaining knowledge to guide his actions - the basic condition he requires is the freedom to think and to act according to his rational judgment. This does not mean that a man must live alone and that a desert island is the environment best suited to his needs. Men can derive enormous benefits from dealing with one another. A social environment is most conducive to their successful survival - but only on certain conditions. "The two great values to be gained from social existence are: knowledge and trade. Man is the only species that can transmit and expand his store of knowledge from generation to generation; the knowledge potentially available to man is greater than any one man could begin to acquire in his own lifespan; every man gains an incalculable benefit from the knowledge discovered by others. The second great benefit is the division of labor: it enables a man to devote his effort to a particular field of work and to trade with others who specialize in other fields. This form of cooperation allows all men who take part in it to achieve a greater knowledge, skill and productive return on their effort than they could achieve if each had to produce everything he needs, on a desert island or on a self-sustaining farm. "But these very benefits indicate, delimit and define what kind of men can be of value to one another and in what kind of society: only rational, productive, independent men in a rational, productive, free society." ( The Objectivist Ethics.) A society that robs an individual of the product of his effort, or enslaves him, or attempts to limit the freedom of his mind, or compels him to act against his own rational judgment - a society that sets up a conflict between its edicts and the requirements of man's nature is not, strictly speaking, a society, but a mob held together by institutionalized gang-rule. Such a society destroys all the values of human coexistence, has no possible justification and represents, not a source of benefits, but the deadliest threat to man's survival. Life on a desert island is safer than and incomparably preferable to existence in Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany. If men are to live together in a peaceful, productive, rational society and deal with one another to mutual benefit, they must accept the basic social principle without which no moral or civilized society is possible: the principle of individual rights. (See my articles on rights in the April and June 1963 issues of The Objectivist Newsletter.) To recognize individual rights means to recognize and accept the conditions required by man's nature for his proper survival. Man's rights can be violated only by the use of physical force. It is only by means of physical force that one man can deprive another of his life, or enslave him, or rob him, or prevent him from pursuing his own goals, or compel him to act against his own rational judgment. The precondition of a civilized society is the barring of physical force from social relationships - thus establishing the principle that if men wish to deal with one another, they may do so only by means of reason: by discussion, persuasion and voluntary, uncoerced agreement. The necessary consequence of man's right to life is his right to self-defense. In a civilized society, force may be used only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use. All the reasons which make the initiation of physical force an evil, make the retaliatory use of physical force a moral imperative. If some "pacifist" society renounced the retaliatory use of force, it would be left helplessly at the mercy of the first thug who decided to be immoral. Such a society would achieve the opposite of its intention: instead of abolishing evil, it would encourage and reward it. If a society provided no organized protection against force, it would compel every citizen to go about armed, to turn his home into a fortress, to shoot any strangers approaching his door - or to join a protective gang of citizens who would fight other gangs, formed for the same purpose, and thus bring about the degeneration of that society into the chaos of gang-rule, i.e., rule by brute force, into the perpetual tribal warfare of prehistorical savages. An Objective Code The use of physical force - even its retaliatory use cannot be left at the discretion of individual citizens. Peaceful coexistence is impossible if a man has to live under the constant threat of force to be unleashed against him by any of his neighbors at any moment. Whether his neighbors' intentions are good or bad, whether their judgment is rational or irrational, whether they are motivated by a sense of justice or by ignorance or by prejudice or by malice - the use of force against one man can not be left to the arbitrary decision of another. Visualize, for example, what would happen if a man missed his wallet, concluded that he had been robbed, broke into every house in the neighborhood to search it, and shot the first man who gave him a dirty look, taking the look to be a proof of guilt. The retaliatory use of force requires objective rules of evidence to establish that a crime has been committed and to prove who committed it, as well as objective rules to define punishments and enforcement procedures. Men who attempt to prosecute crimes, without such rules, are a lynch mob. If a society left the retaliatory use of force in the hands of individual citizens, it would degenerate into mob rule, lynch law and an endless series of bloody private feuds or vendettas. If physical force is to be barred from social relationships, men need an institution charged with the task of protecting their rights under an objective code of rules. This is the task of a government - of a proper government - its basic task, its only moral justification and the reason why men do need a government. A government is the means of placing the retaliatory use of physical force under objective control - i.e., under objectively defined laws. The fundamental difference between private action and governmental action - a difference thoroughly ignored and evaded today - lies in the fact that a government holds a monopoly on the legal use of physical force. It has to hold such a monopoly, since it is the agent of restraining and combatting the use of force; and for that very same reason, its actions have to be rigidly defined, delimited and circumscribed; no touch of whim or ca price should be permitted in its performance; it should be an impersonal robot, with the law as its only motive power. If a society is to be free, its government has to be controlled. Under a proper social system, a private individual is legally free to take any action he pleases (so long as he does not violate the rights of others) , while a government official is bound by law in his every official act. A private individual may do anything except that which is legally forbidden) a government official may do nothing except that which is legally permitted. This is the means of subordinating "might" to "right." This is the American concept of "a government of laws and not of men." The nature of the laws proper to a free society and the source of its government's authority are both to be derived from the nature and purpose of a proper government. The basic principle of both is indicated in The Declaration of Independence: "to secure these [individual] rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . .'' Since the protection of individual rights is the only proper purpose of a government, it is the only proper subject of legislation: all laws must be based on individual rights and aimed at their protection. All laws must be objective (and objectively justifiable): men must know clearly, and in advance of taking an action, what the law forbids them to do (and why) , what constitutes a crime and what penalty they will incur if they commit it. The source of the government's authority is "the consent of the governed." This means that the government is not the ruler, but the servant or agent of the citizens; it means that the government as such has no rights except the rights delegated to it by the citizens for a specific purpose. There is only one basic principle to which an individual must consent if he wishes to live in a free, civilized society: the principle of renouncing the use of physical force and delegating to the government his right of physical self-defense, for the purpose of an orderly, objective, legally defined enforcement. Or, to put it another way, he must accept the separation of force and whim (any whim, including his own). Now what happens in case of a disagreement between two men about an undertaking in which both are involved? In a free society, men are not forced to deal with one another. They do so only by voluntary agreement and, when a time element is involved, by contract. If a contract is broken by the arbitrary decision of one man, it may cause a disastrous financial injury to the other - and the victim would have no recourse except to seize the of fender's property as compensation. But here again, the use of force cannot be left to the decision of private individuals. And this leads to one of the most important and most complex functions of the government: to the function of an arbiter who settles disputes among men according to objective laws. Criminals are a small minority in any semi-civilized society. But the protection and enforcement of contracts through courts of civil law is the most crucial need of a peaceful society; without such protection, no civilization could be developed or maintained. Man cannot survive, as animals do, by acting on the range of the immediate moment. Man has to project his goals and achieve them across a span of time; he has to calculate his actions and plan his life long-range. The better a man's mind and the greater his knowledge, the longer the range of his planning. The higher or more complex a civilization, the longer the range of activity it requires - and, therefore, the longer the range of contractual agreements among men, and the more urgent their need of protection for the security of such agreements. Even a primitive barter society could not function if a man agreed to trade a bushel of potatoes for a basket of eggs and, having received the eggs, refused to deliver the potatoes. Visualize what this sort of whim-directed action would mean in an industrial society where men deliver a billion-dollars-worth of goods on credit, or contract to build multi-million-dollar structures, or sign ninety-nine-year leases. A unilateral breach of contract involves an indirect use of physical force: it consists, in essence, of one man receiving the material values, goods or services of another, then refusing to pay for them and thus keeping them by force (by mere physical possession) , not by right - i.e., keeping them without the consent of their owner. Fraud involves a similarly indirect use of force: it consists of obtaining material values without their owner's consent, under false pretenses or false promises. Extortion is another variant of an indirect use of force: it consists of obtaining material values, not in exchange for values, but by the threat of force, violence or injury. Some of these actions are obviously criminal. Others, such as a unilateral breach of contract, may not be criminally motivated, but may be caused by irresponsibility and irrationality. Still others may be complex issues with some claim to justice on both sides. But whatever the case may be, all such issues have to be made subject to objectively defined laws and have to be resolved by an impartial arbiter, administering the laws, i.e., by a judge (and a jury, when appropriate) . Observe the basic principle governing justice in all these cases: it is the principle that no man may obtain any values from others without the owners' consent and, as a corollary, that a man's rights may not be left at the mercy of the unilateral decision, the arbitrary choice, the irrationality, the whim of another man. Such, in essence, is the proper purpose of a government: to make social existence possible to men, by protecting the benefits and combating the evils which men can cause to one another. Police, Military, and Courts The proper functions of a government fall into three broad categories, all of them involving the issues of physical force and the protection of men's rights: the police, to protect men from criminals - the armed services, to protect men from foreign invaders - the law courts, to settle disputes among men according to objective laws. These three categories involve many corollary and derivative issues - and their implementation in practice, in the form of specific legislation, is enormously complex. It belongs to the field of a special science: the philosophy of law. Many errors and many disagreements are possible in the field of implementation, but what is essential here is the principle to be implemented: the principle that the purpose of law and of government is the protection of individual rights. Today, this principle is forgotten, ignored and evaded. The result is the present state of the world, with mankind's retrogression to the lawlessness of absolutist tyranny, to the primitive savagery of rule by brute force. In unthinking protest against this trend, some people are raising the question of whether government as such is evil by nature and whether anarchy is the ideal social system. Anarchy, as a political concept, is a naive floating abstraction: for all the reasons discussed above, a society without an organized government would be at the mercy of the first criminal who came along and who would precipitate it into the chaos of gang warfare. But the possibility of human immorality is not the only objection to anarchy: even a society whose every member were fully rational and faultlessly moral, could not function in a state of anarchy; it is the need of objective laws and of an arbiter for honest disagreements among men that necessitates the establishment of a government. A recent variant of anarchistic theory, which is befuddling some of the younger advocates of freedom, is a weird absurdity called "competing governments." Accepting the basic premise of the modern statists - who see no difference between the functions of government and the functions of industry, between force and production, and who advocate government ownership of business - the proponents of "competing governments" take the other side of the same coin and declare that since competition is so beneficial to business, it should also be applied to government. Instead of a single, monopolistic government, they declare, there should be a number of different governments in the same geographical area, competing for the allegiance of individual citizens, with every citizen free to "shop" and to patronize whatever government he chooses. Remember that forcible restraint of men is the only service a government has to offer. Ask yourself what a competition in forcible restraint would have to mean. One cannot call this theory a contradiction in terms, since it is obviously devoid of any understanding of the terms "competition" and "government." Nor can one call it a floating abstraction, since it is devoid of any contact with or reference to reality and cannot be concretized at all, not even roughly or approximately. One illustration will be sufficient: suppose Mr. Smith, a customer of Government A, suspects that his next-door neighbor, Mr. Jones, a customer of Government B, has robbed him; a squad of Police A proceeds to Mr. Jones' house and is met at the door by a squad of Police B, who declare that they do not accept the validity of Mr. Smith's complaint and do not recognize the authority of Government A. What happens then? You take it from there. The History of Government The evolution of the concept of "government" has had a long, tortuous history. Some glimmer of the government's proper function seems to have existed in every organized society, manifesting itself in such phenomena as the recognition of some implicit (if often non-existent) difference between a government and a robber-gang - the aura of respect and of moral authority granted to the government as the guardian of "law and order" - the fact that even the most evil types of government found it necessary to maintain some semblance of order and some pretense at justice, if only by routine and tradition, and to claim some sort of moral justification for their power, of a mystical or social nature. Just as the absolute monarchs of France had to invoke "The Divine Right of Kings," so the modern dictators of Soviet Russia have to spend fortunes on propaganda to justify their rule in the eyes of their enslaved subjects. In mankind's history, the understanding of the government's proper function is a very recent achievement: it is only two-hundred years old and it dates from the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution. Not only did they identify the nature and the needs of a free society, but they devised the means to translate it into practice. A free society-like any other human product cannot be achieved by random means, by mere wishing or by the leaders' "good intentions." A complex legal system, based on objectively valid principles, is required to make a society free and to keep it free - a system that does not depend on the motives, the moral character or the intentions of any given official, a system that leaves no opportunity, no legal loophole for the development of tyranny. The American system of checks and balances was just such an achievement. And although certain contradictions in the Constitution did leave a loophole for the growth of statism, the incomparable achievement was the concept of a constitution as a means of limiting and restricting the power of the government. Today, when a concerted effort is made to obliterate this point, it cannot be repeated too often that the Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals - that it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government - that it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizens' protection against the government. The Law Perverted Now consider the extent of the moral and political in version in today's prevalent view of government. Instead of being a protector of man's rights, the government is becoming their most dangerous violator; instead of guarding freedom, the government is establishing slavery; instead of protecting men from the initiators of physical force, the government is initiating physical force and coercion in any manner and issue it pleases; instead of serving as the instrument of objectivity in human relationships, the government is creating a deadly, subterranean reign of uncertainty and fear, by means of non-objective laws whose interpretation is left to the arbitrary decisions of random bureaucrats; instead of protecting men from injury by whim, the government is arrogating to itself the power of unlimited whim - so that we are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force. It has often been remarked that in spite of its material progress, mankind has not achieved any comparable degree of moral progress. That remark is usually followed by some pessimistic conclusion about human nature. It is true that the moral state of mankind is disgracefully low. But if one considers the monstrous moral inversions of the governments (made possible by the altruist - collectivist morality) under which mankind has had to live through most of its history, one begins to wonder how men have managed to preserve even a semblance of civilization, and what indestructible vestige of self-esteem has kept them walking upright on two feet. One also begins to see more clearly the nature of the political principles that have to be accepted and advocated, as part of the battle for man's intellectual Renaissance. _______ This article -- by the author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead -- appeared in the December, 1963 issue of The Objectivist Newsletter, and was reprinted by permission in the March, 1964 Freeman. Copyright 1963 by The Objectivist Newsletter, Inc., 120 East 34th Street, New York 16, N. Y. Ayn Rand (19051982) was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism. She corresponded with FEE's founder Leonard Read and provided a meaningful intellectual influence over free-market thought in the second half of the twentieth century. Her influence continues to expand through her fiction and nonfiction works and the educational work being done on Objectivism. One dead after shooting on Louisville highway Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. 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! UTICA- The Mohawk Valley Police Academy swore in 30 new officers on Friday night at the Stanley Theatre. They're all headed to a several different law enforcement agencies in the area. They had to endure countless hours of training to earn this honor. NEWSChannel 2 spoke with Deputy Daniel Waltz who will be part of the Oneida County Sheriff's Office. He said he's proud to serve the area. "My father was a fireman, I'm just used to helping people. That's what I've always gravitated towards, and I say from the point where I was about 5 years old, I saw troopers do a bunch of exhibitions on it, that sealed the fate, that's when I knew that's what I wanted to do." NEW YORK- Lawmakers finalized New Yorks $168 billion 2018-19 spending plan early Saturday morning, less than 24 hours before the April 1st deadline. Senator Joseph Griffo and Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi made their way back to Central New York after voting in favor of the 2019 spending plan. What I liked about what we did today was that we invested money into education, said Sen. Joseph Griffo. I believe the investment in our infrastructure was highly important especially when you see so many communities that are struggling." Sen. Griffo told WKTV in his 10th year of voting one thing never changes; voting on the floor late at night. What I dont like is the process, said Griffo. Its still a terrible process in the wee hours of the morning. The budget passed through the New York State Senate at roughly 1:00 a.m Saturday morning. According to Griffos office, it did not pass the Assembly until roughly 4 a.m. Griffo was not the only one on the floor Saturday morning, as Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi was in attendance as well. The best parts of the budget for me are the increases in the schools for Mohawk Valley, said Brindisi. There has been increases in infrastructure for our roads and a big part of it deals with the opioid crisis which is what I support." The Assemblyman did disagree on the budget as well, as he does not believe that legislators should see a pay increase. At a time when many working families haven't seen an increase [in pay] I just think it is wrong that for them to even talk about this, said Brindisi. The 2018-19 budget could be put into effect as early as Fall of 2018. 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 Editor's note: This story contains graphic descriptions of videos that show of the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling. (CNN) -- It took Baton Rouge police Officer Blane Salamoni less than 90 seconds to shoot Alton Sterling, but police took nearly two years to fire the officer and release footage from his body camera. Salamoni's firing Friday was the latest chapter in a tumultuous week for Sterling's family. State officials decided not to file criminal charges against the two officers involved in the fatal 2016 shooting, saying their actions were justified. Days later, police said Salamoni violated use-of-force policies. A second officer, Howie Lake II, was suspended for three days without pay for losing his temper during the incident. And for the first time since the shooting, members of Sterling's family were able to watch several graphic videos of the deadly confrontation. "Today was a troubling day, it was a sad day, but it was a day for truth," L. Chris Stewart, an attorney for the family, told reporters. "Truth that we don't really see too often." Videos show deadly encounter As Baton Rouge police Chief Murphy Paul announced the disciplinary actions against the officers Friday, the department released new videos showing the incident that unfolded as police responded to a 911 call of a man with a gun at a convenience store. Surveillance video from the Triple S Convenience store shows Sterling selling DVDs outside and packing up his goods as Lake arrives and confronts him. When Salamoni arrives to help Lake, he pulls his gun seconds later, according to his body camera video. Ten seconds into the video, as Sterling questions why the officers are trying to detain him, Salamoni shouts, "Don't f----- move or I'll shoot your f---- a--. Put your f------ hands on the car." Video from Lake's body camera shows the officer approaching Sterling, trying to get him to put his hands on the hood of a car, and eventually struggling with him on the ground. During the altercation, another person, presumably Salamoni, screams, "He's got a gun!" and soon thereafter gunshots are heard. When the officers get up, Sterling is lying on the ground outside the front door of the convenience store with a blood-soaked red shirt. A gun is not visible in the video, but Lake tells another officer he put it in his car. The officers had been responding to a call from a homeless man who said Sterling showed him a weapon after he approached Sterling for money. Police have said a .38-caliber handgun was found at the scene. Less than 90 seconds passed from the moment when Lake first approached Sterling to the firing of the final shot, according to a Department of Justice report of the July 5, 2016, shooting. The four videos released Friday include the convenience store surveillance video as well as two police-worn body camera videos and a video recorded by the dashboard camera in one of the police cars. Two bystander videos released not long after the 2016 shooting had captured the final part of Sterling's struggle with the two white officers. Family attorney says Sterling was not violent Stewart said the videos show that Salamoni came at Sterling like "a pit bull and immediately escalated the entire situation." Sterling didn't threaten or put a hand on the officers, Stewart said. He just kept asking Salamoni and Lake what he had done. "It's a tough job; they have to deal with a lot, but (with) high duty comes high expectations," Stewart said. "You're not just a warrior but a guardian. You don't just look after white people, you look after black people and Hispanics and Asians and everyone else." Michael Adams, another attorney for the Sterling family, said the videos released Friday show a different depiction of the man. "Today you saw that Alton Sterling was not some wild, deranged, cocaine-filled, high, big black man who was out of control. The person who was out of control was Blane Salamoni," Adams said. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said earlier this week that Sterling had illicit drugs in his system, which may have contributed to "his noncompliance." An autopsy report by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office indicated Sterling had cocaine, methamphetamine, hydrocodone, a marijuana ingredient, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in his blood. The family's attorneys said Sterling was not violent. "Never once pushed an officer, touched an officer, kicked an officer, did anything," Stewart said. "But yet he ended up dead." 'Fear cannot be a driver' for officers An internal police investigation into Sterling's actions determined the officers' actions "were not minor deviations from policy," Paul said Friday. "Our police officers are held to a higher standard," the chief said. "Fear cannot be a driver for an officer's response to every incident. Unreasonable fear in an officer is dangerous." Salamoni's firing and Lake's suspension are the first serious consequences for the officers since the shooting. They had been accused of violating Sterling's rights under the Fourth Amendment, but federal prosecutors found there wasn't enough evidence to warrant civil rights charges against them. The two officers had separate closed-door disciplinary hearings Thursday. Salamoni chose not to answer any questions, and Lake answered every question, Paul said. Salamoni will appeal, his attorney, John McLindon, said. "Blane understands that he's not going to be a Baton Rouge police officer again," McLindon said. "He wants to more or less clear his name and have a higher authority say what he did was consistent with your training and the law." Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that both officers violated use of force policies. Blane Salamoni was fired for violating use of force policies. Howie Lake II was cited for losing his temper. CNN's Nick Valencia, Steve Almasy and Ralph Ellis contributed to this report. TM & 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A man was arrested after altering company records as well as the employment status of over 100 employees on the same he was fired. Joshua Davis, 42, was arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department in conjunction with the Leon County Sheriff's Office on March 30. On January 27, 2017, an employee with Lucky's Market filed an online police report with the Tallahassee Police Department. The employee advised that the Store Director, Davis, was fired on Jan. 25, 2017 and on the same day his log-on information was used to access the company's records as well as the employment status of over 100 employees. On Feb. 2, 2017, the employee provided a report showing changes made to the store's payroll system, which were done remotely after Davis was fired. In all, Davis accessed 103 employee records online and changed the records by terminating employees and/or changing hourly rates by increasing pay rates. Davis changed 93 employees from being employed to terminated. The reports say changes were made by TALSDIR and that abbreviation was assigned to Davis while he worked at the store. Officers did an IP address search and they determined the IP address was associated with Comcast Cable here in Tallahassee. Officers issued a subpoena to Comcast and on Feb. 17, 2017, Comcast indicated the IP address comes back to Davis. Officers were unable to reach Davis by phone on Feb. 28, 2017 and on June 9, 2017 officers attempted to make contact with Davis at his home on Myers Park Drive, but no one answered the door. Someone later called officers to tell them Davis no longer lives at that address. On March 8, 2018, officers reached Davis by phone. Davis told officers he lives in West Palm now. When officers explained they were calling about him changing employees information after he was fired, Davis replied, "Um, who said I did that?" When officers told him the IP address associated with the changes made online came back to his home, Davis said, "Which residence was that?" When officers asked him if there was a reason he changed employees information, Davis told them, "I'm not saying I did anything." Officers asked Davis if there was any other reason his information would have been used to logon to make the changes, and he replied, "What information was used?" The officers explained to Davis they were going to be getting warrants in this case. He gave officers a short response and said, "If you say so." Davis hung up the phone when officers asked for his date of birth. Davis was arrested and charged with accessing a computer electronic device without authority on March 30. He has since bonded out. Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-18 21:23:53|Editor: ZD Video Player Close Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L), Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela (C) and Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, Panama's vice president and foreign minister, attend a signing ceremony in Panama City, on Sept. 17, 2017. Wang hold the first political consultation between the two governments with his Panamanian counterpart here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Dan Hang) PANAMA CITY, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Sunday that China and Panama can become long-term reliable partners that can enjoy shared progress and prosperity. Wang made the remarks while meeting with Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, Panama's vice president and foreign minister, during his visit to the Latin American country. Over the past more than three months since the two countries established diplomatic ties, the two sides have seen intensive exchanges and early results of bilateral cooperation, said Wang. He noted that China welcomes Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela to visit China later this year so as to boost the two countries' cooperation in economy, trade, investment, industrial capacity, maritime transportation, aviation, tourism and culture. Wang also said China is willing to work with Panama to enhance the political foundation for bilateral ties, adding that he believes Panama will well handle the issue of Taiwan according to their joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations, and carry out its various promises. China is ready to volume up its communications and coordination with Panama in multilateral affairs, and help preserve Panama's legitimate rights on international occasions, he added. For her part, Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado said her country values its traditional friendship with China, and welcomes more Chinese businesses to invest in Panama. The Latin American country hopes to negotiate and reach a free trade agreement with China as early as possible and to cooperate with China in infrastructure, finance, maritime transportation, aviation, tourism and culture so as to benefit the two peoples, she said. Panama supports China's Belt and Road Initiative, and hopes to be a part of it, the minister said, adding that her country would like to be a bridge that links China with other countries in the region. Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado also noted that her country shall firmly abide by the one China policy and implement its promises in the joint communique without having any form of official contacts or exchanges with Taiwan. Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 07:54:32|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close An Iraqi woman flies a kite in a park in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 31, 2018. A kite festival is held here on Saturday, attracting people to walk outdoors and enjoy the sunshine of spring. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood) Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 09:14:42|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close CARACAS, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's attorney-general announced Saturday that five police officials had been arrested for their responsibility in the prison fire and riot which killed 68 people Wednesday. Tarek William Saab tweeted that the five officials in the northern state of Carabobo had been "found to be responsible for the tragic events which led to the death of 68 citizens, in the dungeons of ... the regional police station." He added that the arrests included the deputy director of the Carabobo police, Jose Luis Rodriguez. Saab said the attorney-general's office "would guarantee the clarification of these tragic facts and punish those responsible without distinction." On Wednesday, 66 inmates and two female visitors died when a fire broke out at the headquarters of the Carabobo police. That same day, Saab dispatched four investigators to find out the reason behind the tragedy. On Friday, the Venezuelan government demanded that "the implacable and firm application of the law" befall those responsible. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 10:09:55|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a hold on more than 200 million U.S. dollars in recovery funds for Syria this week, U.S. media reported on Saturday. Trump demanded more information on how the money is being used, senior State Department officials were quoted by CNN as saying. He also reportedly wanted to see other countries step up to the plate and pay more. Earlier on Thursday, Trump said in a speech in the U.S. state of Ohio that that his country will withdraw its troops in Syria "very soon," at odds with the statement of Pentagon spokesperson Dana White on the same day that "important work remains to guarantee the lasting defeat of these violent extremists" in the Middle East country. A State Department spokesperson was quoted by The Hill that the funding is constantly reevaluated, but he did not confirm it was frozen. U.S. media outlets reported that the frozen funding was earmarked for basic infrastructure projects, such as restoring power and water and rebuilding roads. Then U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged the funding last month at a conference in Kuwait. CBS news reported that the decision was relayed to the State Department on Friday in a call that White House chief of staff John Kelly made to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. Trump's remarks have triggered doubts of the U.S. operation in Syria, as two soldiers of the U.S.-led coalition were killed in a roadside bomb attack in the northern Syrian town of Manbij on Thursday. Turkey repeatedly urged Washington and the U.S.-backed People's Protection Units to retreat from Manbij where 2,000 U.S. troops are stationed. YANGON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities have received 1,781 complaints on corruption charges in the first quarter of this year, Myanmar News Agency reported Sunday. According to its recent statement, the anti-corruption commission had received 4,516 complaint letters from across the country since the opening of its office on Nov. 30 last year, complaining about department action, management and administration error, land management, judiciary cases, land acquisition, abuse, bribery and wilful misconduct. Myanmar government has been giving high priority to fight corruption with the anti-corruption commission having drawn up a strategic work plan for 2018 for the move. Myanmar has held a symposium on anti-corruption in Yangon on Jan. 22-23, 2018 under the theme of "Promoting integrity to Counter Corruption." The symposium was jointly organized by the Myanmar Anti-Corruption Commission and the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC). Myanmar is a member country to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and South East Asia Parties against Corruption (SEA-PAC). Moreover, Myanmar has signed a memorandum of understanding with Thailand and Vietnam to fight against corruption. Myanmar's Anti-Corruption Law took effect in September 2013 and the Anti-Corruption Commission was formed in 2014 and was reformed in November 2017. Source: Xinhuanet| 2018-04-01 10:35:11|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Photo provided by John Ross BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhuanet) -- President Xi Jinpings concept of a common future for humanity from its inception has been the most coherent analysis of global affairs, said British expert John Ross in a recent interview with Xinhuanet. He is currently a Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. In his eyes, this concept, particularly since President Xis speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2017, is now increasingly accepted internationally. Its big impact lies in that it integrates in a coherent way the different aspects of foreign policy, from economic foundations to precise relations between countries, he explained. On the economic front, Ross held that Chinas foreign policies, including its support of globalization, the win-win concept as well as the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, directly build on its economic foundation. He mentioned the reform and opening up policy, stressing that it is integrally linked to the concept of community with shared future for mankind. On the relations between countries, Ross appreciated Xis words one plus one can be greater than two, believing that it refuted the claim that international relations are a zero sum game. This is because the age when big economies could be self-contained has gone, he explained. The modern world is necessarily international in scope, he added. Saying that diversity is not a disadvantage, something to be feared, but it contributes to human development, Ross shared his insights into this concept, which pursues shared destiny of humanity, recognition of diversity, and equality of countries. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 10:50:04|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Gu Zhenqiu, Jin Jing, Zhang Jiawei CAMBRIDGE, Britain, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The late world-known physicist Stephen Hawking has inspired the study of the universe, and his legacy "will live forever," a post-doctoral student, who followed the professor in studying black holes in 2010, on Saturday told Xinhua. Pau Figueras Barnera, who started his research within Hawking's group at the University of Cambridge eight years ago, said that "it is an absolutely astonishing turnout" at the funeral, which was held at the Great St Marys Church in the British university city Saturday afternoon. "The very touching moment was when his son was talking about his experience of what it was to be Stephen Hawking's son," Figueras said in an interview with Xinhua shortly after he attended the private memorial service. "The ceremony itself, as you know, wasn't very religious," he said. Figueras is Hawking's advanced research fellow and visiting academic at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. He is also a research fellow and reader at the School of Mathematical Sciences at the School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary, in the University of London. Hawking, who had motor neurone disease, died on March 14 at the age of 76 at his home in Cambridge. He achieved international renown after the publication of his book "A Brief History of Time" in 1988. Thousands of well-wishers filled the Cambridge streets around the church for the funeral. Flags were lowered to half-mast in many parts of the city to pay tribute to the great scientist, who was crippled from a young age by the degenerative disease. "Despite his disability, he very much enjoyed his life," he said. "THE ORACLE" Figueras described Hawking as "the oracle," a temple in ancient Greece where people were supposed to get the interpreted messages from the heaven. "Professor Hawking is the oracle, he can understand and interpret messages from the universe," he said. Hawking contributed to the study of the universe but is perhaps best known for his work on the properties of black holes, Figueras said. Hawking inspired global research on the topic, he added. A black hole is a great amount of matter packed into a very small area -- think of a star tens times more massive than the Sun squeezed into a sphere approximately the diameter of New York City. The result is a gravitational field so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. The term was not coined until 1967 by Princeton physicist John Wheeler. Scientists began to study black holes in the 1970s, Figueras said. "The way a black hole worked was not understood at that time. Even now, it's not fully understood." "Stephen was a pilot in this field," he said. "His legacy inspires people to explore the origin of the universe. The issue of black holes are still being pursued by scientists after his death. His legacy will live forever." Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 11:20:09|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close YANGON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- More than 1.1 million employees nationwide in Myanmar are enjoying social security insurance, according to a report of the official Global New Light of Myanmar Sunday. The authorities are now offering healthcare services to unhealthy individuals with social security numbers through nearly 100 clinics, three workers' hospitals and one traditional medicine hospital, U Maung Maung Aye, Director-General of the Social Security Board (SSB), was quoted as saying. Mobile medical treatment is also being made available to the employees, he said. Aimed at supporting the development of the country's economy by helping workers enjoy more security in social life and healthcare through the collective guaranty of the employer, worker and the country, Myanmar's parliament enacted the new Social Security Law in 2012, which came into force on April 1, 2014. Under the law, the SSB is now implementing health and social care insurance system, family assistance insurance system and invalidity benefit insurance system, according to the report. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 11:25:11|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa speaks in an interview with Xinhua and other Chinese media in Harare, Zimbabwe, March 31, 2018. Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Saturday his country is seeking deeper economic ties with China to leapfrog its economy battered by years of Western sanctions. Mnangagwa will pay a state visit to China on April 2-6. (Xinhua/Chen Yaqin) by Zhang Yuliang, Gretinah Machingura HARARE, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Saturday his country is seeking deeper economic ties with China to leapfrog its economy battered by years of Western sanctions. Mnangagwa will travel to China for a state visit from April 2 to 6 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, marking his first state visit outside Africa as Zimbabwean president since taking office last November. Speaking to Xinhua before his visit to China, Mnangagwa said his administration's priority is to revive the economy and make Zimbabwe a middle-class income country by 2030, which needs deeper economic ties with China. Zimbabwe will seek to tap into the huge financial resources, technical expertise and modern technology of its all-weather friend China, Mnangagwa said. He said he had chosen China first outside Africa to thank the Asian country for standing by Zimbabwe during its most difficult times. "I will say thank you not only to the president of China but also the people of China for standing and supporting Zimbabwe during the hard times when the West imposed sanctions on us," Mnangagwa said. "I have no doubt that in the economic forum meetings that I am going to address in China, I will be able to invite investors to come to Zimbabwe from China and tell them the opportunities that exist here and the environment, the security of investment that we have created in our own jurisdiction," he added. He said Zimbabwe had lost too much time with its economy and needed to move with speed in embracing new technologies. Boosting both domestic and foreign direct investment was key to growing the economy, he said. "The issue is not only about attracting capital into Zimbabwe. It's an issue of leapfrogging after 18 years of isolation so that we catch up with the rest of the developing countries," Mnangagwa said. Mnangagwa said he will describe his vision for Zimbabwe, as well as targets and challenges to achieve it. "We must have deeper economic relations with China. We know the road that we need to follow to grow our economy. We have priorities set out and we know the goals that we want to meet," he said. Investment opportunities in Zimbabwe, he said, exist in many sectors including infrastructure, agriculture, mining, transport and tourism, among others. Mnangagwa, who came to China for training in the 1960s, said he had great admiration for Xi's efforts to combat corruption, the same thing he is doing in Zimbabwe, which helps economic development. Under a 100-day program, the new Zimbabwe administration implemented reforms including improving the ease of doing business to attract investment. Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party, he said, would continue to learn from the Communist Party of China and deepen relations with it as it has set a perfect example of good leadership to other political parties over the years, and was also one of the political parties that helped Zimbabwe to win independence from Britain in 1980. China has steadily improved its economic ties with Africa under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and Zimbabwe would continue to deepen cooperation with the Asian country under the platform, Mnangagwa said. On the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by his Chinese counterpart in 2013, Mnangagwa hailed it as a progressive initiative that will enhance global trade. He said Zimbabwe will fully participate in the initiative for the benefit of its economy. "The Belt and Road Initiative is indeed a vision for the future," Mnangagwa said. "Zimbabwe is one of those countries that has embraced it." Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 11:30:13|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia has signed a deal with leading U.S. aerospace manufacturer Boeing Company to establish a joint project in the Arabian kingdom. The aim of the project is to localize more than 55 percent of Saudi Arabia's aircraft-related technology, according to local media. The cooperation in technology includes maintenance, repairs and rehabilitation of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, as well as weapon technology maintenance, according to the Saudi Gazette. The signing ceremony held in Seattle on Friday was attended by the visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. The Crown Prince's multi-week U.S. tour is focused on attracting U.S. technology and investments in various fields including green energy. A memorandum of understanding was signed on Wednesday with Japan's SoftBank Group Corp to build the world's biggest solar farm in the Kingdom. The deals concluded during the state visit are believed to facilitate Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan to diversify its traditionally oil-dependent economy. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 11:35:15|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close Photo taken on April 1, 2018 shows the collapsed building in Madhya Pradesh, India. The death toll in building collapse in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh Sunday rose to 10 as rescue teams struggled hard to locate bodies and survivors, officials said. (Xinhua/Stringer) NEW DELHI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in building collapse in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh Sunday rose to 10 as rescue teams struggled hard to locate bodies and survivors, officials said. The building collapsed Saturday night near the crowded Sarvate bus stand in Indore district, about 195 km southwest of Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh. "Last night 10 people were killed and three others injured after a building collapsed here," a local government official said. "The injured have been admitted in a nearest hospital." Authorities feared many people are trapped under the debris of the collapsed building. According to police, the building housed a lodge and most of the victims were staff and guests staying at the top three floors. "The old building which was in dilapidated condition collapsed after a vehicle rammed into one of its pillars," a police official said. "Following the incident, police force, disaster management force personnel and fire fighters reached the spot to carry out rescue work." Reports said local government officials have moved in heavy machinery and excavators to the spot to intensify rescue operations. Authorities have ordered a probe into the building collapse. "A detailed inquiry will be held to ascertain the reason behind the building collapse," Sanjay Dubey, Indore Commissioner told media. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have condoled the deaths in the incident. LONDON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Tensions continue to run high between Britain and Russia, with Moscow questioning the legitimacy an alleged search of a Russian passenger plane by British officials at London's airport on Friday, amid the aftermath of Salisbury spy poisoning incident. According to Russia's Aeroflot airline, British authorities searched the SU2583 jet at London's Heathrow Airport on Friday without any explanation, in violation of the international practices. The Russian Embassy to Britain termed the event as "extraordinary" and called it a "blatant provocation" by the British authorities in a statement released Friday. It said it is "prohibited by the rules in force" for British officials to search the aircraft without the crew present, and the captain was allowed to take part in the search after "long negotiations." The embassy also said the British officers refused to provide any written document that would specify the reasons for their actions, their legal foundation, and their outcome. The Russian embassy said it has sent a diplomatic note demanding the British side provide an explanation, saying it reserved the right to act similarly against British airlines in Russia. British Security Minister Ben Wallace said in a statement that it was "routine for Border Force to search aircraft to protect the UK from organized crime and from those who attempt to bring harmful substances like drugs or firearms into the country." The Russia embassy also suggested in its statement that the plane search was in connection with the diplomatic crisis which has erupted following the poisoning incident in England. Relations between Russia and the West have been strained after former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping center in Britain's Salisbury on March 4. Moscow denies involvement in the incident. On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Britain must cut over 50 more of its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia, after it summoned the British ambassador and told him on Friday that London has one month to downsize its diplomats stationed in Russia to the same level as Russia has in Britain. Russia has already ejected 23 British diplomats and informed ambassadors of 23 countries of its decision to expel employees of their diplomatic missions in Russia in a tit-for-tat response to the West. More than two dozen countries announced the expulsion of around 150 Russian diplomats, in a sign of support to Britain, which has expelled 23 of them. (Xinhua reporter Liang Xizhi in London has contributed to the story) Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 14:00:35|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China has made significant headway in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative with the country's further opening up, according to Standard Chartered Bank. China is seeing stronger trade links with Belt and Road countries while its outbound investment and project construction have accelerated along the network, said a Standard Chartered global research report. In 2017, China's non-financial outbound direct investment in 59 Belt and Road countries amounted to 14.4 billion U.S. dollars, latest data from the Ministry of Commerce showed. The value of newly signed contracts by Chinese enterprises in 61 Belt and Road countries surged 14.5 percent year on year to 144.3 billion dollars in 2017. "We have seen a steady increase in our own activity in the Belt and Road region," said Bill Winters, Standard Chartered Group chief executive, positive about the market potential under the initiative. China will work toward building major international corridors and increase cooperation in streamlining customs clearance along the routes, said the government work report delivered to the first session of the 13th National People's Congress. A multi-tier financing mechanism under the initiative is placing focus on development financing and financing from commercial banks, according to Winters. With branches and offices in 45 Belt and Road markets which cover almost 70 percent of its global footprint, Standard Chartered announced in 2017 it will support the Belt and Road by facilitating financing of at least 20 billion dollars by 2020. According to Winters, the company is aligned with the initiative, including "casting an economic influence from China to other parts of the world to benefit the broader community." Belt and Road investments are being seen in increasingly diversified sectors, with a growing presence of privately owned enterprises as well as small and medium-sized businesses, said Jerry Zhang, executive vice chairman and CEO of Standard Chartered China. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is considered pivotal in the coordination of the Belt and Road and is also now a priority for Standard Chartered in China. China will unveil and implement the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, among other moves to promote coordinated regional development of the country this year, said the government work report. The "collective ecosystem" combines China's innovation center, biggest financial center, and global manufacturing hub, Benjamin Hung, the bank's regional CEO for greater China and north Asia and CEO of retail banking, told Xinhua. "Nowhere in the world are these three components within a 45-minute traveling radius via high-speed rail," he said. The Greater Bay Area could be an ideal location to explore FinTech development and provide cutting-edge digital banking services for Chinese companies that represent China's new economy, according to a Standard Chartered report. Standard Chartered Bank marks its 160th anniversary of operations in China in 2018. "As a participator, contributor, and beneficiary of China's 40 years of reform and opening-up, we are committed to continuing to participate in the opening up and reform, and contributing to China's sustained economic development for the next 160 years," added Winters. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 14:20:38|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close JALALABAD, Afghanistan, April 1 (Xinhua) -- At least four militants affiliated to the hardliner Islamic State (IS) group were killed and their attack to expand foothold in Haska Mina district in eastern Afghanistan has been failed, provincial police spokesman Hazrat Hussain Mashriqwal said Sunday. "A group of IS militants attacked a police checkpoint in Haska Mina district late Saturday to strengthen their grip in the area, but police returned fire killing four attackers on the spot and forcing others to flee," Mashriqwal told Xinhua. Two more militants were injured in the firefight which lasted for a while, the official added. According to the official, no security personnel has been hurt in the fight. IS militants who are active in Haska Mina and the neighboring Achin district haven't commented. An Aeroflot Airbus A319-111 was seen at Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow on Dec. 1, 2014. (Web photo/Anna Zvereva) LONDON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Tensions continue to run high between Britain and Russia, with Moscow questioning the legitimacy an alleged search of a Russian passenger plane by British officials at London's airport on Friday, amid the aftermath of Salisbury spy poisoning incident. According to Russia's Aeroflot airline, British authorities searched the SU2583 jet at London's Heathrow Airport on Friday without any explanation, in violation of the international practices. The Russian Embassy to Britain termed the event as "extraordinary" and called it a "blatant provocation" by the British authorities in a statement released Friday. It said it is "prohibited by the rules in force" for British officials to search the aircraft without the crew present, and the captain was allowed to take part in the search after "long negotiations." Photo taken on March 14, 2018 shows a general view of the exterior of the Russian Embassy in London, Britain. (Xinhua/Stephen Chung) The embassy also said the British officers refused to provide any written document that would specify the reasons for their actions, their legal foundation, and their outcome. The Russian embassy said it has sent a diplomatic note demanding the British side provide an explanation, saying it reserved the right to act similarly against British airlines in Russia. British Security Minister Ben Wallace said in a statement that it was "routine for Border Force to search aircraft to protect the UK from organized crime and from those who attempt to bring harmful substances like drugs or firearms into the country." The Russia embassy also suggested in its statement that the plane search was in connection with the diplomatic crisis which has erupted following the poisoning incident in England. Relations between Russia and the West have been strained after former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping center in Britain's Salisbury on March 4. Moscow denies involvement in the incident. Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia (Front) addresses a Security Council emergency meeting regarding accusations of the use of a nerve agent in the United Kingdom at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on March 14, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Britain must cut over 50 more of its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia, after it summoned the British ambassador and told him on Friday that London has one month to downsize its diplomats stationed in Russia to the same level as Russia has in Britain. Russia has already ejected 23 British diplomats and informed ambassadors of 23 countries of its decision to expel employees of their diplomatic missions in Russia in a tit-for-tat response to the West. More than two dozen countries announced the expulsion of around 150 Russian diplomats, in a sign of support to Britain, which has expelled 23 of them. (Xinhua reporter Liang Xizhi in London has contributed to the story) Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 14:50:45|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close NANJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) start-up Singulato Motors announced Saturday plans to invest 15 billion yuan (2.39 billion U.S. dollars) in the manufacturing hub of east China's Suzhou over the next five years. A partnership between the company and the Suzhou city government covers research and development, production and industrial investment in the NEV industry. Singulato Motors will set up a global research and development center in the city and will employ about 2,000 to 3,000 researchers in next five years to focus on advanced technologies like autonomous driving. A production base for the company's high-quality compact vehicles will also be opened in Suzhou, after Singulato Motors decided to build a plant producing mid- and large-size cars in east China's Tongling in 2016. The two sides will establish a 10-billion-yuan industrial investment fund to nurture more start-ups in the industry. Singulato Motors, established in December 2014, covers businesses including NEVs, intelligent vehicle systems, and cloud car networking services. Strategic government support help the NEV sector thrive and Singulato Motors will seek mutually beneficial outcomes via the partnership, said Shen Haiyin, CEO of the company. NEVs are gaining popularity in China, the world's largest auto market, thanks to a string of supportive policies as they help reduce fossil fuel consumption and address air pollution. Over 770,000 NEVs were sold in China last year, up 53.3 percent year on year. The country's stock of NEVs reached over 1.6 million, about half of the world's total. DHAKA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and some 26 others injured when a passenger bus veered off the road and fell into a ditch in Bangladesh's Gopalganj district, some 127 km southwest of capital Dhaka, early Sunday. Ejajul Islam, a Highway Police official, said that the accident occurred at around 3:00 a.m. (local time) Sunday as the bus driver lost control over the steering and plunged the vehicle into a ditch. "The passenger bus fell into a road side ditch, leaving six passengers dead on the spot and some 28 were injured,"he said. Two of the injured died later at a local hospital, he added. Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates for road accidents in the world mainly due to shoddy highways, poorly maintained vehicles, violation of traffic rules by inept drivers and lack of monitoring of the traffic department. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 15:20:48|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close Children take part in a wrestling competition in Kengdong Village, Qiandongnan of southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 31, 2018. A traditional Wrestling Festival was held here on Saturday, in which people from more than ten ethnic minorities took part. (Xinhua/Yang Chengli) SEOUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Combined forces of South Korea and the United States on Sunday launched the planned joint springtime war game, local media reports said. Citing Seoul's defense ministry, local media reported that the Foal Eagle field training exercise started early Sunday as announced. It would last for about four weeks, while the Key Resolve computer-simulated command post exercise would continue for two weeks from mid-April. The defense ministries of the two countries announced plans on March 20 that they had agreed to resume the delayed annual war games from April 1 in a similar scale to the one last year. The joint military exercises were postponed to make the South Korea-hosted Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games a peace Olympic. In 2017, the Key Resolve and the Foal Eagle had continued for about two months from March 1, mobilizing strategic U.S. military assets such as nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, nuclear-capable submarine, strategic bomber and stealth fighter jets. For this year's military drills, the combined forces allegedly planned to minimize the U.S. strategic asset mobilization. Even if the strategic military assets are deployed to the Korean Peninsula, it would not be made public. The number of U.S. soldiers to be mobilized to the joint drills would be similar with last year, with 12,200 U.S. troops participating in the Key Resolve and 11,500 U.S. soldiers in the Foal Eagle. About 290,000 South Korean forces will be mobilized to the military exercises. Meanwhile, peace activists demanded the two countries stop conducting the joint war games. The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) said in a statement that the war games were still massive in scale and aggressive in nature though they were scaled down this year, noting that the military drills were carried out under the scenario of military conflicts requiring a U.S. reinforcement to the peninsula. It would be a basic action, the statement said, to stop all military actions targeting each other while dialogue lasts. It urged the two allies to consider stopping the scheduled joint war game in the second half of this year for peace on the peninsula. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 15:40:52|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China will launch an inspection on shoddy steel products and excess steel capacity from May to June, according to the nation's top economic planner. The inspection aims to prevent steel companies from breaking a ban on low-quality steel made from scrap metal or restoring excess capacity that has been eliminated, said Shui Hengyong, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The inspection will be organized by an inter-ministerial mechanism, which has staff from 25 government agencies and industry associations. China plans to cut ineffective steel capacity by 30 million tonnes this year. Government efforts will be focused on disposing of "zombie firms" in the industry this year, Shui told a forum on Saturday. Work will also be done to help redundant workers, dispose debt and speed up restructuring and upgrading, according to the official. Cutting overcapacity in bloated sectors like steel and coal has been high on the government work agenda in recent years as production gluts ate into corporate profits and dragged economic growth. With progress in the capacity cuts, steel prices rose last year, leading to improved profits for producers and luring some to resume the eliminated capacity. In 2016 and 2017, the country reduced more than 120 million tonnes of steel capacity, accounting for 80 percent of the 150 million-tonne cut targeted by the government for the 2016-2020 period, Luo Tiejun, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said at the forum. The country also phased out the production capacity of 140 million tonnes of low-quality steel made from scrap metal last year. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 16:10:58|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The first annual fishing ban began on China's Yellow River on Sunday, in an effort to protect fishery resources and biodiversity in the second longest river in the country. The ban, which will be effective until June 30, covers the main stream, three major lakes, and 13 tributaries of the Yellow River, according to a previous statement from the Ministry of Agriculture. In Binzhou in east China's Shandong Province, the local fisheries regulator has taken measures to ensure that the ban is strictly implemented. "There should be no fishing boats or nets in the Yellow River, and no fish caught from the river on the market," according to an order. In Qihe County, local authorities have advised fishermen of the ban through various means of communication, including WeChat messages, posters, and notices in local newspapers. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, fishing for scientific studies, and taming and breeding purposes during the ban period should be approved by authorities of provincial or higher levels. Provinces and autonomous regions can extend the fishing ban according to local needs, said the ministry. China has also imposed a fishing ban along the Yangtze River, the longest river in the country. The annual ban, which runs from March 1 to June 30, covers the spawning season for most of the river's aquatic life. It includes the entire river as well as key tributaries and lakes. A similar fishing ban has applied to the Huaihe River, which runs almost parallel between the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 16:10:58|Editor: ZD Video Player Close Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi April 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) HANOI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China and Vietnam promised on Sunday to seek closer synergy between their development strategies and continue to carry forward their traditional friendship. The pledge came during a meeting here between Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi who is currently on an official visit to the country. Wang said that during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Vietnam in November last year, the leaders of the two countries conducted in-depth strategic communications on deepening bilateral relations and reached important political consensus. According to Wang, the two-way trade between China and Vietnam topped 100 billion U.S. dollars last year, and personnel exchanges exceeded 10 million. "All these not only reflect the sound momentum of the current relations between the two countries, but also demonstrate the broad prospect of the future of their bilateral relations," he said. Wang called on the two sides to seize the opportunities to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two countries, earnestly implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and steer the bilateral ties in the right direction and usher in a new prospect of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. China stands ready to work with Vietnam to maintain close high-level contacts, strengthen the synergy of their development strategies, advance pragmatic cooperation in various fields, cautiously handle maritime issues, explore ways of joint development so as to create favorable conditions for the all-round cooperation between the two countries, he said. The Vietnamese president, for his part, said the Chinese government sent State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to attend the 6th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation leaders' Meeting, demonstrating that China attaches great importance to the Sino-Vietnamese relations. The relations between the two parties and two countries have enjoyed positive development, said Tran. The successful state visit by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping to Vietnam in November last year further boosted the political mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, making Vietnam-China relationship a highlight in the complicated and turbulent international situation, he said. Vietnam attaches great importance to developing the traditional friendship between the two sides and is willing to earnestly implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two parties, promote exchanges on governance experiences, better dovetail China's Belt and Road Initiative with Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan and push forward trade and subnational cooperation between the two countries, the Vietnamese president added. On Saturday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also met with Wang, and the two sides expressed willingness to strengthen the strategic alignment of respective development plans. Wang said that during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Vietnam, he and Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, reached important political consensus on the highest level. The two sides should implement the achievements of the visit, put more efforts on strengthening and developing the strategic alignment, properly handle problems emerging from the cooperation process, so as to push forward China-Vietnam relations to bear new fruits, Wang said. He also expressed willingness for China to continue to participate in the process of the GMS Economic Cooperation, and hoped this mechanism will complement the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, so that they can boost regional development, build a community of shared destiny among subregional countries, and contribute to the construction of a community of a shared future for humanity. For his part, Nguyen said Vietnam supports China's Belt and Road Initiative, and is willing to actively promote the alignment of Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" with China's Belt and Road Initiative, and propel bilateral cooperation in fields such as trade and commerce, and land infrastructure. The two sides also exchanged views on maritime issues, agreeing that both sides should jointly safeguard maritime peace and stability, and create a friendly environment for all-round cooperation. Wang is paying an official visit to Vietnam after attending the 6th summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation held in Hanoi from Friday to Saturday. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 16:46:02|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A partial agreement has been reached between the rebels and the Russians in the last rebel-held district in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of the Syrian capital Damascus, a monitor group reported on Sunday. While a final agreement in the Douma district hasn't been reached between the Islam Army rebels and the Russian side, the partial deal will see the evacuation of 1,300 civilians, including activists, to rebel-held areas in northern Syria, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Those civilians will evacuate Douma through the corridor between Douma and the government-controlled Wafideen area northeast of Damascus, according to the observatory. Negotiations between the Russians and the Islam Army have been ongoing for quite some time, in an attempt to reach an understanding similar to what has been reached in major areas in Eastern Ghouta, where the rebels and their families have completely evacuated their key areas. After the last batch left the towns of Jobar, Arbeen, Zamalka and Ayn Tarma on Saturday evening, the entire Eastern Ghouta has become under the government control except for Douma, which is the largest and most densely-populated area in Eastern Ghouta. In its offensive that started late last month, the Syrian army captured large swathes of Eastern Ghouta and when it got close to the four towns, the rebels of Failaq al-Rahman asked for their evacuation. The observatory said the only obstacle in the negotiations between the Islam Army and the Russians is the destination of 60,000 rebels and their families in Douma, a large number in comparison with the number that has evacuated the four towns as local reports placed the number of rebels and their families who evacuated other areas of Eastern Ghouta at around 40,000 people. Eastern Ghouta, a 105-square-km agricultural region consisting of several towns and farmlands, poses the last threat to the capital due to its proximity to government-controlled neighborhoods east of Damascus and ongoing mortar attacks that target residential areas in the capital, pushing people over the edge. Four major rebel groups have been in control of Eastern Ghouta since 2012, namely the Islam Army, Failaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham, and the Levant Liberation Committee, known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. GABORONE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Former Vice President and ruling party chief Mokgweetsi Masisi has been inaugurated as the president of Botswana on Sunday in Gaborone, capital of the country, taking over from Seretse Khama Ian Khama, who has retired from presidency. According to the constitution of Botswana, a president serves for two five-year terms and hands over the power to his or her deputy one year before the end of duty. Masisi assumed the country's leadership just over 18 months before the country's national elections scheduled for October 2019. Botswana does not have a direct presidential election. The leader of the country is chosen by the political party with the majority of Members of Parliament (MPs). Currently, the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has the majority in this southern African nation's national assembly. The following is a personal profile of Mokgweetsi Masisi. Born on July. 21, 1962, Masisi graduated from the Florida State University in the United States, where he majored in Social Studies Education and Instructional Systems Design. In 2008, he won the BDP primary elections and became the party's parliamentary candidate for Moshupa (a village situated some 100km southwest of Gaborone) and subsequently secured the position in the October 2009 general elections. In October 2009, he was appointed assistant minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration at the State Presidency. In January 2011, he was appointed minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration. He oversaw a poverty eradication program and the expansion of broadcasting capacity by Botswana Television (BTV) and Radio Botswana. In April 2014, he was appointed acting minister at the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, until the general elections on 24th October, 2014. In October 2014, he was re-elected Member of Parliament for Moshupa-Manyana Constituency and thereafter, appointed the minister of Education and Skills Development. In November 2014, he was endorsed as the eighth vice president of Botswana and was given the responsibility of overseeing government programs, covering poverty eradication, economic diversification drive and employment creation. Masisi became the chairperson of the ruling party BDP in July 2015 and retained in July 2017. Masisi lives in Gaborone. His wife is Neo Jane Masisi (nee Maswabi) and their marriage has been blessed with a daughter. Photo taken on April 28, 2016 shows Sudan, the last male northern white rhino in the world, eating at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Nanyuki, Kenya. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) NAIROBI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan wildlife officials and global wildlife conservationists on Saturday converged at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in northern Kenya where a memorial service for the late world's only remaining male northern white rhino fondly named Sudan took place. Kenya's cabinet secretary for tourism and wildlife, Najib Balala, and hundreds of conservationists graced the memorial service to honor Sudan who died on March 19 at the age of 45 after battling complications related to old age. Balala, while unveiling a plaque in honor of Sudan who weighed about 3 tonnes, reiterated Kenya's commitment to protecting the giant land mammals like elephants and rhinos whose survival is at stake due to poaching and climatic shocks. "Sudan represented the endangered species that today we have lost. We have a role to play in order to save this species," said Balala. "We want to start a campaign that this heritage is not about the government. It is not about tourists coming and watching animals but it is ours to preserve," he added. The last remaining male northern white rhino in the planet was born in 1973 in the wild Africa and later transferred to a zoo in Europe until 2009 when it was relocated to Ol Pejeta conservancy. Sudan has left behind his biological daughter Najin and a grand daughter Fatu, whom he lived with at the Ol Pejeta conservancy located in northern Kenyan county of Laikipia. Balala said Kenya will honor the memory of Sudan by devoting greater efforts to protect an estimated 1,200 remaining population of rhinos in the country. At the same time, the Cabinet Secretary lauded China for banning of trade in ivory, saying the move will boost protection of elephants and rhinos. China honors its commitment to ending commercial processing and sales of ivory by the end of 2017. "We want to thank China for the great job they have done by banning trade of ivory in China and we want to encourage the rest of the world to do the same thing," said Balala. Sudan's demise has triggered urgency by international scientists and conservationists to rally behind modern reproductive technologies in a bid to ensure northern white rhino species do not become extinct. Richard Vigne, the CEO of Ol Pejeta Conservancy, said that various technologies are being explored to halt total extinction of northern white rhinos. "Najin and Fatu are the world's last remaining female northern white rhinos and they are under 24 hour protection. So far the technology for the recovery of the species has managed to remove eggs from southern white rhinos in European zoos," said Vigne. "Those eggs have not yet been fertilized to a point they can be frozen as embryos, but experimentation is continuing to perfect that process," he added. Vigne revealed that international scientists will soon visit Ol Pejeta conservancy to remove eggs from the last two remaining female northern white rhinos and preserve them for future breeding through modern reproductive technologies. On Saturday, a somber mood engulfed Ol Pejeta conservancy as wildlife enthusiasts paid their last respect to Sudan. James Mwenda, the lead care taker at Ol Pejeta conservancy, said the death of Sudan served as a powerful reminder to humanity to intensify efforts to save endangered wildlife species. "We are determined to use all the lessons we have learnt from Sudan to be the driving force in conservation of wildlife. What we lost will always be on our hearts," said Mwenda. JAKARTA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The search and rescue operation for three missing people continued on Sunday amid efforts to clean up leaked oil after an oil tanker caught fire in waters off central Indonesia, an official said. Personnel from navy, water police, search and rescue office, and disaster management agency combed the waters off Balikpapan Gulf, said Muriyono, head of the operational unit at the provincial disaster management agency. Two bodies were retrieved after the ship loaded with diesel fuel caught fire on Saturday, he confirmed. The official said that oil had leaked into the waters and personnel from the state-owned PT. Pertamina were attempting to contain the leaking. "The tanker ship was loaded with diesel fuel, which has leaked into the waters. Now, the personnel from Pertamina are trying to neutralize the risks," Muriyono told Xinhua. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 18:01:20|Editor: ZD Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Green Leader (Cambodia) Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of China's Hong Kong-based Green Leader Holdings Group, on Sunday began the construction of its first cassava processing plant in Cambodia's southeastern Kratie province. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhay Ly, chairman of the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development, along with Veng Sakhon, minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and Zhang Sanhuo, chairman of Green Leader Holdings Group, attended the ground-breaking ceremony, according to a statement released by the Agriculture Ministry. The 20-million-U.S. dollar plant will be built on the parcel of 20 hectares in a Special Economic Zone in Snuol district, the ministry said, adding that when completed, the plant will be capable of processing 130,000 tons of cassava starch a year. According to the statement, Cambodia has about 675,000 hectares of cassava plantations, which yielded some 14.8 million tons of cassava tubers in 2017. Zhang said the Hong Kong-listed company planned 20 cassava processing plants in Cambodia within five years. Cassava is used to produce animal feed and ethanol. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 18:11:21|Editor: ZD Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The first annual fishing ban began on China's Yellow River on Sunday, in an effort to protect fishery resources and biodiversity in the second longest river in the country. The ban, which will be effective until June 30, covers the main stream, three major lakes, and 13 tributaries of the Yellow River, according to a previous statement from the Ministry of Agriculture. In Binzhou in east China's Shandong Province, the local fisheries regulator has taken measures to ensure that the ban is strictly implemented. "There should be no fishing boats or nets in the Yellow River, and no fish caught from the river on the market," according to an order. In Qihe County, local authorities have advised fishermen of the ban through various means of communication, including WeChat messages, posters, and notices in local newspapers. On the upper reaches of the Yellow River, fishery regulators in Qinghai Province launched an awareness campaign earlier this month, advising fishermen of the legal consequences of breaking the fishing ban. "We will step up our efforts to raise fishermen's awareness of protecting the fishery resources and ecosystems in the Yellow River," said He Xiaolin, director of the provincial fishing administration. During the campaign, regulators also seized and destroyed nearly 50 items of illegal fishing equipment. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, fishing for scientific studies, and taming and breeding purposes during the ban period should be approved by authorities of provincial or higher levels. Provinces and autonomous regions can extend the fishing ban according to local needs, said the ministry. China has also imposed a fishing ban along the Yangtze River, the longest river in the country. The annual ban, which runs from March 1 to June 30, covers the spawning season for most of the river's aquatic life. It includes the entire river as well as key tributaries and lakes. A similar fishing ban has applied to the Huaihe River, which runs almost parallel between the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Two foreign militants of the Islamic State (IS) group have been killed after Afghan warplanes targeted the hardliner group's hideout in northern Jawzjan province, deputy to provincial police chief Abdul Hafiz Khashi said Sunday. "Acting upon intelligence report, the warplanes struck IS hideout in Darzab district on Saturday afternoon, killing two foreign rebels of the outfit," Khashi told Xinhua. Three more foreign fighters have been arrested, the official said. However, he declined to identify the nationalities of the foreign fighters. The IS group has yet to make comments on the report. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 18:31:25|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A comprehensive deal has been reached between the Islam Army rebels and the Russians about the situation of the Douma district, the last rebel-held area in Damascus' Eastern Ghouta countryside, state news agency SANA reported on Sunday. The official news agency said the deal will see the evacuation of the Islam Army rebels toward the rebel-held Jarablus city in the northern countryside of Aleppo province. Other rebels who don't want to leave will be included in the reconciliation process to settle their legal status. The militants will also have to hand over their heavy and medium weaponry to the Syrian state, according to SANA. The deal also ensures the return of state institutions to Douma to assume their duties. The deal includes the release of all kidnapped civilians and military personnel from the Islam Army prisons in Douma as well as the bodies of the slain soldiers. Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was cited by the Saudi-funded Alarabiya TV as saying that the Russian military police will enter Douma to "reassure the civilians." Also, a military wing in the Islam Army called Abdul-Rahman Kakeh is expected to leave for rebel-held areas in the northwestern Idlib province. According to the observatory, the civilians who are not linked to the Islam Army can head to any destination and the wounded will be evacuated to northern Syria. Meanwhile, the Syrian state media outlets said that a group of Failaq al-Rahman rebels evacuated Douma on Sunday, as this group had been in control of several towns that have fallen to the Syrian army in central Eastern Ghouta. The rebels left through the crossing between Douma and the Wafideen area northeast of Damascus. Earlier in the day, the observatory said that 1,300 civilians, including activists, will evacuate Douma toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria, as part of a preliminary understanding between the Islam Army and the Russian side. Those civilians will evacuate Douma through the corridor between Douma and the Wafideen, according to the observatory. Negotiations between the Russians and the Islam Army have been ongoing for quite some time, in an attempt to reach an understanding similar to what has been reached in major areas in Eastern Ghouta, where the rebels and their families have completely evacuated their key areas. After the last batch left the towns of Jobar, Arbeen, Zamalka and Ayn Tarma on Saturday evening, the entire Eastern Ghouta has become under the government control except for Douma, which is the largest and most densely-populated area in Eastern Ghouta. In its offensive that started late last month, the Syrian army captured large swathes of Eastern Ghouta and when it got close to the four towns, the rebels of Failaq al-Rahman asked for their evacuation. The observatory said the only obstacle in the negotiations between the Islam Army and the Russians was the destination of 60,000 rebels and their families in Douma, a large number in comparison with the number that has evacuated the four towns as local reports placed the number of rebels and their families who evacuated other areas of Eastern Ghouta at around 40,000 people. Eastern Ghouta, a 105-square-km agricultural region consisting of several towns and farmlands, poses the last threat to the capital due to its proximity to government-controlled neighborhoods east of Damascus and ongoing mortar attacks that target residential areas in the capital, pushing people over the edge. Four major rebel groups have been in control of Eastern Ghouta since 2012, namely the Islam Army, Failaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham, and the Levant Liberation Committee, known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 18:46:27|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close Afghan soldiers take part in their graduation ceremony in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on April 1, 2018. About 1,000 newly graduated Afghan soldiers joined the country's national army on Sunday, an Afghanistan senior army official said. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah) KABUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- About 1,000 newly graduated Afghan soldiers joined the country's national army on Sunday, a senior army official said on Sunday. "I congratulate each of you resolute soldiers graduating today. You are reinforcing the ranks of Afghan National Army (ANA), bringing fresh dynamism in providing security for our people and you will prove that our enemies are wrong," Afghan Army Joint Chief of Staff Mohammad Sharif Yaftali said at the ceremony in Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC). The fresh graduates will boost the capacity of the Afghan army and enable the security forces to further check subversive activities, he said, adding most of the newly commissioned soldiers will be deployed to western Afghan provinces. The latest graduation came as Taliban militants and Islamic State (IS) affiliates have escalated attacks in different places, including western Afghan region. The newly graduates have received a three-month training at the KMTC in eastern Kabul. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 18:56:30|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close Kashmiri people gather aroud the body of a killed militant during his funeral procession at Village Pinjoora in Shopian district, about 52 km south of Srinagar, summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, April 1, 2018. At least eight militants, two troopers and two civilians were killed Sunday in violence in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. (Xinhua/Javed Dar) SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, April 1 (Xinhua) -- At least eight militants, two troopers and two civilians were killed Sunday in violence in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The militants and troopers were killed in two separate gunfights, while two civilians were killed during subsequent clashes with government forces. According to officials, seven militants were killed in village Draggad of Shopian district, while one militant was killed in village Dialgam of Anantnag district. Both Shopian and Anantnag districts are located south of Srinagar. "Some personnel from police, paramilitary and army were wounded in the standoff and unfortunately we lost two army troopers fighting the militants," region's Police Chief Shesh Paul Vaid said. "In Dialgam Anantnag we caught one militant alive and the other one who fired upon army was killed in the retaliatory fire." According to police, a third gunfight is underway at village Kachdoora of Shopian district. Locals said heavy clashes broke out between government forces and civilians following the killing of militants in Draggad and Kachdoora. The locals hurled stones at the police and army, who retaliated with gunfire. Authorities have suspended Internet services in Anantnag, Pulwama and Shopian districts, fearing it would mobilise crowds and intensify clashes and protests. Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 19:16:32|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Four militants of the Islamic State (IS) group including one in charge of the group's prison have given up fighting and joined the government-backed peace process, an army spokesman in the northern region Nasratullah Jamshidi said Sunday. "The in-charge of IS prison named Abdul Rahman alias Nematullah along with three of his bodyguards handed over their weapons to local authorities and joined the peace process on Saturday," Jamshidi told Xinhua. Nematullah and his men, according to the official, were active against government in Darzab and Qush Tepa districts of Jawzjan province over the past several months and their surrender would demoralize the hardliner IS group in the restive province, the official added. Meanwhile, Abdul Hafiz Khashi, the deputy for provincial police chief said that the former IS warder Nematullah has said that the radical policies of the group and harassing people have forced him to desert the hardliner IS group and join the peace process. This is the first time, obviously, that IS militants have given up fighting in Afghanistan. Their surrender is taking place in the wake of heavy military pressure and increasing airstrikes against IS militants in Jawzjan province over the past two months. At least two IS fighters were killed and three others arrested in Darzab district during air raids on Saturday. CAIRO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Two Egyptian soldiers including one officer were killed in anti-terror raids in restive North Sinai province, while the forces killed six terrorists, the Egyptian army said in a statement on Sunday. "The forces destroyed 993 terrorist dens, hideouts and storehouses and busted and destroyed a workshop for making explosives as well as 163 explosive devices planted to target the raiding forces," the military spokesman said in a statement. Some 513 criminal elements were arrested, the statement added. The raids are part of Egypt's recently launched "Sinai 2018" comprehensive anti-terror campaign, which have killed 163 terrorists since it started on Feb. 9. Egypt's North Sinai province has been the center of terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests. 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. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered the army to restore security and stability in North Sinai within three months following the mosque attack that killed at least 310 Muslim worshippers and wounded more than 120 others in North Sinai's city of Arish. "Sinai 2018" massive anti-terror operation started with the preparations of Egypt's presidential elections. The results of the elections will be announced on Monday where incumbent President Sisi is expected to make an easy win for a second four-year term. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 19:26:34|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close TEHRAN, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Iranians celebrated on Sunday the 39th anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Republic. Thirty nine years ago, Iranians voted for the establishment of the Islamic Republic following the overthrow of Iran's U.S.-backed Shah regime. Back then and after the 1979 victory of Iranians' Islamic revolution, in a referendum over 98.2 percent of the Iranians voted "yes" to the establishment of an Islamic Republic system. On the occasion, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that contrary to the enemy's evil wish, the following year will be the brightest for the Islamic Republic of Iran, state TV reported on Sunday. The Islamic Republic, with its revolutionary identity and religious foundation cut the hands of foreign powers from the country's affairs," the statement was cited as reading. "It (Islamic revolution in Iran) prepared the ground for disrupting the evil plans of the global imperialists to devour the Islamic world and fully dominate humanity," it said. The Islamic Republic has now turned into "the most important challenge and disturbance of the international arrogance led by the evil, criminal and deceitful America," it added. Since April 1, 1980, the Iranians annually celebrate April 1 as the anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, referred to as the Islamic Republic Day. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 19:31:36|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close JERUSALEM, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman threatened on Sunday that Israel would escalate its response to the Palestinian protest near the fence between Gaza and Israel. Israeli forces killed at least 16 Palestinians and injured over 1,200 others during a mass protest near the fence on Friday. Speaking in an interview on Israel Radio, Liberman said Israel "will not cooperate with any probe committee." His remark came after the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on Saturday that he was "deeply concerned" about the violence and called on for an independent investigation committee. According to Lieberman, some 90 percent of the 40,000 Palestinian protesters on Friday were officials and activists paid by the Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian organization that runs the besieged Palestinian enclave. A Gaza-based coordination committee composed of Palestinian political factions, civil society organizations and youth groups called weeks ago for a large popular rally at nearly 700 meters away from the Israeli border fence under the title of the "Great March of Return" starting Friday. The Friday rally was the start of a six-week long protest that is expected to reach a peak on May 15, the day Israel celebrates its statehood and Palestinians mark the forcible transfer of two-thirds of the Palestinian people and the eradication of 418 Palestinian villages. The demonstrators demand that Palestinian refugees should be allowed the right of return to the towns and villages from which their families fled or were forcibly driven out of when the State of Israel was created in 1948. BISHKEK, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) said it has elected former President Almazbek Atambayev as its leader at the 17th party congress Saturday. At a press conference held after the congress, Atambayev said he wiill prepare the SDPK for the parliamentary elections in 2020. The meeting also summed up the party's work since its last session in July. Party members also discussed the party's future direction. The SDPK was formed in 1993. Atambayev, who held the post of the president of Kyrgyzstan from 2011 to 2017, had served as the party's leader from 1999 to 2011. Incumbent President Sooronbay Jeenbekov was nominated as presidential candidate by the SDPK in 2017, who won a presidential election last October with 54 percent of the vote. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 20:01:40|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close RAMALLAH, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Sunday lashed out at the U.S. for blocking a final statement by the UN Security Council (UNSC) over Gaza Land Day Rally events. He said that the U.S. administration "is involved in war crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians." Erekat's statements came against the backdrop of the U.S. representative's position blocking the adoption of draft resolution condemning Israel's killing of 15 Palestinians during the Friday rally in Gaza. He described the U.S. as "the defender of Israeli war crimes," and added that such positions show "Washington's blind bias and strategic alliance with Israel." He urged Arab states to reconsider their ties with the current U.S. administration "because it is pushing the region and its peoples towards violence, bloodshed and chaos." The UNSC held an urgent session Saturday over the Gaza events at the request of Kuwait, this month's chair, but failed to reach an agreement on a final statement over the events left 15 killed at over 1200 injured on Friday. In light of that, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an independent and transparent investigation into the Gaza Rally events and the killing of 15 Palestinian. Erekat affirmed that the Palestinians will continue to work on all international levels to provide the Palestinian people with international protection based on international law and international legitimacy. The Friday rally was the start of a six-week long protest that is expected to reach a peak on May 15, the day Israel celebrates its establishment and Palestinian mark the forcible transfer of two thirds of the Palestinian people and the ethnic cleansing of 418 Palestinian villages. Demonstrators demand that Palestinian refugees are allowed the right of return to the towns and villages from which their families fled or were forcibly driven out of when the State of Israel was created in 1948. The rally organizers chose to start their activities on Land Day, a day in which Palestinians commemorate the events of March 30 1976, where Israeli soldiers killed six unarmed Palestinians during demonstrations in protest of an Israeli decision to confiscate thousands of acres of lands in the Galilee and the Negev areas. Since then, Palestinians have designated this day to mark the sacrifices of the Palestinian people's lives in defending their lands, through planting trees and various activities that highlight their respect for their lands. A Syrian man walks down a street past destoyed buildings on March 25, 2018, in Douma, in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. Nearly 2,000 Syrian rebels and civilians began leaving a ravaged pocket of Eastern Ghouta on Matrch 25, in fresh evacuations that further emptied the former rebel bastion. (AFP Photo) DAMASCUS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A comprehensive deal has been reached between the Islam Army rebels and the Russians about the situation of the Douma district, the last rebel-held area in Damascus' Eastern Ghouta countryside, state news agency SANA reported on Sunday. The official news agency said the deal will see the evacuation of the Islam Army rebels toward the rebel-held Jarablus city in the northern countryside of Aleppo province. Other rebels who don't want to leave will be included in the reconciliation process to settle their legal status. The militants will also have to hand over their heavy and medium weaponry to the Syrian state, according to SANA. The deal also ensures the return of state institutions to Douma to assume their duties. The deal includes the release of all kidnapped civilians and military personnel from the Islam Army prisons in Douma as well as the bodies of the slain soldiers. Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was cited by the Saudi-funded Alarabiya TV as saying that the Russian military police will enter Douma to "reassure the civilians." Also, a military wing in the Islam Army called Abdul-Rahman Kakeh is expected to leave for rebel-held areas in the northwestern Idlib province. According to the observatory, the civilians who are not linked to the Islam Army can head to any destination and the wounded will be evacuated to northern Syria. Meanwhile, the Syrian state media outlets said that a group of Failaq al-Rahman rebels evacuated Douma on Sunday, as this group had been in control of several towns that have fallen to the Syrian army in central Eastern Ghouta. The rebels left through the crossing between Douma and the Wafideen area northeast of Damascus. Earlier in the day, the observatory said that 1,300 civilians, including activists, will evacuate Douma toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria, as part of a preliminary understanding between the Islam Army and the Russian side. Those civilians will evacuate Douma through the corridor between Douma and the Wafideen, according to the observatory. Negotiations between the Russians and the Islam Army have been ongoing for quite some time, in an attempt to reach an understanding similar to what has been reached in major areas in Eastern Ghouta, where the rebels and their families have completely evacuated their key areas. After the last batch left the towns of Jobar, Arbeen, Zamalka and Ayn Tarma on Saturday evening, the entire Eastern Ghouta has become under the government control except for Douma, which is the largest and most densely-populated area in Eastern Ghouta. In its offensive that started late last month, the Syrian army captured large swathes of Eastern Ghouta and when it got close to the four towns, the rebels of Failaq al-Rahman asked for their evacuation. The observatory said the only obstacle in the negotiations between the Islam Army and the Russians was the destination of 60,000 rebels and their families in Douma, a large number in comparison with the number that has evacuated the four towns as local reports placed the number of rebels and their families who evacuated other areas of Eastern Ghouta at around 40,000 people. Eastern Ghouta, a 105-square-km agricultural region consisting of several towns and farmlands, poses the last threat to the capital due to its proximity to government-controlled neighborhoods east of Damascus and ongoing mortar attacks that target residential areas in the capital, pushing people over the edge. Four major rebel groups have been in control of Eastern Ghouta since 2012, namely the Islam Army, Failaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham, and the Levant Liberation Committee, known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 20:16:43|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close Mokgweetsi Masisi (L), takes oaths as Botswana's new president during his swearing-in and inauguration ceremony at parliament buildings in Gaborone, capital of Botswana, on April 1, 2018. Mokgweetsi Masisi is Botswana's new president after he was inaugurated on Sunday in the country's capital, Gaborone. (Xinhua/BOPA) GABORONE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Mokgweetsi Masisi is Botswana's new president after he was inaugurated on Sunday in the country's capital, Gaborone. Masisi is the southern African nation's fifth leader and takes over from former president Seretse Khama Ian Khama following the expiry of his two five-year terms on March 31. Botswana law, which was reviewed in 1998, restricts the president to serving two five-year terms and provides for the vice president to automatically fill the post should it become vacant. Masisi laid out his vision for Botswana, paying tribute to the country's immediate past president as a "great source of inspiration to all of us." Masisi promised to build upon the contributions made by the previous presidents which he described as a collective legacy of over a half century of uninterrupted peace and progress. He said there is still need to build a Botswana in which sustained development is underpinned by economic diversification. "Just like my predecessors, I stand to acknowledge that we are not yet where we wish to be as a nation," said Masisi. He added: "We shall not be satisfied until we have eradicated poverty and social exclusion in order to build a society that provides opportunity and dignity for all." According to Masisi, the current and former leadership of Botswana are committed to a modern Botswana that is not only open but able to openly compete with the rest of the world while maintaining its founding principles that have united this nation through difficult times. Masisi will have his hands full with reducing the economy's dependence on diamonds, creating jobs for the almost one in five workers who are unemployed and wooing more foreign investment. In an interview with Xinhua when approached for a comment on Masisi's attitude towards China on Sunday, Jeff Ramsay, the government spokesperson, said, "He (Masisi) will (definitely) build on our friendship and cooperation with China." According to Ramsay, the government of Botswana "cherishes the friendship and cooperation existing between ourselves and the People's Republic of China." He added that China is an "all-weather" friend to Botswana. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 21:06:53|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close RABAT, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Morocco strongly condemned the Israeli forces' shooting against Palestinian protesters on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday. 17 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,400 others were wounded by Israeli forces during march calling for return of Palestinian refugees to their lands. "Morocco denounces the use of excessive force by the Israeli occupying forces in defiance of the peaceful nature of the demonstrations," the ministry said in a statement. It stressed that the situation in the region requires stability and restraint away from any act of violence or escalation. "Morocco reiterates its support for the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of president Mahmoud Abbas and its solidarity with the Palestinian people to recover their legitimate rights and establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," the statement underlined. MOGADISHU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Somali extremist group, Al-Shabaab, killed two district officials in the restive Mogadishu city on Saturday evening in the latest attack in the Horn of Africa nation. The insurgents in a statement posted on Sunday on its affiliated media sites said they killed Hassan Indha-Dhuh and Mohamud Moallim Hassan Fagase who were senior district administrators in Hamarweyne District of the Banadir regional administration. The Somali police confirmed the two deaths, saying investigation is underway to arrest the militants who managed to escape from the scene after committing the heinous act. Meanwhile, African Union forces repulsed Al-Shabaab attack on an army base in southern Somalia on Sunday. Isse Mohamed, a military commander said the militants launched an ambush at the forward operating base for the AMISOM (African Union Mission to Somalia) troops in Bulamarer in Lower Shabelle region but faced resistance from the AU forces. "They (Al-Shabaab) tried to attack an AMISOM base but they failed after they were stopped by the forces," Mohamed told reporters. The official did not, however, state casualties. Local residents said they heard twin explosions followed by sustained exchange of gunfire but did not confirm the number of casualties. Aweys Mohamed, a resident, told Xinhua that the attack which happened at midday caused a scare among locals. "We heard a huge explosion followed by gunfire from the area where AMISOM are located. Everyone scampered for safety." AMISOM could not immediately be reached for comment. Al-Shabaab has in the past conducted similar raids in AMISOM bases killing scores. PHNOM PENH, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian authorities on Sunday afternoon arrested Lay Vannak, the recently-ousted governor of southern Takeo province, for allegedly murdering his mistress in January, a spokesman said. "Our police had implemented a court warrant and brought him for questioning over his alleged murder of mistress," Interior Ministry spokesman Gen. Khieu Sopheak told Xinhua. According to the court warrant on Sunday, Phnom Penh Municipal Court Deputy Prosecutor Seang Sok ordered the competent authorities to bring in the former governor for questioning over a murder happened on Jan. 26, 2018 at a rented house in Takeo province. The arrest came just a week after Lay Vannak, 45, was ousted from his position. The body of Chev Sovathana, 36, a National Assembly official and member of the ruling Cambodian People's Party's youth group, was found hanging in her rented villa in Takeo province, and local police reported that it was a suicide. However, the Interior Ministry had launched a reinvestigation into the case and found that it was a murder. Several days before the arrest of the former governor, police had arrested five involved persons, among them are Takeo Provincial Deputy Police Chief Lay Narith, who is the former governor's older brother, and his driver and maids. On Saturday, Lay Vannak wrote on his Facebook page, acknowledging that he had an affair with Chev Sovathana, but denied that he killed her. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 22:12:05|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close TUNIS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- An extremist element was shot dead by Tunisian security forces in Kasserine province in centre west Tunisia, announced the Ministry of the Interior on Sunday. The operation has been conducted for 72 hours in the perimeter of the Salloum mountain in Kasserine, following information gathered from intelligence service, about suspicious movements of an armed terrorist group. The extremist element killed is one of the "big heads" of the jihadist movement called "Jund Al-Khilaf," which made allegiance to the organization of the Islamic State. "This operation is an extension of a large preventive operation, recently carried out by the special units of the National Guard," said the ministry in a statement. A machine gun, five loader boxes, ammunition and a sum of money in Tunisian currency were seized in the operation. The Ministry of the Interior said the sweep operation is underway to track other jihadists, members of this armed group, knowing that other elements, without revealing the number, were injured by bullets. While waiting for the official announcement of the extremist identity, who was killed last night in Kasserine, some local media reveal that it is Chawki Fakraoui, one of the leaders of "Jund Al-Khilafa." According to the Tunisian press, this jihadist was involved in a series of attacks on Tunisian territory, including ambushes targeting security agents and storming the home of former interior minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 22:27:16|Editor: ZD Video Player Close DHAKA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A young man, accused of raping a child, was killed in a gunfight between his cohorts and members of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Cox's Bazaar district early Sunday. Rahim Uddin, 20, was accused in a case filed for raping a five-year-old girl in the district last week. Major M Ruhul Amin, a senior RAB official, told journalists that the accused died during a shootout between his cohorts and RAB early Sunday. After the gunfight, according to the official, RAB team recovered the bullet-hit body of Rahim from the spot while others managed to flee the scene. Last month's brutal rape of the child has caught huge public attention and aroused countrywide outrage which along with many similar incidents of rape cases shook national conscience. The number of alleged rapes reported to police in Bangladesh has risen in a dreadful manner in recent months. A report of local human rights body - Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) - showed that at least 187 women were raped and 29 others sexual harassed across the country over the past three months. COLOMBO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A British ship, SS Sagaing which sank in Trincomalee Harbour in Sri Lanka's east during World War II, was refloated after 75 years, by a team of divers from the Sri Lanka Navy, the navy media unit said in a statement here Sunday. The 138-meter-long passenger-cum-cargo ship launched on December 24, 1924, belonged to the British Navy. It was hit in Japanese bombing attacks while at anchorage in the harbour on April 9, 1942 and was subsequently abandoned due to escalating fire on board. On August 24, 1943, the damaged ship was sunk to be used as a pier for naval ships. "Sri Lanka Navy resorted to re-float the wreck which was fully submerged 35 feet under the sea in order to make sea room for expanding berthing facilities in the harbour. The task of salvaging and removing the ship wreck was assigned to Eastern Naval Command," the navy said. The salvage operation took several months. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 23:02:20|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GUANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Like many senior managers of Chinese high-tech manufacturers, Xiao Fuqiang has been maintaining frequent contacts with his U.S. clients over the past week. "I contacted my American clients one by one. We have been in close communication, hoping to find the best way out," said Xiao, vice general manager of Guangzhou China-Shine Electronic Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of action cameras. The United States plans to slap tariffs on about 50 billion U.S. dollars of Chinese imports and restrict Chinese investment. The move has stoked fears of a trade war between the world's largest economies. China's high-tech industries, such as electronic devices manufacturing, information technology, and new energy, might be the main target of Trump's tariffs plan, according to analysts. Xiao said his American partners have shown willingness to brace for the potential impact and mitigate the risks together. "We are both very important to each other," Xiao said. "Action cameras are mostly made in China and are in high demand on the U.S. market. Slapping tariffs on them will only lead to lose-lose situations." Xiao's opinion is shared by Wu Tianwen, president of Dongguan Excel Industrial Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of consumer electronic products. Over the past years, Wu's company has built a close partnership with its U.S. clients: They share the production costs, and 90 percent of Wu's products are exported internationally via his American partners. Amid the threats of escalating trade disputes between China and the United States, neither Wu nor his partners want to see the cooperation end, Wu said. "Years of partnership have produced an efficient mode of cooperation between us. We are very complementary and important to each other," Wu said. "That's why we are making every effort to find a way to minimize our losses." In an email message, one of Wu's U.S. clients said that Trump's decision would in the end hurt American customers. This has been the consensus among U.S. businesses. Some 45 U.S. trade associations, representing retail, technology, agriculture, and other consumer-product industries, have urged the U.S. administration not to move forward on its tariff plan on Chinese imports, as it would hurt U.S. consumers and companies. Over the past week, many Chinese manufacturers also felt the pressure on the global industrial chain, which was brought about by fears of a trade war. "The situation is hardly optimistic," said Tang Guobao, vice general manager of Guangzhou Risong Technology Co., Ltd., a producer of industrial robots. China is a main manufacturer of industrial robots, but many precision instruments for these robots are produced by companies in the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and European countries, Tang said. "At least in the industrial robot business, there won't be bystanders, but only sufferers in a trade war," Tang added. It is the same for iPhone's industrial chain. "'Made in China' is an important part of the smartphone industry. Behind it is a large network of global cooperation, division of labor, and profit-sharing, which also includes American companies," said the president of a big Chinese smartphone producer who declined to be named. At a press conference on Thursday, Gao Feng, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce, urged the United States to "come back to the right track of advocating win-win cooperation between the two countries." "The United States must abandon unilateralism and protectionism, take measures, and resort to dialogue and consultation to settle disputes," Gao said. "China is always open for negotiations," Gao added, emphasizing the principles of equality, constructiveness, and balance needed in joint efforts. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 23:27:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Han Liang BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The City of London is willing to share its knowledge and expertise with China in building a smart, green Xiongan New Area -- a planned extra-large metropolis in north China, City of London Lord Mayor Charles Bowman has said recently in a joint interview here. Bowman, leading a business delegation to Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, recently visited Xiongan New Area, a new economic zone in what is now part of north China's Hebei Province which is some 100 km southwest of Beijing. The dialogue with local officials of Hebei Province was "productive," he said, adding that the City of London has significant strength and expertise in smart city development, particularly in designing, researching and financing of engineering services which could be helpful to Xiongan. It is the packing up and delivery of this integrated group of services where Britain "has the real potential to add value," he noted. Canary Wharf Group, the developer behind London's new financial center east of the City of London, signed a memorandum of understanding in January with Xiongan New Area during Prime Minister Theresa May's state visit to China, according to Bowman. The City of London's expertise and knowledge in the development of green and smart cities, together with China's infrastructure capabilities and talents, will make the Xiongan project a successful model for cooperation, Bowman said, adding that the new area will also serve as an innovative green finance role model to other Chinese cities as well as to those along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21 Century Maritime Silk Road (Belt and Road). A year has passed since the Chinese government announced the establishment of Xiongan New Area on April 1, 2017. It is the third new area of national significance after the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area. The Chinese government has said that the area welcomes foreign investment that meets its functional requirements. Experts believe that capital and expertise from foreign investors are needed in Xiongan to meet its goal of becoming a low-carbon, intelligent, livable and globally influential city where people and nature co-exist in harmony. The Xiongan project is also the first pilot project of a newly-launched UK-China Green Finance Center, Bowman said. The center is created by the City of London's Green Finance Initiative following commitments in the 8th and 9th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogues. It aims to create innovative green finance products and facilitate smart city development globally with its long-term partner -- China Green Finance Committee, and will consider incubating green-tech and fin-tech companies in the future. The launch of this center was "another hugely exciting step" to make green finance more mainstream and the start of a new era of strategic cooperation between the two sides, said the lord mayor. Calling Britain and China "global leaders" in green finance, Bowman said the two partners have been making significant contributions to tackling global challenges such as carbon reduction and climate change. They also demonstrated their strong commitment to sustainable development and transition to an environment-friendly growth model, he added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-02 00:22:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Saud Abu Ramadan GAZA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian analysts in Gaza and West Bank warned that changing the peaceful message of the rallies in Gaza to a violent one would harm the mission, especially after more than 15 Palestinians were killed and thousands injured since Friday. Organized by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the six-week march close to the border with Israel aims at sending a message of determination to find a real and practical solution to end their daily suffering. On Friday, Gaza Health Ministry officials announced that 15 Palestinians were killed and 1,416 injured in the confrontations between thousands of Palestinians, who tried to approach the fence of the border, and the Israeli army forces. Over the past few weeks, leaders of various factions, including Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as leaders of political groups, rights organizations, women and children associations, agreed to prepare for a march and called it the "Great March of Return." They all agreed that the march is peaceful and aims at sending a message of peace to Israel and to the world that the Palestinians are seeking for their rights of return and an end to the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. They agreed to keep a 700-meter distance away from the border with Israel. "What happened on Friday, Saturday and Sunday contradicts with what has been agreed upon among all factions, powers and other participants," said Ashraf Jom'aa, a member of the Palestinian Parliament. "Israel is unfortunately using this fact to topple the major peaceful goals of the march," Jom'aa added. "A human security belt must be put in place to prevent any breach of what has been agreed upon regarding the 700-meter distance ... in order to protect the lives of our people," Jom'aa said. On Saturday, Hamas armed wing al-Qassam Brigades announced that five of the 15 Palestinians killed Friday are military members of the group and were killed during the popular clashes near the fence with the Israeli soldiers. Talal Oukal, a Gaza-based political analyst, told Xinhua that "So far, the Great March of Return is successful, because it took the Gaza Strip out from the circle of armed confrontations that we used to have over the past ten years." "These days, the Gaza Strip is strongly clashing with the Israeli occupation using peaceful means, therefore I believe that this is very important to convey a correct message to the world," said Oukal, warning that any mistake of militarizing the march would certainly cause a severe hardship again to the Palestinians and their just cause. Before the march kicked off, the situation in Gaza deteriorated badly due to the consequences of the Israeli blockade and of an internal Palestinian division. Leaders of factions warned of "a huge explosion that blows up to Israel's face" if situation worsens. "We are standing these days before achieving a strategic goal and we are waiting for harvesting the fruits of the peaceful marches," Oukal said. The organizers of the march decided to start the activity on March 30, which is the Palestinian Land Day anniversary, and carry on with various kinds of peaceful and popular activities until May 15, the 70 year anniversary of the Nakba Day, or the Catastrophe, the date Israel was declared as a state. Palestinian observers believe that the Palestinian factions, including Hamas movement that controls Gaza, are expected to continue the protests at the borderline area near the fence to keep the Gaza issue at the top of the headlines. They said this method is more effective than rocket fire and attacks through tunnels. Tawfeeq Abu Showmar, another Gaza-based political analyst specialized in Palestinian refugees affairs said "no one single faction is leading it or sponsoring it like before, but all factions and all sectors of Gaza Strip communities are joining." Gaza rights groups, who are also joining the rallies, are helping through its international contacts with other worldwide rights groups to show that Israel is using excessive force of targeting civilian demonstrators with heavy live ammunition, and stress that the message of the marches is "peaceful." Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-02 01:17:40|Editor: Liu Video Player Close File photo: 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. (Xinhua/Ting Shen) WASHINGTON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Sunday that there would be no deal to legalize the status of hundreds of thousands of "Dreamers", undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. "No MORE DACA DEAL!" Trump said in an emphatic tweet Sunday morning. DACA refers to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an Obama administration program that shields Dreamers from deportation. Trump shut it down last fall but gave lawmakers six month to come up with a permanent solution. Though Congress has been unable to reach a consensus on the issue and stalled the progress, legal challenges to the Trump order has managed to keep DACA in place for now. The president tweeted a claim on Sunday that Border Patrol agents can't do their jobs properly because of "ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws" that allow people caught for illegally staying in the country to be released while awaiting a hearing, while urging Republicans in charge of the Senate to "go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws." In order to end debate and move forward to a vote on a measure or piece of legislation, Senate rules require 60 votes in the 100-member Senate, but Republicans now only control 51 seats, and GOP Senate leaders have opposed Trump's repeated call to change the longstanding rules. While stressing his signature promise, the border wall, Trump lashed out at Mexico for "doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S." "They must stop the big drug and people flows, or will stop their cash cow, NAFTA," the president said of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada, that Washington is trying to rewrite. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-02 01:42:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close A wounded Palestinian is evacuated during a protest along the border fence between Gaza Strip and Israel in Gaza City, March 30, 2018. Although the anti-Israel Palestinian mass rally in Gaza was supposed to go peaceful, the demonstrations turned violent, leaving at least 16 Palestinians killed and over 1,400 others injured. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar) by Keren Setton JERUSALEM, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Israel-Gaza border area remained mostly quiet on Sunday, two days after a violent clash between Israeli forces and the Palestinians left 15 Palestinians dead and over 1,000 others injured. It was the largest death toll seen in the area since Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Israel started a war in the summer of 2014. Hamas, a militant organization hostile to Israel, organized the massive rally on Friday, calling on Gaza residents to march towards the border to mark Palestinian Land Day, an annual remembrance day of an Israeli move in 1976 to expropriate what they believe are Arab lands in the north of the country. Tens of thousands participated in the demonstration. Hamas, the organizer of the event, set up tents along the border that supplied Internet and electricity, both scarce commodities in the impoverished territory. United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation of the incident, while Israeli officials flatly denied the use of excessive force. Israeli Military spokesman Brigadier General Ronen Manelis said the majority of those killed were known Palestinian militants, men aged between 18 and 30. Hamas claimed five of the dead were its militants. Manelis vowed a tougher response if the violence along the border continued, including action within the Gaza Strip. Israel often struck Gaza as retaliation, but there have been no ground incursions since the 2014 war. Nimrod Goren, head of the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, believed the incident was a serious one and has "lots of potential to lead to ... escalation." Violence is expected to continue in the run up to May 15, when the Palestinians mark the Nakba Day, known as the day of the catastrophe, which coincides with Israel's 70th Independence Day. This year, Israel's celebration and Palestinian commemoration come after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem to coincide with Israel's celebration. It is yet another a controversial decision by the current U.S. administration, for Palestinians and many in the international community who see East Jerusalem as the future capital of the Palestinian state. Both sides do not seem to be interested in another full-blown conflict which left both licking their wounds four years ago. However, if the violence continues, they can easily spiral out of control. "The Israeli interest is to show that Palestinians can't cross the border," Goren told Xinhua. "Hamas is looking for a way to elevate its position vis-a-vis Israel. Israel has managed to confront tunnels and rockets and this type of protests really boost Hamas' position amongst the Palestinians." Gaza, which has been under an Egyptian and Israeli blockade since 2007 when Hamas violently overthrew the Palestinian Fatah-led government, is one of the poorest territories in the world. Its residents face severe electricity shortage amongst many other challenges. "Hamas, which is in one of its worst periods, is almost completely isolated," said Shaul Shay, director of research in the Institute for Policy and Strategy at Interdesciplinary Center (IDC) at the Herzliya. "They are completely isolated and under pressure from the local population, so they are trying to channel the anger and frustration towards Israel." In the aftermath of the demonstration, as the Israelis and the Palestinians engaged in yet another public opinion war, an international diplomatic effort may be needed in order to contain the violence. "International pressure on the Hamas leadership and the Palestinian Authority will help to make this crisis as short as possible," Shay told Xinhua. "I hope this will draw in some regional and international partners to try through diplomacy to find ways to decrease the tension," said Goren. "The U.S. position is not constructive at the moment." Israeli military officers said forces were on alert for further violence expected in the coming weeks. The number of troops on the border was doubled ahead of the protest last week and the enlarged corps currently remain there. The rally was dubbed the "March of Return," invoking the Palestinian demand that refugees and their descendants be allowed to return to Israeli and Palestinian territories which they either left or fled as a result of the 1948 and 1967 wars fought in the region. Israeli governments, right or left wing, would never accept such a demand as it would mark the end of the Jewish majority in Israel. As May 15 is coming, the tension and violence are expected to continue. Restraint is required on both sides. RABAT, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan police have arrested two Syrian nationals and two Moroccans over their involvement in financing the Islamic State (IS) group, the official MAP news agency reported on Sunday. The report said that an investigation carried out by security services revealed that one of the Syrian suspects put his bank account in Morocco at the disposal of a money transfer agency in Syria run by a relative, in order to transfer and receive money in return for commissions on these illegal transactions. In connection with this case, the same source reported the arrest of two Moroccans for placing funds in the account of the Syrian national in 2017 and 2018, noting that he transferred the money to their relatives fighting for the IS in Syria. Regarding the second Syrian arrested, the investigation showed that he had received suspicious funds in his bank account, according to the same source. The security operation is part of the Moroccan authorities' efforts to pursue suspected funds and dry up sources of terrorist financing, in accordance with UN recommendations and the relevant conventions signed, it pointed out. The suspects were brought before the competent public prosecutor's office, which decided to arrest three and to place one of the Syrian nationals under judicial control. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-02 02:07:49|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close A soldier waves Syrian national flag on a government building in the recently recaptured Jobar neighborhood in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, Syria, on April 1, 2018. After the last batch left the towns of Jobar, Arbeen, Zamalka and Ayn Tarma on Saturday evening, the entire Eastern Ghouta has become under the government control except for Douma, which is the largest and most densely-populated area in Eastern Ghouta. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani) DAMASCUS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The last rebel-held area in the capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta countryside is about to fall, with a new agreement that will see the evacuation of the rebels of the Islam Army toward northern Syria. The agreement was declared by the official news agency SANA on Sunday, just a day after the last rebel batch left, making the entire area under the government's control except for the Douma district. Around 40,000 rebels and their families have fled central areas in the Eastern Ghouta area toward the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib. Additionally, 150,000 civilians have fled Eastern Ghouta toward government-run shelters on the outskirts of Eastern Ghouta last month. But the situation in Douma is different. The civilians in that area will largely remain in their homes but the Islam Army, the rebel group in control of that area, will leave toward the rebel-held Jarablus city in the northern countryside of Aleppo province near the Turkish border, according to the agreement published by SANA. The deal that was reached under the mediation of the Russians will also see the formation of local council inside Douma after the consent of the Syrian government, after which the light weapons in Douma will be surrendered to the government. The Islam Army rebels will hand over their heavy and medium weaponry, according to the agreement, which also included forming a workgroup under the Russian leadership that will supervise the release of the kidnapped soldiers and civilians in the prisons of the Islam Army. The deal also includes allowing 200 rebels of Failaq al-Rahman, who had been in control of other areas in Eastern Ghouta, to leave Douma toward Idlib, after they sought refuge in that area when the army entered their areas. The evacuation of the 200 rebels and their families has already started, with buses preparing to transport them to Idlib through the Wafideen area northeast of Damascus. Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was cited by the Saudi-funded Alarabiya TV as saying that the Russian military police will enter Douma to "reassure the civilians." According to the Observatory, the civilians who are not linked to the Islam Army can leave for any destination and the wounded will be evacuated to northern Syria. Earlier in the day, the Observatory said that 1,300 civilians, including activists, will evacuate Douma toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria, as part of a preliminary understanding between the Islam Army and the Russian side. Those civilians will evacuate Douma through the corridor between Douma and the Wafideen, according to the observatory. Negotiations between the Russians and the Islam Army have been ongoing for quite some time, in an attempt to reach an understanding similar to what has been reached in major areas in Eastern Ghouta, where the rebels and their families have completely evacuated. After the last batch left the towns of Jobar, Arbeen, Zamalka and Ayn Tarma on Saturday evening, the entire Eastern Ghouta has become under the government control except for Douma, which is the largest and most densely-populated area in Eastern Ghouta. In its offensive that started late last month, the Syrian army captured large swathes of Eastern Ghouta and when it got close to the four towns, the rebels of Failaq al-Rahman asked for their evacuation. The observatory said the only obstacle in the negotiations between the Islam Army and the Russians was the destination of 60,000 rebels and their families in Douma, a large number in comparison with the number that has evacuated the four towns as local reports placed the number of rebels and their families who evacuated other areas of Eastern Ghouta at around 40,000 people. On Saturday night, the Syrian army declared its victory in Eastern Ghouta, saying in a statement that the Syrian army captured 31 towns and areas in Eastern Ghouta, while still in a fight with the rebels in Douma district, the last rebel stronghold north of Eastern Ghouta. It added that the victory in Eastern Ghouta secured the road between Damascus and other Syrian areas in the north and also to the eastern areas in Syria reaching the Iraqi border. Retrieving those areas also end the suffering of the Damascus' people as a result of the mortar attacks launched by the rebels from Eastern Ghouta. The statement also said the victory in that area deals a blow to the "terrorist projects" targeting Syria. Meanwhile, the army pledged to continue its battles against terrorism in all of Syria. Eastern Ghouta, a 105-square-km agricultural region consisting of several towns and farmlands, poses the last threat to the capital due to its proximity to government-controlled neighborhoods east of Damascus and ongoing mortar attacks that target residential areas in the capital, pushing people over the edge. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-02 02:42:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh before their talks in Hanoi, Vietnam, April 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) HANOI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday called for steady and long-term development of relations between China and Vietnam. Wang made the remarks when meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. China is ready to earnestly implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries so as to lift the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new level, Wang said. Both sides should maintain high-level contacts, strengthen party-to-party exchanges, and enhance cooperation in defense, law enforcement and local governments, he added. The Chinese state councilor urged the alignment of China's Belt and Road Initiative with Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan, advance pragmatic cooperation in various fields, especially in infrastructure, industrial capacity and cross-border cooperation zone. Both China and Vietnam should also boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges and properly manage their differences, he said. For his part, Minh said maintaining and strengthening the traditional friendship between Vietnam and China is in the interests of both countries, which also contributes to regional peace and stability. The Vietnamese side is willing to closely cooperate with China in actively implementing the consensus reached between leaders of the two countries, he said. Both countries should give full play to the Vietnam-China Steering Committee for Cooperation, promote integration of the Belt and Road Initiative with the "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan, push forward cooperation in various fields, and properly handle maritime issues, Minh added. At a joint press conference with Minh held after the meeting, Wang said, "We agreed that our two countries are now at a crucial stage of vigorously advancing the causes of reform, renewal and opening up, with ever- increasing economic complementarity." Noting that the two-way trade between China and Vietnam topped 100 billion U.S. dollars last year, and personnel exchanges exceeded 10 million, he said these figures demonstrate the huge potential for cooperation between the two countries. Wang called on the two sides to seize the rare opportunities brought about by the reform and development of the two countries which have now entered a new era, and upgrade the scale and quality of the bilateral practical cooperation. The two also agreed that properly handling maritime issues is of vital importance to the smooth and healthy development of the bilateral relations. Both sides pledged to earnestly implement all the regulations concerning the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of maritime issues existing between the two countries. They also highlighted the importance of managing differences through consultations and refraining from taking unilateral actions that might complicate and escalate situations. Both sides also agreed to boost maritime cooperation including exploring feasible ways of joint development. Through such cooperation, they believed that both countries would create favorable conditions for the final solution of the maritime issues as well as a requisite environment for comprehensively promoting bilateral practical cooperation. Kyrgyz then-President Almazbek Atambayev speaks at the Leaders' Roundtable Summit of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation at Yanqi Lake International Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, May 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang) BISHKEK, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) said it has elected former President Almazbek Atambayev as its leader at the 17th party congress Saturday. At a press conference held after the congress, Atambayev said he wiill prepare the SDPK for the parliamentary elections in 2020. The meeting also summed up the party's work since its last session in July. Party members also discussed the party's future direction. The SDPK was formed in 1993. Atambayev, who held the post of the president of Kyrgyzstan from 2011 to 2017, had served as the party's leader from 1999 to 2011. Incumbent President Sooronbay Jeenbekov was nominated as presidential candidate by the SDPK in 2017, who won a presidential election last October with 54 percent of the vote. Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-02 03:42:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TEHRAN, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Sunday slammed the recent Israeli violence against Palestinians as an "inhumane act." The Israelis have repeated such "criminal" acts against the Palestinians with the support of the United States, Larijani was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. On Friday, thousands of Palestinians started the first day of the Great March of Return, a month-long sit-in along the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel to demand the return of Palestinian refugees who were forced to leave their cities during the Arab-Israeli war in 1948. On the day, the Israeli soldiers reportedly killed at least 15 Palestinian protesters and wounded about 1,000 others along the border fence. Larijani described the Israeli policy of "creating tension" and U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as plots orchestrated by Israel and Washington to undermine the region's security and stability. "The terrorists ruling Tel Aviv only understand the language of force," he said, adding that only resistance can stop the "power-mad" regime of Israel. Larijani urged Muslim countries to take the necessary measures and back the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. LOS ANGELES, April 1 (Xinhua) -- In the Los Angeles metropolitan, Chinese investment in commercial real estate slowed in 2017 following the imposition of capital controls, according to a report issued by real estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield. The report released last week showed that last year acquisitions by Chinese investors in Los Angeles area declined 67 percent but an overall in commercial property investment reduced by only 1 percent. There are also some notable Chinese acquisitions, the report said, citing the 117-million U.S. dollars purchase of the Alhambra, a mixed-use complex of housing, offices and shops in Alhambra, a city 20 kilometers west of Los Angeles down town. Another large deal was the 115-million U.S. dollars purchase of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles Downtown. "We welcome investors from all parts of the world come to invest in the United States, especially in the city of Alhambra. Investment brings jobs and economic prosperity which will greatly benefit the local communities." Stephen K. Sham, Mayor of Alhambra told Xinhua Saturday. Not only Los Angeles, Chinese investment to other four major U.S. markets, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle, shrunk at the same time, with 55 percent drop overall compared with year of 2016. Janice Stanton of Cushman & Wakefield, who advises overseas investors, was quoted by the report as saying that she believed money from investors in other countries will continue to flow into the U.S in 2018. "The acceleration of the U.S. economy will continue to provide international investors with a compelling investment opportunity in 2018," she said. MADRID, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A possible trade war between the United States and the rest of the world will threaten the World Trade Organization (WTO) mechanism, damage the entire world economy and lead to serious negative consequences to the U.S. itself, according to Spanish intellectuals. U.S. President Donald Trump's recent announcements on imposing tariffs on the import of steel and aluminum sparked fears and criticism among the Spanish intellectuals. The unilateral actions of protectionism that President Trump took caused direct impact on the economy of the European Union. For instance, the Spanish stock market, Ibex-35 stock index, suffered losses for four consecutive days, taking the market down to its lowest level in 13 months. Trump's irresponsible acts have been widely criticized by Spanish medias and scholars. Claudi Perez, head of the Spanish newspaper EL PAIS delegation in Brussels, compared Trump's behavior with the tense situation in history. "The thirties witnessed a massive collapse of international cooperation in trade, which made the Great Depression worse." He pointed out that Donald Trump has returned to the old way, implying that it won't make any difference from the 1930s. Speaking to Xinhua recently, Gayle Allard, Professor of Economic Environment and Country Analysis at IE Business School in Madrid, highlighted the dangers presented by Trump. "Free trade had been a key source of rising incomes and prosperity in the postwar world. Trade wars are usually the worst way to address trade disputes." Professor Allard also warned that the WTO "which is a key foundation of growing world trade and prosperity" could be weakened by Trump as a result. Federico Steinberg, Professor of the Department of Economic Analysis of the Autonomous University of Madrid, commented that "The decision makes clear that the U.S. has no interest in resolving trade issues through multilateral dialogue and that, from now on, it will adopt a more openly aggressive unilateralism. Trump's announcement was like a torpedo broadsiding the global trade system, opening a Pandora's box." "The invocation of the national security clause puts the WTO in a delicate situation and reveals that the Trump Administration will not hesitate to undermine global governance," Professor Steinberg added. On the other hand, almost nobody doubts about European Union's trade retaliation and its impact back to the United States. "One out of every six cars exported from Europe goes to the United States; but one in every five cars that the United States exports comes to Europe," Claudi Perez wrote in his recent article, indicating the potential damage the United States would suffer if the trade war goes into that sector. Maria Tejero Martin, correspondent of the EFE Agency wrote that "If EU gives in to Trump, he will take the risk of throwing gas at his internal populists. And that can be more dangerous than a tariff." Implying that EU has no choice but to strike back. Jan Martinez Ahrens, Deputy director of the newspaper EL PAIS, commented that "The resistance is right now within the White House. The abrupt return of Donald Trump to economic nationalism and his commitment to a tariff war has clashed with Wall Street, the Republican Party and his own cabinet." What's more, some scholars don't think that the trade war would help Trump achieve his goal anyway. Professor Allard explained to Xinhua that "trade deficits and surpluses are truly determined by the level of consumption within the country," thus "a high consuming country like the United States will end up with deficits. Trump's tax cuts will make U.S. overconsumption worse and the U.S. deficit will grow, despite any measures he takes to restrict imports." "The commercial agreements are very stupid, according to what Donald Trump said. But commercial wars are even more stupid," concluded Claudi Perez. BERLIN, April 1 (Xinhua) -- German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said he wanted to resume dialogue and improve ties with Russia after the poisoning attack and the mutual expulsion of diplomats, according to Bild am Sonntag. Maas told the newspaper that although much trust were lost in the last few years due to Russia's behavior, Germany needs Russia as a partner to settle regional conflicts, for disarmament and as an important pillar of multilateralism. "We are therefore open for dialogue and are trying to rebuild trust bit by bit if Russia is ready," Maas was quoted as saying. Germany has joined the United States and other European countries in standing with Britain over the attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 14. Four Russian diplomats were expelled from Germany, and later Russia retaliated by expelling also four German diplomats from Russia. Maas defended the decision to expel Russian diplomats as "to show solidarity with Britain but also as a signal of unity." Britain accused Russia of being responsible for the use of a military-grade nerve agent on Europe for the first time since WWII, and Germany urged Moscow to cooperate more with the investigations. Russia denied developing or having such nerve agent. STOCKHOLM, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A new, national air-travel tax was introduced in Sweden on April 1, with plane journeys departing from Swedish airports to be taxed according to the length of the flights, reported Swedish Television on Sunday. The tax will be 60 SEK (7 U.S. dollars) on domestic flights and on flights within Europe. Flights to destinations outside of Europe will be taxed 250 SEK, unless the journey is longer than 6,000 kilometers in which case the tax rate is 400 SEK. It is uncertain whether passengers traveling from Sweden will see rising air fares since the airlines are responsible for paying in the taxes and can decide themselves if they want to add the fees on to the ticket prices or not. Sweden has some of the cheapest airfares in the world, according to a 2016 survey from the website Kiwi.com, which publishes an aviation price index. Sweden ranks number 10 on that index. At the same time, statistics show that Swedes fly more and more and that emissions from air travel are increasing. A report from the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg shows that, among Swedes, the number of international flights increased by 30 percent between 1990 and 2014. In 2014, the total emissions from these flights, taking into account the high altitude effect, equaled the total amount of emissions from all private car journeys in Sweden in the same year, the Chalmers report showed. In October last year, the City of Stockholm published a report on the climate impact of Stockholmers' air travel. A summary included in that report showed that the number of departures from Swedish airports increased by 40 percent between 2009 and 2016. International flights stood for 65 percent of those plane journeys. (1 U.S. dollar = 7.20 SEK) Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-02 05:43:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ANKARA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Tensions flared between Ankara and Paris after French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for the Kurdish militants in Syria, currently the target of a Turkish military operation. France's support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded by the People's Protection Units (YPG), has angered Ankara at a time when it is fighting the YPG, a group deemed by Ankara as a terrorist organization, in northern Syria. The Kurdish cause is somewhat of a traditional policy for France since the 1980s when Iraqi Kurds were the target of repression stemming from the Bagdad regime, led then by Saddam Hussein who would later be deposed and then executed after the U.S. troops invaded his country in 2003. Macron's support dropped like a bombshell in Ankara where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan flatly lashed out at the NATO partner's attitude. He publicly warned on Friday that France could become a "target" for supporting the YPG. "France has taken a completely wrong approach," said Erdogan, adding "We hope France will not come to us for help when the terrorists from Syria and Iraq fill their country after being encouraged by their policy." The French president's support for Syrian Kurds coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump's unexpected announcement that the 2,000 U.S. troops currently deployed in northern Syria will leave Syria "very soon." Concerns have been raised over the possible confrontation between Turkish and U.S. armies as the Turkish operation in Syria's Afrin was in progress. The anger towards France, recently visited by the Turkish president and where some lucrative contracts have been signed on the purchase of 25 Airbus airliners for Turkish Airlines, was palpable in Turkish government. It is believed that the France are taking over, or at least offering to take over the U.S. role in Syria. "France has crossed the red line there (in Syria) in announcing its support for a group that we insist is engaged in terrorist activities and that we consider as an affiliate to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)," said a source close to the Turkish government. The PKK is listed as a terrorist movement by the European Union and the United States, while the YPG, which was instrumental in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State (IS), is not. "This is unacceptable. Neither the government nor the people will accept such a stance which undermines our cooperation with France. We hope that this error will be repaired, otherwise our ties would suffer," added the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Macron had a meeting on Thursday at the Elysee Palace with an SDF delegation constituted of YPG members after which a senior Kurdish official said the president had promised to send more troops to the area as part of the coalition's efforts, provide humanitarian assistance, and "mediate" between the Kurds and Ankara, drawing Ankara's harsh reaction. Speaking to reporters to clarify Macron's comments, a French presidential source said "France doesn't foresee any new military operation on the ground in northern Syria outside of the international coalition." Yet this clarification was not good enough for Erdogan who on Saturday again took the opportunity of a public ceremony in Istanbul to lash out at France, saying that "if France who is our ally in NATO wants to be with terrorists, it will then suffer the consequences." "France is saying that we have invaded Afrin, this is far for being the truth. We have liberated civilians from the oppression of bloody gangs (YPG)," he added, blaming openly the French industry giant Lafarge of having built "tunnels and bunkers" for the Kurdish militia in northern Syria. Meanwhile, in an apparent reaction and warning to Paris, the state-run Anadolu news agency, published a map detailing the location of French military bases in northern Syria. According to Anadolu Agency, nearly 70 French soldiers may currently have operations in northeast Syria as advisors. France has been the most outspoken critic of the Turkish incursion in the Afrin enclave. Turkish-French relations have been problematic in recent years. France seems against Turkey's entry into the European Union, proposing a commercial partnership instead. France alongside the U.S. is also concerned with Turkey's growing rapprochement with Russia on the Syrian war and on major commercial and energy issues. Furious Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli also joined the chorus on Saturday warning France against increasing its military presence in Syria, stating it would amount to "an invasion." "If they intend to support terrorist elements or provide direct or indirect protection through their armed forces, it would be a truly calamitous step," the minister said. "Dreamer" Nicole Uria (R) speaks with her mother Giovanna Portugal (C) and a relative in Annandale, Virginia on March 6, 2018. 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. Last September, her life was turned upside down when U.S. 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.(AFP PHOTO/Eleonore SENS) WASHINGTON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Sunday that there would be no deal to legalize the status of hundreds of thousands of "Dreamers", undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. "No MORE DACA DEAL!" Trump said in an emphatic tweet Sunday morning. DACA refers to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an Obama administration program that shields Dreamers from deportation. Trump shut it down last fall but gave lawmakers six month to come up with a permanent solution. Though Congress has been unable to reach a consensus on the issue and stalled the progress, legal challenges to the Trump order has managed to keep DACA in place for now. The president tweeted a claim on Sunday that Border Patrol agents can't do their jobs properly because of "ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws" that allow people caught for illegally staying in the country to be released while awaiting a hearing, while urging Republicans in charge of the Senate to "go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws." In order to end debate and move forward to a vote on a measure or piece of legislation, Senate rules require 60 votes in the 100-member Senate, but Republicans now only control 51 seats, and GOP Senate leaders have opposed Trump's repeated call to change the longstanding rules. While stressing his signature promise, the border wall, Trump lashed out at Mexico for "doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S." "They must stop the big drug and people flows, or will stop their cash cow, NAFTA," the president said of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada, that Washington is trying to rewrite. ALGIERS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Sunday issued a decree to establish an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Algerian coast, APS news agency reported. The source specified that the EEZ is a space on which a country has sovereignty and exercise special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources. The outer limits of the Algerian EEZ, calculated from the baselines defined by the decree of August 1984, are specified by the coordinates expressed in the World Geodetic System (WGS 84), noted APS while quoting the decree as saying. It stretches from the baseline out to 200 nautical miles (about 370 km) from its coast. However, the external limits of the EEZ may, where appropriate, be modified in the context of bilateral agreements with states whose coasts are adjacent to or facing the Algerian coasts. Observers believe that the aforementioned presidential decree may pave the way for the beginning of offshore drilling projects off Algeria. Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour, CEO of the state energy giant Sonatrach, said late last month that his firm is working on studying and examining the seismic nature of the coasts of some regions ahead of starting offshore drilling. He further noted that Sonatrach's partners, such as Anadarko, Total, Eni and Statoil are interested in joining the offshore drilling activity in Algeria. Arizona News The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded Navajo-owned Clawson Excavating Inc., a $918,911 contract to improve a local access road on the Navajo Nation, paving the way for critical abandoned uranium mine cleanups. Clawson Excavating Inc. will construct improvements to a currently unmaintained access road in rural Cove, Arizona Clawson Excavating, a small, Navajo-woman-owned business, will have seven employees working on this contract performing all of the work. Were very pleased to be working with a Navajo-owned company, helping employ tribal workers, said Alexis Strauss, Acting Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. Clawson Excavatings work is an important part of our broad-ranging efforts to address uranium mining contamination in and around the Navajo Nation. Nationwide, infrastructure struggles to meet the needs of the American public. Notably, one out of every five mile miles of highway pavement in the United States is in poor condition. The road upgrades under this contract will improve the existing road conditions, making it safer and providing reliable access for the ongoing cleanup of approximately 32 abandoned uranium mine sites in the Cove area. The improvements include modifications to road slope and width, outside edge protection berms, surface stability, and erosion control. The work is expected to begin once the contracts notice to proceed is issued and will be completed within 60 calendar days. Funding for the contract comes from the approximately $1 billion settlement with Tronox Inc. (formerly Kerr-McGee Corporation) for the assessment and cleanup of over 50 abandoned uranium mines. During the Cold War, 30 million tons of uranium ore were mined on or adjacent to the Navajo Nation, leaving more than 500 abandoned mines. Since 2008, EPA has conducted preliminary investigations at all of the mines, remediated 52 contaminated structures, provided safe drinking water to 3,013 families in partnership with the Indian Health Service, and performed cleanup or stabilization work at nine mines. In total, EPA has reached enforcement agreements and settlements valued at $1.7 billion to reduce the highest risks of radiation exposure to the Navajo people from abandoned uranium mines. As a result, funding is now available to assess and clean up 219 of the 523 abandoned uranium mines. Cleanup of the abandoned uranium mines is a closely coordinated effort between EPA, the Navajo Nation and other federal agencies. Latest News Pasadena, California - NASA is about to go on a journey to study the interior of Mars. The space agency held a news conference Thursday at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, detailing the next mission to the Red Planet. Scheduled to launch as early as May 5, NASAs Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight), a stationary lander, will be the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring Mars' deep interior. It also will be the first NASA mission since the Apollo moon landings to place a seismometer, a device that measures quakes, on the soil of another planet. For JPL's Bruce Banerdt, principal investigator for InSight, it's also a labor of love. Banerdt has worked more than 25 years to make the mission a reality. "In some ways, InSight is like a scientific time machine that will bring back information about the earliest stages of Mars' formation 4.5 billion years ago," Banerdt said. "It will help us learn how rocky bodies form, including Earth, its moon, and even planets in other solar systems." InSight carries a suite of sensitive instruments to gather data and, unlike a rover mission, these instruments require a stationary lander from which they can carefully be placed on and below the Martian surface. In a sense, Mars is the exoplanet next door a nearby example of how gas, dust and heat combine and arrange themselves into a planet. Looking deep into Mars will let scientists understand how different its crust, mantle and core are from Earth. NASA isn't the only agency excited about the mission. Several European partners contributed instruments or instrument components to the InSight mission. France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales led a multinational team that built an ultra-sensitive seismometer for detecting marsquakes. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) developed a thermal probe that can bury itself up to 16 feet (5 meters) underground and measure heat flowing from inside the planet. "InSight is a truly international space mission," said Tom Hoffman, project manager at JPL. "Our partners have delivered incredibly capable instruments that will make it possible to gather unique science after we land." InSight currently is at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California undergoing final preparation before launch. On Wednesday, it completed what's known as a spin test: the entire spacecraft is rotated at high speeds to confirm its center of gravity. That's critical for its entry, descent and landing on Mars in November, Hoffman said. In the next month, the spacecraft will be mounted to its rocket, connections between them will be checked, and the launch team will go through a final training. "This next month will be exciting," Banerdt said. "We've got some final work to do, but we're almost ready to go to Mars." JPL manages the InSight Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and tested the spacecraft. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, which is managed by the agencys Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - Today, Yuma Police Department Officers responded to a single vehicle roll-over collision in the 8000 Block of E 32nd Street. Initial investigation revealed a Hyundai Coupe, driven by a 19 year old male, was turning left onto 32nd street from Avenue 8E. After making a wide and fast turn, the driver lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle crossed the median into the westbound traffic lanes and came to rest on the north side of 32nd Street. The vehicle struck several signs, trees, and a light pole in its path. The driver and a 19 year old passenger were transported to the Yuma Regional Medical Center in stable condition. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in this collision. The Traffic Division is investigating the accident. Both, east and west traffic lanes of 32nd Street will be closed from Avenue 8E to Cielo Verde Drive for sever hours. This case is still under investigation. The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please 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... Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 02:03:41|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Liu Wei, Zhang Quan BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- With the aim to build a more fair and transparent regulation process for technology exports and foreign investment, China has issued a guideline tightly reviewing the transfer of intellectual property rights to overseas buyers. "To establish and perfect the review mechanism for IP transfers overseas is not a move to upset foreign investors. The guideline has rather formulated concrete measures to secure a better business environment," said Zhang Zhicheng, director of the Protection and Coordination Department at the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO). "The government will only review two categories of IP transfers: technology restricted for exports and international acquisitions of Chinese enterprises," Zhang said. The proposed IP transfers will be reviewed if they involve patent rights, exclusive rights to layout designs of integrated semiconductors, software copyrights, or rights to new plant varieties. According to the guideline released Thursday, Chinese companies and individuals have the right to transfer their IP to overseas enterprises, individuals or groups. IP transfers will be reviewed if they appear to affect national security or the country's core technology in key fields. When China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, it entered into the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to bring its IP laws to an international level. Meanwhile, the government has gradually transformed its manufacturing-based economy to an innovation-based economy. Over the past decades, China has become a major producer of innovative technology and the second biggest source of international patent applications, according to an UN announcement. "China has mastered a series of key technology and developed some high-quality intellectual property. If we fail to strictly review core IP transfers related to national security, we may put the country at the risk of losing control of key technology in important fields and suffering major financial losses," said Zhang. In 2017, China's intellectual property royalties earned abroad surpassed 4 billion U.S. dollars, according to SIPO. "Besides the financial influences, improper review of core IP transfers could restrain China's self-developed innovation abilities and competitive advantages internationally," Zhang said. Regulating IP transfers involving national security complies with international rule and practices, he said, citing the WTO's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, which gives recognition to all members to protect legitimate interests according to their own regulatory autonomy. He noted that the developed economies like the United States, EU, and Japan have similar review systems. Vistara Flight UK966 landed at Ahmedabad airport a short while after it took off following a technical snag. The flight was headed towards Delhi when the incident happened. The flight took off from Ahmedabad at 8:40 pm and turned around and landed at 8:56 pm, according to multiple live flight tracking sites. It seems the aircraft did not fly higher than an altitude of 1000 m during its short fly around. Vistara's fleet is composed entirely of Airbus A320-200 and A320neo aircraft. Most A320neo planes in India, most from IndiGo, have been grounded after a technical fault in the Pratt & Whitney engines threatened engine failure mid-flight. It is unclear if UK966 was an A320 neo, or the earlier A320-200 variant. Vistara soon tweeted to clarify that their fleet of Airbus A320 neo aircraft did not suffer from the same issues that have grounded IndiGo's fleet. The airline said it had chosen to go for the CFM International LEAP-1A engine, and not the now-problematic Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines. However, it stopped short of confirming if UK966 was an A320-200 or A320neo. "There are two engine options on the A320neo. We have chosen GE/CFM on our neos, and these are not affected by the engine issues that relate to the other manufacturer. Thanks," Vistara clarified. Hi, Siddharth. There are two engine options on the A320neo. We have chosen GE/CFM on our neos, and these are not affected by the engine issues that relate to the other manufacturer. Thanks Vistara (@airvistara) March 30, 2018 The airline also tweeted that a replacement aircraft was being flown in from Delhi and that the rescheduled flight would take off from Ahmedabad at 1:30 am on Saturday morning. The flight was scheduled to take off at 8:35 pm on Friday. We regret the inconvenience. UK966 is cancelled due to technical glitch, relief aircraft is being sent from DEL and will depart from AMD at 0130 hrs. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Vistara (@airvistara) March 30, 2018 There were some tweets on the flight's return to Ahmedabad and the ensuing delay in the journey. "@airvistara Flight UK966 postponed by an estimated 3hours, due to an engine problem. Passengers stranded at AMD airport with nowhere to sit #platinum #notjustanotherneo," read a tweet from @simplythebestro @airvistara Flight UK966 postponed by an estimated 3hours, due to an engine problem. Passengers stranded at AMD airport with nowhere to sit #platinum #notjustanotherneo pic.twitter.com/FJX0SkALyn Rohit Sharma (@simplythebestro) March 30, 2018 "Whats with UK966 tonight? VT-TNH why it took off and immediately returned back to AMD? Medical or Technical? #NotjustanotherNeo," read part of a tweet from @ravinmehta84. @airvistara @TheSanjivKapoor Whats with UK966 tonight? VT-TNH why it took off and immediately returned back to AMD? Medical or Technical? #NotjustanotherNeo Ravin Mehta (@ravinmehta84) March 30, 2018 "@airvistara uk966 Ahemdabad to delhi... In faulty condition I think your not knowing importance of our precious time," tweeted @malavjoshi93 @airvistara uk966 Ahemdabad to delhi In faulty condition I think your not knowing importance of our precious time I think you gave worst service in all airline malav joshi (@malavjoshi93) March 30, 2018 Vistara responded to multiple tweets seeking information on the rescheduling of the flight. It also put out a number of tweets apologising for the inconvenience caused to the passengers. Alia Bhatt is all set to star alongside Vicky Kaushal in one of the most-awaited films of the year 'Raazi' after a year since her last film 'Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya'. On Sunday, the 25-year-old actress shared a still from the film on her Instagram account announcing when the first trailer of the film will be out. She wrote, "In between shots on the sets of Raazi. 10 days to the trailer.. Can't wait.." Check out her post: Directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Karan Johar, 'Raazi' is a period thriller film. The film is an adaption of Harinder Sikkas novel 'Calling Sehmat', about a Kashmiri spy married to a Pakistani man. The film story is set against the backdrop of 1971 Indo-Pak war. Meghna, who is returning to direction after a long hiatus post 'Talvar', had shared the first look of the film on her Twitter handle. In the movie, Alia plays the role of a Kashmir Muslim woman who married a Pakistani army officer so as to provide the Indian intelligence with valuable information during the war. 'Raazi' is scheduled to release on June 1 this year. Earlier, while talking about the movie, Alia had told the news agency IANS, "I think in 'Raazi' audience will see me in completely different avatar at least that is my wish because 'Raazi' as a film is very different. Its the first time I am doing a period film and it is based on the true story as well, so I am very excited for it and I hope the audience will like it." It is to be noted that Vicky Kaushal, who is out to prove his mettle with his acting, has appeared in films like 'Massan' and 'Raman Raghav 2.0'. He is also reportedly playing a role in Sanjay Dutt's biopic 'Sanju'. Alia, on the other hand, has films like 'Brahmastra' and 'Gully Boy' in her kitty. She will also be doing a special appearance in Anand L Rai's 'Zero' that features Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif in key roles. New Delhi: Bobby Deol is all set to enthral the audience with his performance in the third installment of the 'Race' franchise, popular for its high-octane scenes. The actor, who had been missing from the big screen for some time, recently wrapped up shooting in Liwa. To share the news, Bobby shared a selfie on his Instagram account with the caption, "Last day of shooting at #Liwa ... it was fun shooting in the sun & sand #Race3 #Race3ThisEid." In the photo, Bobby is smiling at the camera, looking dapper as he is dressed in a black-brown zipper. The blurred sunset in the backgrop makes the picture quite interesting. Earlier, the actor had shared another photo with Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandes and Ramesh Taurani on Instagram and captioned it writing, "Racing on, in Bangkok!! @shahdaisy @beingsalmankhan @rameshtaurani @skfilmsofficial @tips #Race3". Starring Salman, Jacqueline, Anil Kapoor, Bobby and Saqib Saleem, 'Race 3' is directed by Remo D'Souza and produced under the banner of Salman Khan Productions. The film is all set to be released on Eid this year. CHENNAI: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin was detained on Sunday during an ongoing protest against Centre over the constitution of Cauvery Water Management. The party also decided to observe a shutdown across Tamil Nadu on April 5 over the Cauvery issue. Seeking All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK's) support, Stalin said, DMK announces shutdown across the state on 5 April, we seek support from ruling AIADMK. We will show black flags to the Prime Minister and Union Minister when they visit. Will also take out Cauvery rights retrieval walk from the delta area. Visuals: DMK working president MK Stalin detained during protest against Centre over constitution of #CauveryWaterManagement in #Chennai pic.twitter.com/ffl3pO4kPv ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 In an all-party meeting chaired by Stalin in Chennai on Sunday morning, the party further announced that a black flag demonstration march will be held during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tamil Nadu on April 15. "It is clear that the Centre moved the court and adopted a vindictive attitude towards Tamil Nadu keeping the Karnataka polls in mind," he said after the Centre filed a clarification petition in the Supreme Court, asking for three months for implementing its judgment in view of the May elections in Karnataka. Earlier, the Supreme Court gave a six-week deadline to the Centre to formulate the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), which ended on Thursday. The Centre, in a clarification petition, sought more time and pleaded to modify the composition of CMB. AIADMK-led state government has also called for a hunger strike on April 3. With agency inputs New Delhi: Several Dalit groups have called for a Bharat Bandh on Monday against the Supreme Court order to dilute the stringent provisions mandating immediate arrest under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities (POA) Act. Bharat bandh live updates The apex court on March 20 had taken note of the 'rampant misuse' of the stringent Act against government servants and had held that a public servant can only be arrested after approval of the appointing authority. A non-public servant can be arrested after approval by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) which may be granted in appropriate cases if considered necessary for reasons recorded, it had said, PTI reported. The bandh has reportedly been extended support by various groups like the Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh, the Peasants and Workers Party and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, among others. The Rashtriya Seva Dal, the Jati Aant Sangharsh Samiti and National Dalit Movement for Justice, among others, are said to have also joined the protest. Government to file a review petition on April 2, 2018 Meanwhile, the government will file a review petition before the SC on Monday, challenging the order. "SC's decision on SC/ST protection act wouldn't be able to provide justice to suppressed people. Union government took cognizance of it and law ministry with our ministry, took a decision that review petition will be filed against SC's decision," Union Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said, as per ANI. Review petition by the Government against the SC judgement on SC/ST Protection Act shall be filed positively on tomorrow, Monday, April 2 Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) April 1, 2018 On the other hand, a delegation of NDA's SC and ST MPs, led by LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Gehlot, had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to discuss the judgement. What is the point of organising a Bharat Bandh tomorrow. The government is positively going to file the Review petition: Ramvilas Paswan, Union Minister on Review petition by the Government against the SC judgement on SC/ST Protection Act pic.twitter.com/sf72nlb1zE ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) have also conveyed their views and demanded a review of the verdict, saying the original Act, as it existed before the SC verdict, should be restored. The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) Prevention of Atrocities (PoA) Act, 1989 was amended recently to include new offences and to ensure speedy justice to victims. The amended law had come into effect from January 26, 2016. (With Agency inputs) Reported by Sanjay Kumar and Rajneesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arjit Shashwat on Saturday night surrendered before the police in connection with the recent communal clashes in Bhagalpur in Bihar. Arjit, son of BJP veteran Ashwini Choubey, was arrested by the police soon after his surrender. The leader surrendered before the police after a warrant was issued in his name and there were also orders of confiscation of property is he remains absconding. Before surrendering, the BJP leader addressed mediapersons, saying the police must first arrest those who indulged in violence. He had reportedly gone to Varanasi to attend the last rites of a relative, following which he came down to Patna. After offering prayers at Hanuman temple in Patna, Arjit surrendered before the police. A huge deployment of police personnel was in place as the BJP leader, who had lost the previous Bihar Assembly, surrendered before the cops. Following this, Arjit was taken to Gandhi Maidan police station. Speaking about his arrested, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said that a team under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police was monitoring the case. He further said that a team of Bhagalpur police had also been camping in Patna. According to the senior police official, the Bhagalpur police team will continue to camp in Patna to arrest other accused in the Bhagalpur violence case. Arjit has been sent to Bhagalpur along with a police team for further action. Meanwhile, the BJP leaders wife Vijeta Shashwat said that her husband was not an absconder and was awaiting bail. He surrendered immediately after he was denied bail, she said. Shashwat has been named, besides eight others, in one of the two FIRs lodged at Nathnagar police station of Bhagalpur following communal riots that broke out on March 17 after some people objected to playing of loud music during a procession led by him. It had been taken out allegedly without permission to celebrate the New Year as per the Hindu calendar. Several persons, including two police personnel, were injured in the clashes that witnessed heavy stone-pelting, arson and exchange of fire. (With PTI Inputs) Prices of a host of products are slated to change from April 1, Sunday, as per the proposals of Union Budget 2018, presented by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on February 1. While LED television sets and imported mobile phones are slated to become costlier, solar panels will become cheaper as the proposals of the Union Budget come into effect. Heres a look at whats slated to become costlier and what would get cheaper: Costlier: # Truck and bus radial tyres # Imported mobile handsets # Imported LCD/ LED/ OLED TV panels and other parts of TVs # Perfumes, toilet water and imported beauty and make up preparations # Wrist, pocket, smart watches, wearable devices and sunglasses # Gemstones and diamonds # Footwear and silk fabrics # Fruit juices # Imported cranberry juice # Orange fruit juice # Other fruit and vegetables juices # Crude edible vegetable oils like olive oil, ground nut oil # Refined edible vegetable oils, ground nut oil # Imported gold items, including gold plated with platinum Cheaper: # Raw cashew nuts # Solar tempered glass or solar tempered glass for manufacture of solar cells/panels/modules # Raw materials, parts and accessories of cochlear implants Apart from these, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has revised its toll rates by as much as seven per cent, to come into effect from Sunday. This will make travelling on national highways costlier and is also likely to impact the cost of essential commodities. Meanwhile, the reintroduction of tax on long-term capital gains (LTCG) exceeding Rs 1 lakh from the sale of shares, reduced corporate tax of 25 percent on businesses on turnover of up to Rs 250 crore and a standard deduction of Rs 40,000 in lieu of transport allowance and medical reimbursement are some of the budget proposals will come into effect from Sunday. The 2018-19 budget had after a gap of 14 years reintroduced 10 percent tax on LTCG exceeding Rs 1 lakh from the sale of shares. In July 2004, the government had abolished LTCG tax on shares and had replaced it with the securities transaction tax (STT). Currently, 15 percent tax is levied on capital gains made on share sale within a year of purchase. However, it is nil for shares sold after a year of purchase. The indexation benefit for computing tax liability on the sale of shares listed after January 31 will be available, which will come as a relief to investors. Several Dalit groups have called for a Bharat Bandh on April 2, Monday. The bandh has reportedly been called by the groups against dilution of Scheduled Castes-Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act provisions and alleged arbitrary arrests made under the same. The bandh call was initially given by Dalit group Sanvidhaan Bachao Sangharash Committee at a press conference on Wednesday. The call was later supported by All India Adi Dharam Mission and All India Adi Dharam Sadhu Samaj, reported The Times of India. The government has, however, made an appeal to the bodies to call off the Bharat Bandh. Taking to Twitter, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Thawarchand Gehlot had said that the Narendra Modi government was committed to the welfare of members of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe. He had also said that the government would file a review petition on the decision of the Supreme Court with regard to the Act. The minister was also quoted as saying by some reports that he would take up the matter with the Ministry of Finance. The Supreme Court had ruled that before filing any case of atrocities on members of SC and ST community, a probe by DSP-level officer would be mandatory. A prior permission would also be needed from senior officials before arresting any government official in such cases. The court had observed that many fake cases were filed under the Act. The decision was taken by the Supreme Court while hearing a petition filed by the Maharashtra government. Reports also said that several NDA MPs from the Dalit community met Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the decision to take some action. The opposition had also targeted the central government over the issue. Three Congress leaders, who are also practicing lawyers, have been barred by the Bar Council of India (BCI) to appear before the court of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. The decision has been taken by the lawyers body to bar Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Vivek Tankha in view of the motion being brought by opposition parties for the removal of the Chief Justice, reported DNA. DNA quoted BCI president Manan Mishra as saying, The BCI has come to a final conclusion that we cannot stop or ban MPs from practising in courts, but there is an exception to it. Lawyer-MPs or -MLAs, if they start any motion for impeachment or a removal proceeding against any high court or Supreme Court judge, they will not be allowed to practise in that particular court. This is the majority view of the council. Sibal, Singhvi and Tankha had reportedly objected to the move. Writing to the BCI, they had said that it was not in its jurisdiction to bar them from appearing before any court of the Supreme Court or High Courts. This comes even as a plea seeking ban on MPs and MLAs from practicing law is pending before the Supreme Court. The motion to remove Justice Misra, being prepared by opposition parties including Congress, NCP and Samajwadi Party, among others, is in relation to the CJI's handling of the matters raised by four Supreme Court judges at a press conference on January 11, 2018. Following the unprecedented press meet by four senior SC judges - Justice Chelameswar, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Madan B Lokur - there were reports of senior Left leader Sitaram Yechury meeting NCP's Tariq Anwar and former JDU leader Sharad Yadav. In an unprecedented move, four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court had accused the CJI in January 2018 of not adhering to the rules in assigning cases to appropriate benches, which they said could create "doubts" about the integrity of the top court. Speaking to the media at the residence of Justice Chelameswar, the judges had said the SC administration was "not in order" and had released an undated letter they had written to Justice Misra in which they conceded that the CJI was the "master of the roster" but this was "not a recognition of any superior authority, legal or factual, of the Chief Justice over his colleagues". Pune: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said slogans like 'Congress-mukt Bharat' were mere political phrases. "These are political slogans. It is not the language of the RSS. The word 'mukt' (free) is used in politics. We never use the language of excluding anyone," he said. The RSS chief was in Pune to launch six books written by Dnyaneshwar Mulay, a 1983-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, who is currently secretary (Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) in the Ministry of External Affairs. "We have to include everyone in the process of nation building including those who oppose us," he added, according to PTI. Stressing the need for a "positive approach" to bring about change, Bhagwat said those with a negative approach would think only of conflicts and divisions. "Such a person is not at all useful in the process of nation-building. If one has faith in himself, his family and the country, he can work towards inclusive nation-building process," Bhagwat said. Launching an all-out attack against the Congress in February 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in Parliament that he was pursuing Mahatma Gandhi's dream of a 'Congress-mukt Bharat'. "I want India of Gandhi's dream. And Gandhi had said since the country has got independence, now Congress is not required and should be disbanded. This 'Congress-mukt Bharat' is Gandhi's dream. We are trying to follow the path shown by him," he had said. PM Modi had also sought to corner the Congress on a host of other issues while replying to debate on the Motion of Thanks for the President's address. However, earlier in January 2018, while talking to an English news channel, he had said that the slogan of 'Congress-free India' was not about eliminating the main Opposition party politically, but was about getting the country rid of the 'Congress culture'. PM Modi had termed them as casteist, dynastic and corrupt, among other things. He had added that his call for 'Congress mukt' was 'symbolic'. PM Modi had further said that he wants even the Congress to be free of the 'Congress culture'. On the other hand, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said in March 2018 that the Assembly poll results in three Northeastern states showed that the country was moving fast in the direction of becoming 'Congress-mukt'. He had said that the results had proved that 'Congress-mukt Bharat' was not just a slogan but a reality. (With PTI inputs) HYDERABAD: State police on Friday foiled a plot to assassinate Hyderabad Central University Vice-Chancellor Dr Podile Appa Rao by former varsity students to avenge Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula's death. According to Andhra Pradesh police, the two accused persons 27-year-old Ankala Prudviraj and 28-year-old Chandan Kumar Mishra are former university students and associated with Maoist party. The duo was arrested near Pitchukulapadu Junction on Bhadrachalam-Cherla Road while they were allegedly returning from Bastar forests, after meeting Yapa Narayana alias Haribhushan, the secretary of Telangana State Committee of CPI (Maoist). Prudviraj, who belongs from Krishna district of the state, and Mishra, from West Bengal's Howrah district, believed in Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology. Following several incidents in the varsity, including Vemula's death, the duo joined the Left party. They were later given the task to kill the Vice-Chancellor over the anger and antagonism among students after Vemula's suicide three years ago. The assassination would also help the Maoist party get more recruitments. "In January 2018, they met Haribhushan in a forest area between Cherla and Venkatapuram with the help of a Maoist courier. Haribhushan explained the party`s principles, ideology and asked them to try for maximum student recruitment from the university," read an official statement of Andhra police. "During the discussion, Rohith Vemula`s suicide and the repercussions of the incident were also discussed and they decided that if Appa Rao was killed in the name of the Maoist party, many students would join the party," it added. Mishra, who joined the Hyderabad Central University in 2013 for a post-graduate course, was a member of the Telangana Praja Front and SFI. Both the accused were produced before a court, which sent them to judicial custody. V-C Dr Rao is yet to comment on the incident. Earlier, Prudviraj was reportedly arrested after he was caught escorting a woman believed to be the wife of Pulluri Prasada Rao alias Chandranna. He was later released on bail. Rohith Vemula, a 28-year-old Dalit research scholar at the University of Hyderabad, was found hanging in his friend's hostel room on January 17, 2016. Alleging caste discrimination, his friends and family claimed that the varsity had stopped paying a fellowship of Rs 25,000 which forced him to take the drastic step. His suicide had triggered a massive political row. With agency inputs Walong: Indian troops deployed along the Sino-India border in the Himalayan range of the Arunachal sector have increased their patrolling at a tri-junction of India, China and Myanmar. PTI quoted top Army officials as saying that the tri-junction is extremely important for India to help it maintain its dominance in the nearby mountain passes and other areas. "After the Doklam standoff, we have increased our presence on India's side of the tri-junction as it is very important for us from the strategic dimension," a senior Army official said. He added that Chinese troops did not enter the tri-junction too frequently but had developed a road infrastructure near the area which could be advantageous for the mobilisation of Army personnel. "After the tri-junction in Doklam in the Sikkim sector, this is the most important tri-junction along the Sino-India border," the officer was further quoted as saying by the news agency. The tri-junction is located around 50 km from Walong and is the easternmost town of India. Meanwhile, right across the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh, a cluster of fresh Chinese infrastructure has been observed. which includes a new camp for People's Liberation Army (PLA) along with several houses. The new constructions have come up in Tatu, which lies on the other side of Kibithu town in Arunachal's Anjaw district. Kibithu is one of the five Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian Army and China's PLA. A Chinese telecommunications tower and observation post with surveillance equipment were also observed, reported news agency ANI. #Chinese telecommunications tower and observation post with surveillance equipment, a part of their infrastructure in #Tatu, which is on the other side of #ArunachalPradesh's Kibithu. pic.twitter.com/I0PAmh0ZHo ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2018 Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam from June 16, 2017, after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the area by the Chinese Army. The face-off had ended on August 28, 2017. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said on March 25, 2018, that India was "alert" and ready to deal with any "unforeseen situation" in Doklam. She had also said that the government was constantly working towards modernisation of forces. "We are alert and ready for any unforeseen situation in Doklam. We are constantly working towards the modernisation of our forces. We will maintain our territorial integrity," she had told reporters in Dehradun on the sidelines of a function to honour families of distinguished Armymen, war widows and veterans, as per PTI. Earlier on March 5, 2018, Sitharaman had said that Indian and Chinese troops had "redeployed" themselves away from the face-off site in Doklam and China had undertaken construction of helipads, sentry posts and trenches for its Army personnel there. And, in January 2018, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had said the time had come for India to shift its focus from borders with Pakistan to the frontier with China. (With Agency inputs) Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh on Sunday morning confirmed that he is leaving for Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of 39 Indians who were killed by terrorist group ISIS in Mosul. The former Army chief said that the families of the deceased have been informed about how the mortal remains would be handed over to them. He said, I am leaving for Iraq, will be getting back mortal remains of the 39 Indians. Will return to Amritsar, then Kolkata and then Patna. Families have been informed. Singh is slated to leave for Baghdad in a special C-17 plane at around 11 am on Sunday. He is expected to return with the mortal remains of Indians from the war-torn country by late Monday night or Tuesday morning. The minister of state had said on Saturday that he was awaiting a nod from Baghdad before flying to the country. He had further said that the mortal remains of all Indians would be handed over to their families, who are in different states in India. We will hand over the mortal remains to their families. They won't have to come to the airport, the former Army chief had said. This comes even as the Congress party has moved a privilege motion against External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Singh saying they "deliberately misled" the families of the 39 Indians. Making a statement on the issue in Lok Sabha recently, Sushma Swaraj had hailed the role of VK Singh in ascertaining the identity of the Indians who got killed in Iraq. She had made a special mention of him while addressing Parliament. "Mortal remains were sent to Baghdad. For verification of bodies, the DNA samples of their relatives were sent there and four state governments - Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar - were involved in this," she had further said. Sushma Swaraj had also told the House that when VK Singh would return from Iraq with the mortal remains, the plane would first go to Amritsar, then to Patna and then to Kolkata. BAGHDAD: The mortal remains of the 39 Indians killed by ISIS in Iraq's Mosul were on Sunday handed over to Indian authorities in Baghdad. The remains will be flown back to India on Monday. Indian Ambassador Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit said that the bodies had been taken to Baghdad International Airport and would be flown back on a military flight, arriving in India on Monday. Minister of State for External Affairs Vijay Kumar Singh, who has flown to Iraq, saluted the remains at the airport as workers loaded the caskets on the aircraft. Singh condemned terrorism and expressed his government's stance in fighting it. "We are against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he told reporters, describing IS as "very cruel terrorist organization and our people have fallen to their bullets." #WATCH MoS Mea VK Singh and other officials carry the mortal remains of the 38 Indians, which are being brought back to India from Iraq. Visuals from Baghdad airport (Source: VK Singh) pic.twitter.com/rQwVuOfnib ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2018 A group of Indian labourers, mostly from Punjab, Bihar and Himachal, was taken hostage by ISIS when it overran Iraq's second largest city Mosul in 2014. The workers were trying to leave Mosul when they were intercepted and taken hostage by the ISIS fighters. One of the captured Indians, Harjit Masih from Gurdaspur, had managed to escape and claimed to have witnessed the massacre of the others. The Government of India (GoI) rejected his claim and maintained that all efforts were on to find the missing Indians and, without any credible information, the workers would be considered alive. The GoI had even asked Iraq for help in locating the missing Indians after Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul from ISIS. The government in Iraq too had earlier expressed its inability to confirm if Indians taken hostage by the ISIS in Mosul three years ago were alive or dead. (With inputs from agencies) Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav has accused Yogi-Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh of engineering fake encounters. Hitting out at Adityanath, the SP leader said that the BJP leader does not even talk like a Chief Minister. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is the second most powerful person in India after the Prime Minister, and he uses phrases like 'thok diye jayenge', is this how a CM talks? We all know what kind of people use this language, he said, adding, Everyday fake encounters are happening in the state. The attack came on a day when a wanted criminal with Rs 20,000 bounty on his head was injuring in firing by Uttar Pradesh police during an encounter in Muzaffarnagar area. In a fierce gunbattle between the police and criminal shots were fired at the cops first wherein SHO Virendra Kasana escaped injury as a bullet hit his bullet-proof jacket. Two other criminals, however, escaped unhurt during the encounter. While the police went for combing operation in adjoining forest area to trace them, but failed to nab them. A Hyundai Santro car, and a gun and bullets in the possession of the wanted criminal, were recovered by the police following the encounter. Several tools used for cow slaughter were also recovered by the cops. Ratanpuri police personnel in the area got a tip-off about some criminals were going in a Santro car to carry out an incident. Acting swiftly, the police cordoned off the area and began checking of all vehicles. When they discovered a Santro car approaching them, the cops signalled the driver to stop. But instead of stopping the vehicle, the criminals opened fire on police personnel and fled the spot. The cops chased them. Realising threat, the criminals abandoned the car and ran towards sugarcane fields near the road to Salawa. The cops continued to chase them and fired at the criminals wherein wanted criminal Gulzar suffered injuries. He was later shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Shopian: Terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir suffered a major setback as 13 terrorists were gunned down in counter-insurgency operations in three different areas in which three Army jawans and two civilians were also killed. Among the terrorists killed included Rayees Thoker and Ishfaq Malik who shot dead Indian Army officer Lt. Ummer Fayyaz in May 2017. Out of the eight, six terrorists hailed from local areas. At a hurriedly called joint press conference of Army, police and CRPF, J&K Police chief SP Vaid said this wass one of the biggest counter-offensives in recent times against terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley. Briefing on the operation, an Army officer said, "There was a design to help the terrorists. But our operations won't stop because of some people who are under the influence of anti-nationals." He further said that incidents of stone pelting have gone up in recent times. "We will act against those stone pelters who try to help terrorists at encounter site by pelting stones on security forces," said the Army. AK 43, AK 47 and rifles were also recovered. The encounters began late on Saturday night. Police and Armys 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 3 RR, 34 RR, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were part of the operation. (With PTI inputs) SRINAGAR: In a major setback to the terror outfits in Jammu and Kashmir, 13 terrorists were gunned down in counter-insurgency operations in three different areas on Sunday. The encounters, which have now concluded, also left three Army jawans and four civilians dead. A terrorist has been caught alive, reported news agency ANI. Mobile Internet services have been suspended in the Kashmir Valley following encounters at Anantnag, Shopian's Dragad and Kachdoor. "The Encounters have concluded. Two more terrorist bodies have been recovered from Shopian encounter site. In all 12 terrorists have been neutralised, three soldiers have been martyred and one terrorist has been caught alive. It's unfortunate that stone pelting incidents around encounter site cost four civilian deaths," said SP Vaid, DGP J&K. The three Army personnel who lost their lives in Anantnag and Shopian encounters have been identified as Gunner Arvinder Kumar, Gunner Nilesh Singh and Sepoy Hetram. Photos of Army personnel Gunner Arvinder Kumar, Gunner Nilesh Singh & Sepoy Hetram who lost their lives in Anantnag & Shopian encounters today. #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/j5kNsX24hC ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 Among the terrorists killed, Rayees Ahmad Thoker and Ishfaq Ahmad Malik are the ones who shot dead Indian Army officer Lt. Ummer Fayyaz in May 2017. The other terrorists include Nazim Dar, Adil Thoker, Ubaid Malla, Yawar Ahmad Yatoo and Zubair Ahmad Turay. At a hurriedly called joint press conference of Army, police and CRPF, J&K Police chief SP Vaid said this was one of the biggest counter-offensives in recent times against terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley. Briefing on the operation, an Army officer said, "There was a design to help the terrorists. But our operations won't stop because of some people who are under the influence of anti-nationals." He further said that incidents of stone pelting have gone up in recent times. "We will act against those stone pelters who try to help terrorists at encounter site by pelting stones on security forces," said the Army. AK 43, AK 47 and rifles were also recovered. The encounters began late on Saturday night. Police and Armys 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 3 RR, 34 RR, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were part of the operation. BENGALURU: With days left to Karnataka Assembly elections, Shiv Sena on Sunday announced that the party will contest 50 to 55 seats in the poll-bound state. The announcement was made by party spokesperson Sanjay Raut. In order to support Maharashtra Akikaran Samiti - a regional party based in Belagavi, Shiv Sena will not put up candidates in the border area. Maharashtra Akikaran Samiti has campaigned for the merger of Belgaum to neighbouring state Maharashtra. The party claims to represent the Marathi-speaking people in the region. Karnataka polls are scheduled to be held in a single phase on May 12 and the counting of votes will be done on May 15. VVPAT machines, apart from EVMs, will be deployed in Karnataka for the polls. The date of notification is April 17 and the last date to file nominations is April 24. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 25 and the last day for withdrawal is April 27. The 224-member Assembly expires on May 28 in the state where the Congress is currently in power, with 122 seats against the BJP's 43. Karnataka is one of the eight states where polls were scheduled this year. While Siddaramaiah-led Congress is eyeing a second term in the state, BJP wants to spread its wings to the 22nd state The Election Commission last week had announced the full schedule of assembly elections to elect a new government in Karnataka. As per the announcement by the poll panel, the assembly elections in Karnataka will be held on May 12 and results will be declared on May 15. The EC announcement has set the stage for one of the most prestigious battles between the ruling Congress and the BJP. by Seena Antony Kottayam: Premises of an English-medium school in Kerala's Pampady town turned into a battlefield on Sunday after Students' Federation of India (SFI) activists barged into the campus protesting against the alleged suicide of Class 9 student. The activists damaged school building and destroyed benches and desks. The police later resorted to lathi charge to control the violent activists. According to sources, the student son of Vazhoor-based man failed to secure passing marks in Class 9 examinations. Parents alleged that the school management refused to promote him to Class 10 due to poor marks scored in Class 9. Upset over this, the teenager committed suicide on Saturday night, said his father. The father added that the school management threatened to issue Transfer Certificate (TC). The school management has dismissed the allegation. Talking to mediapersons, a representative of the school's management said no one threatened the boy over promotion. However, they accepted that as per the rule those score below 40 pc in class 9 exam would not be promoted to class 10. Parents and SFI demanded special investigation into the issue. New Delhi: 'Kya Kool Hai Hum' and 'Mastizaade' actress Gizele Thakral has taken the social media by storm after she posted pictures from her latest photo shoot on her Instagram account. Gizele, who has not made an appearance in a film since long, is otherwise very active on the social media. She recently shared few pictures on her Instagram account where she tried copying the iconic waterfall scene of yesteryear actress Mandakini from the superhit film 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili'. Check out her photos here: She also shared a video on her account where she is seen getting wet under a waterfall wearing a similar sheer white saree from the cult sequence. As expected, her posts have gone viral and are breaking the internet. With the photos trending on the social media, her fans flooded the comment section with their posts (mostly positive). Gizele is known to keep her fans updated with her sultry photoshoots regularly. Check out her other photos from her Insta account: A post shared by GT_____ (@gizelethakral) on Feb 15, 2018 at 4:57am PST Gizele first hogged the limelight after becoming one of the top five finalists in Gladrags Mega Model Hunt. She was also one of the wild contestants in controversial reality show 'Bigg Boss 9'. CHANDIGARH: In the wake of Bharat Bandh on Monday, Punjab government has declared closure of all educational institutions and suspension of mobile Internet services in the state. Several Dalit organisations have called for a Bharat Bandh on April 2 against the amendment under the SC/ST Act. Punjab Chief Secretary Karan A Singh has, meanwhile, written to Secreet Department of Defence, Government of India saying, "Army in Punjab to remain ready for any eventuality as state govt may need their assistance in maintaining law and order during bandh called by several Dalit organisations against amendment of SC/ST Act." As many as 4000 police personnel along with one company of Rapid Action Force will be deployed on Monday and strict action will be taken against those who indulge in violence. "4000 police personnel along with one company of Rapid Action Force to be deployed tomorrow. Strict action will be taken against those who indulge in violence," Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana told ANI. 4000 police personnel along with one company of Rapid Action Force to be deployed tomorrow. Strict action will be taken against those who indulge in violence: Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana over bandh called by several Dalit organisations in Punjab tomorrow pic.twitter.com/9bSr548no1 ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018 The bandh has reportedly been called by the groups against dilution of Scheduled Castes-Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act provisions and alleged arbitrary arrests made under the same. At a press conference on Wednesday, Dalit group Sanvidhaan Bachao Sangharash Committee called for the bandh. The call was later supported by All India Adi Dharam Mission and All India Adi Dharam Sadhu Samaj, reported The Times of India. The government has, however, made an appeal to the bodies to call off the Bharat Bandh. Taking to Twitter, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Thawarchand Gehlot had said that the Narendra Modi government was committed to the welfare of members of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe. He had also said that the government would file a review petition on the decision of the Supreme Court with regard to the Act. The minister was also quoted as saying by some reports that he would take up the matter with the Ministry of Finance. The Supreme Court had ruled that before filing any case of atrocities on members of SC and ST community, a probe by DSP-level officer would be mandatory. A prior permission would also be needed from senior officials before arresting any government official in such cases. The court had observed that many fake cases were filed under the Act. The decision was taken by the Supreme Court while hearing a petition filed by the Maharashtra government. Lucknow: Giving a glimpse of its funnier side on April Fool`s Day, the Uttar Pradesh police on Sunday trolled criminals with a Bollywood-style tweet on the social media platform. In the tweet, they reminded all the criminals that the life of crime cannot take one far. "Kuch to karan hoga ki villain anth me maara jaata hai (There must be some reason as to why the villain always dies in the end), the post says. The tweet has photos of Bollywood stars who have portrayed prominent roles as villains. They are - Amrish Puri`s Mogambo from movie 'Mr India', Ajay Devgan`s Sultan Mirza and Emraan Hashmi`s Shoaib Khan from 'Once upon a time in Mumbai'. The tweet also has a caption that says, "aisi dhing maarne waale apradhi ko aaj ka din mubarak (on this day, we wish criminals who say big things). On February 16, 2018, too, the UP police had trolled criminals taking a leaf out of Hindi film 'Dabangg' and had posted on Twitter, mocking criminals, "Police se nahin, crime se darr lagta hai sahab' (we are scared of crime, not police). UP has been in the news lately for a major crackdown on criminals and 'encounters'. After BJP swept the UP Assembly polls in 2017, the Yogi Adityanath-led government has repeatedly said that improving law and order was one of its priorities. The crackdown on criminals was intensified after new DGP OP Singh took charge in January 2018. CM Yogi has vowed to take strict action against the criminals after his government faced criticism over a string of crimes in the state. He has often said that 'criminals will either leave the state or will remain in jails'. On the other hand, on March 27, 2018, a stringent bill to curb organised crime and deal strictly with those trying to foment terror was passed in the UP Assembly. The Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill (UPCOCB) had to be re-introduced in the Assembly as it could not be passed in the Legislative Council, where the ruling BJP is in minority, after being cleared by the Lower House earlier in March 2018. Piloting the bill, Yogi had justified the measure to put a halt to crime in a vast state like UP. The proposed legislation on the lines of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) seeks to act sternly against those using explosives or firearms or any other violent means or damaging life and property or involved in anti-national or destructive activities, among other things. Kidnapping, illegal mining, manufacturing and sale of illicit liquor, acquiring contracts on the basis of muscle power, organised exploitation of forest produce, trade in wildlife and fake medicines, grabbing of government and private properties and extortion will come under the ambit of the new law. The bill also proposes to give more teeth to law enforcement agencies to control organised crime like land and mining mafia, kidnapping industry and crime syndicates in the state as well as to break the politician-criminal nexus. (With Agency inputs) 112 Agency The Russian-occupation forces continue to break agreements on a complete cease-fire for the Easter holidays. Since the beginning of the day, as of 18:00, the occupants have made 14 shellings on positions of Ukrainian defenders. This is reported by the headquarters of Donbas conflict on Facebook. In the Luhansk direction, the enemy from the banned 120-mm mortar shells and from the large-caliber machine guns fired our fortifications near Luhanske settlement. In Donetsk direction with 82-mm mortar shells, the occupiers opened fire at Ukrainian strong points in Pisky, and from grenade launchers of various systems and large-caliber machine guns - repeatedly fired near Vodiane. They used large-caliber machine guns and small arms in the area of Pavlopil. As a result of enemy fire, no Ukrainian soldiers suffered. Earlier, another ceasefire was launched at midnight on March 30, this time it is dedicated to Easter celebrations. The representatives of the OSCE emphasized the importance of the ceasefire and the disciplinary measures to be taken if necessary. They also stressed that the refusal of offensive actions and intelligence operations, non-application of the reprisal fire and weapons withdrawal. However, as reported in the headquarters, already in the first day of the ceasefire, the militants carried out 32 shellings. One Ukrainian soldier was killed, four were injured. Related: Erdogan calls Israel a country of terror Open source Over the past 24 hours, the militants performed 11 attacks, nine of which were adjusted, in the East of Ukraine. As a result, two Ukrainian soldiers were injured. Maksym Prauta, Defense Ministry Spokesperson said it during the press-briefing in Ukraine Crisis Media Center. The terrorists shot twice at Ukrainian positions from 82-mm mortars, grenade machinegun and infantry fighting vehicle in Luhansk sector near Katerynivka. The militants launched four mines at Ukrainian positions. The militants shot at Ukrainian positions from the small arms in Donetsk sector near Vodyane at night. They started a series of adjusted firings from 15:00. Our defensive works were under the fire three times near Pavlopil, single shootings were documented near Avdiivka, Vodyane and Marinka, the colonel said. The militants used the entire range of small arms and various grenade launchers. Earlier, another ceasefire was launched at midnight on March 30, this time it is dedicated to Easter celebrations. The representatives of the OSCE emphasized the importance of the ceasefire and the disciplinary measures to be taken if necessary. They also stressed that the refusal of offensive actions and intelligence operations, non-application of the reprisal fire and weapons withdrawal. 112 Agency From the beginning of the day on March 31, despite the "Easter truce", the militants carried out five shellings at Ukrainian strongholds. This is reported at 18:00 by the press center of the Donbas conflict headquarters on Facebook page. In particular, in the Donetsk area, from grenade launchers and small arms, illegal armed groups opened fire three times on Ukrainian positions in the Vodiane district. Also, from large-caliber machine guns and small arms, they twice shelled the defenders of Pavlopil. "As a result of the enemy fire, no Ukrainian soldiers were injured," the report said. "The situation along the entire line of demarcation of sides is reliably controlled by Ukrainian forces. Our servicemen strictly and unswervingly adhere to the terms of the ceasefire," the headquarters note. Earlier, another ceasefire was launched at midnight on March 30, this time it is dedicated to Easter celebrations. The representatives of the OSCE emphasized the importance of the ceasefire and the disciplinary measures to be taken if necessary. They also stressed that the refusal of offensive actions and intelligence operations, non-application of the reprisal fire and weapons withdrawal. However, as reported in the headquarters, already in the first day of the ceasefire, the militants carried out 32 shellings. One Ukrainian soldier was killed, four were injured. Related: North Korea prepares for new nuclear test, - Japan's MFA rian.com Another delegation from Germany is expected to visit the annexed Crimea as part of the representatives of the parties "Left" and "Alternative for Germany". This is written by RIA Novosti referring to the deputy chairman of the Crimean Parliamentary Committee on Interethnic Relations Yuri Gempel. According to him, the delegation will participate in the Yalta International Economic Forum, which will be held from 19 to 21 April. Another 4 people will arrive from Norway. The delegation will include about 20 people. As reported, in April 2016 the Russian fund paid a trip to the annexed Crimea for German MEP from the right-populist party "Alternative for Germany" Marcus Pratzel to participate in the Yalta Economic Forum. In June 2017, the German politician Alexander Goland, who headed the electoral list of the right-populist "Alternative for Germany", called the Crimea "an indigenous Russian territory." In August, information appeared that several functionaries of the right-populist party "Alternative for Germany" (AdG) were suspected of working closely with the alleged Russian agent, Pole Mateusz Piskorsky. In the fall of 2017, the "Alternative for Germany" first went to parliament. Thousands of demonstrators in Berlin went to protest against this. On February 3, 9 German deputies arrived in the occupied Crimea. The Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea opened criminal proceedings on the fact of a visit of Crimea by a group of deputies from Germany. Related: OSCE mission reports 110 explosions in Donbas over the day AFP British Defense Minister Gavin Williamson believes that for London "it is critical" to develop the defense complex because of the growing threat from the Russian side. He writes about this in an article for The Telegraph. "The threat for Britain from the Russian side is growing, Putin is using hybrid methods for subversive influence on other countries and has relation to "shameless" cyber operations," the minister is convinced. "To understand the danger coming from Moscow, it is enough to study the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. Experts of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are now analyzing the substance with which the "terrible crime" was committed, the article says. According to him, for Britain it is "vital" to continue developing its defense capabilities in order to confront such "threats" and ensure the security of the country. We remind you that Russian diplomats are massively expelled from European and NATO countries because of the poisoning of ex-officer of Russian intelligence Sergey Skripal in Salisbury. Britain accused the Kremlin of using chemical weapons, which led to poisonings among more than 20 British citizens. Related: Tusk stressed importance of supporting Ukraine by Warsaw The ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Great Britain Alexander Yakovenko is sure, that British special services are behind the "Case of Skripal". He stated this on the air of NTV "We have very serious suspicions that this provocation was carried out by the British special services, they refuse to cooperate with us, we do not have any facts. So, the realities lead us to the conclusion that this is a provocation by the special services, "he said. "I think that this time, like in the case of Litvinenko, as in the case of Patarkatsishvili, Berezovsky, Glushkov, Perepelichny, his information will not be classified at this time. I'm sure that Russia will not let the British out of the legal field, the British will have to answer," he stressed. The ambassador noted that at the moment the Russian side "chooses a method by which way we will go," but the pressure on the British will be intensified. We recall, dozens of Western countries announced the expulsion of about 140 Russian diplomats against the backdrop of a scandal surrounding the poisoning of the former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Great Britain blamed Russia and announced the expulsion of 23 employees of the Russian embassy in London, as well as the possibility of closing the Russian trade mission. Germany announced the expulsion of four Russian diplomats. Ukraine also joined the international community's response to the poisoning of Skripal and expelled 13 diplomats. Moscow responded by announcing the expulsion of over 70 British diplomats, as well as over 50 diplomats from several European countries and Canada (including four German diplomats). Open source Poland always defended the interests of Ukraine in the West and "it would be very bad if Warsaw lost the opportunity to do this in the future." This was stated in an interview with the Polish TV channel tvn24 by the president of the European Council Donald Tusk. "The EU's relations with Russia are extremely tense and therefore we (the Poles) have very important interests related to geography. I repeat: I would expect more and more positive activity on the part of Warsaw, since it is very important to maintain a positive atmosphere around Ukraine," stressed Tusk. "This is a top priority, but over the past two years there have been questions about Poland's political support for Ukraine," he added. "Poland can not slow down all negative processes in the EU, for example, the promotion of the Nord Stream-2 project in Europe, but Warsaw must be an absolute leader in supporting Ukraine's independence and a kind of political guardian of Ukrainian interests," the president of the European Council said. Tusk said that his political goal in Brussels is to keep the EU's unity with Ukraine in regard of the Russian aggression in Donbas. He also said that many countries want to have good economic relations with Russia and are not ready at any cost to aggravate with it. Therefore, its task is "to do everything possible for the EU to act as one mature political organization". Related: Inspection of e-declarations starts on April 1 Pope Francis in the Easter appeal wished peace to Ukraine. This is reported by Radio Vatican, referring to the Easter message to the "City and the World", delivered at noon, April 1, from the St. Peter's Basilica. "The fruits of peace are requested for Ukraine to strengthen the steps for the benefit of consent and facilitate the implementation of humanitarian initiatives, which the population needs," he said. Also the Pope asked for peace for Syria. "Today we are asking for the fruits of peace for the whole world, beginning with the beloved and bloodied Syria, which population is exhausted by a war an end for that can not be seen," Francis said. He wished that the light of Christ would enlighten the conscience of political and military leaders so as to put an end to the war and honor humanitarian law without delay. "We are asking for the fruits of reconciliation for the holy land, which is also bruised in these days by conflicts that do not spare the unarmed, for Yemen and the entire Middle East, so that dialogue and mutual respect outweigh the divisions and violence," added the head of the Catholic Church. In addition, in his sermon, he turned to those parts of the African continent that suffer from hunger, local conflicts and terrorism, calling for not forgetting the victims of the war in Southern Sudan, especially children. The leader of Crimean Tatars gave a high mark to Turkeys position in terms of its support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine It will be hard to introduce amendments concerning the change of the name of the Crimean Republic in the Constitution in the near future. Mustafa Dzhemilev, the Leader of Crimean Tatars and Ukraines peoples deputy, said it to Anadolu Agency during his visit to Ankara (Turkey). Dzhemilev raised the question on the amendments to the 10th article of Ukrainian Constitution to change the name of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to the Autonomous Republic of Crimean Tatar. The Parliament pointed out, that this step requires 300 Ukrainian deputies support and it will be difficult to implement this decision in the near future, the agency informs. He also stated that before Vladimir Putin, Russias president, visits Ankara, Dzhemilev will inform Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkeys president, about the situation with the Crimean Tatars and will ask Ankara for support. The leader of Crimean Tatars gave a high mark to Turkeys position in terms of its support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. He expressed his sincere gratitude for the support of Crimean Tatars and noted that Turkey provides the largest assistance. According to him, Turkish agency for cooperation and coordination provides a particular contribution to the strengthening of relationships between Turkey and Ukraine. Around 500 various projects were implemented in Ukraine within this assistance. Turkey is to support the project of dwelling construction for Crimean Tatar families, who were compelled to leave Crimea after Russias annexation, Dzhemilev said. Ljungman did not say anything on how the states decision influenced the allocation of the next credit tranche, but the IMF made it clear that the redemption of the promise to set gas prices on the market level is the main condition for the funding Ukraine has to allow the market to set gas prices. Goesta Ljungman, the Head of IMF Delegation in Ukraine stated this on March 30, as Reuters reports. It was noted that the reform window in Ukraine is rapidly closing amid the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections. The reforms are supported by the IMF. The current Funds program expires in March 2019. The Cabinet of Ministers determined the price policy for two more months in the official resolution published on March 30. Ljungman informed, that low gas prices for the households are equal to the subsidies, which were regressive and helped the largest consumers most. In our opinion, it is important that the market determine gas prices, including the tariffs for communal services, according to the reforms, which were introduced in 2016. This was a major breakthrough in the reform process in Ukraine within the last couple of years, he said. Ljungman did not say anything on how the states decision influenced the allocation of the next credit tranche, but the IMF made it clear that the redemption of the promise to set gas prices on the market level is the main condition for the funding. Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers decided not to raise gas prices for the population till June and extended Naftogazs public service obligations for two months at the session on March 26. Therefore, the gas price for the population and district heating company will not change till June 1 and will remain around $190 per cubic meter for the final consumer including the VAT and other levies around $266 per cubic meter. The public service obligation of Naftogaz expires on April 1. Related video: Earlier, Germany announced the expulsion of four Russian diplomats due to the Skripals case Russia is to expel four German experts in the security sector from the German Embassy, as DW reports with the reference to dpa agency. According to the message, the officer of the Federal Office in Criminal Matters (BKA) and the officer of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) are among those experts. Besides, the representative of the BKA stated that there is no Embassy officers among the diplomats to be expelled. The Germans Embassy does not comment on the matter. The message says that two representatives of the military department will be expelled from Russia as well. In particular, the military attache, who is in charge of the contacts with the Russian army will leave Moscow. Earlier, Germany announced the expulsion of four Russian diplomats due to the Skripals case. Russian diplomats have to leave the country till Monday, March 2. The expulsion does not mean that the staff number of Russian Embassy in Berlin will be reduced, as they are conducting recruitment. As we reported earlier, Russian diplomats are massively expelled from the European countries and NATO member states because of Skripals poisoning in Salisbury. Britain accused the Kremlin of the usage of the nerve agent, which poisoned 20 British citizens. Around 30 states, including the USA, Canada and Australia announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats. Besides, the number of accredited diplomats was decreased in the representation in NATO and UN authorities. Ukraine has also joint the response of the international community and expelled 13 diplomats. Russia took reflecting measures as a reaction. 60 Russian diplomats will not be allowed to visit the country within five years Open source SBU banned 60 Russian diplomats, who had been expelled from the USA, to enter the territory of Ukraine, as the agencys press-office reports. According to SBU information, 48 diplomats from Russian Embassy and 12 from UN New York HQ, who have been expelled from the USA on March 26, will not be allowed to enter Ukraine for five years. Their activity was recognized as incompatible with the status of a diplomat, the SBU representatives inform. Earlier, Russian diplomats, who have been expelled from Britain due to Skripals poisoning in Salisbury, were refused entry in Ukraine on March 27. 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!) CYBERSPACEA week after 60 Minutes aired its blockbuster interview with Stormy Daniels, and almost a month after she filed a lawsuit against him, Donald Trump still has not made any public mention of the AVN Hall of Famer with whom he allegedly had an affair. But Trumps silence should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in the case, according a report on Saturday by the celebrity news site TMZ. According what the site says are federal documents it has obtained, the Executive Office of the President contracted an online search firm to track how the media was covering the Daniels storystarting one day after she filed her lawsuit on March 6. But the matter has not simply been one of private, personal interest to Trump. According to the media reports of what the Federal Procurement documents reveal, Trump has spent more than $27,000 of taxpayer cash to track media coverage of the Daniels story in under four weeks since hiring the search firm TVEyes. That amount is more than twice the average Americans total annual tax bill, including state and local taxes. On average, American pay roughly $10,500 in total taxes per year. TMZ points out that the federal documents do not mention Daniels or specify what, specifically, TVEyes was hired to monitor. But the the fact that the firm was hired on March 7and that the amount spent so far is the most Trump has yet spent on a contract with TVEyeswould appear to indicate that the Daniels story was what caught Trumps interest. Last year, Trumps office spent about $9,000 for the firm to track a story involving allegations that his then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus interfered with the FBIs investigation into Russian collusion with Trumps presidential campaign, TMZ reported. Until the expense in March, that was the highest total that the EOP paid to the firm. According to its website, TVEyes is a search engine expressly designed for television and radio. You can quickly discover and pinpoint the right broadcast coverage by keyword or using sophisticated search logic. ...We monitor more than 2,000 TV and radio stations, in 12 languages, around the world, all day, every day. Photo of Donald Trump at CPAC 2011 by Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons 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 ideals. they said.they continued,On Tuesday, The New York Times once again revealed the ultimate agenda of gun control proponents in the United States: a full-scale gun grab. The charge was led on the op-ed page by former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who thankfully no longer wields power in the judiciary. His piece is a mishmash of Leftist sloganeering and bad legalese.He begins by praising the marches and rallies that have taken place since the Parkland shooting:Rarely in my lifetime have I seen the type of civic engagement schoolchildren and their supporters demonstrated in Washington and other major cities throughout the country this past Saturday. These demonstrations demand our respect. They reveal the broad public support for legislation to minimize the risk of mass killings of schoolchildren and others in our society.This is silly, frankly. Rallies and marches take place all the time, and they rarely lead to concerted action on the legislative front. In 2000, 750,000 demonstrators showed up to the Million Mom March to push gun control and scaremonger about the NRA; no legislation was forthcoming. Less than one-third that number showed up on Saturday in DC, but we're supposed to believe that some sort of game changer has taken place in American public opinion?But according to Stevens, the marches are a sign that it's time to seriously curb weapons ownership in the United States:That support is a clear sign to lawmakers to enact legislation prohibiting civilian ownership of semiautomatic weapons, increasing the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21 years old, and establishing more comprehensive background checks on all purchasers of firearms. But the demonstrators should seek more effective and more lasting reform. They should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment.So, it's not enough to pass a law that would effectively bar the ownership of all semi-automatic weapons - nearly all weapons in the US, which would obviously violate the Second Amendment under both its text and DC v. Heller (2008). Stevens wants the Second Amendment gone.Well, thanks for his honesty, I suppose.He continues:Concern that a national standing army might pose a threat to the security of the separate states led to the adoption of that amendment, which provides that "a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Today that concern is a relic of the 18th century.Yes, clearly Americans have nothing to worry about when a massive centralized government sweeps in to confiscate all privately-owned weapons in the United States. That's never been followed by anything bad. And obviously the government will be able to protect us from the predation of criminals, just as they protected the children of Parkland, where the FBI ignored two credible warnings, the local law enforcement authorities ignored over 40 calls to the home, and the school ignored the behavior of the shooter.More Stevens:For over 200 years after the adoption of the Second Amendment, it was uniformly understood as not placing any limit on either federal or state authority to enact gun control legislation. In 1939 the Supreme Court unanimously held that Congress could prohibit the possession of a sawed-off shotgun because that weapon had no reasonable relation to the preservation or efficiency of a "well regulated militia."Actually, that's not even a proper reading of the case. The case cited is United States v. Miller (1939), and as Justice Antonin Scalia patiently explained to Stevens in his Heller opinion:Miller did not hold that and cannot possibly be read to have held that. The judgment in the case upheld against a Second Amendment challenge two men's federal convictions for transporting an unregistered short-barreled shotgun in interstate commerce, in violation of the National Firearms Act, 48 Stat. 1236. It is entirely clear that the Court's basis for saying that the Second Amendment did not apply was not that the defendants were "bear[ing] arms" not "for ... military purposes" but for "nonmilitary use," post, at 2. Rather, it was that the type of weapon at issue was not eligible for Second Amendment protection...This holding is not only consistent with, but positively suggests, that the Second Amendment confers an individual right to keep and bear arms (though only arms that "have some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia"). Had the Court believed that the Second Amendment protects only those serving in the militia, it would have been odd to examine the character of the weapon rather than simply note that the two crooks were not militiamen.Furthermore, it has been clearly understood since the founding that there is an individual right to keep and bear arms - it was one of the chief reasons that the evil Dred Scott decision relied on the argument that black people could not be treated as citizens because to do so would confer upon them the right to keep and bear arms:It would give to persons of the negro race, who were recognised as citizens in any one State of the Union, the right to enter every other State whenever they pleased, singly or in companies, without pass or passport, and without obstruction, to sojourn there as long as they pleased, to go where they pleased at every hour of the day or night without molestation, unless they committed some violation of law for which a white man would be punished; and it would give them the full liberty of speech in public and in private upon all subjects upon which its own citizens might speak; to hold public meetings upon political affairs, and to keep and carry arms wherever they went. And all of this would be done in the face of the subject race of the same color, both free and slaves, and inevitably producing discontent and insubordination among them, and endangering the peace and safety of the State.But Stevens isn't done yet. He then quotes former Chief Justice Warren Burger, the man responsible for such Constitutional abominations as Roe v. Wade and one of the most widely disrespected Chief Justices in modern judicial history:During the years when Warren Burger was our chief justice, from 1969 to 1986, no judge, federal or state, as far as I am aware, expressed any doubt as to the limited coverage of that amendment. When organizations like the National Rifle Association disagreed with that position and began their campaign claiming that federal regulation of firearms curtailed Second Amendment rights, Chief Justice Burger publicly characterized the N.R.A. as perpetrating "one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime." In 2008, the Supreme Court overturned Chief Justice Burger's and others' long-settled understanding of the Second Amendment's limited reach by ruling, in District of Columbia v. Heller, that there was an individual right to bear arms. I was among the four dissenters.Correct, because he was dead wrong and ignorant on the issue.That decision - which I remain convinced was wrong and certainly was debatable - has provided the N.R.A. with a propaganda weapon of immense power. Overturning that decision via a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Second Amendment would be simple and would do more to weaken the N.R.A.'s ability to stymie legislative debate and block constructive gun control legislation than any other available option. That simple but dramatic action would move Saturday's marchers closer to their objective than any other possible reform. It would eliminate the only legal rule that protects sellers of firearms in the United States - unlike every other market in the world. It would make our schoolchildren safer than they have been since 2008 and honor the memories of the many, indeed far too many, victims of recent gun violence.Okay, go for it. Seriously, Leftists. Go for it. Let's see you try to get two-thirds of each house of Congress as well as three-quarters of states to repeal the Second Amendment. Make the case to 100 million gunowners that their ownership of weapons isn't protected by the Second Amendment - and that they shouldn't feel threatened by the government.Good luck storming the castle!Stevens was a disaster on the court. And he just proved why. Again. News / National by Staff reporter The President Emmerson Mnangagwa today joined thousands of Zion Christian Church (ZCC) members at Mbungo Estates in Masvingo where they are gathered for their annual Easter commemorations.Every year thousands of the ZCC members gather at Mbungo as they observe the Easter holiday reflecting on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.This year the President Mnangagwa joined the congregants and his message centred on the importance of love, unity and peace among Zimbabweans as they work on rebuilding the nation.Mnangagwa who was accompanied by Vice President Retired General Dr Constantino Chiwenga said it pleases God to see a united people and in such an atmosphere development thrives."Zimbabwe is a God fearing country and as leaders we should also be God fearing. As leaders we should also be God fearing. Let's all unite and build Zimbabwe," he said.President Mnangagwa said churches are an integral part of society as they promote good morals.The President also touched on the command agriculture programme highlighting that it was a success and it will ensure food security for the country's citizens.In July Zimbabweans will be going to the polls and Mnangagwa emphasized the need for peace.He also urged those who have not yet registered to vote to do so."The Bible says we support the leaders who are there let's show our support by going to vote. Get time to register. We want peace ahead of the elections. We gain nothing from violence," said Mnangagwa.The leader of the Zion Christian Church, Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi said as a church it is important to pray together with the country's leaders.He said great leaders chronicled in the Bible were worshippers hence it is important for the current leadership to pray."We do not want to just pray for the leaders, we want to pray with you, hence we appreciate that you came today. Leaders come from God and we will continue praying for you," said Bishop Mutendi.Over 50 000 congregants are gathered for the Easter Conference. News / National by Staff reporter UNIVERSITY of Zimbabwe vice-chancellor Levi Nyagura wants his trial in connection with former first lady Grace Mugabe's controversial PhD quashed.Nyagura, who was arrested last month, said Harare magistrate Tilda Mazhande's ruling two weeks ago that he must stand trial should be set aside."I am asking this court to exercise its review powers because the first respondent adopted a grossly irregular procedure in determining whether my arrest was lawful and there was reasonable suspicion warranting my lawful placement on remand," he wrote in his affidavit filed at the High Court."The first respondent's plainly premature ruling seriously violates my constitutional rights as guaranteed in Section 49 (1) (b) and 50 (1) (e) of the constitution."Nyagura also accused Mazhande of refusing to hear evidence from the investigating officer.Mazhande and the state are yet to respond to the application. News / National by Staff reporter Kwekwe human rights activist Nkosilathi Emmanuel Moyo has released a book that takes a dig at the alleged undemocratic systems in government left during and after the rule of former president Robert Mugabe.Moyo, who is currently in Germany as a resident artist, said the book, titled, Dismantling the System of Mugabeism, would be launched in Berlin on March 29."Dismantling the System of Mugabeism speaks to the political dynamics in the pre and post-Mugabe era," Moyo told The Standard Style."Mugabe the person might have been removed, but the system he established is still intact and can only be removed by removing Zanu PF in its entirety in the coming polls."In the the book, Moyo argues that what happened in November last year when Mugabe was removed from power by the army was not a people's revolution, but the ruling party solving its succession issues with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's faction Team Lacoste backed by the military.He said he would come to Zimbabwe next month to launch the book in his hometown of Kwekwe and other parts of the country.The human rights campaigner has published other books, criticising Mugabe and the Zanu PF-led government. The books include Robert Mugabe: from Freedom Fighter To The People's Enemy, The Rise of Grace Mugabe-The Fall of Zanu PF and Zimbabwe: A Revolution Waiting To Happen.In November last year Moyo released a 14-track album with most of the songs being political satires against Mugabe and Zanu PF, whom the activist accused of destroying the country's economic and political fortunes.Moyo courted controversy in 2016 after he sent Mugabe prison garb as a birthday present. News / National by Staff reporter EIGHT Zimbabwean students have been arrested in Cyprus on allegations of armed robbery, bringing to 12 the number of Zimbabwean students arrested for serious crimes in that country, a Zimbabwean legislator has confirmed.The eight allegedly robbed 15 houses and five shops in Lefko and Girne districts in a space of three months and were nabbed last month.Parliamentary Portfolio Committee chairperson on Foreign Affairs, Kindness Paradza last week confirmed the arrest of the eight students on robbery charges but could not reveal the names of the accused persons.Press reports from Cyprus identified the eight as Wishad Junior Mpavaenda, Brian Prayer Mutakura, Fungai Marshall Mangondoza, Fortune Takudzwa Rutsito, Munyaradzi Raphael Musango, Charles Kabirou Effiom, Michael Matsikiti and Hillary Ngonbadang Tanwie.Of the eight, five have since been released after an investigation concluded that they were not connected to the robberies which occurred between 13 December 2017 and 13 March 2018 and it was not clear when the three would appear in court.Paradza said more Zimbabwean students have been in trouble with authorities in Cyprus for petty crimes.He said his committee was seeking clearance from the Government to send a delegation to Cyprus to assess the situation with the view of having the arrested students repatriated."My Committee has approached the new Minister of Foreign Affairs (Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Moyo (Retired) for us to get clearance so that we send a delegation to Cyprus as soon as possible. He says he is consulting H.E (His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa)."Several students have been arrested. Some of the cases are petty thefts like in supermarkets. But serious ones are about 12 including those three serving in jail," he said.The arrest of Zimbabwean students in Cyprus comes amid revelations that a number of Zimbabwean students studying in that country are being forced into crime and prostitution after being offered fake university scholarships.Last year the Government made efforts to engage Turkish authorities on the possible release of three students who were arrested on drug trafficking charges but the efforts were yet to yield results as the trio are still in prison.Turkey controls the northern part of Cyprus where a number of Zimbabwean students are studying.Thousands of Zimbabwean students are reportedly in distress in North Cyprus after being lured by private universities on the pretext of being awarded scholarships.The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs has been on record discouraging Zimbabweans from taking up scholarship offers from dubious agencies to study abroad.Last year three agencies, Ruothey Edu, Global Careers and Eskard Consultancy that recruit and offer scholarships to local students to study abroad were interviewed.It emerged, during the meeting, that the agencies were merely registered as shelf companies and had no permission from the Government to recruit students on behalf of foreign universities.A number of Zimbabwean students studying in Cyprus are reportedly desperate and end up engaging in criminal activities to survive and pay for their tuition after being dumped by the agencies that would have offered them scholarships. News / National by Staff reporter President Emmerson Mnangagwa has left Harare this evening for a state visit to China, his first to the Asian nation since becoming president in November last year.The President is expected to hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping and sign bi-national cooperation (BNC) agreements aimed at boasting Zimbabwe's economy.President Xi visited Zimbabwe in 2015 and this state visit to China by President Mnangagwa has raised expectations amongst Zimbabweans that it will play a key role in transforming the country's economy.Mnangagwa has been on an international re-engagement crusade, taking the 'Zimbabwe is open for business,' gospel to SADC, AU, the World Economic Forum in Davos and most recently the Africa CEO Forum in Cote d'Ivoire.The President, who is accompanied by the First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, was seen off at the Robert Mugabe International Airport by the two vice presidents; Retired General Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, ministers; Chris Mushowe and Miriam Chikukwa and service chiefs.Retired General Chiwenga is the Acting President in the absence of Mnangagwa. News / National by Staff reporter TEACHERS' unions in the country have come together to form the Federation of Zimbabwe Educators' Unions (Fozeu) as they up the ante in their push for improved working conditions for teachers.The federation brings together five teachers' unions namely Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta), Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) Professional Educators' Union of Zimbabwe (Peuz) and the Zimbabwe National Teachers' Union (Zinatu).Zimta chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu chairs the steering committee of the federation while Artuz president Mr Pride Mukono is the secretary general. Representatives of other unions are committee members.Mr Ndlovu told Sunday News that the idea of the federation was born out of the need to have "a strong sectorial voice that will speak on behalf of teachers".He said the federation was aimed at addressing three fundamental issues that have eluded teachers under the Apex Council, the umbrella body for civil servants organisations in salary negotiations. Mr Ndlovu was however, quick to clarify the federation was not a breakaway from the council."The idea is to bring educators together to have one strong sectorial voice that speaks to teacher specific issues."We can't be so different that we should have so many unions representing teachers. We are convinced a united front carries more weight, as opposed to what was prevailing before where the teachers' voice was fragmented," he said.Mr Ndlovu added, "We are going to the Apex Council much stronger and speaking with one voice under the federation".The federation last week handed a petition to the minister responsible for the civil service Simbarashe Mumbengegwi after conducting a peaceful march in Harare. Mr Ndlovu said the federation petitioned the Government on teachers' salaries, vacation leave and security during elections among other issues."There are three fundamentals that we want addressed as teachers. The first is restoration of our vacation leave. Remuneration is the second issue and we want the Government to address the salaries and allowances of educators. We also want guaranteed teachers' security as we enter the election period. We don't want teachers to be victimised by political parties. Schools should also be politically free environments," he said.The educators are also pressing for the speedy harmonisation of the Public Service Act with the new constitution.Mr Ndlovu said teachers would go ahead with their planned job action at the start of the second schools term in May if the Government does not address their concerns. He added that now that there was a minister responsible for the civil service, educators would give dialogue a chance.Last week civil servants, through the Apex Council, wrote to Mumbengegwi requesting a meeting to discuss their plight. Opinion / Columnist I wish I could share the doctors' optimism, I do not. The Zimbabwe economy has been in the doldrums for decades now and there is nothing that has happened to make me believe things are about to change. President Mnangagwa and his Junta regime have made a big song and dance about "Zimbabwe is open for business!" to attract the much-needed foreign investors. Sadly, there has been no takers because investors continue to shy away from Zimbabwe because the still see it as a lawless nation ruled by thugs. The regime's failure to implement the democratic reforms and thus deliver free, fair and credible elections it has been promising since the November 2017 coup has only confirmed to all that the Zanu PF dictatorship is very much alive or be it under different management. Zanu PF is rigging this year's elections. Indeed, one can even say "the elections are done" as SADC leaders said a month before the 2013 rigged elections. No investors are going to do business in a country in which the next regime change is yet another coup or "military assisted transition", as the coup plotters would put it. With no meaningful prospects of meaningful economic recovery, it is naive to expect hospitals to have drugs, basic equipment, etc. anytime soon. These things cost money and this is another regime promise, just like free and fair elections, that will never be honoured. Well doctors will be lucky if their reviewed allowance will ever be paid, especially once the regime has rigged the elections when the usual political arrogance returns with vengeance. As for doctors earning becoming comparable to those in the region - dream on. Zimbabwe's economy will never improve until we deal with this cancer of bad governance, so graphically rubbed in by Zanu PF's periodic blatant rigging of elections in the name of the party's no-regime-change mantra. His Excellency was a senior member of the Zanu PF regimes that has ruled this nation with an iron-fist these last 38 years. He has played his part in the total destruction of the Zimbabwe economy. Of all Mugabe's cronies, President Mnangagwa was the tyrant's right-hand man and played a leading role in all the looting, vote rigging and political murders that took place. Over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans were murdered by the regime to establish and retain the one-party dictatorship that still dominate and rule supreme to this day. Like Pontius Pilate, President Mnangagwa, will never wash the innocent blood he has shed. Shine the light of justice on ED and he will glow like a scorpion under ultraviolet light! This latest Doctor's strike has lasted a whole month; he had time for the usual globe-trotting and plenty of cash to buy the Chiefs new twin cab trucks but did not have time and cash to pay doctors and or buy incubators for new born-babies! "Swift action!" What swift action are you talking about? The doctors strike is over, hurrah!In their statement announcing the end of the strike, the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) National Executive raised some interesting points and I have just picked a few to comment on.1. Procurement of essential medicines and drugs is in motion and we expect an improvement soon, so as to offer quality health care to ALL patients.2. We have received an upward review of on call allowances, noting that members work round the clock for up to 360 continuous hours. This is a health specific allowance. Understanding the current limitations in the economy, we hope to continually review until we attain regional and international standards.3. With effect from today, until latest 02 April 2018, ZHDA members will report for duty. Normal work has resumed. Should the HSB fail to honour the agreement, we will have no choice but to express our grievances again. We would like to thank His Excellency, Cde. E. D Mnangagwa for his intervention and swift action. Alberta firearm enthusiasts say Canada has 'too much gun control,' decry proposed legislation Alberta gun enthusiasts are not happy with proposed legislation that would impact how they buy and sell firearms. Nearly 1,000 vendors and hundreds of visitors attended the Calgary Gun Show the largest of its kind in Canada on Saturday. The biggest topic of conversation at the show wasn't the push for gun control making headlines in the U.S., but a Canadian bill that would require all firearm vendors to maintain 20-year records of all inventories and sales. "We definitely have too much gun control," said Sheldon Clare, the president of Canada's National Firearms Association, a group that advocates for gun rights in the country. "A licence does not prevent a person from making a subsequent bad choice." Clare spoke out against Bill C-71, which was tabled on March 20. The bill also includes changes to the background check system, requiring RCMP to examine more of a person's history not just the last five years, as is currently required. Retailers were previously required to keep records documenting the sale of firearms, until changes introduced by the previous Conservative federal government in 2012. Clare said the bill will stifle sales at gun shows significantly by requiring vendors to confirm gun licences are valid before every transfer of ownership. However earlier in March, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said private individual sellers will not be required to keep such records. "It's not an onerous burden and it's one the vast majority of retailers already do because it's good business," Goodale told reporters at the time. "Tremendous gun control" in the United States The firearm advocates at Calgary's event were unsupportive of calls for increased gun control in the United States. "The Americans have tremendous gun control at all sorts of levels," according to Clare. Just last week, marches were held across Canadian cities in support of gun control after a mass shooting took place at a Florida high school. Story continues Clare also said the conversation south of the border shouldn't influence how Canadians feel about gun control. "It is completely unfair to compare our federal systems of firearms control with the systems the Americans have," he said. "When events do occur that draw the public's attention they tend to be sensationalized, and tend to seem more personal than they actually are." Gun show an annual Easter event The Alberta Arms and Cartridge Collectors' Association has hosted the Calgary Gun Show every Easter weekend for decades. The gun show includes exhibits of antique military bayonets, hunting rifle manufacturers, educational displays and gun clubs. Organizers of the show are worried the proposals put forward by the federal government could impede their event. "We're a little afraid of some ridiculous rules coming out. The politician has to satisfy the public and he has to create some regulations, some laws that don't do anything against our criminal element in the street," said Hank Holm, president of the Alberta Arms and Cartridge Collectors' Association. "But it bothers our legitimate hunters, collectors and gun owners in this country," according to Holm. Holm said he doesn't think gun violence is "a great concern" in Canada. In 2016, there were 223 firearm-related homicides in Canada, up 23 per cent from the previous year, according to Statistics Canada. - MORE ALBERTA NEWS | Alberta museum turns to social media to identify '70s mystery man - MORE ALBERTA NEWS | Calgary MLA Brandy Payne says she won't seek re-election With the closure of UNB's Sir Max Aitken pool just months away, a group of doctors is petitioning the City of Fredericton to find a way to maintain aquatic programs in the city for the sake of their patients. The petition, which is expected to be presented next week, was started by Dr. Jillian Goodyear, a family doctor in Fredericton. It's been signed by 103 physicians who, according to the petition, feel the maintenance of current aquatic facilities and programs in the community "is vitally important to the health of our families and patients." 'Issue crosses all ages and abilities' Doctors often recommend aquatic activity for rehabilitation of injuries, or for people with joint issues, or who are advanced in age because they can't easily participate in other activities, she said. "This is definitely an issue that crosses all ages and abilities, and it is really important for the health maintenance of citizens here in Fredericton," Goodyear said. At the beginning of March, Fredericton Mayor Mike O'Brien announced that the city will not work with the university to keep the pool open. O'Brien declined to comment on the petition Saturday as he hasn't had a chance to read it yet. But in March, he did say the city will try to accommodate as many swimmers as possible at the Fredericton Indoor Pool, a non-competitive swimming pool on the north side. Not enough space However, Goodyear said she and her colleagues are worried the north side pool won't be able to meet all their patients' needs. "We know that's just going to snowball. We won't be able to grow programs for rehabilitation, so we'll send people to the pool, but they'll have less access," she said. The plan is to send the petition to the mayor as well as other levels of government and local stakeholders that have been involved in efforts to keep the Sir Max Aitken pool open. The purpose of the petition is simply to advocate for maintaining aquatics in the city, not for any one solution to the problem, she said. "The purpose wasn't to put the blame in any particular direction, it's really just, here's another sign that this is a really important issue in our community," she said. "We don't think it just has to end here, we think the stakeholders should come together again and figure out a way to get this done." An Edmonton pharmacist is warning that budgetary cuts to dispensing fees could lead to fewer Albertans receiving flu shots, and increased risk to patients who struggle with addiction, decreased mental capacity or suicidal thoughts. A new funding framework between the Alberta government and the Alberta Pharmacists' Association aims to reduce spending on government-sponsored drug programs by $150 million over the next two years. According to Alberta Health, pharmacy compensation which was forecast to rise 12.3 per cent over the next two years wasn't sustainable. The province has capped the growth in spending at 4.3 per cent. Among the changes, dispensing fees paid to pharmacists who give flu shots and other publicly-funded vaccines will drop from $20 to $13 as of May 17. "But with these cuts, it's a service we have to do on the side," said Moatasem Samara, who owns four pharmacies in Edmonton. "We cannot dedicate resources to do it. And therefore the vaccination rates will go down." Samara said it costs the province about four times more for the injection and clinic fee when a doctor administers a flu shot. According to Alberta Health Services, during the most recent flu season pharmacists provided 615,711 of the province's overall 1,223,109 vaccinations. Physicians provided 102,529 doses. Samara also expressed concern about the impact on patients caused by changes to the dispensing fees for drugs that are dispensed frequently. Under the old system, pharmacists were compensated each time they dispensed medication, based on clinical assessments involving physicians, he said. But effective May 17, a limit on the number of frequent dispensing fees will be introduced. Opioid dependency treatments will be excluded, the government says. For drugs dispensed daily, pharmacists will be limited to a maximum of three dispensing fees per day per patient. If a patient is on more than three daily-dispensed drugs, the pharmacist will not be able to charge dispensing fees for the others. Story continues For drugs dispensed every two to 27 days, pharmacists will be limited to two dispensing fees per drug every 28 days. Samara said that could lead to more suicides, overdoses or mistaken overdoses among patients with decreased mental capacity, suicidal ideation or drug addiction. "So the government tells us that an addict would need to be on daily dispense, for example, or they can get their medication every two weeks," said Samara. "There is no grey area and that is not how healthcare works." Overall dispensing fees will also cut by 15 cents to $12.15 under the new framework. Samara said he understands some are cuts needed but said profit margins are small and the province should tackle fraud and abuse of the system instead. Higher compensation for pharmacists In a statement, Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said Alberta pharmacists "continue to be compensated at higher rates than their counterparts in other provinces." She said the governments' work with the Alberta Pharmacists' Association will help save Alberta $150 million over the next two years. Hoffman's department provided figures showing the province's new dispensing fee for flu shots will still be higher than B.C., Manitoba and Ontario The pharmacists' association said it's the best deal it could get but described it as disappointing. The Alberta College of Pharmacists said changes could result in longer wait times at pharmacies and diminish the amount of time pharmacists can spend with patients with complex needs. Pharmacists plan to protest in Edmonton, Calgary and other cities on April 19. By Munkhchimeg Davaasharav and Peter Bittner ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) - Thousands of Mongolians protested in front of parliament in Ulaanbaatar on Saturday to demand more action to prevent child abuse, after the widely-reported rape of a male infant shocked the country. After the reported rape earlier this month in Dornogobi province in Mongolia's southeast, a group of concerned mothers created a Facebook group announcing the Saturday protest last week, and it quickly reached more than 400,000 members. "We want to show child abusers that we are strong in order to protect our children," said Davaa Baatar, 41, the father of three children who was attending the protest. The protesters held placards with messages such as "Stop child abuse", "No child rape" and "Our children, our future". The protest organizers are demanding stricter laws regarding child abuse, better government services for survivors and more public awareness. "We will give our policy demands to the parliament, government and the president's office on Monday," said Odontuya Tsolmon, one of the protest organizers. The government has promised a response. "As soon as we get the proposed demands from organizers, the cabinet will be open to discuss it," a government spokesman told Reuters, adding that the prime minister's advisors were at the demonstration. Some group members have advocated for the death penalty for sex offenders, though the protest organizers said they were opposed to capital punishment. President Khaltmaa Battulga formed a commission to reinstate capital punishment for such crimes last year after similar widely-publicised incidents of child sexual assaults provoked a public outcry. According to the state prosecutors office, there were 298 reported incidents of child rape in 2015 and 2016. Experts believe this is a small proportion of actual incidents of child sexual abuse due to a pervasive cultural stigma over the topic. "The fear of being blamed and shamed means victims and their families keep quiet and don't report to the police," Ganbayasgakh Geleg, a founder of the Gender Equality Centre which fights human trafficking and sexual violence, told Reuters. Mongolia, a thinly populated and mineral-rich country of just three million people sandwiched between Russia and China, transitioned to a parliamentary democracy in 1990 having previously been a satellite of the Soviet Union. But there has been continued public frustration about the economy, corruption and air pollution, among other issues. Last year, a slump in foreign investment and declining commodity prices forced Mongolia to agree to a $5.5 billion bailout led by the International Monetary Fund to relieve fiscal strains and try to restore investor confidence. (Reporting by Munkhchimeg Davaasharav and Peter Bittner; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Tom Hogue) Updated | National Rifle Association board member and rock musician Ted Nugent believes the survivors of the Parkland school shooting "have no soul." In a radio interview Friday with fellow conservative Joe Pagliarulo on the host's talk show, The Joe Pags Show, Nugent called the teen activists who survived the February school shooting in Florida that killed 17 students "mushy-brained," "liars," "pathetic" and "soulless." Nugent, 69 and a longtime NRA board member, spoke to Pagliarulo about the young activists who have been leading protests against gun violence and the NRA across the country. The host and guest singled out student leaders Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg, dissecting a clip from the teens' CNN interview in which they called for politicians to stop accepting donations from the NRA, which Gonzalez called "blood money." Trending: The V.A. Has Big Problems, But Leadership is Not One of Them "The lies from these poor, mushy-brained children who have been fed lies and parrot lies," Nugent said. "The level of ignorance goes beyond stupidity. The National Rifle Association are a bunch of American families who have a voice to stand up for our God-given, constitutionally given right to keep and bear arms." Of Gonzalez specificallythe Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School student who has been a particularly vocal gun control activist after she witnessed her peers' murdersNugent said, "This poor, pathetic individual is a liar." Then, after Pagliarulo played the rest of the CNN clip, Nugent said of both Gonzalez and Hogg: I really feel sorry for them. It's not only ignorant, dangerous and stupidit's soulless. To attack the good, law-abiding families of America when well-known, predictable murderers commit these horrors is deep in the category of soulless. These poor children, I'm afraid to say, but the evidence is irrefutable: They have no soul. Story continues Pagliarulo shared the interview on his Twitter page, tagged the real Gonzalez and Hogg and wrote, "you ready for truth?" Don't miss: Regulating Self-Driving Cars Requires Addressing Everyday Ethical Challenges On Twitter, many criticized Nugent for his comments. Most popular: These Are The Countries Most Vulnerable To Facebook Data Breaches This is not the first time Nugent has faced heat for inflammatory comments. In 2014, the guitarist was forced to apologize after he called then-President Barack Obama a subhuman mongrel. The Michigan-born Republican has also faced criticism for his controversial song, "Jailbait," which he released in 1981. The lyrics included the lines, "Well, I dont care if youre just 13 / You look too good to be true." Fox New anchor Laura Ingraham also recently came under fire for her comments about the survivors of the Parkland, Florida shooting, after she posted a tweet that mocked Hogg for not getting into colleges. On Thursday, Ingraham apologized for the tweet, after advertisers indicated they would remove their ads from Ingraham's program. In his interview with Pagliarulo, Nugent concluded the Parkland teens "can't be critical of any of the propaganda they're fed, and that's just sad." Update: This story has been updated to include additional comments from Laura Ingraham on the Parkland shooting. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek NANYUKI, Kenya (Reuters) - The death of the world's last male northern white rhinoceros this month led a Kenyan government official to declare anyone caught possessing ivory should be sentenced to life in prison. "Ivory belongs to elephants and rhinos," said Najib Balala, Kenya's tourism minister, during a memorial service held at Ol Pejeta Conservancy on Saturday for Sudan, the 45-year-old rhino, who died 11 days ago. Wildlife officials at Ol Pejeta, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Nairobi, put down the rhino on March 19 because of rapid deterioration in his health. Sudan is survived by the last two females of his species, his 27-year-old daughter Najin and 17-year-old granddaughter Fatu. The only hope for preserving their species is through in vitro fertilization using their eggs and stored semen, according to Ol Pejeta. Thousand of southern white rhinos still roam sub-Saharan Africa, but decades of rampant poaching have drastically cut the number of northern whites. Poachers could sell northern white rhino horns for $50,000 per kilo, making them more valuable than gold. Kenya had 20,000 rhinos in the 1970s, falling to 400 in the 1990s. It now has 650, almost all of them black rhinos. "We are going to change our laws so that anyone caught with ivory will be jailed for life," Balala said. Kenya introduced tough wildlife-protection laws in 2013 in an attempt to stop highly lucrative ivory smuggling, mainly to Asia, which has led to the slaughter of thousands of rare and endangered animals. Those found guilty of ivory trafficking already face a life sentence. But the minimum sentence for possessing it is just five years. After a court sentenced a Kenyan man to 20 years in jail for possessing ivory, the top prosecutor sought for the punishment to be changed to a life sentenced. The convicted man's appeal is still in the courts. The slaughter of endangered animals in Africa for profit continues, but there is ever greater awareness of the bloody cost of ivory, and more international action to stop the trade. In a move with major implications for the illegal wildlife trade from Africa, China banned ivory sales in December. The country is the world's largest importer and end user of elephant tusks. (Reporting by George Nganga, writing by Maggie Fick, editing by Larry King) Toronto police homicide unit to provide update after person hit by train at Bloor-Yonge station TTC subway service has resumed on Lines 1 and 2 after a police investigation at Bloor-Yonge Station Saturday. Toronto police said they received a call from the TTC around 4 p.m. about a man abandoning a package on the southbound platform. 'Extra precaution' "Just the nature of it was enough of a suspicion that we felt the need to use the extra precaution," Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook told CBC Toronto. "It was decided that the [Bloor-Yonge] station was to be evacuated." Police said at 6:20 p.m. that they planned to detonate the package and asked for those in the area to not be alarmed by the noise. Douglas-Cook added that the package appeared to be a camera case, and police considered detonating it after two X-rays of the package still left room for concern. Police later said that the package had been "rendered safe" but were unable to confirm it had been blown up. TTC spokesperson Kadeem Griffiths said service on Line 1 was suspended from Union to Eglinton and on Line 2 from St. George to Broadview as a result of the investigation, adding that shuttle buses were deployed for affected customers. Griffiths also said that because of the disruption, TTC passengers were allowed to board GO Transit using their TTC fares. H/T Sally Zahav Written in Hebrew for Arutz Sheva, translated by Senior Consulting and Op-ed Editor Rochel Sylvetsky Dr. Mordechai Kedar is a senior lecturer in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University. He served in IDF Military Intelligence for 25 years, specializing in Arab political discourse, Arab mass media, Islamic groups and the Syrian domestic arena. Thoroughly familiar with Arab media in real time, he is frequently interviewed on the various news programs in Israel. 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. . ..Israel National News..30 March '18..Usually, I present my readers with a most depressing picture of the Arab and Muslim worlds. I find it unavoidable because the troubles tearing apart those two worlds are beyond description the last seven years alone have witnessed hundreds of thousands of people killed, and millions of women, children and the elderly turned into homeless, destitute and suffering refugees. Despite the Middle East's enormous potential, its vast natural resources, panoramic vistas and unlimited opportunities, the entire region is in a state of pitiful collapse.In the prevailing Middle Eastern discourse, the blame for all this chaos is placed squarely on the shoulders of one party Israel, along with the colonialist regimes mainly Britain and France who brought the Jewish State into being.Placing the blame only on Israel is easy to do, for several reasons:a. It is easier for our neighbors to blame someone else for their terrible plight instead of taking a hard look at themselves in order to find the reasons for their suffering;b. Israel, neither Arab or Islamic, is considered an outsider in the region to begin with;c. Israel is the work of Satan, because Jews have no right to sovereignty and must be kept subjugated (with dhimmi status);d. Israel gains the most from the surrounding chaos so it must have caused it to begin with, ande. Israel is successful while its neighbors are abject failures and therefore consumed by jealousy.This anti-Israel stance is the rule in many of the populations making up the Middle East, and includes heads of state, subjects, the intelligentsia and the ignorant, the religious and secular, elites and marginal persons, Muslims and members of other religions, Bedouin, villagers, rural folk and city dwellers.It has become "bon ton" to talk negatively about Israel all over the Middle East, to the point where the Arabic word for normalization of relations with Israel has become a vulgar and negative word in Middle East discourse.Over the last few years, however, a parallel conversation has emerged, one that is free of the conventional way of talking about Israel and that Is often dramatically different. It is hard to nail down those who participate in it, some are educated and secular, some are ordinary citizens, others members of the ruling class or the opposition, they include the religious and non-religious, Muslims and members of other faiths. The main thing they have in common is the ability to free themselves from accepted conventions and swim against the tide, willing to face criticism and to deal with it.It is important to note that the social media available at just about everyone's fingertips are the main force allowing pro-Israel conversation to reach the wider public's eyes and ears. Means of mass communication cannot be controlled completely by a government or any other entity, so they provide a public platform for people who wish to think independently and are not bound by the conventions surrounding them.Just what are they saying? (Note: My comments are in parentheses, M.K.)The first person quoted here is a Kuwaiti journalist named Abdallah Alhadlek. In an interview, he said: "Whether we like it or not, Israel is a sovereign and independent state. It exists in reality, has a seat at the UN, and most peace-loving nations have recognized it. There is, of course, a group of nations that have not come to terms with Israel's existence, but they are all despotic dictatorships.""Verse 21 in the Table Chapter of the Quran proves the Jewish right to the Holy Land: 'So says the exalted God: Moses said to his people: My nation go into the Holy Land that Allah granted you.' Accordingly, it is Allah who gave them the land and they did not steal it from anyone. In fact, the land was stolen by those who lived there before the Jews entered it. That is why I do not accept the outdated expressions like 'thieving entity' or 'Zionist entity.'"There is no Occupation, there is only a nation that returned to its promised land. The history of the Jews precedes Islam. As Muslims, it is our duty to recognize the right of the Jewish people to this land. In 1948, when Israel was established, there was no state called Palestine. There were people dispersed in different Arab countries, called Canaanites, Amalekites and by many other names."Another example is a very interesting woman named Nonie Darwish. She stems from Egypt where her father was an Egyptian Intelligence officer stationed in Gaza. During the 1950s he would send fedayeen today's terrorists to attack Israel and murder, rob and destroy whatever they could get their hands on. One day Israel sent him the gift of a book which, when he opened it, exploded in his face and sent him to the place reserved in Hell for terrorists.Noni understood that her father deserved the punishment he received for his cruelty to Israel and decided to leave Egypt, abandon Islam and convert to Christianity. Today she lives somewhere in the West and manages the ArabsForIsrael website. This is where she fights Islamic activities, the acceptance of Sharia law in Western countries, the culture of Jihad and where she speaks positively of Israel, its right to exist, defend itself and live in peace in its historic land.And despite what many Israeli Jews think, there are, among Israeli Arabs, those who see things differently and dare to utter their thoughts out loud. One of them is a young Muslim woman named Daima Taya, who appeared on a local Arab channel and told a hostile interviewer: "Israel is not an apartheid state, and anyone who says so should be ashamed of himself. You live in this country and have a blue identity card (like every other Israeli). You work, talk (as you wish), study (whatever you wish), become researchers, teachers, lawyers, leaders, and live in a country that shows you respect.""Syria, Iraq, Egypt and all the other Arab countries what have they done for their people? Israel is a democracy, and its Declaration of Independence states that it has Druze, Muslim Arab and other minority groups. What is a democratic state? One that respects its people, the people living in it, their right to lead their own religious lives, study, work, be elected, become judges, lawyers and MKs, to speak freely in the Knesset on whatever subject they wish. (Israel) gives them the right to liberty and freedom. Just where do you find that (in the Arab world)? I wish all the Arab states, Arab societies and citizens of Arab states the privilege to live in a democratic state like the State of Israel. I define myself as an Arab, a Muslim, I have Israeli citizenship, am proud of myself and of my religion, proud that I live in a state that respects me and grants me my rights."Later, she added: "There is nothing perfect, nothing is 100%, go look at what is going on in the Arab world. Compared to that, Israel is just fine! And show me one Arab state where one can criticize the government!"These are just examples of the pro-Israel opinions in the Arab world. Names such as Wafa Sultan, Bridget Gabriel, Sacar Alnablasi, Camal Govriel, Walid Shoebat and the Saudi Arabian Louis Alsherif are others, who have said things like: "If Israel did not exist, the Arabs would have had to invent it" or "Israel does not fit in the Middle East because it is not a dictatorship, not a tribal state, not a clan-based state and not run by a military junta" and "The Arab world is not willing to accept Israel because Israel's head of state gets his bribes in envelopes and our rulers need boxes to transport their bribes" and "Arab and Israeli journalists have something in common: Their governments allow them to malign Israel" and "Israel mirrors the Arabs when they look at it they see the opposite of themselves."There is much more to say about the few people who appear on Arab media and defend Israel. There is much more to say about those who do so secretly for fear of the reaction that would come from their surroundings. I myself am in contact with quite a few of these people, those who are out in the open and those who are afraid to reveal their identities.I am going to tell just one story. Every few weeks a group of 3-4 people phone me from somewhere in the Gaza Strip and beg me to tell Israel to re-conquer the region, because their lives are Hell since the day in 2007 when Hamas pushed out the PA to take control of Gaza. In the past they had worked in Israel, earned decent wages and provided for their families. Israel as a state and the Israeli people treated them well, showed them respect and usually paid them fair wages for their work.When Hamas took over, they lost their jobs in Israel. Now only those who flatter Hamas manage to obtain some sort of employment and anyone not willing to sing Hamas' praise finds himself unemployed. Work, however, is only a minor issue, because there is something much worse the difference between Hamas' treatment of women and local girls and Israel's. The friends who phone me remember well that if it was necessary to do a security search on a woman at a checkpoint or other place while Israel controlled Gaza, the IDF would ensure that a policewoman or female soldier was called in to perform the search. Not once did a male IDF soldier touch a local woman. Today the situation in that regard is simply horrible if there is someone who has lost favor in Hamas eyes, the Hamas men arrive at his house late at night in cars without license plates, break in with their faces masked, remove the men from the house and abuse the women and young girls left unprotected inside.That is what makes all the difference. The Arabs themselves know the truth about Israel, how it treats its citizens. They know that those who malign and slander Israel, whether or not they have reason to do so, do not have truth on their side. Even those who support Israel realize that it is not perfect, that there is no perfect nation in the entire world. What Israel has, however, and none of its neighbors possesses, is the Israeli desire and intent to be decent, law abiding and moral, to respect human rights and respect men and women. Israel does not wish to see dead and wounded Arabs. If its neighbors would only allow Israel to live in peace and tranquility, they would never find themselve attacked.What is really important, though, is for us, the Israelis, to remember that not every Arabic speaker is an Israel-hater by definition. There are many people to be found in the Arab and Islamic world who accept Israel's existence from the start and not just after the fact, and believe in the right of Jews to live securely and tranquilly in the land of their forefathers. They also believe in Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens' lives, welfare and health.That is the Arab tragedy: The modern Arab state appears in several places as its nation's own worst enemy, hated by its citizens, murdering its residents, denying their rights and stealing their property while the head of state, its ruler, can best be described as "the liaison officer between his citizens and the World to Come."When such is the difference between Israel and its neighbors, is it any wonder that there is a not insignificant number of Arabs willing to accept Israel's right to exist and defend its citizens like any other nation in the world? Is there any way Israel can help them? Probably not, and they know this well.We can only wish them long, healthy and successful lives, as we wish all the people of Israel. India has received first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo comprising 1.2 Lakh tones of the Gas from United States. The cargo has landed at the Dabhol regasification terminal in Maharashtra. About the India-US LNG Contract The recent consignment of LNG has been imported from US under a long-term contract of 20 years. This USD 32 Billion contract was signed between Indias GAIL and Americas Dominion Energy Cove Point project in Maryland and Cheniere Energy Incs Sabine Pass Project in Louisiana. India America Trade Relations With a bilateral trade of around USD 126.1 billion in 2017, currently, United States is among the largest trade partners of India. The trade between two countries has increased at a compound annual growth rate of 11.4% from USD 20 Billion in 2000. India has been so far importing LNG from Middle East, particularly Qatar. In recent times, USA has increased production of petroleum products and has become one of the largest exporters of petroleum products. The import of LNG contracts is based on premise of diversifying Indias sources for clean energy. The government is promoting a shift towards gas-based economy but the current domestic production and infrastructure dont suffice. Pakistan Navy successfully test fired indigenously developed Submarine Launched version of Cruise Missile (SLCM) BABUR . The missile was fired from an underwater dynamic platform, which successfully hit its target with sharp accuracy. The missile also met all its flight parameters. This is only the second time that Pakistan has announced a test of the submarine launched Babur-III missile, with the first test being conducted in January 2017. SLCM BABUR has a range of 450 KMs and is capable of delivering various types of payloads and incorporates state of the art technologies including underwater controlled propulsion, advanced guidance and navigation features. Russia has successfully test fired its latest nuclear Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) RS-28 Sarmat . This missile can carry an array of warheads capable of dodging missile defenses. The test was carried out at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, as spaceport in the west of Russia, close to the Arctic Circle. The ICBM Sarmat has the capacity to reach any point in the world. The missile will enter into service by 2021. Background The RS-28 Sarmat is a heavy liquid-propellant ICBM capable of carrying nuclear charges. This missile is under development in Russia since 2000ss. The objective of this development is to replace the R-36M2 Voyevoda ICBM, which is Russias only Strategic Missile Force since 1988. The name Sarmat is based upon the nomadic Sarmatian tribes which used to live between 6th and 4th century BC in current territories of Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Iran is likely to ban the popular messaging application Telegram by the end of the current Iranian month (April 20), the Iranian Parliaments news agency, ICANA, quoted prominent MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi as saying on March 31. Boroujerdi said the decision to ban Telegram and replace it with a homegrown application was made at the highest level, to curb its destructive impact. Iranian media reported in early March that the Supreme Council for Cyberspace had met in Khameneis presence, adding that Khamenei was against lifting the temporary ban that was imposed on Telegram following widespread protests against political, social, and economic injustice in January. Within an hour of reporting Boroujerdis statement, another MP, Ramezanali Sobhanifar, told reporters in Tehran, There is still no definite date set for banning the application. He further advised Iranian agencies not to publish reports that could be harmful to peoples psychological security. Iranian authorities banned social media platforms Telegram and Instagram for a few days and police arrested several cyber activists as protests raged in the streets of over 100 Iranian cities in late December and January, but the ban was lifted once the demonstrations lost their initial momentum. On January 16, 170 MPs wrote a letter to the heads of Irans executive, legislative, and judiciary bodies, blaming social media for igniting the unrest and demanding a replacement for Telegram with homegrown applications. In the meantime, authorities denied reports about the imminent banning of Telegram. President Hassan Rouhani, who had promised that Telegram and other social media would not be banned, appears to have changed his mind. In February, Rouhani characterized cyberspace as a major player in domestic and international politics. He said that monopoly in cyberspace would be meaningless, and a messaging services exclusive control of this space is against our security, adding, Iranian-made messaging applications should be developed and used by the people. A ban on Telegram now seems more likely than ever. According to Boroujerdi, Banning Telegram is essential for the Islamic Republics national security. Based on academic research in Iran, Telegram was instrumental in Rouhanis victory in the 2017 election. Nevertheless, some MPs insist Telegram cannot be replaced with a homegrown application. MPs including Massoud Pezeshkian said in late March that Iranians do not trust homegrown applications, fearing government surveillance and a breach of their privacy. Social media users widely protested against the plans to replace foreign applications like Telegram with homegrown versions like iGap and Soroush. Telegram is one of the most popular messaging applications in Iran and has more than 40 million users, and between 10,000 and 15,000 businesses actively use it for marketing and other purposes, according to official statistics. According to Culture Minister Abbas Salehi, some 80 percent of Persian content on the Internet is published via 11,000 Telegram channels. An unnamed source affiliated with the Russian Defense Ministry has denied a report by a Kuwaiti daily claiming two of Israels F-35 fighter jets flew over Syria and Iraq last week to reach Iranian airspace without being detected by Russian radars based in Syria. Iraqs Defense Ministry also denied Israels jets had violated its airspace. The Kuwaiti newspaper, Al-Jarida, widely believed to be an outlet used by Israel to send messages to the Arab world, reported on March 29, Two [Israeli] Aidr stealth jets flew undetected over Syria and Iraq and snuck into Iranian airspace, flying reconnaissance missions over the Iranian cities Bandar Abbas, Esfahan, and Shiraz. Citing an informed source, Al-Jarida maintained, The two jets went undetected by radar, including by the Russian radar system located in Syria. Furthermore, the source refused to confirm if the operation was undertaken in coordination with the U.S. Army, which recently conducted joint exercises with the IDF. The two jets went undetected by radar, including by the Russian radar system located in Syria The source also allegedly told Al-Jarida that the stealth fighter jets can travel from Israel to Iran twice without refueling. However, according to Iraqi media outlets, on March 30 Baghdad denied the reports saying Israeli stealth jets infiltrated Iraqi and Iranian air space. In a statement, Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Tahsin al-Khafaji dismissed such reports as inaccurate and untrue. An unnamed source affiliated with the Russian Defense Ministry also denied the report and dismissed it as an outright lie. Russian news outlet Sputnik quoted the source as saying, It is absurd to claim that Israeli fighter jets deceived Russian radars. The Russian air defense system, based in Syria to protect Russian facilities in Tartus an Hamim, has always operated perfectly well, the source insisted. The United Nations Security Council condemned missile attacks on Saudi Arabia launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels last weekend and expressed "grave concern" at reports the Houthis obtained the weapons in violation of a UN arms embargo. In a statement issued late on March 28, the 15-member council -- including Russia, China, and top Western powers -- said it condemned the missile attacks "in the strongest possible terms" and said they pose a threat to regional security. The council also "expressed alarm" that the Houthis are threatening to continue attacking Saudi Arabia, which has accused Iran of supplying the ballistic missiles used by the Houthis. Tehran has denied the allegation. "The members of the Security Council expressed their grave concern at the continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen and the devastating humanitarian impact of the conflict on civilians," the statement said. The council statement did not name who is violating the arms embargo against the Houthis. But independent UN experts concluded in January that Iran had manufactured the missiles used in a series of similar missile attacks by the Houthis last year and Tehran violated the arms embargo because it failed to prevent those missiles from getting into Houthi hands. Despite the UN conclusions, last month Russia used its veto power in the council to block a western resolution call outing Tehran for violating the arms embargo. The United States in particular has been pushing to hold Iran accountable for allegedly supplying missiles and drones to the Houthis. The latest Houthi missile attacks on March 25 were the most extensive and deadly so far. Saudi forces said they shot down three missiles over Riyadh, with debris falling on a home in the capital, killing an Egyptian laborer and wounding two others. The Saudis said air defenses repelled missiles fired at three southern cities -- Najran, Jizan, and Khamis Mushait. On March 26, the Saudi-led bombing coalition displayed what it said was fragments from the missiles at a news conference in Riyadh and said they showed the weapons were made in Iran. A coalition spokesman said it was "reserving the right" to respond against Iran at an "appropriate" time. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps a day later denied providing the weapons to the Houthis and accused the Saudis of blaming Iran in an effort to distract from what it said were "atrocities" committed by Riyadh in Yemen. A Saudi-led blockade of Yemeni ports last year threatened to worsen what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions of Yemenis living on the verge of famine and ravaged by diseases such as cholera often without medical supplies. An international outcry about the dire conditions for civilians in Yemen prompted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to present a $930 million check to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for humanitarian aid to Yemen on a visit to the UN on March 28. Guterres thanked the prince, but stressed that a political solution was needed to end the war in Yemen, not just a humanitarian response. Were the Saudis to make good on their veiled threat to retaliate against Iran, it could sharply escalate a three-year conflict that has widely been viewed as a proxy war between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. With reporting by AFP and Reuters Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 2 Trend: Two years have passed since Azerbaijani armys victory in April 2016 clashes. On the night of April 2, 2016 and during the day, all the frontier positions and settlements of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire by the Armenian Armed Forces. Six civilians were killed, including two children aged under 16, and 26 people were injured as a result of shelling of Azerbaijans settlements located along the line of contact by Armenia. Numerous public and private facilities, including civil infrastructure, were severely damaged as a result of the offensive, 232 houses, 99 power transmission line poles, three electric power substations, kilometers of water and gas pipes were destroyed. The Armenian Armed Forces launched the guided-missiles at social institutions, including schools, hospitals and places of worship. Large-caliber artillery shells fell during the prayer service in one of the mosques. In order to suppress the Armenian provocation, ensure safety of the civilian population, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces command made a decision to take urgent response measures in the Aghdere-Tartar-Aghdam and Khojavand-Fuzuli directions. As a result, during the four days of fighting, Azerbaijani Armed Forces liberated the heights near the Talish village, as well as the Seysulan point, which could pose a threat to the safety of Goranboy district and the city of Naftalan. The Lele Tepe strategic height located in the direction of the Fuzuli district and allowing controlling a vast territory was taken under control. Also, as a result of the April fighting, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces ensured control over the roads in the Aghdere-Madaghiz direction. As many as 30 tanks, up to 15 armored guns and fortifications belonging to the Armenians were destroyed, 320 Armenian soldiers were killed and more than 500 servicemen of the enemy were wounded during the clashes. The military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides. As a result of the successful counteroffensive, more than 2,000 hectares of territory were liberated from the Armenian occupation, even a larger territory came under the control of the Azerbaijani army. Azerbaijani Armed Forces have fortified the liberated lands. In general, the April fights have demonstrated the attention paid by Azerbaijani President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev to the army, as well as high fighting efficiency of the Azerbaijani army and the ability of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to liberate the occupied territories at any time. Azerbaijani armys victories in the April battles have laid the foundation of the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from the Armenian occupation. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 31 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 105 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said April 1. Armenias armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns. 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, April 1 By Ilhama Isabalayeva Trend: No nation has an opportunity to live and exist in Armenia, Azerbaijani MP Asim Mollazade told Trend. Mollazade was commenting on the results of a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center. According to the poll results, Armenia has been recognized as the most intolerant country in relation to Jews in Central and Eastern Europe. "In fact, Armenia is a monoethnic country, Mollazade said. No representative of any nation has the opportunity to live normally in Armenia. The acts committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis testify to this." He also thinks that there is historical anti-Semitism in Armenia and this reflects the Armenians' hatred of all nations and religions. "Therefore, the poll results can be considered quite real, Mollazade said. The international community must take this into account when assessing Armenias policy. According to the results of the poll, conducted by the Pew Research Center during the year in 18 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Armenia was recognized as the most intolerant country in relations with Jews among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 2 Trend: Twenty-five years pass since the occupation of Azerbaijans Kalbajar district by Armenia. Kalbajar was among Azerbaijani districts that got occupied by the Armenian Armed Forces during the Karabakh war. The Nagorno-Karabakh 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. Launching a large-scale military operation on March 27 in 1993, the Armenian armed forces occupied Kalbajar on April 2. As a result, 511 people were killed in Kalbajar, which has a territory of 1,936 square meters. As many as 321 people were captured and went missing. Fifty-five soldiers were killed during the fights, while 132 settlements were captured by the Armenian Armed forces. Armenian occupiers destroyed more than 500 industrial, construction, catering and retail facilities, 97 schools and 76 health facilities. Kalbajar districts 53,340 residents became IDPs. After Kalbajars occupation, the UN Security Council adopted the resolution 822 demanding the immediate withdrawal of Armenian forces from the district and other occupied areas of Azerbaijan. Armenia has not fulfilled the resolution. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. In general, Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Wheelchair ramps were installed at 1,455 polling stations in connection with the presidential election in Azerbaijan scheduled for April 11. The ramps were installed for wheelchair users to easily participate in the election, the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission (CEC) told Trend. The presidential election will be held on April 11. There are 125 constituencies and 5,426 polling stations throughout the country. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 Trend: As many as 603 international observers have been registered to monitor the presidential elections in Azerbaijan on April 11, the Central Election Commission (CEC) told Trend April 1. Around 52 representatives of international organizations will observe the elections. "Observers who will arrive in Azerbaijan will represent 54 countries," the CEC added. About 55,965 local observers were registered in the district election commissions. Eight candidates were registered to participate in the April 11 presidential election in Azerbaijan. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Fikret Dolukhanov Trend: The aggregate capital of Uzbek commercial banks increased by 2.3 times and reached 20.7 trillion soums in 2017, according to the statement made during the session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan. According to the Uzbek media, the representatives of the Senate heard Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan Mamarizo Nurmuratovs report about the banks activity in 2017. "Monetary policy was carried out in the country in terms of maintaining high inflationary pressure and transition to an active phase of structural transformation in the economy, including the liberalization of foreign exchange policy and foreign trade activity, Nurmuratov said. Therefore, the main attention was paid to the effective use of monetary policy tools." He added that the Central Bank strengthened the requirements to the level of capitalization and liquidity of commercial banks and in June 2017 increased the refinancing rate from 9 to 14 percent. At the same time, in order to prevent liquidity shortage that arose due to high growth rates of lending, mechanisms were introduced to provide commercial banks with refinancing loans in the second half of 2017. According to the Uzbek presidents decree dated September 2, 2017 "On Priority Measures for Liberalizing Currency Policy", beginning from September 2017, a market mechanism for determining the exchange rate of the national currency was introduced. The restrictions were also imposed on the sale, purchase and use of foreign currency for the population and business entities. The total amount of the drawn deposits of commercial banks increased 1.6 times and amounted to 58.7 trillion soums. The total amount of assets of banks doubled and as of January 1, 2018, amounted to 166.6 trillion soums. The capital adequacy ratio increased up to 18.8 percent, which is 1.8 times more than international norms. According to the report, as a result of the continued implementation of the active lending policy by banks, the total amount of credit investments in the real sector of the economy increased 2.1 times and reached 110.6 trillion soums. In particular, commercial banks allocated loans in the amount of 16.1 trillion soums to finance investment projects, which is 1.3 times more than in 2016. "Commercial banks allocated loans in the amount of 19.6 trillion soums, including micro-loans - 4 trillion soums, in particular, 2.8 trillion soums of loans - to encourage the development of women's entrepreneurship, 3.6 trillion soums - services and 490.3 billion soums - family entrepreneurship and handicrafts to render financial support to small businesses and private entrepreneurs," the report said. Commercial banks issued mortgage loans worth 1.8 trillion soums for the construction of housing in rural areas upon standard projects to improve the living conditions of the rural population. The measures implemented in the banking system in 2017 served to improve the effectiveness of the monetary policy of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, further strengthen the financial stability of the banking system, its role in the development of entrepreneurship and participation in investment processes, as well as strengthened the country's macroeconomic stability. When discussing the report, the representatives of the Senate made suggestions and recommendations on further improvement of the activity of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan. The measures were proposed to be strengthened to ensure compliance with the requirements for capital adequacy, liquidity and stability of commercial banks within the requirements of international principles of banking supervision and other measures. The need for timely and high-quality execution of tasks was stressed to improve the level of accessibility of banking services, ensure the protection of consumer rights of banking services, improve the quality and culture of serving the population and business entities, envisaged upon the presidents decree dated March 23, 2018 "On additional measures to increase the availability of banking services". It is necessary to pay special attention to the measures to improve the business and investment sphere, achieve the necessary conditions for ensuring price stability by minimizing the impact of monetary factors of monetary policy on inflation. A corresponding resolution of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan was adopted following the discussion. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Fikret Dolukhanov Trend: President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reviewed the construction of the reservoir in the Zafarobod area as part of his trip to the Jizzakh region. The president stressed that the reservoir will provide 20,000 hectares of unused land with water, expand cultivated areas where it will be possible to grow crops and receive income. "We intend to grow and process sugar beets here, build a sugar factory, which is very important for ensuring the sugar independence of our country, the president said. Waste can be used as feed, which will contribute to livestock development." The irrigation and land reclamation work in the Jizzakh region for 2018-2019, as well as hydro projects were also presented here. Uzbekhydroenergo Joint Stock Company has presented investment projects for the construction and modernization of micro hydropower plants in Zaamin and Zafarobod regions. The president instructed to ensure the high-quality implementation of the construction work and render the necessary financial and organizational assistance. Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 By Azad Hasanli Trend: The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) does not plan yet to purchase new shares of enterprises and banks in Azerbaijan, a source in the bank told Trend. The source said that the main priority today for the bank is to develop business activities by issuing loans to enterprises, rather than buying their shares. Currently, the bank is trying to identify new business opportunities in Azerbaijan and to choose projects for crediting, the source said, adding that the BSTDB expects the audit reports of the companies for 2017 to be determined on their basis with new projects. Meanwhile, the source noted that the infrastructure projects are of particular interest to the bank, and in this respect the BSTDB intends to continue working with municipal authorities in the countries of its presence. Currently, the bank owns 20 percent of shares of Azerbaijans AccessBank and 21.39 percent of shares of SEAF Caucasus Growth Fund, which also finances projects in Azerbaijan. In total, the BSTDB owns shares in about 10 companies and banks in different countries. The bank has been financing projects in Azerbaijan since 1999 and during this period, the bank has allocated loans worth 330 million euros for local companies. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Anvar Mammadov - Trend: Markets opened the week in a blast of good cheer as the latest developments in the trade war showdown between the US and China suggest room for hope, with both sides expressing interest in working through differences, Head of FX Strategy at Saxo Bank John Hardy told Trend. "This came a mere couple of days after the ugly close to trading last week, with the global risk benchmark, the S&P 500, closing the week perilously perched on its 200-day moving average," he said. "This is a classic case of a market driven by headline risk and makes for a treacherous trading environment. With the surge in risk appetite and perhaps telling absence of a more forceful repricing of US bond yields higher, the US dollar suffered and the Japanese yen suffered even more so, serving as it has lately as the highest beta currency to risk appetite. EURUSD pulled sharply higher to its highest closing level in weeks and look set to challenge the highs for the cycle." "EURUSD saw its strongest close in weeks, well above 1.2400, and bulls should take heart that this signals a new challenge of the highs for the cycle and possibly more with many noting the very long term trend-line in play from the 2008 top," he noted. "1.3000 has been a pivotal level for the pair in the past and could attract if 1.2500 is finally broken." Many EM currencies showed immunity to the general risk contagion going into last weeks ugly closing levels, and this week has seen varied developments, he added. "The blast stronger in Chinas renminbi to start the week has been the most notable development, and has dragged much of Asian EM stronger with it," he said. "Also enjoying strength are the South African rand on recent supportive headlines and political developments and now the Mexican peso, with USDMXN now more forcefully below the 200-day moving average yesterday on the general sense of relief on the trade war theme." "A bit weaker relative to the supportive backdrop are the Russian ruble after so many nations have moved to show solidarity with the UK in giving Russia a diplomatic cold shoulder," he said. The Turkish lira is being given the widest berth among major EMs at the moment, against the backdrop of anti-terrorist operations in Syria, supported by the US, as well as the aspirations of the Turkish government to ensure economic growth at any cost, he added. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Gazenfer Hamidov Trend: Turkeys gas import from Iran amounted to 836.29 million cubic meters in January 2018, 6 percent more year-on-year. Natural gas imports from Iran accounted for 13.5 percent of the countrys total gas imports in the one-month period, according to a report released by Turkeys Energy Market Regulatory Body. Irans share from the countrys gas market was 13.2 percent in December 2017. The Islamic Republic was Turkeys second gas supplier in the period, after Russia. Turkeys gas import from Iran in 2017 stood at 9.2 billion cubic meters (bcm). Turkeys total natural gas import stood at 6.22 bcm in January 2018, registering a rise by 5 percent year-on-year. Irans overall gas exports to Turkey accounted to 7.8 and 7.7 bcm in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Gas import sources January 2018 (mcm) Share (%) Y/Y change (%) Russia 2,825.99 45.46 -0.12 Iran 836.29 13.45 5.92 Qatar 649.19 10.44 85.54 Azerbaijan 594.15 9.56 0.64 Algeria 472.27 7.60 -25.81 Nigeria 317.09 5.10 -17.43 France 175.94 2.83 100.00 Trinidad and Tobago 160.21 2.58 100.00 Angola 97.11 1.56 100.00 Norway 88.26 1.42 -65.29 Total 6,216.51 100 5.11 Turkey also exported 51.64 million cubic meters of gas to Greece in January 2018, indicating a fall by 39.74 percent year-on-year. The US administration is seriously throwing obstacles in way of trade with Iran, Chief Executive Officer of Austrian Oberbank Franz Gasselsberger said, according IRNA. Financing Iranian projects still has some problems, Gasselsberger said in an interview with Die Presse Newspaper. US secondary sanctions need more exact reviews, he said. Oberbank has been one the first European banks to sign agreement with Iran in post-JCPOA era. The US administration has done a great deal during the past year to kill Iran nuclear deal also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This is while, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has already confirmed ten times Iran's commitment to the landmark July 2015 international deal. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Gazenfer Hamidov Trend: Some 265,979 tons of agricultural products worth over $239.225 million were exported from customs of Iran's north western city of Astara in the last fiscal year(ended March), an Iranian official said. Irans agricultural products' export through Astara checkpoint increased by 10 percent in terms of volume year-on-year, Iraj Shiarkar, an official with the agriculture ministry said, the Iranian official IRNA News Agency reported. However, the value of the exported agricultural products was same as the preceding year, he added. Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine as well as Central Asian countries were the main destinations for the exported products, Shiarkar said. Some 218,834 tons of agricultural products were also imported to the country via Astara in the aforementioned period, 30 percent more year-on-year, he added. During this period the transit of agricultural products via Astara customs stood at 55,731 tons, 42 percent more compared to the preceding year. Shiarkar said that 15 kinds of various agricultural products including wheat flour, onions, lentils, barley, pomegranate, tomatoes, hazelnuts and peas were transited to Persian Gulf states through Astara. He said that 36 kinds of agricultural products including kiwi fruit, potato, onion, melon, dates, pepper, carrot, raisins, cabbage, apple, cucumber, vegetables, grapes, watermelon, cherry, lemon, tea and pistachio were exported through the custom, meanwhile 24 kinds of various agricultural products including banana, millet, sunflower seed kernel, safflower, flaxseed, peas, sugar beet pulp and bran as well as MDF boards and woods were imported during the 12-month period. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Gazenfer Hamidov Trend: Irans imports from Sweden witnessed a rise by 535 percent in terms of volume during the first 11 months of the last fiscal year (March 20, 2017-Feb. 20). Iran imported 160,000 tons of goods, worth $656 million from the European country in the period, according to the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI). Other European countries including Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, UK, Belgium and Spain also have taken spots among the top 20 exporters of goods to Iran in the period. Germany was the top exporter to Iran among the EU countries during the first 11 months of the last fiscal year with $2.641 billion worth of goods. The European country stood fifth after China, UAE, South Korea and Turkey. Germanys exports to Iran registered a rise by 21 percent year-on-year. Germany shared 5.5 percent of Irans overall imports in terms of value in the 11-month period. However the volume of the countrys exports to Iran amounted to 835,000 tons, 4 percent less year-on-year, which indicates that the European country has exported more valuable goods to Iran during the last fiscal year. Besides Germany, Switzerland ($1.953 billion, a 72 percent increase), France ($1.557 billion, a 79 percent increase), the Netherlands ($1.326 billion, a 81 percent increase), Italy ($1.259 billion, a 16 percent increase), the UK($982 million, 147 percent increase), Sweden($656 million, 132 percent increase), Belgium($580 million, 69 percent increase) and Spain($367 million, 25 percent increase) were the European countries that took place among the top exporters of goods to Iran in the mentioned period. The EU's trade with Iran was subject to restrictions derived from United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions between 2006 and 2010. EU exports to Iran plummeted to 7.3 billion euros in 2012, down from highs of 11.3 billion euros in 2006. Under the sanctions, the Islamic Republic shifted its trade eastward, and expanded economic ties with countries such as China and India as well as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, which took the advantage of the sanctions, and acted as re-exporting intermediary to Iran. During the first 11 months of last fiscal year, Iran purchased 61 percent of its imported goods from five countries China, the UAE, South Korea, Turkey and Germany. China was the main exporter of goods to Iran in the mentioned period. Chinas exports accounted for 24 percent of Irans total imports in terms of value. During the 11-month period, Iran imported $11.534 billion worth of goods from China, indicating a 23-percent increase year-on-year. Iran also imported $8.759 billion worth of goods from the UAE (a 51 percent increase), which makes 18.4 percent of Irans total imports value. South Korea exports accounted to $3.292 billion to Tehran, 8 percent more year-on-year. Turkey exported $2.863 billion worth of goods to Iran in the 11-month period, 20 percent more year-on-year. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Khalid Kazimov Trend: The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned against the fate of the Islamic Republic, expressing its interest in being involved in economic activities. Through a statement published by the IRGC on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of a referendum in which Iranians endorsed the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the IRGC said that it is ready to play an active role in removing economic hurdles and extending support to domestic production. The IRGC recognizes involvement in this field [economy] as a holy duty and expresses its readiness to take effective, jihadi and revolutionary roles in removing the problems, the statement reads. "Contrary to the enemy's evil wish, the 40th year of the revolution will be the brightest for the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement added. The referendum on establishing the Islamic Republic was held in late March 1979 after revolutionaries toppled the Pahlavi monarchy in the country. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Farhad Daneshvar Trend: Seasonal winds whipped up the surface of a shrinking salt lake in northwestern Iran over the past week, giving serious cause for concern over a possible salt tsunami. Irans First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri on Sunday visited the Urmia Lake to monitor the latest situation of the drying up lake. The efforts for reviving the Lake Urmia will surely carry on. This issue cannot be ignored by the government, Jahangiri told local media after he viewed the lake on April 1. If necessary, we would allocate billions of dollars in foreign loans for transferring water into the lake from foreign countries, he added. Studies suggest that the occurrence of salt storms from the lake would inflict environmental, agricultural, health and economic damages to the lives of about 76 million people living within 500 kilometers from the lake. A group of Iranians over the past week once again took to social media to warn against the terrible risks of the expected disaster. Yesterday and today, the level of salt storm and dust in Tabriz reached a high level which made it too difficult to breath. This is an outcome of the drying up of the Lake Urmia, a Twitter user wrote on March 25. Several Iranian media outlets also published photos and footage from storm winds blowing near the lake. Your browser doesn't support video. Please download the file: video/mp4 At least eight animals escaped from an Urmia zoo, one individual was killed with 14 more injured after the storm hit the area over the past week. Lake Urmia, with an area of 5,000 km, is located between Eastern and Western Azerbaijani provinces of northwestern Iran. It is known as the largest lake in the Middle East and a shallow lake which is highly saturated with salt. The area of the lake was estimated to be around 6,100 square km in 1995, the surface of which had declined to almost one-third, 2,059 square km in 2018. Construction of dams and a bridge over the lake connecting two cities of Urmia and Tabriz as well as excessive consumption of water for agricultural and industrial purposes are believed to be among the main reasons contributing to the process of drying up of the lake. Allocating 5.5 billion cubic meters of water to agricultural aims allowed constructing more than 43 dams on 14 river basins. Constructing the bridge caused dividing the lake into two small parts and accelerated the process of evaporation. Iranian President Hassan Rouahani during his electoral campaign promised to help revive the Lake Urmia. At least four civilians were killed and 25 more were injured during a raid conducted by the Afghan security forces against the Taliban in a northeastern Afghan province, local media reported Sunday, Sputnik International reports. The Afghan Pajhwok news agency reported, citing a police spokesman, that eight Taliban militants were killed in the raid in the Badakhshan province that had been launched on Saturday. According to the media outlet, those wounded have been sent to medical facilities. Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, with government forces fighting the continuing Taliban* insurgency, while other terrorist groups, such as Daesh* have also expanded their activities both in the country and in the neighboring states. Two Egyptian soldiers including one officer were killed in anti-terror raids in restive North Sinai province, while the forces killed six terrorists, the Egyptian army said in a statement on Sunday, according Xinhua. "The forces destroyed 993 terrorist dens, hideouts and storehouses and busted and destroyed a workshop for making explosives as well as 163 explosive devices planted to target the raiding forces," the military spokesman said in a statement. Some 513 criminal elements were arrested, the statement added. The raids are part of Egypt's recently launched "Sinai 2018" comprehensive anti-terror campaign, which have killed 163 terrorists since it started on Feb. 9. Bahraini authorities have found the largest ever oil field located on the territory of the state, local media reported Sunday, Sputnik reported. The Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported that the announcement was made by the Higher Committee for Natural Resources and Economic Security, while the Bahraini Ministry of Oil will hold a press conference on the issue on Wednesday. According to the BNA, the field has been found in the Khaleej Al Bahrain Basin and is the largest discovery of oil in the country since 1932, when Bahrain's first oil well started production. The new field is expected to contain reserves of tight oil and deep gas that would be much bigger than the existing reserves of the kingdom, the news outlet reported. At least four migrants were found dead off Spain on Sunday, with others who had been on board a make-shift boat missing, rescuers said, AFP reports. The bodies were recovered in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar between Morocco and southern Spain. Rescuers found one survivor who said there had been 12 people on board when the boat left Tangiers early Sunday, a spokesman for the maritime rescuers told AFP. "The survivor said that when the boat overturned, of the 12 who had tried to make the crossing, only three remained" on board -- the survivor and two of the dead, the spokesman said, adding that the cause of their deaths was not immediately known. The nationalities of the migrants were also not yet known. According to the statement of the Kemerovo administration, Aman Tuleyev submits resignation as governor of the Russian Kemerovo region on a voluntary basis, according Sputnik. Aman Tuleyev has been heading the Kemerovo Region since 1997. His current mandate was due to expire in 2020. Tuleyev is stepping down as governor of Kemerovo Region before the expiration of his tenure, the administration official told Sputnik on Sunday. Last week, a fire broke out in the "Zimnyaya Vishnya" ("Winter Cherry") shopping mall in the Russian city of Kemerovo. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, 64 people including 41 children were killed. Aman Tuleyev said in a video address that he had done his best as the head of the region and once again expressed his profound condolences to the relatives of the Zimnyaya Vishnya" mall fire victims. "Dear residents of Kuzbass [Kemerovo region], I have done my best. I have met with the families of the victims, tried to solve the problems with delivering assistance [to the victims and their families]. I once again express my deep condolences. But we have to live, we have to move on. We have to live to remember those, whom we have lost," Tuleyev said. Following the video address, Kremlin issued a statement, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the resignation of Tuleyev, appointing Sergei Tsivilev the region's provisional governor. On Thursday, Russian media outlets reported that the Russian authorities have decided not to carry out demonstrative dismissal of Aman Tuleyev right after the deadly incident in the shopping mall, saying that governor might leave his office later. On Saturday, a court in the Kemerovo Region has ordered the arrest of the former head of the regional construction supervision authority, Tanzilia Komkova, until May 25 over the case of the recent deadly shopping mall fire. Police officials charge Komkova with abusing her authority by granting permission to open "Zimnyaya Vishnya" mall to the public despite the known fact that the shopping compound was constructed illegally violating any fire safety norms. A total of seven people have been arrested until May 25 so far. Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said Friday, that two hundred people have asked for psychological assistance over the past days in the wake of the tragedy that has claimed lives of 64 people over last weekend. Meanwhile, the majority of Russians blame owners and managing staff of the shopping compound for the deadly blaze in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, a survey made by Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) said on Friday. A Russian plane carrying the first group of diplomats expelled from the United States over Skripal case has arrived in Moscow on Sunday, the Flightradar24 portal showed, according Sputnik. The Il-96-300 passenger plane carrying the first group of diplomats and their family members has arrived in Russian airport of Vnukovo. Overall, taking into account the family members of diplomats, 171 people have left the United States. A total of 171 Russian diplomats and their family members left the United States on Saturday night. On Monday, the US Administration expelled 60 Russian diplomats and closed the Russian Consulate General in Seattle after Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy who worked for UK intelligence, and his daughter Yulia were exposed to what UK experts claim was an A234 nerve agent. The Russian Foreign Ministry, in response, announced an expulsion of 58 diplomats from the US Embassy in Moscow and two employees from the US Consulate General in Yekaterinburg, as well as the closure of the US Consulate General in St. Petersburg. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The deployment of the French military contingent in Syria has lost its significance and will be equated to an occupation as the Islamic State (IS) terrorists pose no threat to the region any more, the Turkish media cited the countrys National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli as saying. There is also no need for the US military contingent to stay in Syria, he said. Speaking about the Olive Branch operation, Canikli added that this operation is carried out within the law. On March 18, Turkish Armed Forces and the Free Syrian Army liberated Afrin city from PYD/YPG terrorists. On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria. 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 Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 Trend: A shootout occurred in Turkeys Istanbul city, as a result of which a police officer was injured, the Turkish media reported April 1. Reportedly, a police officer opened fire when a dispute over debt arose between him and three citizens. The gunmen disappeared from the scene of the crime. The injured was taken to the hospital. The police detained six suspects in connection with the incident. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Rauf Guliyev Trend: Turkey's exports increased by 10.5 percent and amounted to $159.923 billion over the last 12 months, the Turkish media cited the report of the countrys Exporters Assembly (TIM). According to the report, exports for March increased by 11.5 percent to $15.106 billion compared to the same month of 2017. This figure was the highest one for the months during the entire history of the country's exports, TIM said. According to the report, Turkey's exports amounted to $40.727 billion over the first three months of 2018, which is 10.4 percent more than in the same period of 2017. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 Trend: Turkey condemns Greece's decision to include the disputed islands of Imia (Kardak) in the Aegean Sea in the EU Natura 2000 environmental program, official representative of the Turkish Foreign Ministry Hami Aksoy said. He added that in general, Turkey has no objections to the implementation of the EU's environmental programs, but Greece is trying to use them in its own interests. "Turkey's attitude to Greece's policy regarding the implementation of EUs environmental programs, including the Natura 2000 program, was brought to the attention of the European Commission in 1998," Aksoy said. He stressed that "there is no doubt that the Kardak islands belong to Turkey and this issue is not subject to discussion". COVID-19 deaths: Centre's Rs 50K compensation offer to drain Kerala's Disaster Relief Fund In all 24,318 persons died due to COVID-19 in the state as per the official statistics until Friday. For giving them the said compensation, Rs 121.5 crore out of the remaining Rs 160 crore in the fund will have to be utilised. Americans rely on Social Security to help make ends meet in retirement, with the majority of benefit recipients getting at least half their regular income from the program. The importance of Social Security in the financial survival of tens of millions of participants means it is crucial that they make the smartest decisions possible on benefits. But a vast swath of the American public approaches retirement with little or nothing in savings, and policymakers are struggling to come up with viable solutions to the problem. One group believes that a two-part strategy could help reduce the challenges that many retirees face. By making it easier for workers to save using IRAs, researchers at the Pew Charitable Trusts showed that the typical American would be able to delay taking Social Security beyond the earliest possible opportunity. That could have several long-term advantages, but some are skeptical that the strategy would have its intended effect. Social Security card folded into a spread-out pile of U.S. currency. Image source: Getty Images. IRAs, automatic enrollment, and Social Security The key part of implementing Pew's suggested strategy is establishing what it calls an auto-IRA. Many 401(k) participants are familiar with auto-enrollment, in which new employees are automatically enrolled in employer-sponsored retirement plans immediately upon their initial hire without having to do anything to get started. The 401(k) automatic enrollment has boosted participation rates substantially, because it takes an active decision not to participate in order to opt out. The problem with 401(k) plans is that many people don't have access to them. Many employers don't offer a retirement plan, and many other workers have positions as independent contractors that don't provide benefits. Moreover, with frequent job-switching, 401(k) plans that are linked specifically to an employer aren't very portable. Auto-IRAs aim to change that. In states that have adopted these IRAs or are considering them, workers who don't have access to a 401(k) or other workplace plan would have an IRA automatically established, with a preset percentage of wages sent to the IRA. This in turn would create a retirement nest egg that wouldn't be linked to any one employer and instead would stay with the worker throughout a career. Story continues Where Social Security comes into play Having outside savings for retirement will help make workers' retirement finances more stable, but Pew suggests a way to essentially reinvest those savings. Its study looked at using the money saved in auto-IRAs to pay for living expenses early in retirement, with retirees spending down that money before claiming their Social Security benefits. By doing so, the monthly Social Security payments that retirees receive once they claim them would be higher for the remainder of their lives, providing greater financial security. For instance, retirees who would ordinarily be entitled to a $1,500 monthly benefit at 67 would get only $1,050 per month if they took benefits at 62, but waiting until 63 would result in a boost to $1,125 per month. Unfortunately, the results of the study weren't particularly encouraging. Those who saved in a typical auto-IRA for 10 years would only be able to delay claiming Social Security by two to four months. Even after 30 years, typical delay times were six to 10 months, with less than 40% being able to delay a full year and less than one in five people being able to wait on Social Security for as long as two years. Why auto-IRAs aren't enough Auto-IRAs can't solve the problem entirely because of their own challenges. As people change jobs, some employers will offer workplace retirement plans, and so those workers won't be eligible for auto-IRAs. The model also assumed that some participants would choose not to participate as fully as the default provisions allowed. Most important, though, is that default provisions for automatic enrollment generally aren't sufficient to make a huge difference in the financial lives of workers. Most auto-IRAs have a default contribution rate of just 3% of your salary. With most planners suggesting savings of 10% of earnings, the shortfall is evident. If you make $50,000 a year and save 3% for 10 years, you'll have accumulated just $15,000 in contributions -- less than four months' worth of wages. Even allowing for a reasonable investment return in that time span, the impact won't be nearly as large as most people need in order to be financially secure in retirement. The right combination The concept of automatic enrollment is a good one, but to be truly effective, it would be better for contributions to be mandatory. Results from countries like Australia that have mandatory systems to save for retirement have higher contribution percentages, and that helps generate enough savings to cover expenses for a much longer period of time in retirement. Even without those mandatory provisions, workers should make it their goal to be able to save enough to make a meaningful difference in their ability to make smart retirement financial decisions. Whether that involves spending down savings to delay Social Security or taking Social Security early while preserving the tax-deferred or tax-free growth that IRAs can provide, having another source of retirement income opens up options that most people currently just don't have. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Kazakhstans National Bank is considering banning cryptocurrency use, exchanges, and mining, saying virtual currencies are an ideal vehicle for fraud, money-laundering, and tax evasion. In Kazakhstan, the National Bank is taking a very conservative approach toward the matter, and it welcomes nothing but extremely tough restrictions, Daniyar Akishev, the chairman of Kazakhstans National Bank, told Sputnik News. Akishev continued: We want to ban the exchange of digital currencies for the national currency. We want to prohibit the stock exchanges activities in this area, as well as every type of mining. Daniyar Akishev, chairman of Kazakhstan National Bank, is a bitcoin skeptic. (CCN screenshot) Akishev said the National Bank is considering the ban to protect its citizens from scams and fraud. Digital currencies are an ideal instrument for money-laundering and tax evasion, he said. Akishev conceded that regulators cant control if Kazakhstanis trade cryptocurrencies in cross-border transactions, but it can ban crypto mining within the Central Asian countrys borders. We minimize the risks related to the national market. However, no central bank has all the instruments to control this market in the cross-border market. Therefore, at least, we must prevent this risk via the national currency. Kazakhstans tough anti-crypto stance follows a similar move by the Russian government. In early March, the Russian Ministry of Finance drafted a law that will criminalize the use of digital currencies as money substitutes, citing the need to protect the Russian ruble. Russia: Crypto Is No Substitute for the Ruble Alexei Moiseev, Russias deputy finance minister, made the revelation during Vnesheconombanks conference. Elvira Nabiullina, head of the Bank of Russia, said the Russian Finance Ministry opposes the use of cryptocurrencies as private money and money surrogates. This is necessary to protect the ruble as the single legal [means of] payment in Russia. There is the ruble, and everything else is a surrogate. Story continues Russian president Vladimir Putin said cryptocurrency regulation will be rolled out by July. While he has expressed concerns about cryptocurrencies because theyre not backed by a central bank, the Russian government plans to launch its own digital currency called the CryptoRuble in a bid to circumvent U.S. economic sanctions. Vladimir Putin wants to roll out a Russian cryptocurrency called the CryptoRuble. (CCN screenshot) In October 2017, Putin expressed skepticism about crypto, saying they can be exploited for money-laundering and other illegal activities. But he conceded that cryptocurrencies are becoming or have already become a full-fledged means of payment, as well as a means of investment in other countries. Many bitcoin evangelists actually welcome regulatory crackdowns on scams and fraud, saying they will root out bad actors and help legitimize the currently-unregulated virtual currency ecosystem. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Kazakhstan May Ban Cryptocurrencies Citing Money-Laundering Concerns appeared first on CCN. Gazprombank cryptocurrency Gazprombank, the third-largest bank in Russia, plans to conduct cryptocurrency transactions in Switzerland later this year as part of a pilot program through its Swiss subsidiary. Aleksandr Sobol, the deputy chairman of Gazprombank, said the state-owned bank decided to try out crypto deals in response to demand from several major private clients. This will not be on a grand scale, but for ourselves, Sobol told Vedomosti. This is a demand from our large private clients for such amenities. Therefore, we are now looking at how we can organize this service for them. In January 2018, Sberbank Russias largest bank announced plans to open its own cryptocurrency exchange in Switzerland, as they are not allowed in Russia. As CCN previously reported, Sberbank also recently opened a blockchain lab in Switzerland to test blockchain projects. As of January 2018, Sberbank said it had more than 20 blockchain-based pilot projects under development. Russian regulators are drafting cryptocurrency regulations under the Digital Assets Regulation Bill. A final version, which will be released in July, will legalize and set guidelines for initial coin offerings, blockchain technologies, and crypto mining. Vladimir Putin wants to launch a Russian cryptocurrency called the CryptoRuble. (Shutterstock) While Russian president Vladimir Putin initially expressed skepticism about bitcoin and the virtual currency market because they are unregulated and not backed by a central bank, he has since softened his stance in recognition of the ballooning market and demand. In fact, Russia plans to launch its own cryptocurrency called the CryptoRuble, in part to circumvent U.S. economic sanctions. Russia Aims to Be Crypto Powerhouse Cryptocurrency mining has mushroomed in Russia. Dmitry Marinichev, President Putins internet ombudsman, is currently overseeing the construction of the Russian Mining Center, which he hopes will transform the country into a digital currency powerhouse. Marinichev and his partners have invested $10 million into the Russian Mining Center, and also recently raised $43 million through an initial coin offering, according to CNN. This is a new milestone in the development of mankind, Marinichev gushed. Story continues Russian cryptocurrency entrepreneurs are equally bullish about the future of bitcoin, crypto mining, and blockchain technology. I think blockchain will repeat the history of the internet and probably even be bigger than the internet itself, said Alexander Ivanov, a former physicist who runs the Russian blockchain platform Waves. Business owner Boris Akimov agrees. Akimov, whose Moscow-based restaurant Lavkalavka accepts bitcoin, believes crypto is not a passing fad. Cryptocurrency is a way to change the whole financial system in the world, he said. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Russias Gazprombank to Test Cryptocurrency Transactions In Switzerland appeared first on CCN. By Lawrence Hurley The U.S. government's Supreme Court battle with Microsoft Corp over whether technology companies can be forced to hand over data stored overseas could be nearing its end, after federal prosecutors asked that the case be dismissed. President Donald Trump on March 22 signed a provision into law making it clear that U.S. judges can issue warrants for such data, while giving companies an avenue to object if the request conflicts with foreign law. "This case is now moot," the U.S. Department of Justice said, citing the newly passed legislation, in a 16-page court filing on Friday that requested the dismissal. The Supreme Court on Feb. 27 heard arguments in the case, which had been one of the most closely watched of the high court's current term. Some justices urged Congress to pass a law to resolve the matter. Microsoft and the Justice Department had been locked in a dispute over how U.S. prosecutors seek access to data held on overseas computer servers owned by American companies. The case involved Microsoft's challenge to a domestic warrant issued by a U.S. judge for emails stored on a Microsoft server in Dublin relating to a drug-trafficking investigation. The bipartisan new law, known as the Cloud Act, was supported by Microsoft, other major technology companies and the Trump administration. But civil liberties groups opposed it, saying it lacked sufficient privacy protections. Microsoft, which has 100 data centers in 40 countries, was the first American company to challenge a domestic search warrant seeking data held outside the United States. The Microsoft customer whose emails were sought told the company he was based in Ireland when he signed up for his account. A representative for Microsoft did not immediately return requests for comment on the Justice Department's filing. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Alex Dobuzinskis; Additional reporting by Dustin Volz; Editing by Will Dunham and Jonathan Oatis) SpaceX founder Elon Musk smiles at a press conference following the first launch of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Joe Skipper WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. telecommunications regulator on Thursday gave formal approval to a plan by Elon Musk's SpaceX to build a global broadband network using satellites. "This is the first approval of a U.S.-licensed satellite constellation to provide broadband services using a new generation of low-Earth orbit satellite technologies," the Federal Communications Commission said in a statement. The system proposed by privately held SpaceX, as Space Exploration Holdings is known, will use 4,425 satellites, the FCC said. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in February had endorsed the SpaceX effort, saying: "Satellite technology can help reach Americans who live in rural or hard-to-serve places where fiber optic cables and cell towers do not reach." The Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on April 2 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. "The rocket will carry a communications satellite," the FAA said. The FCC said SpaceX has been granted authority to use frequencies in the Ka (20/30 GHz) and Ku (11/14 GHz) bands. Musk, who is also the founder and chief executive of electric automaker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), said in 2015 that SpaceX planned to launch a satellite-internet business that would help fund a future city on Mars. SpaceX wanted to create a "global communications system" that Musk compared to "rebuilding the internet in space." It would be faster than traditional internet connections, he said. "This is an important step toward SpaceX building a next-generation satellite network that can link the globe with reliable and affordable broadband service, especially reaching those who are not yet connected, SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said. Over the past year, the FCC has approved requests by OneWeb, Space Norway and Telesat to access the U.S. market to provide broadband services using satellite technology that the FCC said "holds promise to expand internet access in remote and rural areas across the country." Story continues About 14 million rural Americans and 1.2 million Americans on tribal lands lack mobile broadband even at relatively slow speeds. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, said on Thursday that the agency needs "to prepare for the proliferation of satellites in our higher altitudes." She highlighted the issue of orbital debris and said the FCC "must coordinate more closely with other federal actors to figure out what our national policies are for this jumble of new space activity." (This version of the story corrects to attribute SpaceX comment to its COO in the ninth paragraph) (Reporting by Eric Walsh and David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Munsif Vengattil and Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammad Zargham, Leslie Adler and Andrea Ricci) Afghanistan's election authorities have set October 20 as the date for long-delayed legislative and district council elections. Abdul Badi Sayad, chief of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), said on April 1 that the commission was confident the vote could go ahead despite the difficulties in areas controlled by the Taliban. "Afghan security forces have assured us they will carry out operations in insecure areas not in government control and to ensure security for people in the voter registration and voting stages of the election," Sayad said. He also told a news conference that eligible voters would be able to apply for registration cards in mid-April, before candidates formally declare. President Ashraf Ghani has vowed to hold the elections for the 249 seats in the National Assembly before the presidential vote scheduled for next year. But the polls have been repeatedly pushed back due to security fears and logistical challenges. The United Nations envoy to Afghanistan welcomed the commission's announcement, and called for the inclusion of all Afghans in the election process. "Setting a firm date for elections is a notably positive and important development in the work of the IEC, and will allow progress from the formal planning stages to implementation," said Tadamichi Yamamoto, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). "Transparent and inclusive elections are an essential component of Afghanistan demonstrating the strength of the democratic political processes taking root here," he also said in a statement. 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. In October 2017, insurgents controlled or influenced nearly half of Afghanistan's districts, the U.S. government's office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said in January. It remained unclear how polling would be held in the contested areas and whether Afghans lacking identity cards and those displaced by conflict will be eligible to vote. With reporting by AFP and Reuters The spokesman for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry says Islamabad and Washington have yet to find "common ground" on a range of issues, including U.S. accusations that Pakistan is not pulling its weight in the fight against terrorism. Mohammad Faisal made the remarks in an interview with RFE/RL on March 31, days after a senior U.S. State Department official arrived in Pakistan for high-level talks. The State Department said earlier that senior bureau official for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Ambassador Alice Wells would discuss Washington's strategy for the region and "Pakistan's stated commitment to eliminate all terrorist groups present in its country." Wells' meetings in Pakistan included talks with Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and national security adviser Nasser Khan Janjua. Faisal described talks with Wells in Pakistan as positive but said that the two sides were still seeking "common ground." "The main purpose of these talks is to find that common ground," he told RFE/RL. In January, the State Department said it was suspending at least $900 million in security assistance to Pakistan, after President Donald Trump criticized Islamabad for not doing enough to combat terrorism. Afghan officials, along with the Trump administration, have accused Pakistan of providing a safe haven for terrorists operating in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies. Asked about U.S. criticism that Pakistan must step up its counterterrorism efforts, Faisal said arrangements must be made for the return of an estimated 3 million Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan. "Besides, there is the issue of poppy cultivation and the use of opium money in the war. And attacks from Afghanistan inside Pakistan also continue. When all these problems are addressed, so the rest of the issues will also be resolved," Faisal said. Vice President Mike Pence earlier this month told Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that Islamabad "must do more to address the continued presence of the Taliban, Haqqani network, and other terrorist groups operating in their country," the White House said on March 17. A senior U.S. administration official said a day earlier that Pakistan has done "the bare minimum to appear responsive to our requests." With reporting by Geo.tv SAN JOSE, Calif., March 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tredence, the first analytics services company focused on the last mile of analytics adoption, announced today that it has opened a Center of Excellence in Chicago, which it is quickly staffing in order to serve its growing base of Fortune 500 clients. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Tredence is known for helping large enterprises solve vexing business challenges using data and technology. From data collection through translating insights into action and impact, Tredence partners with the client to operationalize analytics. The company works across verticals, with deep experience in the retail, CPG, industrial, travel and hospitality, food and beverage, telecom, pharmaceutical and financial services spaces. There are four broad steps to enabling last-mile analytics adoption within enterprises: data analysis, generating insights, making recommendations, and translating those recommendations into action for the front lines leading to sustainable business impact. While other analytics services firm focus only on the first three steps, Tredence covers all four. Tredence co-founder and CEO Shub Bhowmick said, Chicago is the perfect place for our US Center of Excellence. It has a high concentration of great universities and related firms, which will be great for recruiting, and its centrally located, making it easy to travel to just about anywhere our clients are in the US. Tredence currently employs 250 people, added Bhowmick. As we ramp up our Chicago presence, we expect that number to double by the end of 2018. Tredence is hiring aggressively to meet the high demand for its services. In addition to serving clients out of Chicago, Tredence will also develop Intellectual Property for future products and services. Its Chicago office is based in the Loop, at 111 E. Wacker Drive. About Tredence Tredence focuses on last mile delivery of insights into actions by uniting its strengths in business analytics, data science and software engineering. The largest retail, pharmaceutical, telecom and travel companies are engaging with Tredence and deploying its prediction and optimization solutions at scale empowering end users to improve decision making. Tredence is helping its clients deliver on the artificial intelligence imperative, in a practical and demystified way. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company serves clients in US, Canada, Europe, Australia and SE Asia. Tredence is doubling in size year over year and has grown exclusively through client referrals. Learn more at www.tredence.com or follow @TredenceInc. pushpitkc wrote: People of this country have been finding it difficult to buy their own houses. In the last two decades, the percentage of working population possessing their own homes has gone down. The primary reason is that while the average salary of the working population has increased fivefold in the last two decades, the average cost of a house has shot up ten times. Clearly, the government has not done enough to ensure that the citizens' salaries increase as per the increasing costs of houses. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above? A. In the two decades before the last two, the disparity between salary and housing prices was rising too. B. The trend of rental accommodation has increased drastically in the last two decades, adding to the financial benefits of owning a house and thereby, increasing the cost of owning a house. C. Most immigrants who entered the country in the last two decades have purchased their own houses. D. The percentage of working people owning their own houses has declined more rapidly in the last decade than in the decade preceding this last. E. The number of jobs in the country has gone up by fifty percent while the number of houses has gone up by forty percent in the last two decades. Source: Ans Option E Please let me know if I am going in wrong direction. Thanks in appreciation. Signature Read More Option A,C & D are out of scopeOption B: Rental Accommodation trend upwards ----> increases financial benifit of owning house ---->increase cost of owning house .... but this donot talk about Govt measuresOption E: job increased 50% ( a clear outcome of +ve govt measures) AND housing increase 40%(could be a +ve govt measures) -- thus govt has done something but still the housing price is going up ( may be due to other factors of economics e.g., supply -demand). Hence the claim about the Govt's action in the argument weakens ._________________ 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 State-run Iran Labor News Agency (ILNA) cited Baqirzadeh, who said, Nearly 1,800,000 women still suffer from illiteracy across Iran. He added that the total number of 10 to 49 year old women who are illiterate in Iran is nearly 2.7 million. As well, the percentage of illiterate women in Irans villages is much higher than in urban areas, while in some of the provinces the rate is above 30%. The illiteracy gap between men and women in Iran has narrowed in recent years, claimed Baqirzadeh, with the current gap at 12%. Still, the rate of illiteracy reported in Iran is unreliable, as different authorities report different statistics. Baqirzadeh told Fars news agency that there were nearly 9 million totally illiterate persons living in Iran last summer. He had previously announced, in 2015, that efforts were under way to eradicate illiteracy by the end of the Fifth National Development Plan. Improving literacy is not only a cultural and educational move but also impacts all sections of society, he said. A meaningful link between illiteracy and crime was also noted by Baqirzadeh, who said that as the number of educated people increases, the crime rate declines. Illiteracy increases the likelihood of remaining in poverty, according to UNESCO, who has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts since 1946, advancing the vision of a literate world for all. UNESCO views acquiring and improving literacy skills throughout life as an intrinsic part of the right to education. The multiplier effect of literacy empowers people, enables them to participate fully in society and contributes to improve livelihoods. Literacy is also a driver for sustainable development in that it enables greater participation in the labour market; improved child and family health and nutrition. Adult illiteracy not only affects income and awareness of rights but also contributes to poor nutrition and health. Literacy also reduces poverty and expands life opportunities. In fact, completing 12 years of school provides an 80 percent chance of earning an income that will enable an escape from the poverty cycle. Beyond its conventional concept as a set of reading, writing and counting skills, literacy is now understood as a means of identification, understanding, interpretation, creation, and communication in an increasingly digital, text-mediated, information-rich and fast-changing world. Being black and working in the technology industry can be a lonely experience. The New York-based not-for-profit group Ascend Leadership examined the employment information of hundreds of San Francisco tech companies in 2007 and in 2015. Ascend used information from the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Ascend found that black tech professional employment decreased from 2.5 percent in 2007 to 1.9 percent in 2015. It also found that, although there was a 43 percent growth in the number of black executives from 2007, blacks still made up just 1.1 percent of tech executives in 2015. Ari Melenciano is a student in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University. She is African American. Youre in a sea full of people that just dont look like you, Melenciano said of being black in the tech world. So, Melenciano decided to do something about it. She started Afrotectopia, an event that brings together and celebrates black technologists, artists, designers and activists. The first-ever Afrotectopia took place at New York University. Attendees discussed their work, as well as the difficulties of working in the mostly white world of tech and new media. Its really important for us to be able to see ourselves and build this community of people that actually look like us and do amazing things, Melenciano said. Glenn Cantave is founder and chief of the performance art coalition Movers and Shakers NYC. He attended Afrotectopia. He demonstrated his groups use of augmented reality and virtual reality with apps that help people deal with racism and discrimination. Cantave said, My parents told me from a very young age that you will not be treated like your white friends. Cantave and his team are working on an augmented reality book for children called White Supremacy 101: Columbus the Hero? The book will include pictures that become animated when viewed with an augmented reality app. The book also will have history lessons told from different perspectives. The lessons avoid the traditional white American perspective. Idris Brewster created the app for the book. He is also chief technology officer of Movers and Shakers NYC. He said technology such as augmented reality and virtual reality, really provides us with a way to tell a story in a very differentway. Brewster also works as a computer science teacher at Google. Two years ago, only 1 percent of Googles tech workers were black. Brewster says he hopes more and more African Americans become creators of technology and algorithms processes that a computer follows. "There's algorithms being created in our world right now that are detrimental to people of color because they're not made for people of color," Brewster said. "We need to start being able to figure out how we can get our minds and our perspectives in those conversations, creating those algorithms. Jazzy Harvey is a virtual reality filmmaker. She also attended Afrotectopia. She came to present her production Built Not Bought. The virtual reality film looks at car collectors living in south central Los Angeles. Harvey says she feels greater creative freedom when working with virtual reality. Theres no rules, and that fact that I have no rulesI get to choose which story is worth telling. Afrotectopia attendees discussed many topics, from digital entrepreneurship to education. But the main goal of the event was to have African-American technologists come together in one place. Melenciano said, To come into a space where you can just be yourself and talk the way that you actually talk and really have people that can connect with you culturally is so important. I'm Susan Shand. Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English based on a story by VOAs Tina Trinh. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story executive n. a person who manages or directs other people in a company or organization augmented reality n. a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user's view of the real world, thus providing a composite view. virtual reality n. 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 or gloves fitted with sensors animate v. to make (something, such as a drawing) appear to move by creating a series of drawings, pictures, etc., and showing them quickly one after another perspective n. a way of thinking about and understanding something entrepreneurship n. a person who has the skills to start a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money detrimental - adj. causing damage or injury amazing - adj. causing great surprise or wonder The United Nations Children's Fund says Nigeria has the largest number of child brides in Africa. The custom of young girls marrying much older men happens mostly in the Muslim-majority northern states. Girls in the area are usually married by their early teens, whether they want to be or not. Conservative Islamic groups in the area resist efforts to ban child marriage. But times are changing. Hajia Rabi Salisu is the founder of Arrida Relief Foundation and owner of a children's home in Kaduna. She says that girls are increasingly running away from child marriages." Salisu and other activists want states to ban marriage before the age of 18. She says she receives death threats because of her activism. She told VOA, "I sleep in a different home almost every night because my life is at stake simply for trying to protect the lives of children." Rahmatu Ibrahim and Naja'atu Abdullahi are both 14 years old. Both girls ran away from their homes so they would not have to get married. They met at Salisu's home for children. Rahmatu says, "I was being forced into an arranged marriage. That was why I ran away. I don't love him and I don't know him. I had never seen him before Naja'atu told VOA she wants to get an education. In another village in Kaduna State, VOA spoke with 18-year-old Sumayya Musa. She has resisted the expectations of her community. She said, "My father wanted me to get married when I was 13, but my mother said no, because she was in support of my decision to further my education. She added, "People here in this village laugh at me because I am not yet married. She said that used to make her cry sometimes. But, she said, when she thinks about how her education will better her life, she stops crying. Nigerian lawmakers have been debating marriage customs for more than 20 years. The countrys 2003 Child Rights Act says that people must be at least 18 years old to marry. But individual states can decide whether to approve the law. Most northern Nigerian states have not. Muslim rights groups have been meeting with northern lawmakers to express their concerns. Some activists propose a law that requires a person be at least 15 to marry. But that idea offends Awwal Tesleem Shittu. He is a member of the Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria. He argues that a girl's readiness for marriage cannot be decided by her age. He says some 15-year-olds might not be ready for marriage while some girls as young as nine might be. He says in Islam there is no barrier to that. In 2013, a social media campaign #ChildNotBride began to spread in Nigeria after senator and former governor Ahmad Sani Yerima was accused of marrying a 13-year-old girl. Yerima denied the accusation, but would not tell his wifes age. Yerima also supported a law that would legally recognize any married female as an adult. In 2014, a 14-year-old girl in Kano admitted to killing her 35-year-old husband with poison. Police said the girl's father had forced her to marry. Later, the murder charges were withdrawn. Rights activists say poverty leads parents to force their young daughters to marry. Activist Mustapha Wakil says, "They just want to take these girls off their hands as fast as possible." He notes that financially poor parents have been accepting unusually low dowries. Some are as little as $8. Parents used to request at least $112. Wakil is campaigning for his state of Yobe to pass the federal Child Rights Act. He says the current laws on marriage are not clear. Rahmatu and Naja'atu want to hold on to their childhoods a little longer. They are attending school and hope their families will one day forgive them for running away. Chika Oduah reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story bride n. a woman who has just married or is about to be married at stake n. in a position to be lost or gained dowry n. money or property that a wife or wife's family gives to her husband when the wife and husband marry in some cultures arranged marriage n. a marriage in which the husband and wife are chosen for each other by their parents Wildlife researchers in Georgia and Florida are concerned about the population of endangered whales. The winter birthing season just ended, but no newborn sightings have been reported. There are currently an estimated 450 North Atlantic right whales. Since December, researchers have been looking for newborns off the coasts of Georgia and Florida. Each winter, pregnant female whales migrate to the area to give birth in warmer waters, usually from December to late March. Barb Zoodsma oversees the right whale recovery program for the National Marine Fisheries Service in the southeastern United States. Its a pivotal moment for right whales, Zoodsma said. If we dont get serious and figure this out, it very well could be the beginning of the end. Last year, the number of right whale deaths was greater than the number of births. In the U.S. and Canada, there were 17 right whale deaths recorded, while only five right whale births were reported. Research on the whales have found that most female right whales are only living only to half their expected years. Research on the whales that gave birth last year showed that they were having babies for the first time in seven or eight years. That is more than double the usual time between pregnancies. Philip Hamilton is a scientist at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Hamilton has studied right whales for 30 years. He said, Following a year of such high mortality, its clear the population cant sustain that trajectory. This is why researchers are saying more needs to be done to protect the species. In January, conservationists like the Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity took legal action against the U.S. government. They argued that it failed to protect right whales as ordered by the Endangered Species Act. The Center called for more restrictions on the fishing industry. Philip Hamilton suggests that placing speed restrictions on ships in certain areas will help protect the whales further. It all has to happen quickly, he said. We cant handle waiting 10 or 20 years. Examinations of the 17 bodies showed that a ship had hit at least four of the right whales. Another two of the deaths were caused by fishing gear entanglement. As a result, some fishermen are testing equipment designed to bring traps to the surface. Others are experimenting with equipment that will prevent large whales from being trapped in the first place. Net trapping is not always deadly. But, scientists suspect that a trapping incident causes emotional effects that could harm a pregnancy. Nonetheless, there is still hope for the right whale population. As the whales return to their feeding areas this spring, scientists plan on looking for newborn stragglers. Charles Stormy Mayo is a right whale researcher in Provincetown, Massachusetts at the Center for Coastal Studies. Mayo remains hopeful about the possibility that right whale babies were born this season a little further north, as far up as Virginias coast. In Cape Cod Bay last year, two calves were seen that had not been seen earlier in the south. It is also possible that after a light birthing season this year, a baby boom could happen next year. This has been happened before. In 2000, only one newborn birth occurred while the following year there were 31 births. Zoodsma said, I do think we can turn this around. But its sort of like, whats our willpower to do so? This is a time for all hands on deck. I'm Rachel Dennis. Rachel Dennis adapted this story for Learning English based on Associated Press reports. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story endangered - adj. used to describe a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely pivotal - adj. very important figure (something) out - phrasal verb. to understand or find (something, such as a reason or a solution) by thinking mortality - n. the quality or state of being a person or thing that is alive and therefore certain to die : the quality or state of being mortal sustain - v. to provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist, continue, etc. trajectory - n. used to describe a process of change or development that leads toward a particular result migrate v. to move from one place to live or work in another straggler - n. : a person or animal that moves slower than others and becomes separated from them calf - n. the young of various other large animals (such as the elephant or whale) baby boom expression. a time when there is a great increase in the number of babies born all hands on deck idiom. used to say that everyone is needed to help in a given situation Almost all job searches require applicants to meet with the people offering the job to answer questions about themselves. Banks often require people asking for a loan to do the same. And even meeting your romantic partners parents for the first time can feel like an examination of your best and worst qualities. Higher education has similar ways of evaluating applicants, David Kobel explains. He works in international student services at the University of Tulsa, a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Kobel says colleges and universities want to know as much as they can about students who want to join their academic programs. Schools get a lot of information about an applicant from their application materials. But there are some things that academic performance records and letters of support from former teachers do not demonstrate. Many students can look similar on paper, Kobel says. So interviews are another method some schools use to learn more about an applicant. Kobel notes that interviewing with a college or university admissions official is different from other interviews in several ways. First, Kobel says there are two kinds of interviews that a college or university applicant might face. One is called an informational interview. Most colleges and universities in the United States do not require undergraduate applicants to complete an interview. But some offer applicants the choice of asking for such an interview. The result of this interview is not a major part of the selection process, Kobel says. But an interview does give an applicant and their school of choice the chance to build a relationship. Admissions officials might ask some general questions, but they also expect students to ask questions, as well. Kobel suggests that by asking questions of their own, a student shows their interest in attending that school. The more interest a student shows and the stronger a relationship they try to build with a school, the better. But Kobel adds that the kinds of questions a student asks are important. You wouldnt want to ask, How many international students do you have here at the university? he told VOA. Thats a question you could go find on the website. You would want to ask something more like, What do you feel that international students contribute to your community? That shows them that youre really thinking, youre really wanting to know What you would value in me as a student? Kobel adds that asking questions that are deeper and less general demonstrates greater interest. They also show that an applicant has researched the school. Undergraduate students should try to make sure they are studying in a program that is the right fit for them. Gathering information about a certain program is the main goal of an informative interview. Doing your research and knowing about a school are also important for the second kind of interview college applicants may face, Kobel says. This is called an evaluative interview. Kobel notes that, although undergraduate programs may not require an interview, graduate study programs in the United States often do. Evaluative interviews are a chance for admissions officials to ask questions that examine an applicants qualities and decide if they will be a good fit for a given program. He suggests applicants do research on the school they are applying to. One common and very important question interviewers may as is, Why do you want to study here? Kobel says admissions officials want applicants to show they know exactly what a program offers and why that matters to them. The greater detail an applicant can give as to why the program is right for them, the better. Look at the academic program that you want to study, he said. Look at the faculty. Look at the research that theyve done and point out how that fits your goals They dont want to know that you want to go there because its close to home or because of the prestige. They want to know that theres a general interest in that. Thoughtful answers are important for all interview questions, Kobel says. After all, almost every college and university wants to admit as many different kinds of people as they can. Someone who gives general answers to questions about their strengths and weaknesses, for example, does not demonstrate to the officials how different or special the applicant may be. Saying, Well, Im good at English or Im good at math, those are too general, said Kobel. Try to get into what strengths you have and how have you used those to be academically strong. And then, with your weaknesses, be honest here. They dont want you to say, I dont have any weaknesses. That will come across as arrogant. Come in with an explanation of what youre doing to overcome those weaknesses. It is also important that international students understand the general rules of interviews in the United States, Kobel says. For example, being on time to a meeting is extremely important in the U.S. So applicants should arrive at their interview no less than 10 minutes before the planned start time. Kobel adds that smiling, looking the interviewer in the eyes, and shaking their hand firmly when meeting can all be signs of confidence and honesty. Finally, Kobel suggests that applicants should try to act natural and remember the interview is not the only thing that decides if they are admitted. Being calm can help ease the discussion and strengthen the connection between the interviewer and interviewee. And doing practice interviews with friends and family is a good way to feel relaxed during the real thing, he adds. It is also a good idea to start the interview by making brief, informal conversation with the interviewer, Kobel says. This helps build the relationship between everyone involved. However, avoid discussing topics like politics and religion. Americans usually do not talk about these subjects with people they do not know very well. Im Pete Musto. And Im Dorothy Gundy. Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. What are some other important things to consider when going into an interview? How else do you think applicants should prepare? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ QUIZ Quiz - College Admissions: Succeeding in an Interview Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story applicant(s) n. someone who formally asks for something, such as a job or admission to a college evaluating v. judging the value or condition of (someone or something) in a careful and thoughtful way academic adj. of or relating to schools and education interview(s) n. a meeting at which people talk to each other in order to ask questions and get information undergraduate adj. describing a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study contribute v. to give something such as money, goods, or time to help or improve a person, group, cause, or organization graduate adj. describing a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after about two or more years of additional study following an undergraduate degree faculty n. the group of teachers in a school or college prestige n. the respect and admiration that someone or something gets for being successful or important arrogant adj. having or showing the insulting attitude of people who believe that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people practice adj. something that is done again and again in order to become better at it relaxed adj. calm and free from stress, worry, or anxiety American Water Works Co., Inc. engages in the provision of complementary water and wastewater services. It operates through the following segments: Regulated Businesses; Market-Based Businesses; and Other. The Regulated Businesses segment provides water and wastewater services to customers. The Market-Based Businesses segment is responsible for Military Services Group, Contract Operations Group, Homeowner Services Group, and Keystone Operations. The Other segment includes corporate costs that are not allocated to the Company's operating segments, eliminations of inter-segment transactions, fair value adjustments and associated income and deductions related to the acquisitions that have not been allocated to the operating segments for evaluation of performance and allocation of resource purposes. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Camden, NJ. Read More 5 hours ago Asset Allocation: The Key to a Successful Portfolio. Are You Paying Attention to Yours? What does your portfolio asset allocation look like? Have you intentionally invested based on asset allocation? If not, it's understandable. Most people don't consider how they'll allocate their investments when they first get started investing. Read Article 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. Andeavor, through its subsidiaries, operates as an independent petroleum refining, logistics, and marketing company in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Marketing, Logistics, and Refining. The Marketing segment sells gasoline and diesel fuel through retail, branded, and unbranded channels. This segment operates a network of 3,255 retail stations under the ARCO, Shell, Mobil, and SUPERAMERICA brands. The Logistics segment gathers and transports crude oil by pipelines, as well as by trucks. It operates approximately 13 million barrels of crude oil, feedstock, blendstock, refined product, and asphalt storage tanks. The Refining segment buys and refines crude oil and other feed stocks into transportation fuels, such as gasoline and gasoline blend stocks, jet fuel, and diesel fuel, as well as other products, including heavy fuel oils, liquefied petroleum gas, petroleum coke, calcined coke, and asphalt. It also sells refined products in the bulk market principally to independent unbranded distributors, other refining and marketing companies, utilities, railroads, airlines, and marine and industrial end-users in the western United States. This segment owns and operates 10 petroleum refineries with a combined crude oil capacity of approximately 1,157 thousand barrels per day. The company was formerly known as Tesoro Corporation and changed its name to Andeavor in August 2017. Andeavor was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Read More Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, France, Italy, Poland, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. It also provides insurance cover to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses for risks associated with motor vehicles and medical expenses, as well as property and liability, such as employers' and professional indemnity liabilities, and medical expenses. In addition, the company offers personal and commercial lines insurance products; long-term insurance and savings products, primarily for individuals. Further, it provides investment management services for institutional pension fund mandates; and manages various retail investment products, including investment funds, unit trusts, open-ended investment companies, and individual savings accounts for third-party financial institutions, pension funds, public sector organizations, investment professionals, and private investors. Additionally, the company offers asset management and protection insurance products. Aviva plc markets its products through a network of insurance brokers, as well as MyAviva platform. The company was formerly known as CGNU plc and changed its name to Aviva plc in July 2002. Aviva plc was founded in 1696 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Kinder Morgan, Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The firm engages in the operation of pipelines and terminals that transport natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, carbon dioxide (CO2) and other products and stores petroleum products chemicals and handles bulk materials like ethanol, coal, petroleum coke and steel. It operates through the following segments: Natural Gas Pipelines, CO2, Terminals, Product Pipelines and Kinder Morgan Canada. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment engages in the ownership and operation of major interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline and storage systems, natural gas and crude oil gathering systems and natural gas processing and treating facilities. The CO2 segment focuses on the production, transportation and marketing of CO2 to oil fields that use CO2 as a flooding medium for recovering crude oil from mature oil fields to increase production. The Terminals segment consists of the ownership and operation of liquids and bulk terminal facilities located throughout the U.S. and portions of Canada that trans load and store refined petroleum products, crude oil, chemicals, ethanol and bulk products, including coal, petroleum coke, fertilizer, Read More Exelon Corp. operates as a utility services holding company, which engages in the energy generation, power marketing, and energy delivery business. It operates through the following segments: Mid Atlantic, Midwest, New York, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and other Power Regions. The Mid-Atlantic segment represents operations in the eastern half of PJM, which includes New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, the District of Columbia and parts of Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The Midwest segment operates in the western half of PJM, which includes portions of Illinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, and the United States footprint of MISO, excluding MISO's Southern Region, which covers all or most of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, the remaining parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio not covered by PJM, and parts of Montana, Missouri and Kentucky. The New York (NY) segment provides operations within ISONY, which covers the state of New York in its entirety. The ERCOT segment includes operations within Electric Reliability Council of Texas, covering most of the state of Texas. Read More H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Sweden-based company active in the clothing industry. It operates under such brand names, as H&M, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday and & Other Stories. It is engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of clothing items and related accessories. The Company's product range comprises clothing, including underwear and sportswear, for men, women, children and teenagers, as well as cosmetic products, accessories, footwear and home textiles. The Company offers its products in a number of branded stores spread across over 40 markets. Additionally, the Company offers online and catalogue sales in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom, among others. Read More KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation produces and sells a range of containerboards, corrugated products, and specialty paper products in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Paper and Packaging, and Distribution. The Paper and Packaging segment offers containerboards consisting of linerboard and corrugated medium to manufacture corrugated containers for packaging products; and corrugated products. It also offers specialty paper products, including kraft paper, such as multiwall paper used to produce bags for agricultural products, pet food, baking products, cement and chemicals; specialty products comprising shingle wraps, end caps, roll wraps, and dunnage bags; and lightweight paper. In addition, this segment provides saturating kraft paper under the Durasorb trade name for use in construction, electronics manufacturing, and furniture manufacturing industries; and unbleached folding carton board under the Kraftpak trade name to integrated and independent converters in the folding carton industry. The Distribution segment distributes corrugated and other specialty packaging products consisting of stretch films, void fills, carton sealing tapes, and other specialty tapes. KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. Read More ConocoPhillips engages in the exploration, production, transportation and marketing of crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, natural gas liquids, and liquefied natural gas on a worldwide basis. It operates through the following geographical segments: Alaska; Lower 48; Canada; Europe, Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Other International. The Alaska segment primarily explores for produces, transports and markets crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The Lower 48 segment consists of operations in the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment is comprised of oil sands development in the Athabasca Region of northeastern Alberta and a liquids-rich unconventional play in western Canada. The Europe, Middle East and North Africa segment consists of operations and exploration activities in Norway, the United Kingdom and Libya. The Asia Pacific segment has explorations and product operations in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. The Other International segment handles exploration activities in Columbia and Argentina. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. 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 Banco Comercial Portugues SA provides banking activities and financial services. Its operating segment consists of Retail Banking segment activity includes the Retail activity of Banco Comercial Portuguas in Portugal, operating as a distribution channel for products and services from other companies of the Group and the Foreign business segment. Corporate & Investment Banking segment includes corporate network in Portugal, specialized monitoring division, investment banking unit and activity of the Bank's international division. Private Banking and Asset Management segment comprises the private banking network in Portugal and subsidiary companies which are specialized in the asset management business. Non-core Business Portfolio segment includes the business granted for securities-backed landing, loans collateralized with other assets, subsidized mortgage loans, construction subcontractors. Foreign Business segment comprises the operations outside Portugal, in particular Poland, Mozambique, Angola, Cayman Isl Read More Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Page: 1 2 London's murder rate exceeds New York City so far in 2018 LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 1337 04-01-2018 10:53 PM Post: #16 RE: London's murder rate exceeds New York City so far in 2018 Advertisement LoP Guest Wrote: (04-01-2018 10:49 PM) blind prophet Wrote: (04-01-2018 10:42 PM) Looks like the knives over there must be sharper than they are here now. Maybe replace with sporks? Sporks are deadly weapons. http://www.times-standard.com/article/NJ.../170909866 Declaw 'em and make them eat with their hands. That's it. Everyone who isn't a police officer should have their arms amputated and their teeth removed. Specially trained police officers will visit every house every day to carefully feed the citizens soft oatmeal so they don't hurt themselves. This way violent crime will be eliminated once and for all! Our children will be safe at last! That's it. Everyone who isn't a police officer should have their arms amputated and their teeth removed.Specially trained police officers will visit every house every day to carefully feed the citizens soft oatmeal so they don't hurt themselves.This way violent crime will be eliminated once and for all! Our children will be safe at last! blind prophet Teiresias User ID: 1337 04-01-2018 10:53 PM Posts: 26,255 Post: #17 RE: London's murder rate exceeds New York City so far in 2018 LoP Guest Wrote: (04-01-2018 10:49 PM) blind prophet Wrote: (04-01-2018 10:42 PM) Looks like the knives over there must be sharper than they are here now. Maybe replace with sporks? Sporks are deadly weapons. http://www.times-standard.com/article/NJ.../170909866 Declaw 'em and make them eat with their hands. Humboldt County jail inmate stabbed with sharpened spork by fellow inmate Well sh*t. Humboldt County jail inmate stabbed with sharpened spork by fellow inmateWell sh*t. blind prophet Teiresias User ID: 1337 04-01-2018 10:54 PM Posts: 26,255 Post: #18 RE: London's murder rate exceeds New York City so far in 2018 LoP Guest Wrote: (04-01-2018 10:50 PM) blind prophet Wrote: (04-01-2018 10:42 PM) Looks like the knives over there must be sharper than they are here now. Maybe replace with sporks? But knives can't possibly cause violent crime! Only guns can do that! If Britain banned guns, it would be completely safe. Women and children could walk down the street at night without fear of kidnapping or sharia law! Come on now. Everyone knows that! Could you imagine if the opposite were true? That people cause violence, not guns? That would be completely racist! Social justice warriors would have conniptions and die from strokes! You telling me having a pint or a tea and talking royal family gossip just isn't gonna keep people calm these days? You telling me having a pint or a tea and talking royal family gossip just isn't gonna keep people calm these days? blind prophet Teiresias User ID: 1337 04-01-2018 10:55 PM Posts: 26,255 Post: #19 RE: London's murder rate exceeds New York City so far in 2018 LoP Guest Wrote: (04-01-2018 10:53 PM) LoP Guest Wrote: (04-01-2018 10:49 PM) Sporks are deadly weapons. http://www.times-standard.com/article/NJ.../170909866 Declaw 'em and make them eat with their hands. That's it. Everyone who isn't a police officer should have their arms amputated and their teeth removed. Specially trained police officers will visit every house every day to carefully feed the citizens soft oatmeal so they don't hurt themselves. This way violent crime will be eliminated once and for all! Our children will be safe at last! Good man, you know they've been whistling for better tooth care over there for years. False teeth, much safer. Good man, you know they've been whistling for better tooth care over there for years.False teeth, much safer. The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: 87 Leonard Development LLC, ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Acacia (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Accounting Solutions Holding Company Inc, Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. 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Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities S.A. de C.V. Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Securities SpA, Deutsche Securities Venezuela S.A., Deutsche Securitisation Australia Pty Limited, Deutsche Services Polska Sp. z o.o., Deutsche StiftungsTrust GmbH, Deutsche Strategic Investment Holdings Yugen Kaisha, Deutsche Trust Company Limited Japan, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited, Deutsche Trustee Services (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad, Deutsche Wealth Management S.G.I.I.C. S.A., Deutsches Institut fur Altersvorsorge GmbH, Durian (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., EC EUROPA IMMOBILIEN FONDS NR. 3 GmbH & CO. KG i.I., Elba Finance GmbH, Elizabethan Holdings Limited, Elizabethan Management Limited, Emerald Asset Repackaging Designated Activity Company, Erste Frankfurter Hoist GmbH, European Value Added I (Alternate G.P.) 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IB-US Management L.L.C., G918 Corp., GAC-HEL Inc., GWC-GAC Corp., Galene S.a r.l., Gemini Technology Services Inc., German American Capital, German American Capital Corporation, Gladyr Spain S.L., Global Markets Fundo de Investimento Multimercado, Global Markets III Fundo de Investimento Multimercado - Credito, Greenwood Properties Corp., Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer Landstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Kerpen-Sindorf Vogelrutherfeld GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Leipzig Petersstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Wiesbaden Luisenstrae/Kirchgasse GbR, HTB Spezial GmbH & Co. KG, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, IOS Finance EFC S.A., ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, Immobilienfonds Mietwohnhauser Quadrath-Ichendorf GbR, Immobilienfonds Wohn- und Geschaftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul Inkasso GmbH, Kradavimd UK Lease Holdings Limited, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Latitude Australia Secured Personal Loans Trust, Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo III Initial GP Limited, Lindsell Finance Limited, London Industrial Leasing Limited, MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MHL Reinsurance Ltd., MIT Holdings Inc., MIT Holdings Inc., MPP Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Securities Corp., Motion Picture Productions One GmbH & Co. KG, NCW Holding Inc., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., New 87 Leonard LLC, Nordwestdeutscher Wohnungsbautrager Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentre", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Beteiligungs-GmbH, OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Holding GmbH, OPB-Nona GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPB-Quinta GmbH, OPB-Septima GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM Flottenfonds V GmbH & Co. KG, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, OPS Nominees Pty Limited, OVT Trust 1 GmbH, OVV Beteiligungs GmbH, Opal Funds (Ireland) Public Limited Company, PADUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, PARTS Funding LLC., PB Factoring GmbH, PB Firmenkunden AG, PB International S.A., PB Spezial-Investmentaktiengesellschaft mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PBC Banking Services GmbH, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, PT. Deutsche Verdhana Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Peruda Leasing Limited, Plantation Bay Inc., Plantation Bay Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Immobilien GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH & Co. Objekt Leipzig KG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank Service GmbH, Postbank Systems AG, QR Tower 2 LLC, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, REO Properties Corporation, RREEF, RREEF America L.L.C., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisors Private Limited, RREEF Management L.L.C., RTS Nominees Pty Limited, Reference Capital Investments Limited, RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables LLC, Route 28 Receivables LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SCUDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SEDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SENA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Kamenz KG, SIFA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SOLIDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SP Mortgage Trust, SPINO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SPV I Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, SPV II Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, STATOR Heizkraftwerk Frankfurt (Oder) Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim Alternative Investments GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. AG & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Komplementar AG, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Service Company Four Limited, Sharps SP I LLC, Singer Island Tower Suite LLC, Somkid Immobiliare S.r.l., Stelvio Immobiliare S.r.l., Structured Finance Americas LLC, Structured Finance Americas LLC, Swabia 1. Vermogensbesitz-GmbH, Suddeutsche Vermogensverwaltung Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, TAKIR Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TELO Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, TEMATIS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TERRUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Halle I KG i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Nordhausen I KG i.L., TOSSA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRIPLA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRS Aria LLC, TRS Leda LLC, TRS Maple II LTD, TRS Oak II LTD, TRS SVCO LLC, TRS Scorpio LLC, TRS Tupelo II LTD, TRS Venor LLC, TRS Walnut II LTD, Tagus - Sociedade de Titularizacao de Creditos S.A., Tasfiye Halinde Deutsche Securities Menkul Degerler A.S., Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Tianjin Deutsche AM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Limited, UKE Beteiligungs-GmbH, UKE Grundstucksgesellschaft mbH, UKE s.r.o., Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksgesellschaft Kirchnerstrae GbR, Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksverwaltungsgesellschaft Disternich GbR, Ullmann Ullmann Krockow Krockow Esch GbR, VCJ Lease S.a r.l., Vesta Real Estate S.r.l., VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, WEPLABeteiligungsgesellschaftmbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., Whale Holdings S.a r.l., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., World Trading(Delaware)Inc., Zumirez Drive LLC, db PBC, and norisbank GmbH. Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. engages in the mining of copper, gold and molybdenum. It operates through the following segments: North America Copper Mines, South America Mining; Indonesia Mining, Molybdenum Mines, Rod and Refining, Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining and Corporate, Other and Eliminations. The North America Copper Mines segment operates open-pit copper mines in Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita and Miami in Arizona and Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico. The South America Mining segment includes Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. The Indonesia Mining segment handles the operations of Grasberg minerals district that produces copper concentrate that contains significant quantities of gold and silver. The Molybdenum Mines segment includes the Henderson underground mine and Climax open-pit mine, both in Colorado. The Rod and Refining segment consists of copper conversion facilities located in North America and includes a refinery, rod mills, and a specialty copper products facility. The Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining segment smelts and refines copper concentrate and markets refined copper and precious metals in slimes. The Corporate, Other and Eliminations segment Read More Red Hat, Inc. provides open source software solutions to develop and offer operating system, virtualization, management, middleware, cloud, mobile, and storage technologies to various enterprises worldwide. It offers infrastructure-related solutions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, an operating system platform that runs on hardware for use in hybrid cloud environments; Red Hat Satellite, a system management offering that helps to deploy, scale, and manage in hybrid cloud environments; and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, a software solution that allows customers to utilize and manage a common hardware infrastructure to run multiple operating systems and applications. The company offers application development-related and other technology solutions, such as Red Hat JBoss Middleware, a solution for developing, deploying, and managing applications; integrating applications, data, and devices; and automating business processes in hybrid cloud environments; The company's application development-related and other technology solutions also includes Red Hat cloud offerings, a software solution that enables customers to build and manage various cloud computing environments; Red Hat Mobile, a software development platform that enables customers to develop, integrate, deploy, and manage mobile applications for enterprises; and Red Hat Storage, a software solution that enables customers to manage large, unstructured, or semi-structured data in hybrid cloud environments. It also provides consulting, support, and training services; and realtime operating system, distributed computing, directory services, and user authentication. Red Hat, Inc. has collaboration with Juniper Networks Expand to provide a unified solution for enterprises designed to manage and run applications and services. The company was formerly known as Red Hat Software, Inc. and changed its name to Red Hat, Inc. in June 1999. Red Hat, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Read More by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, March 30, 2018 Facebook is asking an appellate court to uphold a recent settlement of a privacy lawsuit over allegations that it scanned users' private messages. The settlement, which requires Facebook to add a 22-word sentence to its help site, "provides meaningful benefits," the company argues in papers filed this week with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The agreement, originally approved by U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton in the Northern District of California, resolved a privacy lawsuit brought against the company in 2013 by Arkansas resident Matthew Campbell and Oregon resident Michael Hurley. They alleged that Facebook violated the federal wiretap law by by intercepting users' messages to each other and scanning them. The company reportedly did so in order to determine whether people were sending their friends links to outside sites. advertisement advertisement That suit was only one of numerous privacy cases filed against Facebook in recent years. Among other pending cases, the company currently is battling a suit alleging that it violated an Illinois biometrics law by creating a "faceprint" database, as well as lawsuits stemming from recent revelations that Cambridge Analytica harvested data from 50 million users. The allegations about the message scans emerged in 2012, when security researcher Ashkan Soltani reported that Facebook counts in-message links as "likes." Facebook said at the time that no private information is exposed. The social networking service has since changed that practice. The settlement notes that Facebook revised its prior practice, but the agreement doesn't prohibit the company from changing it again in the future. The settlement requires Facebook to pay up to almost $4 million to the class-action attorneys who brought the case, and $5,000 each to the two Facebook users who served as plaintiffs, but no monetary awards to the company's other users. Instead, users who want to pursue claims for monetary damages may bring new lawsuits. The deal also requires Facebook to add the following sentence to its help site: We use tools to identify and store links shared in messages, including a count of the number of times links are shared. The Center for Class Action Fairness, founded by activist Ted Frank, recently asked 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate the settlement, arguing that it is "worthless" to users. The group argues that Facebook's users, as opposed to class counsel, are supposed to be the primary beneficiaries of a deal. "The settlement here gives preferential treatment to class counsel, allocating virtually the entire settlement benefit to the lawyers rather than the class," the organization contends. The influential group Electronic Privacy Information Center is backing that request. Facebook counters in its new papers that the deal was reasonable because the consumers' claims were "weak." "Courts routinely approve as fair and reasonable settlements that offer even minimal benefits in exchange for the release of weak claims," the company argues. The social networking site adds that it had "strong defenses" to the privacy claims. Among others, it was prepared to argue that consumers consented to the alleged interceptions. "The Data Policy explains that Facebook collects 'the contents and other information' that people provide when they use Facebook, including when they 'message or communicate with others,'" Facebook writes. (HealthDay)If you have diabetes, it's time to think about your feet. "Diabetes is a multisystem disease," Dr. Ronald Lepow explained in a news release from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "Circulation in the feet and legs may be diminished because there are problems with blood vessels that get narrowed or clogged as a result of the diabetes. "A major cause of foot problems in diabetics is lack of blood flow," added Lepow, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor. This can cause calloused or injured areas on the feet to heal more slowly, which can lead to ulcers or infections. Another problem is that diabetes-related nerve damage can affect the normal oil and moisture on the skin of the feet. That results in dry and cracking skin, which allows bacteria to get in and cause infections or ulcers, Lepow said. What to do? Lepow says it's important for anyone with diabetes to wash and dry their feet and inspect them for scratches, blisters, injuries, cuts and bruises every day. Once feet are dry, apply a cream that's at least 20 to 40 percent urea. Proper footwear is also crucial for people with diabetes. Because of the special needs, Lepow suggests seeing a podiatrist for help. For instance, you'll need a wide and deep toe box. That will allow free movement of your toes and reduce friction and pressure. Also important are a solid sole and cushioning in areas that store-bought shoes typically do not have, he said. Podiatrists also can recommend different types of custom shoe inserts, Lepow said. Also, wear socks that don't cause friction or pressure. Cotton socks are recommended. People whose feet sweat a lot should wear moisture-wicking socks. And, Lepow said, everyone should wear thicker socks in the winter. More information: The American Diabetes Association has more on The American Diabetes Association has more on foot care Copyright 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved. South African prosecutors want the United Arab Emirates government to lock down R169 million which they argue was stolen and transferred out of South Africa by the Gupta family, the City Press reports. According to the report, this follows an order granted this week by the high court in Bloemfontein in favour of the Asset Forfeiture Unit, increasing the preservation order first granted in January to R250 million. This money is related to the failed Estina dairy project in Vrede, Free State, which was allegedly looted by the Gupta family and their associates. Citing a senior prosecutor working close to the case, City Press said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was confident that authorities in Dubai would cooperate. Guptas on the run Last month the Sunday Times reported that despite denials from the authorities, arrest warrants have been issued for Atul and Tony Gupta. In February, reports suggested the Gupta brothers were on the run, and that the Hawks issued arrest warrants for the brothers and Duduzane Zuma. The SABC reported that Interpol has also been roped in to track down Atul and Tony Gupta, after the Hawks were unable to serve warrants of arrest. According to the report, Atul and Tony Gupta were out of the country when the warrants were issued likely in India or Dubai. Ajay Gupta has also been declared a fugitive from justice. This comes after he failed to hand himself over despite his lawyers telling the Hawks he will do so. Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata of the Hawks confirmed that a warrant of arrest has been issued for Ajay Gupta. The arrest warrant is not in connection with the Vrede dairy farm project, but another corruption case reportedly attempted bribery of former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas. Artsakh President attends cross-stone unveiling in Berkadzor village At least 7 peacekeepers from Burundi killed in Somalia bomb blast MFA: FM expressed readiness of Armenian side to resume Karabakh peace process Holy Etchmiadzin: Requiem services to be held September 27 for fallen Armenian defenders Armenia parliament vice-speaker from opposition: We will hold march, candlelight vigil Sunday Erdogan says Turkey plans to buy additional S-400 missile systems from Russia Armenian National Congress party spokesman: First president had private talk with Artsakh state minister Armenia legislature opposition factions hold discussions with lawyers Court decision to release Armenia opposition lawmaker on bail to be announced today Armenia defense minister receives former, new commanders of Russia peacekeeping forces in Karabakh European Heritage Days being held in Artsakh Minute of silence to be observed in Armenia on September 27 Biden, Modi favor US-India cooperation in defense industry Special court session underway in case of Armenia opposition MP, medical doctor Biden says India should become permanent member of UN Security Council 1,066 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia FM, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy discuss Karabakh peace process Man, 32, found dead at Yerevan building courtyard Armenia initiative founder: Vaccinated person died of COVID-19 OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs meet with Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs, statement issued Chad Transitional Military Council head forms transitional parliament Sri Lanka shaman pledges to beat coronavirus with blessed water but dies of virus Newspaper: Armenia authorities find key to getting rid of unwanted community leaders Newspaper: How much spent from Armenia state budget for 30th Independence Day anniversary event? Armenia analyst: Aliyev tried to soften accusations of not going until the end, allowing Russia troops deployment Armenia human rights activist: Authorities might blame ex-chief of army's General Staff for defeat in war UN: Over 350,000 people have died in Syria over the past decade Armenia opposition MP not allowed to leave for Strasbourg to attend PACE session, fellow deputy doesn't attend Russia Federal Security Service blocks large network of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs coordinated by Turkey Thousand-man demonstrations taking place in Berlin ahead of elections Brazil President's son tests positive for COVID-19 after trip to New York Armenia PM: Karabakh conflict can't be considered resolved through the use of force Karabakh Ombudsman: Azerbaijan's raging battle against state emblems of Artsakh is manifestation of Armenophobia Armenia MP: All cases of Special Investigation Service will be transferred to Corruption Prevention Commission Armenia MOD receives UK Ambassador Opposition Armenia faction of National Assembly of Armenia to hold consultation Saakashvili promises to return to Georgia soon Digest: Russian and French FMs discuss Karabakh situation, more on COVID-19 situation in Armenia Erdogan says improvement of Turkey-US relations is necessary Nakhchivan's ex-internal affairs minister sentenced to 11 years in prison Armenia parliament approves several amendments and supplements to existing laws Armenian political party leader: Aliyev accused Armenia of everything that Azerbaijan needs to be accused of Opposition "Armenia" faction MP: Azerbaijan is preparing to implement agreements reached behind our backs Armenian deputy parliamentary speaker: There are confidential ties and talks between Armenia and Turkey Karabakh Investigative Committee accepts for proceedings case of Azerbaijani soldiers who fired at harvesters First autumn snow falls on Armenias Mount Aragats (VIDEO) Armenia parliament holding special session for the second time today Azerbaijan hands over one fallen soldiers remains to Armenian side, in Artsakhs Shushi Armenia PM: We intend to fully implement Police reforms Armenia minister: Enlargement of communities will entail job cuts Asian Development Bank forecasts GDP growth of 5.2% in Armenia for 2021, 3.5% for 2022 Opposition MP: 110,000 people already left Armenia this year Armenia State Revenue Committee chairman meets with Eurasian Economic Commission minister Armenia seasoned diplomat dies Dollar still losing value in Armenia Armenia Central Bank chief attends 22nd session of Monetary Policy Advisory Council China Ambassador to Armenia meets with students of Chinese-Armenian Friendship School (PHOTOS) Armenia Ombudsman receives US ex-Ambassador, presents Azerbaijan's violations of borderline residents' rights Newly appointed Ambassador of Nigeria presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President Armenia Parliament Speaker receives UAE Charge d'Affaires Armenian and Iranian FMs meet, Armenia's Goris-Kapan road also discussed Defense minister receives head of Red Cross delegation in Armenia Armenia Security Council secretary: We raise Goris-Kapan road issue in discussions with Russia colleagues, Azerbaijan Aliyev: Putin asked me not to humiliate Pashinyan in our presence during signing of November 9 statement Armenia Security Council chief: We need to normalize relations with Turkey Armenia parliament passes, in 1st reading, controversial changes to law on community enlargement FM, Jordan deputy PM confer on Armenian POWs, Azerbaijan provocations Azerbaijan files lawsuit against Armenia with International Court of Justice Minute of silence to be observed, church requiem services to be offered in Artsakh on September 27 Armenia PM on COVID-19 situation: We definitely have to do it if we sense there is need to get vaccinated again Russia and France express mutual commitment to further work to stabilize Nagorno-Karabakh situation Health minister on coronavirus situation in Armenia: About 85% of our bed capacity already used Pashinyan: Vaccine protects against COVID-19 by 97.5% 906 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Opposition factions boycott Armenia legislature special session Armenia FM lauds Cyprus principled position on Karabakh issue Azerbaijan submits new bids to buy weapons from Russia Armenia FM, UN Commissioner discuss issues of displaced Artsakh Armenians Azerbaijans Aliyev offers Armenia peace in exchange for Zangezur corridor Nearly 20 EU countries propose to re-elect Ghebreyesus as WHO chief German Foreign Ministry expressed its concern over the violence in Gaza and called on all participants to avoid further escalation, DW reported. "The incident shows how absolutely necessary it is to resume negotiations," it said in a Twitter statement. At least 15 Palestinians were killed on Friday: Two of them by Israeli tank fire, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The same source said 400 people were wounded by live Israeli gunfire and others were struck by rubber bullets or treated for the effects of tear gas. The violence broke out after tens of thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, gathered at five points along the fenced border of the blockaded territory. Protesters called for the return of tens of thousands of refugees who were expelled or fled during the war around Israel's creation in 1948. President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas on Friday instructed the Palestinian representation to UN to convey an emergency meeting of the Security Council over clashes in Gaza that claimed the lives of 17 Palestinians. Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian General Delegation to U.S., said that President Mahmoud Abbas will take all necessary actions to protect the Palestinian people and instructed the mission of the State of Palestine to the UN to convene an emergency session. Our legitimate protest against Israeli military occupation, colonization and apartheid is granted in international law and must be protected by the international community, Dr. Zomlot added that the 70-year-old practice of Israels shoot-to-kill policy and dehumanization of the Palestinian people must end and Israeli criminals must be brought to justice, he said. Home | News | General | Watchman plans to lift Enugu unto the hill proper By Sam Eyoboka THE Watchman Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement (the evangelical wing of Voice of the Last Days Ministry Incorporated) recently announced that it has received divine mandate to bring Enugu State and her people on the hill top proper. This, according to a statement from the Movement, will be actualised through a 4-day gospel crusade scheduled for the Michael Okpara Square, Independence Layout, Enugu from April 12-15, this year. To those who are not familiar with the geography of the country, the word Enugu is deri-ved from two Igbo words, Enu Ugwu meaning Hill Top denot-ing the citys hilly geography. Enugus hills at the extreme may reach an elevation of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). Its still well known for the once famous and very lucrative coalmines that gave it the name, Coal City. Despite its name, Enugu, the first capital of Eastern Nigeria and now the capital of present day Enugu State lies at the foot of an escarpment and not a hill which is located in the Cross River basin and has a popula-tion of about 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian population census. Articulating the Movements vision for the crusade at the Festac parish of the church, chairman of the Central Working Committee for the Enugu Cru-sade, Pastor Chris Ebo and the chairman of the Publicity Sub-Committee, Pastor Mike Ihean-acho on behalf of the General Superintendent, Pastor Alloy-sius Chukuemeka Ohanebo described the proposed cru-sade as a colossus of a divine visitation. According to Pastor Ebo, the divine project of Bringing Enu-gu State on the Hilltop Proper was communicated to the Gen-eral Superintendent of Voice of the Last Days Ministry (whose evangelical arm is the Watch-man Catholic Charismatic Ren-ewal Movement, in 1998 and he wasted no time in announcing it to his congregation. Since then, the chirch has been waiting and preparing until God by His Spirit indicated recently that the time for the execution of the project is now-24 years after, he said. The church has, therefore, ri-sen to the occasion to ensure that no stone is left unturned for the execution of the said project, stressing that it is mo-bilising 20,000 able-bodied, proven Christian men and women who are to come into Enugu and its environs, plus the communities in the local gov-ernment areas to sensitize and publicise the divine visit-ation. The sensitization aspect of the project by these 20,000 men and women drawn from different branches of the church across the nation will commence on April 4 and con-tinue till the end of the program-me. This is to ensure that no-body is left out in this program-me of bringing people to what Pastor Ohanebo describes as their hilltop in various areas of life and turning their obnox-ious circumstances.180 de-grees due to lack of adequate information, the chairman of the publicity subcommittee explained. According to him, adequate arrangement have been per-fected for buses to convey par-ticipants from strategic loca-tions in the metropolis and nearby communities to and from the Michael Okpara Square on the stipulated days. He pointed out that as the crusade proper kicks off on April 12, the pastor is inviting all to come and experience the impartation of the Spirit of God and His Christthe greatest asset mankind can ever acquire or possessthe healing virtue from Christ Jesus which radiate from Heaven and permeate the human system of those ailing and hurting. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... By Denrele Animasuan The Young shall grow The foolish can become wise The downtrodden shall be elevated QinisoMogaleu This is no war cry. It is, however, a defining moment that our young, who are our most valued assets have been ignored and underinvested for decades. No one in his right mind would stand by and watch his most prized possession go to waste. Our leaders have done this for far too many years with reckless abandon and they consistently ignored that a country is only as good as its most vulnerable. They, instead, clung to power by feathering their nest with our commonwealth and by grandstanding with sporadic scattering of cosmetic edifice and surround themselves with stupendous trappings of their instant wealth. Six years ago, I wrote in Generation X, in which desperate parents were sending their children to neighbouring countries, in order that they can get a decent but expensive education and it is at places like this that three young men met their grizzly end: We have always prided our people as having some moral code, a modicum of cultural modernity and backbone that somehow, excluded us from the mob mentality. We have been in denial for far too long and continue to do so. The morality valve has been lacking, eroded over time and we all have ourselves to blame. We took our eyes off the ball, we fail to understand that, what affects one, affects all of us. We have in the past espoused the adage; that it takes a village to raise a child. We have not collectively raised our young people. That is the truth and sadly so. We have not prepared majority of our young people for a positive future, rather they are desperate, uneducated, ill equipped, despondent, physically and emotionally fragile of other than a dim existence. We have successive governments that have lost the capability to lead and only protect their own selfinterest. So, here we are and it takes a non-Nigerian and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, to lock heads with our leaders publicly and tell it like it is. Truth is bitter but worse still, is hearing the truth from a stranger. He did not mince his words -that Nigeria is facing a critical moment; While it may be easier to be polite, its more important to face facts so that you can make progress, the philanthropist told a room of Nigerias government elite that included the president. Well, tell us something we dont know Gates! It is the most uncomfortable truth and it had to be said. Now, if I were them, I would use this revelation as fuel to make the changes that is desperately needed and they must not look the gift horse in the mouth. This is indeed a defining moment. Gates was brazen in an exclusive television interview with CNN, he said, he wanted to speak out to implore Nigerian politicians to focus on human capital and its large youth population. He said that, Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth, with the fourth worst maternal mortality rate in the world ahead of only Sierra Leone, Central African Republic and Chad. One in three Nigeria child is chronically malnourished. In upper middle-income countries, the average life expectancy is 75 years. In lower middle-income countries, its 68; in low-income countries, its 62. In Nigeria, it is lower still, just 53 years. The current quality and quantity of investment in this young generation in health and education just isnt good enough. Yeah, he said it, so I was very direct. Rightfully so and he knows how it is on the ground, after all, he has a first hand, decade long firsthand knowledge of many of our improvised communities, this man has invested his hard earned money, his foundation spent $1.6 billion on health programmes in Nigeria. Gates comments could not have come at a better time and he definitely said it; that it is time for Nigerias government to do better but Gates message isnt new, it has been expressed by millions of Nigerians. The sad thing is far too many Nigerians believe they do not have a voice and that nothing will change. The systematic culture has overwhelmed millions that, in the end, they give up and stay quiet. There have been many who have tirelessly raised their concerns and presented their programmes to respective ministries for investments only to be met with walls of corruption and dishonest officials demanding money from would be investors. They have no clue of the potential of investing in people or potential of economic growth for many. If only they understand that social philanthropy billionaires like Ted Turner and others started this in the 1980s and have helped millions and millions by giving back. This is a new concept in the Nigerian psyche. It is about time that rich Nigerians familiarise themselves with the concept. Presently, Gates intends to work together with Aliko Dangote, Africas richest man and has been a close partner of the Gates Foundation. If the Nigerian government does a few things differently, then the country is poised for lift off, I really think that of all the countries I have seen, it really hangs in the balance. If they can get health and education right, they can be an engine of growth, not just for themselves but for all of Right now, Nigeria can no longer continue to limb along in to a barren future and reducing many to penury. This has got to be addressed and there is no better time than the present. Nigerians should not have to wait until the coming presidential election next year and a promise for a better future. They have lived on empty promises and nothing will change if this continues. The Emir of Kano once recounted a conversation he had with a politician, who said; Nigeria is rich because of the number of private jets! It is always about grand standing and self serving. Yes, of course there are cosmetic scattering of high- rise buildings, real estates and fancy cars but the majority of the population has not seen positive changes to their standard of living. In fact, this has got worse and the gap continues to widen. Gates, typically merely followed his point with statistics and they are dismal; that Nigeria is still one of the most dangerous places to give birth and the countrys very young face chronic malnutrition. One in three Nigerian child suffers from malnutrition. Nigeria has perpetually been rated as one of the most corrupt nations in the world. There is little opportunity to grow businesses in Nigeria, most businesses; are very small and are unable to get financial help with loans from the banks. Gates noted that these obstacles have hindered Nigeria from living to its full potential. And according to the University of Washington modelling, commissioned by Gates, it is estimated that if investment isnt increased in health and education, then the per-capita GDP, rising steadily for decades, will flat line. This is the fact. So why has Gates spoken out now? He said he wanted to spark action and debate. That he has done most succinctly too. The Nigerian governments Economic Recovery and Growth Plan identifies investing in the people as one of three strategic objectives. But the execution priorities dont fully reflect peoples needs, prioritising physical capital over human capital. People without roads, ports and factories cant flourish. And roads, ports and factories without skilled workers to build and manage them cant sustain an economy. I for one, applaud his candour and his frankness. Now is the moment for our politicians to be brave and step up to the plate. Our young people deserve a future worthy of their potential. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Demystification of President Muhammadu Buhari (1) By Douglas Anele In less than two months from today, it would be exactly three years since retired Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari achieved one of his strongest ambitions after he was kicked out of office through a military coup in 1985, namely, to rule Nigeria again as a democratically elected President. The feat was made possible with a financially well lubricated campaign machine allegedly funded by some of the most larcenous politicians in Nigerian history. One positive outcome of the 2015 presidential election was that it cut down to size the haughty arrogance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and demonstrated once and for all that in Nigeria it is possible to defeat an incumbent President. I was one of those who thought (and still do) that all things considered, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was a better presidential material than Buhari. However, making allowances for electoral malpractices by the two leading parties, and that Buharis All Progressives Congress (APC) might have outrigged the PDP, majority of Nigerians thought otherwise and chose Buhari instead. Now, judging by the mediocre performance of the current administration when juxtaposed with Buharis admittedly overblown reputation for discipline, integrity and zero tolerance for corruption coupled with APCs highfalutin campaign promises, one can make a plausible case that it would have been better for ordinary Nigerians particularly if Buhari had kept his tearful pledge not to contest again for the presidency after losing to Dr. Jonathan in 2011. There are some defining moments in Buharis journey to Aso Rock which began about three and half years ago. First, a coalition of political carpetbaggers and turncoats (some of whom had earlier excoriated and derided his relentless quest to rule again) joined forces and formed the APC with the sole purpose of capturing federal power from the PDP. Several well-known politicians from the south-west, a region that tendentiously prides itself as the bastion of progressivist politics in Nigeria, combined with reactionary caliphate colonialist elements from the north against Jonathan. Second, The-anyone-but-Jonathan slogan orchestrated by Lai Mohammed, Rotimi Amaechi, Bola Ahmed Tinubu among others resonated with a cross section of Nigerians, to the extent that prominent intellectuals and professionals that hitherto criticised Buhari for his dictatorial, clannish and medievalist approach to governance (including the world-renowned playwright, Prof. Wole Soyinka) engaged in acrobatic reinterpretations of facts to support the quixotic claim that Buhari had become a converted democrat. Of course, APC would not have triumphed without help from foreign countries, notably Britain and the United States of America. It has been alleged in certain quarters that David Cameron and Barack Obama decided not to support Jonathan because of the anti-gay legislation he signed into law (as if Buhari, a devout muslim, would have decided otherwise were he the President at that time) and his failure to address the issue of corruption effectively. However, in his book entitled Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years, Chibok, 2015, and the Conspiracies, Bemigho Reno Omokri, a spokesman for Dr. Jonathan, detailed how both local and international conglomeration of forces conspired to remove his principal from office in 2015. Probably, Omokris account is largely true: yet, it cannot be denied that the former President played into the hands of his political enemies by failing to come down really hard on corruption and on the Boko Haram terrorists. Accordingly, the APC capitalised on those failures, deliberately minimised Jonathans modest achievements and exaggerated his weaknesses. Again, stalwarts of the party projected Buhari as the messiah, a leader with the credentials and requisite experience to clear up the mess created by the PDP, as if all corrupt and incompetent politicians that have held public office since 1999 belonged to the former ruling party, whereas APC members and PDP kingpins who decamped to the APC were not part of the corruption and decay in political leadership. When President Buhari assumed office in May 29, 2015, he probably did not realise to the fullest extent the gravity of responsibilities that awaited him and the effect his performance (especially if it is negative) would have on his reputation. During the presidential campaigns, he promised, among other things, to ensure adequate security nationwide and reclaim areas captured by Boko Haram, fight corruption to a standstill and revamp the economy. Like every concerned Nigerian bearing the brunt of incompetent leadership especially since 1983, I have been asking myself the following questions: has my existential condition improved or degenerated since President Buharis second coming? What is the impact of the APC government on the generality of Nigerians? Given our experiences in the last three years, should the suffering masses be optimistic that their future under Buhari would be better than the present to justify re-electing him or is changing the change preferable in 2019? To objectively answer these interlocking questions, it is pertinent to concentrate on the three key areas highlighted earlier because they constitute the centre of gravity for assessing the President and for determining whether his reputation has been bolstered or tarnished after three years in office. After he resumed work as President and commander-in-chief, Muhammadu Buhari overconfidently proclaimed that the days of Boko Haram and other organised perpetrators of violent crimes nationwide were numbered. Lai Mohammed and the sycophants around Mr. President boasted that Buhari would crush Islamic terrorists and other criminal groups because as a retired senior military officer and former head of state he knows precisely how to accomplish the task expeditiously. It is well-known that in 2001 Buhari, a cattle-rearer himself and patron of the association of cattle-rearers called Myetti Allah, led a delegation of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) that visited late Oyo State governor, Lam Adesina, to complain bitterly about the alleged killing of Fulani herdsmen in Shaki, Oke Ogun area of the state. Aside from that, President Buharis shifting attitudes to Boko Haram terrorism reveal a subtle Machiavellian aspect of his character which most Nigerians tend to ignore. Boko Haram began its deadly nefarious activities around 2005 when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the President, a fact traducers of Dr. Jonathan conveniently sweep under the rug. Both deceased President Umaru Musa YarAdua and Dr. Jonathan failed to decapitate the murderous sect. And with the kidnap of secondary school students from Chibok a few months to the 2015 presidential election, APC, the main opposition party at the time, made the unfortunate event a campaign issue to discredit the PDP government. The strategy worked; but there were voices of dissent which claimed that the Chibok phenomenon was a ploy by a faction of caliphate colonialists in the north to actualise its earlier threat of making the country ungovernable for Jonathan and that the instrument for carrying it out, Boko Haram, had mutated into a Frankenstein monster. Keep in mind that when the Jonathan administration announced its intention to negotiate with the Islamic fundamentalists, some key members of the current government vehemently opposed it. Meanwhile, according to media reports, Muhammadu Buhari was chosen by Boko Haram to negotiate on its behalf. As presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Buhari faulted Jonathans government for clamping down on Boko Haram terrorists. Buhari who spoke in Hausa before the English version was aired in a Liberty Radio programme, Kaduna, accused the military under Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika of killing Boko Haram insurgents and destroying their houses while Niger Delta militants received special treatment from the federal government. Additionally, while blaming Niger Delta militants for the deteriorating security situation in the country as at 2014, Buhari vehemently opposed the declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, hotbeds of Boko Harams deadly activities. In December 2011 the sect issued a bulletin in which it stated its mission as follows: We want to re-emphasise that our main objective is the restoration of sharia legal system in line with the teachings of the Holy Quran. We want the Nigerian constitution to be abrogated and democracy suspended and a full-fledged Islamic state established. It was widely reported that in 2001, at a seminar in Kaduna, Buhari pointedly declared that I will continue to show openly and inside me total commitment to the sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria. God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of sharia in the country. On his part Lai Mohammed, current minister of information, lambasted Jonathan for proscribing Boko Haram. As spokesperson of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), he claimed that the proscription order, as desirable as it might be in tackling the terrorist organisation, stifles the press and tampers with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians. From the foregoing, one can legitimately question the genuineness of the onslaught against Boko Haram by the present administration. To be continued. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | South, Middle Belt groups renew call for restructuring Nigeria will remain in crisis until the country is restructured, representatives of Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt, who met in Lagos, last week, said. The over 200 representatives of ethnic groups also promised to forge a united front against violence and killings being perpetrated against indigenous peoples across the country. The meeting resolved that it will work with local communities, social and cultural movements in the South and Middle Belt to ensure that the 2019 elections are driven by the need to urgently restructure the country. The conference was held under the auspices of Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt Development Forum (SNMBDF). The communique issued at the end of the two day conference established a Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt Working Group charged with the responsibility of sensitising the peoples of the South and Middle Belt towards the immediate restructuring of the country to ensure self actualization. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, second republic senator, Prof. Banji Akintoye, who spoke against the backdrop of alleged ethnic cleansing by herdsmen and militias on the Middle Belt and South, said the emergence of the Southern and Middle Belt solidarity is sending a powerful new message to the killers and destroyers, as well as to the whole world. The message simply is that any attack on any one of the peoples of the South or Middle Belt is now an attack on all, he said. The SNMBDF President, Mr Sidney Imobhio, a lawyer based in New York, said the group was launched two years ago and that it has continued to grow in cities and towns across the South and the Middle Belt. Chief Digifa Werinipre and Comrade Joseph Eva, who represented the Ijaw nation; Mr Isaac Orido, representing Urhobo, and representatives of the Southern East, said they would work hard to ensure a common front is established for the interest of the peoples. In his remarks, Mr Adewale Adeoye, a journalist and the South West coordinator of the group, said Nigerians need some level of constructive engagements with each other to avoid violence and killings. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | 11 killed as Boko Haram attacks Borno villages during Easter celebration - No fewer than four members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, four bombers and three civilians were left dead in separate attacks by the insurgents in Borno state - The gallant troops recovered a Toyota Land Cruiser, one AK 47 Rifle, 15 Rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and one magazine - The injured people are reportedly responding to treatment at specialist hospital Maiduguri To some residents of two villages of Malumti and Muna Zawiya village and Mafa local dovernment area of Borno state, Easter celebration holiday is said to be their mourning period after losing their beloved loves in separate attacks launched by the Boko Haram insurgents. To some residents of two villages of Malumti and Muna Zawiya village and Mafa local dovernment area of Borno state, Easter celebration holiday is said to be their mourning period after losing their beloved loves in separate attacks launched by the Boko Haram insurgents. Vanguard reports that no fewer than four members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, four bombers and three civilians were left dead in the attack that took place on Friday evening, March 31. According to a press statement signed by Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, the deputy director, public relations, Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole, ''he four insurgents who had been routed out of the Sambisa Forest by troops in Operation Deep Punch II, were rummaging for food and logistics when they met their waterloo. READ ALSO: APC northern govs withdraw support for Oyeguns tenure elongation ''The gallant troops recovered a Toyota Land Cruiser, one AK 47 Rifle, 15 Rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and one magazine. Troops also recovered 47 Jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, from the insurgents. ''In another development, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole deployed at a checkpoint ahead of Muna Zawiya in the outskirts of Maiduguri, yesterday, neutralised four bombers comprising a male and three females. ''The bombers were attempting to infiltrate the Maiduguri Metropolis through Muna Zawiya area at about 9.30 pm but were spotted by vigilant troops, who fired shots hitting one of them and thereby triggering a simultaneous explosion killing all the four bombers. Regrettably, however, 18 persons were injured in the incident. The wounded have been evacuated for medical attention. Meanwhile, troops and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force are presently conducting cordon and search operation in the area for any other bomber lurking around. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app But available information obtained from residents so far, revealed that the four blasts were said to be carried out by the bombers leading to the killing of three civilians, apart from the 4 bombers. 18 others sustained various degrees of injuries as well as 5 sheeps killed during the blasts. The injured persons are currently responding to treatment at specialist hospital Maiduguri. Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that eleven soldiers killed along Birnin Gwari - Funtua road while on operation Ayem Akpatuma, which was established to disarm armed militia and suspected killer herdsmen, have been laid to rest amid tears. The security organisation also released the names of the deceases and the photographs of the colourful burial ceremony in a short message honouring the late soldiers. Should Nigerians pick up arms to defend themselves against herdsmen?(Street Interview) | Naij.com TV: [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Kidnapped Chief Imam reportedly rescued without paying ransom - A Chief Imam kidnapped in Kebbi state has been released - The imam was kidnapped on Sunday, March 18 - The Kebbi state police command said the imam was rescued without paying ransom The police command in Kebbi state has confirmed the release of the Chief Imam of Senchi in Danko/Wasagu local government area of the state, Mode Senchi. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Senchi was kidnapped by unknown men on Sunday, March 18. NAIJ.com gathered that the commissioner of police, Ibrahim Kabiru, made the confirmation while addressing journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday, April 1. READ ALSO: Church of England reportedly set to consider baptism for animals The Chief Imam Senchi, Alhaji Mode Senchi, who was reportedly kidnapped on March, 18 was rescued on March, 28, in good health and has been reunited with his family, he said. According to him, efforts are ongoing to arrest the suspects connected with the incident. Kabiru recalled that the chief Imam was earlier abducted in 2017 by unknown men, adding that he had to pay N13 million ransom before he could be released. But this time around, no ransom has been paid and we will soon get the suspects as our men will not leave any stone unturned for any criminal in this state. He also disclosed that the command arrested three suspected armed robbers on Wednesday, March 28 with three locally made guns, based on intelligence report, adding that investigation had commenced on the matter. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The commissioner advised the parents and guardians to monitor closely their children, especially minors while sending them on errand, either in the day or night. NAIJ.com previously reported that the Nigeria Police Force arrested a notorious kidnap gang who abducted one Hadiza Husseini on Friday, January 19 and demanded five hundred thousand naira (N500,000.00) for her release. The force public relations office, CSP Jimoh Moshood, said that the incident took place at Anguwa Bala village in Karu local government area of Kaduna state. The victim, however, was reportedly rescued without payment of any ransom. Are Nigerian Policemen the worst in the world? on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Ebuka is just Judas Iscariot cousin - Nigerians reacts to Bambams eviction on a Saturday Saturday night on the Big Brother Naijas show is meant for partying while Sunday night is known to be eviction night. But the show took a different turn on Saturday, March 31, as one of the housemates was evicted. During the cultural party that had a live band entertaining the housemates, the first surprise they got was Ebuka joining them for the party. After the party, the BBNaija host followed them to their apartment where Bam Bams eviction was announced to the shock of both the housemates and viewers. Some fans and viewers of the show are attributing the eviction to two things. First they think it is a stunt to celebrate the April fools day which falls on April 1. Secondly, they are likening it to Judas Iscariot betrayal of Jesus Christ in the mood of the Easter celebration. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Nigeria Read some of the reactions on Twitter below: READ ALSO: Cee-c condemns Calabar dress made for BBNaija cultural party, redesigns it to crop top, sponsor reacts Even Reno Omokri and Daddy Freeze were not left out of the trend. See their tweets below: Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that Teddy A could not control his emotions as he burst into tears seeing BamBam leave the house. BamBam before her eviction had said that she has fallen stupidly in love with Teddy A. BBNaija 2018: Angel Interview for Star Chat - Why Cee-C Doesn't Like Tobi on NAIJ.com TV: [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Fayemi wants to be governor of Ekiti, again - kayode Fayemi has made known his intention to contest the Ekiti state governorship seat - He said he will officially declare in a public rally after following the due process demanded by the APC - Fayemi said the state governments White Paper cannot stop him from contesting The minister of mines and steel development, Kayode Fayemi, has officially declared interest in contesting the July 14, governorship election in Ekiti state. Fayemi, who was the governor of Ekiti state between 2010 and 2014, told journalists in an interview at his Ishan Ekiti country home on Saturday, March 31, that he would follow due process, starting with a formal notification of his intention to the leadership of the APC and the state secretariat of the party, Vanguard reports. NAIJ.com gathered that the minister said he organize a public declaration rally at a date to be announced after notifying the APC leadership in the state. READ ALSO: There is no alternative to APC - Niger governor boasts He said: Yes, I will run for the governorship of our state. As a leader of the party, I am going to follow the due process as laid down by our party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This includes formal notification of the leadership of the party, presentation of the letter of intent at the state secretariat and a public declaration. Fayemi said he was aware of various speculations about whether he would run for the governorship or not. He, however, said that, with the last week release of guidelines and timetable for the July election, the right time for him to make a formal declaration and join the race has come. He noted that the state governments controversial White Paper could not stop him from contesting the governorship election. INEC has scheduled April 15th for the commencement of electioneering process for the July election. The minister had earlier addressed a crowd of party leaders from all the 177 wards of the state at the APC leaders meeting held in Ishan Ekiti, where he urged them to be united in the battle to unseat the incumbent PDP-led government. The state chairman of the party, High Chief Jide Awe, deputy chairman, Chief (Mrs) Kemi Olaleye; state secretary, Barrister Paul Omotosho reportedly led other state, local government and ward executives as well as elders of the party to the quarterly meeting. Fayemi said that the huge number of aspirants jostling for the APC ticket was a good development for the party. He, however, urged all aspirants and their supporters to pursue their ambitions in a very decent manner, emphasising their credentials and plans to lift the state from its present state. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app He said it was obvious the PDP-led government in Ekiti was bereft of ideas and does not have anything good to offer the citizens of the state, stressing that the July 14 election would be an opportunity to halt the brigandage and maladministration going on in the state. NAIJ.com previously reported that Fayemi said his ministry was yet to hire anyone over for the concession of Ajaokuta Steel Plant. The lower legislative chamber on Thursday, March 15, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the concession of the plant. The House also reportedly moved to amend the privatisation act by removing the steel plant from the list of public assets which the federal government has powers to privatise. Fayemi, however, said the process for the appointment of a transaction adviser was on but would not be completed until it got the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The minister said it was worrisome that the House could devote an entire day to an issue that has not even arisen. Anytime anybody is against this government, something bad happens to him - on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Easter celebration: Ikpeazu urges Christians to pray for leaders Christians in Nigeria, on Sunday, joined their counterparts all over the world to observe Easter and its celebrations. Easter, the principal festival of the Christian church year, celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. Governor Ikpeazu The occasion has attracted various remarks and pieces of advice from various leaders in the country; on its importance and the lesson derivable from it for individual spiritual uplift and national development. In Umuahia, capital of Abia, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu called on Christians to pray for wisdom for those in authority to enable them lead the people with the fear of God. Ikpeazu made the call in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Enyinnaya Appolos, on the commemoration of Easter in Umuahia. He urged Christians to follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ in making sacrifices for the good of others. Ikpeazu also called on Christians to renew their hope in God in the course of celebrating this years Easter. The governor also appealed to them to make necessary sacrifices to ensure peace and development of Abia and the nation at large It is the duty of Christians to renew their hope in God, because a renewed hope in God will encourage them to attain great heights, he said. In Ibadan, Dr Olusola Ayandele, a renowned businessman also advised Christians to embrace peace and tolerate one another, regardless differences, to assist in developing the nation. He gave the advice in his special Easter message in Ibadan. Ayandele said the occasion underscored the lessons embedded in the life, cruxification and resurrection of Jesus Christ as a symbol of humility, love and endurance. Nigeria is a country of diversity, but this could be managed in such a way that we could use the same diversity to achieve greatness as a people. To this end, it becomes imperative to prevail on those responsible for the incessant cases of wanton killings and violence in parts of the country to desist from such dastardly acts, he said. He, however, warned that failure to refrain from their ungodly activities would attract the wrath of God on them. It is time we all supported the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to channel a new course for Nigeria and restore her lost glory in all ramifications. Pastor Isaac Oyedepo, Resident Pastor of Living Faith Church, Lokongoma, Abuja said Easter laid solid foundation for Christianity and offered believers hope of eternal life. The cleric made this known in a Special Easter celebration service sermon, entitled Unveiling the power of his resurrection in Abuja on Sunday. Oyedepo said without the single act of resurrection,Christian faith would have been vain, adding that the act wiped away the transgressions of those who died after Christ and those who died before him. The Easter celebration is not just to wear clothes. It is the foundation of our Christianity. If Jesus did not rise, we will not have Christianity. So Christianity is majorly about Easter because without it, our faith is in vain, he said. He called on Christians to use the occasion to rededicate their service to God so that they could dominate darkness and challenges of life. By the power of his resurrection, you are changed from weakness to strength. It also moves us from shame to glory. It changes our position from captivity to liberty and from sickness to health. I assure you that by the power of His resurrection, all your challenges are gone, he said. In Lagos, the Chairman of Surulere Local Government Area of the state, Mr Tajudeen Ajide, also called on residents of Surulere to continue to live in peace and harmony during and after the Easter celebration. Ajide made the call on Sunday in his Easter message to the residents of the area, stating that celebration of Easter was meant to stress godliness, friendliness and remembrance of Jesus Christ among others. There is need to justify the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on our behalf, and it is highly essential and its tenets of godliness and friendliness should be exhibited by all during this period of Easter, he said. He called on residents to remain steadfast and faithful to his administration, assuring them tof his determination to continue to make life more meaningful for them. NAN CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | As Christ is risen, Nigeria will also rise - Jonathan sends Easter message to Nigerians - As Easter is celebrated all over the world, former president Jonathan has expressed hope that Nigeria will overcome her challenges - He called on all Nigerians to keep believing that things will get better Former president Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigerians not to give up hope on the country. In his Easter message shared on his Facebook page on Friday, March 30, the former president asked Nigerians to keep hope alive that Nigeria will overcome its challenges. He said no matter what, Nigerians can prevail. His message read: Easter is a time when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who died for the sin of the world. READ ALSO: Reps deputy majority leader Buba Jibril is dead "In this season where we mark renaissance, I believe and expect Nigeria to rise and overcome her national challenges because our shared experiences are bringing us to the conclusion that no matter what the forces of evil can do, we as Nigerians, united in doing good, can and will prevail. I urge all Nigerians, even if we feel that we are not in a position to do much to help Nigeria to overcome, let us at least believe that she will overcome. That is a lot. That is a lot. Happy Easter. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari in his Easter message to the nation on Thursday, March 29, urged the people to refrain from hate speech, bigotry, corruption, banditry and terrorism. NAIJ.com gathered that the president also called on citizens to use the opportunity of this special season to deeply reflect on how every one of us can imbibe the profound teachings of Jesus Christ with renewed vigour. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Buhari said he was indeed delighted to join Christians to commemorate this years Easter celebration. He thanked the Almighty God for granting us the opportunity to celebrate another Easter at a time of great promise and hope for our dear nation, despite the challenges we also have. Jonathan replies to Buhari's allegations - on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Catholic bishop Kukah accuses President Buhari of being far away from Nigerians - Bishop Kukah notes that the ethnic divisions Nigerians thought were a thing of the past are now back with a vengeance - The Christian cleric says it is sad to see that President Buhari is far from the people who joined hands together to vote him in - The bishop advises that President Buhari should quickly reconnect with Nigerians to avoid letting the devil take over the space - Kukah also advised politicians to be more committed to Nigeria's development and citizens to avoid allowing themselves to be used by greedy leaders Bishop of Sokoto diocese of the Catholic church Matthew Hassan Kukah has reportedly written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, in which he expressed worries over rising ethnicity among Nigerians. The Cable reports that Bishop Kukah noted in the letter that the presidents administration has fallen short of expectations based on his campaign promises. Kukah wrote: You know sir, that you rode into town like a knight in shining armour, carrying the joys, pains, anxieties and fears of a people whose broken dreams had littered and turned the landscape into a kaleidoscopic scenery of desolation and despair. Bishop Kukah is one of the Catholic bishops that paid a visit to President Buhari in Abuja recently. In your campaigns, you promised to restore a sense of national pride in us by slaying the dragon of corruption, banishing the retrogressive scourge of Boko Haram, bringing back our daughters from Chibok and making our country and citizens truly safe. READ ALSO: No former president fought corruption as much as Buhari - Adeniran We waited in hope right to the end of the first year, but somehow, amidst some hazy weather, all we heard was the sound of screeching tyres with the plane carrying our hopes seemingly unable to take off. It finally did but we had barely gained altitude when sickness struck and you spent the better part of a year seeking healing. The nation prayed for you and miraculously, you recovered. Evidently, you had been saved for a purpose. Our prayer is that this realisation will help you understand that you have a date with history and divine judgment. For now, before your eyes and in your hands, our country, our communities, our people are all in a state of stupor. We have never felt so alienated from one another. The bogeyman of religion, region and ethnicity, which we thought we had overcome by the sheer nature of your support base, has come back with a vengeance to haunt and threaten the very foundation of our existence. The popular Christian cleric noted further that President Buhari was far from his people. He advised that the president should reconnect with the people to fulfil his promises. Mr President, you are too distant from your people. There is a sad feeling that you do not share in the pain and suffering of your people. You must very quickly find a way of connecting with your people before the devil takes over the space. For taking on this challenge and connecting with Nigerians. The bishop advised politicians to work more for the growth of the country rather than to enrich themselves and their cronies. He also appealed to Nigerians not to succumb to pressure and allow the rich or the political class divide them. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read best news on Nigerias #1 news app But you yourself, no matter how rich or poor, how educated or otherwise you are, have a duty to understand that God has plans for you and for every individual and you have a duty to both yourself and your neighbour, he said. You have to defend your personal dignity and seek the enforcement of your rights to have property and to raise a family as opposed to waiting for the crumbs from our greedy leaders. Defend your dignity as human beings and children of God. Do not allow the rich and powerful, who are rich because you are poor, to divide you. They have light and water in their high fenced houses, not because they are Muslims or Christians or that they are from this or that or the other tribe but simply because they are rich. You are poor, homeless, have no road, no water, and your children are sick and illiterate, not because you are Christian or Muslim or from this tribe or the other, but simply because you are poor. You and your children vote, but their children do not vote because they are abroad. Your children beg and die on the streets while their children are abroad, fraternising with those they call infidels. They give you a fake religion that enslaves you while they give their own children the religion of education that will liberate them and make them rule over you. Rise and defend your right to food and shelter because poverty is not a divine inheritance. Just recently, NAIJ.com reported that Bishop Kukah declared that despite holding power for all these years, the north is still the poorest part of the country. Kukah stated this while giving a speech at the burial of Bishop Bagobiri in Southern Kaduna. He said nearly 15m Muslim children are on the streets with no future in sight. He said: "For the better part of the last three years, Southern Kaduna was at best an inferno of pain, suffering and death. Death and destruction by mysterious killers became the daily menu of Southern Kaduna." Lagosians groan as President Buhari's visit grounds activities - on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | APC and PDP, a case of 2 similar birds? - Opinion by Aanu Adegun Nigeria is a country that is still trying to find her rhythm when it comes to productive and functioning governance and the current two leading political parties that can make realistic governance possible are the APC and PDP but both, incidentally, are considered by many Nigerians to be defective. In this opinion, NAIJ.com's editor, AANU ADEGUN examines the possibility of any of the political party making a clear difference in the country. On Saturday, March 31, I was at a beer palour close to my residence, quietly sipping from a bottle of Star Lager and minding my own business when these two elderly men started quarreling about which is the better party between the former ruling People's Democratic party (PDP) and the current ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). I was initially amused because I thought they were only trying to impress the ladies sitting with them but before long, the quarrel took a new dimension and they started cursing and threatening each other with death and unimaginable curses. The bar manager came out and in efforts to diffuse the tension, called on me to mediate as a journalist. I laughed and asked him in Yoruba language, ki ni mo mo ni ibi ti awon baba mi ti n soro? (what do I know where my fathers are talking?). We all laughed and surprisingly, everything cooled off and the old men resumed their drinking. Lai Mohammed, Nigeria's minister of Information and Culture and former National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress. Credit: Google READ ALSO: No former president fought corruption as much as Buhari - Adeniran And for my effort, one of the old chaps asked the bar boy to give me another bottle of star lager and a plate of goat meat pepper soup. I thanked him and gladly accepted the goodies. After a while, my mind drifted to the source of the quarrel between the two elderly men and tried to solve it. I mean my mind tried to categorically point out the better party between the APC and PDP but surprisingly, like the old men, my mind began to quarrel with itself, arriving at conflicting conclusions. I now realised that both the names PDP and APC are just what they are - Just names. But what makes them bad or good are the people using the names. So in that case, if we all agreed that PDP members destroyed Nigeria in their 16 years of reign but who are the people now in the APC? Are the majority of them not from that PDP stock? And will a leopard change its colour overnight or change at all? In another scenario, let's remove PDP, and look at it this way - APC was formed by coalition of different political parties, but before the formation, these parties are somewhere ruling in one capacity or the other. Now, how did these parties fared when they were in, let's say, little position of power? Were they able to make functioning difference in that little capacity? After processing everything, I stood up, took my seat and joined the old men who are now laughing and regaling themselves with a new topic. I told them that I had come to answer the question of which party is better between the APC and PDP. They were surprised and amused but asked me to go on. I told them it is just my humble opinion and I may be wrong but I strongly believe in it. Uche Secondus, chairman of the PDP national working committee. Credit: Google PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app I told them none of the party is better in the real sense of things. I said both are considered evil but the question should be, which is the better evil? I said APC, for all it cares can fight corruption till eternity, there will still be corruption, reduced or not. It can build all the rails it cares to build, still it will still be dogged with serious question marks because of (1) the people it accommodates and sanctified (2) the way the country is structured and (3) the pettiness and lack of foresight of some leaders. I concluded to them that, however, the APC, being the ruling party, has the chance to be the better evil, if it does everything to holistically restructure Nigeria. You know what, they nodded and ordered me another star lager and another plate of goat meat pepper soup. I declined the beer but accepted the goat meat pepper soup. Who is Nigeria's greatest president ever? - on NAIJ.com TV. [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Why I confessed to rigging elections for PDP - Senator Mantu - Former PDP BOT member, Senator Mantu, who confessed to rigging elections has explained reasons why he decided to confess - He said he decided to confess because he wants his confession to lead to election of credible people who can deliver good governance - The former deputy Senate president also said that parts of his reasons to confess is to change the negative perceptions about Nigerians across the world A former deputy Senate president, Ibrahim Mantu, has revealed why he confessed to rigging elections for the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). NAIJ.com earlier reported that Senator Mantu, who was a senator on the platform of the PDP confessed the truth during an interview on Hard Copy, a Channels Television programme that aired on Friday, March 30. During the interview, Mantu, who is also a former member of the PDPs Board of Trustees, said he was actively involved in compromising election officials, security officers and even agents of rival parties to either assist in rigging candidates of the PDP to victory or look the other way in cases of obvious rigging. READ ALSO: No former president fought corruption as much as Buhari - Adeniran The interview has sparked outrage with people reportedly calling on the authorities to arrest and prosecute him for electoral fraud. However, Mantu explained during the same interview the reasons why he decided to confess to election rigging. You didnt even ask me why am I thinking this way? he asked the interviewer. I am tired of being seen as a criminal on the street of the world because you are a Nigerian. You assume that everybody is an innocent human being until being proven otherwise but whilst you are outside this country with a green passport and they see that you are a Nigerian, even if you are a pastor or an imam they will assume that you are criminally minded or you have criminal tendencies just because of where you come from. That must change, he said. The former deputy Senate president also said he confessed because he was tired of the abundance of poverty in the country. He said he hopes that his confession will result in good governance by the election of credible people, who would prudently manage the resources of the country and ensure equitable wealth for everyone, into public office. I am tired of living in poverty in the midst of plenty. Even how much you have, you see people coming to you every day, my wife has given birth my relation is in the hospital. Every day. But if everybody has enough to take care of his or herself, they wont come bordering you saying give me this, give me that. We have the resources that people can live decent lives without being beggars to those who have. Just because we havent gotten our own governance system right. So, we need good governance, good governance can only be provided by good people, good people who are truly repentant, who are actually there to serve the people, who are concerned about the well-being of the people being the primary concern. If we have such leaders, then I can tell you they would judiciously and prudently use our resources for the common good of everybody. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app NAIJ.com previously reported that the former governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomole, said the PDP is not used to voting but writing results. The former APC governor said this after the ruling party won all the 18 chairmanship seats in the March 3 local government elections held in Edo state. They have my sympathy because this is the same party that used to arrogantly rig people out and ask you to go to court. We have demystified them and entrenched one man one vote which is an area they dont have competence. They are not used to voting, they are used to writing results, Oshiomole said. APC chieftains in Benue state say PDP has nothing to offer - on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Nigerian bride rides a horse to church on her wedding day Personal happiness is paramount in all one does. And getting married does not mean one should go bankrupt. A Nigerian bride has decided to trend by attending her own wedding on a horse. The bride who is simply identified as Rose Nore arrives the church for her own wedding on Saturday, March 31 in a unique way. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Nigeria Bride, Rose Nore and her groom during the solemnisation of their marriage Unlike the usual motorcade that announces the arrival of the bride and her train, Rose went solo to church riding a horse like Jesus rode on a donkey to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Bride attends own wedding on a horse READ ALSO: Bambams eviction looks like April fool to her shocked fans At the wedding which was held at ECWA church, Tundun Wada, Jos the state capital of Plateau, the bride was full of smiles as happiness overtook her whole being during the wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that ace comedian Ali Baba has come out to clarify what most people do not know via his Instagram page about the money spent on Dangote daughters wedding. He noted that he did not charge any money to perform at the wedding and that Dangote might not spent as much as many thought he did as many of his friends rallied round to support him. Why do Single ladies prefer to date married men? (Nigerian Street Interview) | Naij.com TV: [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Akeredolu at Easter: Nigerians will soon overcome their challenges Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Sunday assured Nigerians that they would soon overcome whatever challenges confronting them. Akeredolu gave the assurance during the 2018 Easter Service at the Chapel of Grace, Government House in Akure, Ondo State. The governor, who tasked the Christian community to have hope that Nigeria would be great again, urged them to rededicate themselves to the service of their fatherland. Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu He described Easter as a period of sober reflection on the significance of the death of Jesus Christ and his great sacrifice to give humanity the hope of eternal life. According to him, the exemplary life of Jesus Christ is a great lesson that must be emulated by all. He advised Christians to continue to be tolerant of one another, show and promote love, as well as be advocates of peaceful coexistence. In his sermon with theme: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: A Demonstration of divine love, Revd Lawrence Ekundayo said the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the greatest Christian doctrine that could be preached. He said without resurrection, there would be no church, and every human being would have had to pass through depression. Depression is the first of the three major lessons of resurrection. Even Jesus went through depression. Our joy is that depression is not the end of life because the resurrection of Jesus demonstrates that no matter how bad a situation is, God has the capacity to change it for the better, he said. Ekundayo said that grief, as the second lesson, was not the end of every Christian, and nobody could translate beyond grief without Jesus Christ. He also said the third lesson of resurrection proved that God had forgiven humanity of their sins, and without resurrection, reconciliation became impossible. Forgiveness is restricted and limited to Jesus. The only way to be forgiven our sins is through Christ;and for those not willing to recieve Jesus, reconciliation does not extend to them. The major and highest message of resurrection is love. Resurrection is a demonstration of love and it shows that love is stronger than hatred, he said. NAN CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | AIG Zone 5 debunks alleged plot to eliminate whistle blower The Zone 5 headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force, Benin, has debunked any plot to eliminate one Ovie Osiebe-Franklin, an alleged whistle blower, and one other Anodeh Brave. This is contained in a statement released by DSP Emeka Iheanacho, Zonal Police Public Relations Officer (ZPPRO), and made available to newsmen, Benin on Sunday. Police officers Iheanacho said that the alleged whistle blower was a suspect in a case of alleged false information investigated by the FCIID, Abuja. He said that debunking the alleged elimination plot was imperative following a publication by an online publication on March 28. He said the said-publication had alledgedly reported that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 5 Headquarters, Benin, AIG Rasheed Akintunde was plotting to eliminate the whistle blower. Akintunde was also alleged to be plotting to kill Anode Brave, a member of Delta State Polytechnic Governing Council, Otefe-Oghara. He said that the AIG was committed to professionalism and intelligence-led policing. TheAssistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 5 Headquarters, Benin, AIG Rasheed Akintunde wishes to reaffirm his commitment to professionalism, and intelligence-led policing. He also wishes to reaffirm his respect for fundamental human rights and observance of rule of law in the discharge of his duties at all time. It would be recalled that sometime in 2014, the school authority terrminated Ovie Osiebe-Franklin appointment as as academic staff of the Delta State Polytechnic. He was alleged to be involved in acts of corruption, extortion of students, sexual harassment of female students and examination malpractice. Since the termination of the suspects appointment by the Governing Council , he has been on vengeance mission against the authorities of Delta State Polytechnic Otefe-Oghara, the statement said. Iheanacho further said that in 2014, Ovie Osiebe-Franklin wrote a petition to the Inspector- General of Police against the Rector and other members of the Governing Council including Anodeh Brave, Esq. There, he alleged misappropriation of the the institutions fund, it said. At the end of the investigation, a Legal Advice from the Commissioner of Police Legal Department, Abuja, directed that the said Ovie Osiebe-Franklin (suspect ) should be arrested and charged to court for false information. He, however, said that on Feb. 20, 2018, another petition was written to the AIG, Zone 5 Headquarters, by Anodeh Brave Esq. He said that it was against the supposed whistle blower over allegations of corruption and extortion, impersonation of EFCC officials, assassination of characters and threat to lives. The ZPPRO said that based on the petition which was presently being investigated at the ZCIID, the supposed whistle blower had continued to evade police arrest. He said that every effort made to arrest and prosecute the suspect had failed. He said as a responsible law enforcement agency, the zone would like to reassure members of the public that it would continue to discharge its functions within the confine of extant laws. He advised the general public to disregard the said publication as there was no truth in it. He appealed to the public to assist the zone with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the supposed whistle blower. NAN CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Unity, love, peace imperative to national development, says cleric Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Catholic Diocese of Oyo on Sunday advised Nigerians to embrace unity, love and peace in order to enhance national growth and development. Badejo gave this advice when he delivered a sermon at an Easter church service in Ibadan. He also urged parents to raise God fearing children to secure the nations future. Every authentic religion, which claims to seek freedom, must embrace peace and unity. Let us respect the rights of each other. God is not party to violence and wickedness. May God release all Nigerians from greed, wickedness and false religiosity, the cleric said. According to him, Easter celebration teaches Christians to be faithful under every circumstance. The cleric made reference to the abducted Dapchi student, Leah Sharibu, who refused to renounce her faith. Through the sad abduction and non-release of the teenager, Leah Sharibu, God reminds us of what it really means to know Him. How wicked can people be to a mere innocent teenager in the name of religion? But through her example what excuse can believers in God have not to do what they know to be right and just? No matter how things go, Leah has become a blessing and model to her family and to our generation. Let us shun the false religion that says once you believe, you will never have trouble, he said. The cleric said that Jesus remained true and authentic to his calling and that was the reason he achieved for Christians victory over evil, betrayal and death. He said that every Christian must, therefore, endeavour to emulate the character that was seen in Christ. Darkness yields to light, sorrow to joy and death to life. Though the entire world opposed the faithful man, God will vindicate him. That is why Jesus makes the difference. No matter what we face in the course of life, we must be steadfast. Christianity teaches us to be truthful, peaceful, forgiving, generous and God fearing, otherwise we cannot be salt of the earth and light of the world. Trouble must come and tribulations may occur, but through it all we must not allow anything to take all that goodness away from us. That is why Saint Paul exclaimed: What can separate us from the love of Christ? he said. I call on all families and all Nigerians to do more to teach young people to be God-fearing, truthful, persevering and honest in order to save the future. Let our politicians, business men, civil servants and everyone emulate Jesus Christ and be courageous in doing what is right and pleasing to God. At the end of it all, God will vindicate you. May God hear the prayers of Nigeria for the release of all who are in captivity, he said. NAN CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Federal lawmaker stoned by angry constituents in Taraba - The attack occurred on Saturday, March 31 as the lawmaker presented gifts to some APC executives in Bali local government - The lawmaker was injured in the attack before he was carted away to safety by security operatives - The angry constituents accused the federal lawmaker of abandoning them for years only to show up just before elections A member of the House of Representatives Garba Hamman Julde was attacked by some angry people from his constituency in Taraba on Saturday, March 31. The Cable reports that Julde, who represents Bali/Gassol federal constituency, was stoned by his constituents for allegedly abandoning them. According to reports, the angry citizens hurled stones at the lawmaker who was saved from very serious injuries by security operatives that ferried him to safety. READ ALSO: Why I confessed to rigging elections for PDP - Senator Mantu The incident occurred after the lawmaker presented a car and 11 motorcycles to the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ward executives in Bali local government. The Cable quoted an eyewitness Musa Sandirde as saying that all hell broke loose as the lawmaker finished his speech and moved to present the gifts to the Bali executives. Trouble started after he ended his speech at the rostrum and was making way to present key of the motorcycles to the beneficiaries, he said There and then, some youth started chanting ba mu so in Hausa while at the same time throwing sand, stones and sachets of pure water at him. Police then quickly intervened and moved him to safety. One of Juldes aides who did not want to be named confirmed the attack. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The attack on Julde comes just weeks after suspected hired thugs on Saturday, March 3, attacked Ahmed Ogembe, the senator representing Kogi central senatorial district, and injured many of his supporters. NAIJ.com reported that the thugs numbering about 20 reportedly invaded the venue of an empowerment programme that Senator Ogembe, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) federal lawmaker, held in Okene. The thugs reportedly arrived at the venue with dangerous weapons early in the morning, destroyed the venue and injured several people who came for the programme including Ogembes supporters. What does Nigeria need right now? (Nigerian Street Interview) on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Aubameyang on fire as Arsenal condemn Stoke City in tough Premier League match - Arsenal on Sunday, April 1, beat visiting Stoke City 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium - Pierre Aubameyang scored two goals for Arsenal, while Lacazette scored a goal - Despite the win, Arsenal are still occupying sixth position on the EPL table Arsenal on Sunday, April 1, defeated visiting Stoke City 3-0 in their Premier League match-day 31 encounter played at the Emirates Stadium. But the Gunners had to wait till the 75th and 86th minute respectively for them to score their first two goals by Gabonese striker Pierre Aubameyang. Stoke City would have themselves to blame for losing this match considering the chances they had in the first half to score. Aubameyang celebrates his goal against Stoke (photo: Guardian) Ramadan Sobhi had the first chance in the 14th minute when he was set up by Joe Allen, but he could not beat David Ospina who was in goal for Arsenal. Arsenal's best chance came in the 29th minute when Aaron Ramsey located Aubameyang with a superb pass, but his shot was blocked by Jack Butland. The first half however ended goalless as the two teams failed to find the back of the net. PAY ATTENTION: Join our Facebook page and be a member Arsenal changed their style of play in the second half, but they had to wait till the 75th minute when Bruno Martins fouled Mesut Ozil in the box. The center referee awarded a penalty for Arsenal and it was scored by Pierre Aubameyang. Pierre Aubameyang got his second goal in the 86th minute when Xherden Shaqiri sent a dangerous cross for him to score before Alexandre Lacazette sealed the victory for the Gunners at death as they won 3-0. FA Cup quarter final review. On NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Christians should not embezzle money but live according to the testimony of Christ - Kumuyi - Pastor William Kumuyi called on Christians in leadership positions to act as exemplary leaders for others to follow - The cleric said Christians should not embezzle money in their offices but live according to the testimony of Christ - He underscored the need for Christians to be heirs of Gods Kingdom before they could inherit the provisions and treasures of Gods kingdom Pastor William Kumuyi, the General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church on Sunday, April 1 urged Christians in leadership positions to shun corruption and act as exemplary leaders for others to follow. Kumuyi, who was represented by the churchs camp commandant, Pastor Andrew Umor, gave the advice at the grand finale of the 2018 National Easter Retreat of Church in Lagos. The cleric said only the righteousness would move the country forward, adding that the retreat was to teach Christians how to shine as light in whatsoever positions they found themselves. READ ALSO: Why I confessed to rigging elections for PDP - Senator Mantu The cleric said: We have had so much about corruption in Nigeria, but we know that true Christianity brings a difference and that is what this retreat is all about. It is about teaching believers to shine as light and be different from the unbelievers. ''Christians should not embezzle money in their offices but live according to the testimony of Christ,'' He also stressed the need for Christians to lead with conscience in leadership position, able to deliver a different path to the nation, urging Christian leaders in Nigeria to return to the Bible. Cleric said that the message in the convention was about having faith in Christ and repentance into a life that transformed society. He underscored the need for Christians to be heirs of Gods Kingdom before they could inherit the provisions and treasures of Gods kingdom. He said: ''If we return to the Bible and the basis and the truth that the Bible teaches, we wont be having all these problems we have been having because therein lies all the solutions. ''The Word of God is the light the nation and righteousness exalts the nation so, if we return to the word, the way it is; then, there will be less problems.'' The Lagos moderator of the church, Pastor Bayo Oyeyemi also that the outpouring of the power of God at the convention was because the participants prepared for the programme. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Oyeyemi said: ''We see the excitement and the outpouring of the power of God upon the people of God. It did not just happen ordinarily but people were full of expectations, prayers and preparations. ''Nigerians should seek more of God and look unto Him because He is our maker and we must put Him first. ''The solution to crisis in Nigeria is God. God didnt create man with crisis. Crisis is man-made and the solution is of God. If Nigerians will repent, Nigeria will be another heaven on earth.'' Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported Lagos state Governor Akinwunmi Ambode commended Pastor Kumuyi and members of the church for their contributions towards developing the lives of people in the state. Governor Ambode, who spoke on Tuesday, February 27, at the commissioning of multiple projects executed by the church in the Gbagada area of the state praised it for mobilizing millions of its members across the world towards making life more meaningful for members of the community that live near its headquarters. TOP-5 African pastor miracles | NAIJ.COM TV: [embedded content] Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Dont use Niger-Delta oil money to grant foreigners amnesty Ann Kio-Briggs By Clifford Ndujihe Environmental Rights Activist and Convener of Niger-Delta Self-Determination Movement, NDSDM, Madam Ann Kio-Briggs, opposed amnesty for Boko Haram, saying that doing so would amount to the government admitting that Nigeria has failed and it is incapable of saving Nigerians from torrorists and foreign invaders. Noting that the government had repeatedly described Boko Haram insurgents and killer herdsmen as foreigners, she wondered why the government would turn around to grant such people amnesty. She warned that such amnesty should not be funded with oil resources of the Nigeri Delta. Her words: Boko Haram has owned up to being a terrorist group. It has declared its support and affiliation to the ISIS, a renowned world terrorist organisation. If the government wants to grant amnesty to a terrorist group, I think this country is finished. It means kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminals can be granted amnesty. This government wants Nigerians to believe that Boko Haram will embrace amnesty. I hope they dont want to use Niger Delta oil money for the amnesty programme. Government has told us repeatedly that Boko Haram are foreigners. By wanting to grant amnesty to Boko Haram, the government has admitted that Nigeria has failed and it has no capacity to protect Nigerians. We have killer herdsmen all over the place. Foreigners have invaded Nigeria and the best the government can do is to grant them amnesty. That is why we in the Niger Delta want referendum. Restructuring would have been good but since the core North does not want restructuring, we want referendum. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | World | Africa | Moyo releases anti-Mugabe book Kwekwe human rights activist Nkosilathi Emmanuel Moyo has released a book that takes a dig at the alleged undemocratic systems in government left during and after the rule of former president Robert Mugabe. Moyo, who is currently in Germany as a resident artist, said the book, titled, Dismantling the System of Mugabeism, would be launched in Berlin on March 29. "Dismantling the System of Mugabeism speaks to the political dynamics in the pre and post-Mugabe era," Moyo told The Standard Style. "Mugabe the person might have been removed, but the system he established is still intact and can only be removed by removing Zanu PF in its entirety in the coming polls." In the the book, Moyo argues that what happened in November last year when Mugabe was removed from power by the army was not a people's revolution, but the ruling party solving its succession issues with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's faction Team Lacoste backed by the military. He said he would come to Zimbabwe next month to launch the book in his hometown of Kwekwe and other parts of the country. The human rights campaigner has published other books, criticising Mugabe and the Zanu PF-led government. The books include Robert Mugabe: from Freedom Fighter To The People's Enemy, The Rise of Grace Mugabe-The Fall of Zanu PF and Zimbabwe: A Revolution Waiting To Happen. In November last year Moyo released a 14-track album with most of the songs being political satires against Mugabe and Zanu PF, whom the activist accused of destroying the country's economic and political fortunes. Moyo courted controversy in 2016 after he sent Mugabe prison garb as a birthday present. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... File Picture: Emmerson Mnangagwa (right) and Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi greets the church masses before a church service The President Emmerson Mnangagwa today joined thousands of Zion Christian Church (ZCC) members at Mbungo Estates in Masvingo where they are gathered for their annual Easter commemorations. Every year thousands of the ZCC members gather at Mbungo as they observe the Easter holiday reflecting on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This year the President Mnangagwa joined the congregants and his message centred on the importance of love, unity and peace among Zimbabweans as they work on rebuilding the nation. Mnangagwa who was accompanied by Vice President Retired General Dr Constantino Chiwenga said it pleases God to see a united people and in such an atmosphere development thrives. "Zimbabwe is a God fearing country and as leaders we should also be God fearing. As leaders we should also be God fearing. Let's all unite and build Zimbabwe," he said. President Mnangagwa said churches are an integral part of society as they promote good morals. The President also touched on the command agriculture programme highlighting that it was a success and it will ensure food security for the country's citizens. In July Zimbabweans will be going to the polls and Mnangagwa emphasized the need for peace. He also urged those who have not yet registered to vote to do so. "The Bible says we support the leaders who are there let's show our support by going to vote. Get time to register. We want peace ahead of the elections. We gain nothing from violence," said Mnangagwa. The leader of the Zion Christian Church, Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi said as a church it is important to pray together with the country's leaders. He said great leaders chronicled in the Bible were worshippers hence it is important for the current leadership to pray. "We do not want to just pray for the leaders, we want to pray with you, hence we appreciate that you came today. Leaders come from God and we will continue praying for you," said Bishop Mutendi. Over 50 000 congregants are gathered for the Easter Conference. Home | World | Africa | Churches urged to vote for Mnangagwa Churches have been urged to defend the gains of the liberation struggle by voting for the ruling Zanu PF party in recognition of its role in bringing both independence and promoting freedom of worship in the country. Thousands of Jekenisheni church members gathered at Maunganidze in Chipinge to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Eye catching dances dominated the event before the leader of the St Lukes Apostolic Ejwel Jekenisheni church, Archbishop Philip Pferedzai Mataruka issued a congratulatory message President Emmerson Mnangagwa on his ascension to power. He said the freedom of worship and independence brought by the Zanu PF government should be the major driving force for Christians to vote for the ruling party in the forthcoming elections. Zanu PF Politburo member and Secretary General of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Cde Victor Matemadanda spoke on the importance of Easter to the Christian community and the need to respect church authorities. He said there is need for the church and the ruling party to support each other, highlighting that such a close relationship started before independence. The highly organised drum beats and dances made the Jekenisheni church gathering unique and entertaining. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... I don't know if these petitions ever see results. All you ever seem to hear is the worst parts of the stories. I'll sign it anyway Reply Parent Thread Link I signed, but something is wrong with that counter/website.. Reply Parent Thread Link omg i wish i could help Reply Thread Link Oh God Reply Thread Link But I thought the Emirates were so progressive!1!? Reply Thread Link omfg poor girl :( meanwhile hamdan is out here traveling living his best life this fucking family, i hope somehow shes able to escape :( i cant imagine what they'd do to her once shes back in dubai Reply Thread Link This family is such a mess. Hopefully the popularity will be able to her, I unfortunately doubt it. There have been other cases with other princess' in the Arab world also escaping, being caught in the west, and never being heard from again. I always wonder why Princess Haya is with Al Makotum, the money and horses can't be that great... Reply Thread Link Yea, I watched the whole video. It is messed up. Unfortunately, they aren't the only ones with these issues; I don't remember the names cause I haven't followed royals in a while but there are sisters and mother from Saudi royal family that also have this problem. Reply Parent Thread Link agreed re: haya, its not like shes a nobody, her father was and now her brother is king of jordan. but at least abdullah would hopefully not have it if she ended up going missing Reply Parent Thread Expand Link #FreeLatifa Edited at 2018-04-01 08:22 pm (UTC) I only hope there's an international outrage about this and Latifa is removed from harm. these powerful men truly are evil Reply Thread Link is anyone surprised? the uae promotes themselves as a progressive country in the region because of how modern and westernized dubai is. Reply Thread Link So horrible. Hope she is okay. Reply Thread Link That's fucking horrible Reply Thread Link what in the goddamn hell, this is awful Reply Thread Link saying a prayer for her Reply Thread Link U did right op. Lol @ how clueless some people can be... Us media probably wont report it bc uae-us relation... plus i read somewhere she was found in an us yatch so the us is probably colaborating with the uae. Reply Parent Thread Link mte.. russian state propaganda? on my ontd? Reply Parent Thread Link Credit: CC0 Public Domain Weather extremes caused by climate change could raise the risk of food shortages in many countries, new research suggests. The study, led by the University of Exeter, examined how climate change could affect the vulnerability of different countries to food insecurity - when people lack access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Scientists looked at the difference between global warming of 1.5C and 2C (compared to pre-industrial levels) and found that - despite increased vulnerability to food insecurity in both scenarios - the effects would be worse for most countries at 2C. The study looked at 122 developing and least-developed countries, mostly in Asia, Africa and South America. "Climate change is expected to lead to more extremes of both heavy rainfall and drought, with different effects in different parts of the world," said Professor Richard Betts, Chair in Climate Impacts at the University of Exeter. "Such weather extremes can increase vulnerability to food insecurity. "Some change is already unavoidable, but if global warming is limited to 1.5C, this vulnerability is projected to remain smaller than at 2C in approximately 76% of developing countries." Warming is expected to lead to wetter conditions on average - with floods putting food production at risk - but agriculture could also be harmed by more frequent and prolonged droughts in some areas. Wetter conditions are expected to have the biggest impact in South and East Asia, with the most extreme projections suggesting the flow of the River Ganges could more than double at 2C global warming. The areas worst affected by droughts are expected to be southern Africa and South America - where flows in the Amazon are projected to decline by up to 25%. The researchers examined projected changes in weather extremes and their implications for freshwater availability and vulnerability to food insecurity. The team included researchers from the Met Office, the European Commission, the Technical University of Crete, Cranfield University and the Rossby Centre in Sweden. The paper, published in a special issue of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, is entitled: "Changes in climate extremes, fresh water availability and vulnerability to food insecurity projected at 1.5C and 2C global warming with a higher-resolution global climate model." Explore further Climate change impacts already locked inbut the worst can still be avoided More information: "Changes in climate extremes, fresh water availability and vulnerability to food insecurity projected at 1.5C and 2C global warming with a higher-resolution global climate model." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A (2018). Journal information: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A "Changes in climate extremes, fresh water availability and vulnerability to food insecurity projected at 1.5C and 2C global warming with a higher-resolution global climate model."(2018). DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0452 Onlookers watch as the GSAT-6A communications satellite is launched India's national space agency has lost contact with a satellite days after it was launched into orbit with much fanfare, authorities said Sunday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lost communication with the GSAT-6A satellite as it prepared to undertake its third and final orbiting manoeuvre on Saturday. "Efforts are underway to establish the link with the satellite," ISRO said in a statement. The satellitean indigenous model weighing more than 2 tonneswas designed to improve communications for the armed forces. It was launched from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. The space programme is a source of much pride in India and an achievement that highlights its emergence as a rising power and major world economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the launch Thursday, saying he was "proud of @isro for taking the nation towards new heights and a brighter future". The launch was seen as another feather in the cap for ISRO scientists, who won Asia's race to Mars in 2014 when an Indian spacecraft reached the Red Planet on a shoestring budget. That feat burnished India's reputation as a reliable low-cost option for space exploration, with its $73 million price tag drastically undercutting NASA's Maven Mars $671-million mission. In February last year India put a record 104 satellites into orbit from a single rocket, surpassing Russia which launched 39 satellites in one mission in June 2014. But the Indian space programme has also been blighted by failures, most recently in August last year when a mission to launch a backup navigation satellite suffered a major technical glitch. 2018 AFP LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE engages in the manufacture of luxury goods. It operates through the following business segments: Wines & Spirits, Fashion & Leather Goods, Perfumes & Cosmetics, Watches & Jewelry, Selective Retailing, and Other Activities & Eliminations. The Wines & Spirits segment produces and sells high quality champagne wines and sparkling wines. It also distributes vodka and white liquor. The Fashion & Leather Goods segment engages in the manufacture of luggage items, bags, accessories, shoes and clothes. The Perfumes & Cosmetics segment engages in the production and distribution of make-up, perfume and skin care products. The Watches & Jewelry segment manufactures luxury watches and accessories form men and women. It specializes in the field of chronographs and ultimate precision. The Selective Retailing segment is organized to promote an environment that is appropriate to the image and status of the luxury brands. It engages in the sale of luxury products to international travelers and on board cruise ships. This segment also manages beauty stores that combine direct access and customer assistance to customers. The Other Activities & Eliminations segment i Read More A new study has revealed that modern humans entered America much earlier that it was previously thought. The researchers of the latest study claim that they have got hold of the oldest human footprints in North America. The footprints were found out to be 13,000 years old. The scientists saw a total of 29 footprints on the shoreline of the Calvert Island in Canada. The island is situated to the north of Vancouver. Further analysis revealed that the footprints were most probably made by two barefoot adults and a small child. They left the footprints in the wet clay near the edge of the water on the Calvert Island. The researchers said that the footprints were oldest ever to be found in North America. Michael Petraglia, an archaeologist, said that the age of the site is remarkable and suggests about an early entrance into the Americas. The archeologists were completely astonished to see how well-preserved the human footprints were. The scientists measured the sizes of the feet and found out that the child had a junior size 1, the adult woman foot had a size 3 and adult man had size 7. Lead author of the study, Duncan McLaren, an anthropologist at the Hakai Institute and the University of Victoria in British Columbia said that the new find provides proof that the humans were inhabiting the North American region at the end of the last ice age. It is possible that the coast was one of the means by which people entered the Americas at the time, said McLaren. The footprints were discovered during an excavation work that took place from 2014 to 2016. The study of these footprints revealed that humans were present on the Pacific coast of British Columbia about 13,000 years ago and that the region was devoid of ice cover well before the end of the last ice age that took place about 11,700 years ago. Kevin Hatala, an assistant professor of biology at Chatham University, said, Ultimately, the data seem to show indisputable evidence of human presence along the Pacific Coast of Canada. He further said that the latest footprint human footprint study is important because it is very rare to find archeological sites from this time and place. Currently, the Calvert Island is completely covered with forests and can only be reached by boat. As per Wikipedia, The continents of North and South America were settled by Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers from North Asia between 20,000 and 10,000 years ago, by way of the Beringia land bridge which had formed between northeastern Siberia and western Alaska due to the lowering of sea level during the Last Glacial Maximum. The earliest populations in the Americas, between roughly 20,000 and 10,000 years ago are also known as Paleo-Indians. Advances in archaeology, Pleistocene geology, physical anthropology, and DNA analysis have shed progressively more light on the subject; however, significant questions remain unresolved. While there is general agreement that the Americas were first settled from Asia, the pattern of migration, its timing, and the place(s) of origin in Asia of the peoples who migrated to the Americas remain unclear. Specifically, Clovis first refers to the hypothesis that the Clovis culture represents the earliest human presence in the Americas, beginning about 13,000 years ago; evidence of pre-Clovis cultures has accumulated during the 2000s to 2010s, pushing back the date of the first peopling of the Americas to about 16,000 years, or possibly close to 20,000 years ago. There is general agreement among anthropologists that the source populations for the migration into the Americas originated from an area somewhere east of the Yenisei River. The common occurrence of the mtDNA Haplogroups A, B, C, and D among eastern Asian and Native American populations has long been recognized, along with the presence of Haplogroup X. As a whole, the greatest frequency of the four Native American associated haplogroups occurs in the Altai-Baikal region of southern Siberia. Some subclades of C and D closer to the Native American subclades occur among Mongolian, Amur, Japanese, Korean, and Ainu populations. Heres an excerpt on Ice Age, The last glacial period occurred from the end of the Eemian interglacial to the end of the Younger Dryas, encompassing the period c. 110,000 c. 11,700 years ago. This most recent glacial period is part of a larger pattern of glacial and interglacial periods known as the Quaternary glaciation extending from c. 2,588,000 years ago to present. During this last glacial period there were alternating episodes of glacier advance and retreat. Within the last glacial period the Last Glacial Maximum was approximately 22,000 years ago. While the general pattern of global cooling and glacier advance was similar, local differences in the development of glacier advance and retreat make it difficult to compare the details from continent to continent (see picture of ice core data below for differences). Approximately 13,000 years ago, the Late Glacial Maximum began. The end of the Younger Dryas about 11,700 years ago marked the beginning of the Holocene geological epoch, which includes the Holocene glacial retreat. From the point of view of human archaeology, the last glacial period falls in the Paleolithic and early Mesolithic periods. When the glaciation event started, Homo sapiens was confined to lower latitudes and used tools comparable to those used by Neanderthals in western and central Eurasia and by Homo erectus in Asia. Near the end of the event, Homo sapiens migrated into Eurasia and Australia. Archaeological and genetic data suggest that the source populations of Paleolithic humans survived the last glacial period in sparsely wooded areas and dispersed through areas of high primary productivity while avoiding dense forest cover. The retreat of the glaciers 15,000 years ago allowed groups of humans from Asia to migrate to the Americas. We know that our Universe is very vast and to figure out to what extent it has spread and how it is created is still a question mark. But recently, CERN scientists have revealed a surprising thing. They have found out that the universe inside which we are dwelling actually should not exist. Yes, according to them, the existence of Universe is not possible if the scientific theory, research, and experiments are considered. The CERN scientists got those findings from the BASE (Baryon Antibaryon Symmetry Experiment) which is considered as the most precise experiment on antiprotons. Through the experiment, the scientists have discovered a symmetry in nature which they say shouldnt be possible. Actually, everybody thinks that Universe was created from Big Bangs first matter. But the recent research claims that particles and antiparticles destroy one another when they come in contact with each other if they both have equal measures. This means that particles are n symmetry and the Universe would not exist at least not in the form we see it today. Scientists argued that, for Universe to form, there should be an imbalance (at least of the tiniest fraction), between particles and antiparticles. First author Christian Smorra, from Japans RIKEN institute, said in a statement that all of their observations revealed a complete symmetry between matter and antimatter, which is why the Universe should not exist. All of our observations find a complete symmetry between matter and antimatter, which is why the universe should not actually exist, explained Christian Smorra, first author of the study. An asymmetry must exist here somewhere but we simply do not understand where the difference is. What is the source of the symmetry break? For the research, the CERN scientists used antiprotons that were isolated in 2015. The antiprotons were measured by interacting two straps that use electrical as well as magnetic fields to capture them. We thus used a method developed at Mainz University that created higher precision in the measurements, explained Ulmer. The measurement of antiprotons was extremely difficult and we had been working on it for ten years. The final breakthrough came with the revolutionary idea of performing the measurement with two particles. The scientists successfully managed to measure the magnetic force of the antiproton to a level that is 350 times more precise than ever before. So this high level of precision would have definitely detected any slight imbalance between protons and antiprotons. But scientist found out that there was symmetry between protons and antiprotons. Stefan Ulmer spokesperson of the BASE group said that at first, they were facing difficulty in measuring the antiprotons and their magnetic force. After 10 years of rigorous research, finally, they came out with the breakthrough idea of performing the measurement with two particles. Now, scientists want to measure protons and antiprotons with even higher measurement techniques so as to improve on their latest findings. They believe that there must be an asymmetry somewhere which they could not figure out and want more thorough research on it. Further improvements in the measurement precision of the antiproton magnetic moment using our method are possible, they wrote in their paper. We expect that with a technically revised apparatus, including improved magnetic shielding, an improved resistive cooling system for the cyclotron mode with lower temperature, and a precision trap with a more homogeneous magnetic field, it will be possible to achieve a tenfold improvement in the limit on interactions from proton/antiproton magnetic moment comparisons in the future. As per Wiki, The Universe is all of space and time[a] and their contents,[12] including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matterand energy. While the spatial size of the entire Universe is still unknown,[6] it is possible to measure the observable universe. The earliest scientific models of the Universe were developed by ancient Greek and Indian philosophers and were geocentric, placing Earth at the centre of the Universe.[13][14] Over the centuries, more precise astronomical observations led Nicolaus Copernicus to develop the heliocentric model with the Sun at the centre of the Solar System. In developing the law of universal gravitation, Sir Isaac Newton built upon Copernicuss work as well as observations by Tycho Brahe and Johannes Keplers laws of planetary motion. Further observational improvements led to the realization that our Solar System is located in the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the Universe. It is assumed that galaxies are distributed uniformly and the same in all directions, meaning that the Universe has neither an edge nor a center. Discoveries in the early 20th century have suggested that the Universe had a beginning and that it is expanding[15] at an increasing rate.[16] Roughly eighty percent of mass in the Universe appears to exist in an unknown form called dark matter which cannot be directly observed.[17] The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the Universe. Under this theory, space and time emerged together 13.7990.021 billion years ago[2] with a fixed amount of energy and matter that has become less dense as the Universe has expanded. After the initial expansion, the Universe cooled, allowing the first subatomic particles to form and then simple atoms. Giant clouds later merged through gravity to form galaxies, stars, and everything else seen today. It is possible to see objects that are now further away than 13.799 billion light-years because space itself has expanded. This means that objects which are now 46 billion light years away can still be seen in their distant past, because at that time they were much closer to us. There are many competing hypotheses about the ultimate fate of the universe and about what, if anything, preceded the Big Bang, while other physicists and philosophers refuse to speculate, doubting that information about prior states will ever be accessible. Some physicists have suggested various multiverse hypotheses, in which the Universe might be one among many universes that likewise exist. Before Stephen Hawking died on March 14, he stated that the universe came into existence from nothing. Questions related to how the universe came into existence? Why matter exist? Why antimatter exist? And others have been the basic principles of metaphysics. With advancement in technology and scientific equipment, researchers have started applying scientific methods to answer these questions that have become a part of the cosmic conundrum. According to a report published in CNN, there is something because of which, we are here. If it was opposite, we wouldnt be here. So the questions arise are, Why the universe is not a featureless void? Why universe does have matter rather than just energy. There are a plethora of theories and hypothesis obtained by scientists over the years of which, some are explained below. Researchers at the Sanford Underground Research Facility started working on a project entitled Majorana Demonstrator where the site is located near Lead, South Dakota. The researchers started working on a project that involves placing a rare isotope of germanium 65 pounds in a quantity that has been cooled down to the temperature that it has started liquefying air. Then, they place their scientific equipment nearly one mile deep to gauge the answers whether why the universe is made up of matter exclusively. Talking about the theory that literally contradicts the universe as we observe. To put things into context, Standard Model is a theory according to which, there are an equivalent amount of matter and its antimatter which is a substance that complements a matter. Theoretically, when matter and antimatter are fused together, it results in 100% conversion in energy. In fact, a paper clip made up of the matter is fused with a paper clip made of antimatter, it will result in energy far greater than the atomic bomb that was detonated in Hiroshima, Japan. Since, our universe was formed due to Big Bang as per modern cosmology as per which, energy explosion resulted in the equal amount of matter and antimatter that must have been resulted. But where is antimatter? Whatever we observe around us, in the universe, it is all made up of matter while the existence of antimatter has become a mystery ever since it was first discovered in 1964 and it is still being studied. A theory believes that while our early universe was taken shape, a slight anomaly or asymmetry bent the laws of nature that resulted in different properties of matter and antimatter. It is believed that for every one billion antimatter subatomic particles formed in the Big Bang, it created a one billion and one matter. As matter and antimatter annihilate itself, the One billion matter and antimatter particles annihilated itself resulting it a leftover of matter. The leftover matter formed the universe and all the celestial bodies that we observe now. But this isnt the only explanation available in the scientific world. In a different theory, leptons which are a class of subatomic particles familiar to electrons are found revolving around atoms. However, there is a lesser-known class of leptons and neutrinos that emit nuclear radiation through the process called beta decay. As per the process, nuclear radiation is produced when neutrons present in an atom decays to found in neutrino, electron, and proton. These particles have extremely weak interaction and thus, difficult to study or even detect. Talking about neutrino, there could be matter and antimatter neutrino present in the universe which is a mystery and needs further investigation. After years of research on neutrino, scientists know that there are both types of neutrinos, however, the question is whether these are formed together or they are different. It is difficult to recognize both the type of matter since these are like identical twins where both look exactly the same. Apart from beta decay, scientists are also contemplating and experimenting with double beta decay, neutrinoless double beta decay and other sorts of subatomic phenomena before they can find the results on why everything in the universe is made exclusively of matter and not antimatter. As per Wiki, The Universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matterand energy. While the spatial size of the entire Universe is still unknown, it is possible to measure the observable universe. The earliest scientific models of the Universe were developed by ancient Greek and Indian philosophers and were geocentric, placing Earth at the centre of the Universe. Over the centuries, more precise astronomical observations led Nicolaus Copernicus to develop the heliocentric model with the Sun at the centre of the Solar System. In developing the law of universal gravitation, Sir Isaac Newton built upon Copernicuss work as well as observations by Tycho Brahe and Johannes Keplers laws of planetary motion. Further observational improvements led to the realization that our Solar System is located in the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the Universe. It is assumed that galaxies are distributed uniformly and the same in all directions, meaning that the Universe has neither an edge nor a center. Discoveries in the early 20th century have suggested that the Universe had a beginning and that it is expanding at an increasing rate. Roughly eighty percent of mass in the Universe appears to exist in an unknown form called dark matter which cannot be directly observed. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the Universe. Under this theory, space and time emerged together 13.7990.021 billion years ago with a fixed amount of energy and matter that has become less dense as the Universe has expanded. After the initial expansion, the Universe cooled, allowing the first subatomic particles to form and then simple atoms. Giant clouds later merged through gravity to form galaxies, stars, and everything else seen today. It is possible to see objects that are now further away than 13.799 billion light-years because space itself has expanded. This means that objects which are now 46 billion light years away can still be seen in their distant past, because at that time they were much closer to us. There are many competing hypotheses about the ultimate fate of the universe and about what, if anything, preceded the Big Bang, while other physicists and philosophers refuse to speculate, doubting that information about prior states will ever be accessible. Some physicists have suggested various multiverse hypotheses, in which the Universe might be one among many universes that likewise exist. Airbnb China announced that it will share user data belonging to Chinese users with the Government to comply with national laws and regulations. Airbnb announced that it will share user data belonging to Chinese users with the Government. The company is notifying the Chinese users it will share guests information with local authorities to comply with national laws and regulations. According to an email obtained by TechNode, Airbnb hosts with a listing in China were notified by the company by email that their information could be shared with Chinese authorities without further notice starting from 30 March 2018. Online short-term rental services operate in a gray area in China, which has strict regulations for hospitality businesses. Guests must check in with a valid ID such as Chinese identification cards or passports and their information are recorded by hotels in a central register operated by local police bureaus. reads a blog post published by Technode.com. For foreign visitors, the rules are even stricter. They need to be registered within 24 hours of arrival into China. If international visitors are not staying at a hotel or guesthouse, they must report to the police and depending on the local regulation, provide documentation such as rental contracts or property titles. Previously, the Airbnb hosts were submitting passport and other required traveler information. Airbnb China implemented a deactivate my China listing button to allow hosts to remove their listing. National laws and regulations require the hotel and lodging industry to share data with the government. The Chinese Government aims to automate the information sharing so that travelers data are directly available for government agencies. Like all businesses operating in China, Airbnb China must comply with local laws and regulations, said Airbnb spokesman Jake Wilczynski. The information we collect is similar to information hotels in China have collected for decades. In China, Airbnb faces tough competition from local companies Xiaozhu and Tujia, both complying with government laws. Pierluigi Paganini (Security Affairs Airbnb China, law) Share this... Linkedin Share this: Twitter Print LinkedIn Facebook More Tumblr Pocket Share On A defunct space laboratory is set to become a celestial fireball as it re-enters earth's atmosphere in the next 24 hours, China's space authority said Sunday, hitting speeds of over 26,000 kilometres an hour before disintegrating. The Tiangong-1 is expected to make an uncontrolled earthbound plunge Monday Beijing time, China Manned Space said in a statement, an estimate roughly in line with European Space Agency projections. The abandoned eight-tonne craft is unlikely to cause any damage when it comes down, but its fiery disintegration will offer a "splendid" show akin to a meteor shower, Chinese authorities said previously. The re-entry window remains "highly variable" and the debris from the lab could land anywhere between the latitudes of 43 degrees north and 43 degrees south -- from New Zealand to the American Midwest, the ESA said. There is "no need for people to worry", the China Manned Space Engineering Office said earlier on its WeChat social media account. Such falling spacecraft do "not crash into the Earth fiercely like in sci-fi movies, but turn into a splendid (meteor shower) and move across the beautiful starry sky as they race towards the Earth", it said. Tiangong-1 -- or "Heavenly Palace" -- was placed in orbit in September 2011, an important step in China's efforts towards building its own space station. The module -- which was used to practise complicated manual and automatic docking techniques -- was originally intended to be used for just two years, but ended up serving considerably longer. It had been slated for a controlled re-entry, but ceased functioning in March 2016. Space enthusiasts have been bracing for its fiery return since. - Out of control? - During its brief lifespan, it hosted Chinese astronauts on several occasions as they performed experiments and even taught a class that was broadcast into schools across the country. Beijing began its manned spaceflight programme in 1990 after buying Russian technology which enabled it to become the third country to send humans into space following the former Soviet Union and the United States. China sent another lab, Tiangong-2, into orbit in September 2016 as a stepping stone to its goal of having a crewed space station by 2022. It also plans to send a manned mission to the moon in the future. Chinese media has downplayed comments by the ESA and others that the country's engineers have lost control of the lab, with reports saying that the idea it is "out of control" is an invention of the foreign media. On Chinese social media, commenters criticised the government's reluctance to own up to the situation. "Can you or can't you report that you've lost control of the situation?" one commenter wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo. "It's not unusual that something this complicated would have a mishap." Efrain Rios Montt, who ruled Guatemala with an iron fist in the 1980s and was accused of genocide at the peak of its long civil war, died on Sunday at the age of 91. One of his lawyers, Luis Rosales, told reporters that Rios Montt "died in his home, with the love of his family and a clear conscience." Rios Montt, who had been in very poor health for years, was buried in a matter of hours in a small, private ceremony. Relatives and supporters defended him vehemently, saying the man accused of razing indigenous villages had in fact committed no crime. Protesting relatives of people who died under his rule, however, splashed red paint on the sidewalk outside a former government palace in Guatemala City and on a national flag in a symbol of the blood they said he had shed. They complained that he was never punished. Rios Montt was accused of ordering the murders of 1,771 indigenous Ixil-Maya people during his short reign in 1982-83, which came at the height of the brutal 36-year civil war. - Humble beginnings - According to the UN, some 200,000 people died or were made to disappear during the Guatemala's war, which ended in 1996. Rios Montt was accused of orchestrating an extermination policy against the indigenous population, which was perceived to be collaborating with leftwing guerrillas waging war against government forces. He denied the charges in his original trial. "I never authorized, never signed, never ordered an attack against a race, an ethnicity or a religion. I never did it!" he said at the time. At the burial Sunday, friends shouted "Long live general Rios Montt" and said he had saved the country from communism. Short in stature and vigorous until recent years, the former dictator had a humble beginning, with little to suggest a rise to national power. He was born in Guatemala's remote Huehuetenango province, near the border with Mexico. He enlisted in the army as a teenager and rose through the ranks, receiving training courses at the US-run School of the Americas, where Latin American officers learned harsh tactics used in crack downs on dissidents. Politically, Rios Montt came to the forefront in 1974 when, as a brigadier general, he was put forward as a coalition presidential candidate. Historians say he won an overwhelming victory, but electoral fraud prevented him from taking office. Another general, Kjell Eugenio Laugerud, took power instead. As a consolation prize, Rios Montt was sent to Spain as the military attache. - US support - Upon returning home three years later, he turned away from Catholicism, his religion of birth, and became a fervent evangelical Christian. On March 23, 1982, he took power in a bloodless coup, deposing Lucas Garcia. During his 18-month rule, ruthless even by the standards of Latin American dictators, Rios Montt engaged in a "scorched earth" policy against dissidents, wiping out entire rural towns where leftists were suspected of living or having support. He appointed so-called faceless judges who mounted summary trials and ordered numerous alleged criminals -- often leftist rebel sympathizers or militants -- executed. Rios Montt also used his office to preach to his people: every Sunday night, dressed in a combat uniform, the dictator would take to the airwaves and talk about God, morality and politics. He claimed in one such sermon that a "good Christian" lived their life "with a bible and a machine gun." As conflicts raged in nearby Nicaragua and El Salvador, then US president Ronald Reagan praised Rios Montt in 1982 as "a man of great personal integrity and commitment." - Congressional immunity - But as evidence of gross human rights violations mounted, Rios Montt's defense minister, General Oscar Mejia, ousted him from office in August 1983. In 1989 Rios Montt founded the right-wing Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), which reached national power with the election of Alfonso Portillo (2000-2004). Portillo was arrested in 2010 on corruption charges and ended up being extradited to the United States, where he spent a little over a year in prison for money-laundering. Rios Montt managed to avoid prosecution by entering Congress, where he enjoyed parliamentary immunity. The ex-general served as a legislator between 1990 and 2003, including a stint as head of the chamber. He also launched three unsuccessful presidential bids. Courts blocked two of those attempts on grounds that he led a coup to take office, and by the time his lawyers won the right for him to run in 2003 his popularity had waned considerably. When Rios Montt's final term in Congress ended in 2012, along with his parliamentary immunity, he was slapped with charges of genocide and put under house arrest. A May 2013 trial delivered a conviction and an 80-year sentence -- the first time a Latin American ex-dictator had been convicted of genocide. But that verdict was overturned just days later by Guatemala's constitutional court because of what it called a procedural error and a new trial was ordered. That trial of Rios Montt and his spy chief, Jose Rodriguez, was halted in 2016 after an appeals court ruled each man should be tried separately. Rios Montt's lawyers sought to block further proceedings against their client, arguing his health was too poor and he suffered from dementia. (Reuters) - Vermont lawmakers gave final legislative approval on Friday to a bill that raises the legal age for buying firearms and expands background checks, becoming the latest state poised to tighten gun restrictions after last month's Florida school massacre. The Democrat-controlled state Senate approved the measure, S55, in a 17-13 vote, according to the online legislative record. The bill passed the state House of Representatives this week. The measure now goes to Republican Governor Phil Scott, who has shifted his stance and voiced support for some gun controls after the arrest in February of a Vermont teenager accused of threatening to shoot up a high school. The incident came two days after a former student killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14. Scott's support for gun controls marked a sharp switch for a governor with a 93 percent approval rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA) gun rights advocacy group in an otherwise politically liberal state with a reputation as a pro-gun stronghold. Vermont, a largely rural New England state with a passion for hunting, is one of two dozen states where efforts to curb gun violence have gained momentum since the Feb. 14 shooting rampage that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The Vermont bill raises the age for gun purchases to 21 and expands background checks for private gun sales. It also bans magazines of more than 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for pistols as well as rapid-fire devices known as bump stocks. Vermont Public Radio reported that the Senate would take up two more gun-related measures next week. Both are aimed at removing guns from homes in cases of domestic violence or when someone is at risk of imminent harm from firearms, it said. Gun control advocates say the turnaround in Vermont and other states has been propelled in part by the groundswell of student-led lobbying efforts and protests calling for firearms restrictions. After the Parkland massacre, Florida's Republican-controlled legislature swiftly passed a bill that raised the age requirement and set a three-day waiting period for gun purchases and allowed the arming of some school personnel. The measure was signed into law by another Republican with strong NRA credentials, Governor Rick Scott. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Susan Thomas) A view of damaged buildings in Jobar as seen from Harasta highway, in Damascus, Syria March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Republican senator on Sunday warned U.S. President Donald Trump against pulling U.S. troops from Syria, saying it would lead to a resurgence of Islamic State and increased Iranian sway over the Syrian government in Damascus. "Itd be the single worst decision the president could make," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on the Fox News Sunday programme. "We got ISIL on the ropes. You want to let 'em off the ropes, remove American soldiers," Graham said, using an acronym for Islamic State. With Islamic State having lost almost all the territory it once held in Syria, Trump has told advisers he wants an early exit of U.S. troops. That position appears to put the president at odds with U.S. military officials, who see the fight against Islamic State as far from complete. The White House's National Security Council is expected to meet early next week to discuss the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State in Syria. A senior administration official told Reuters that Trump's advisers believe the U.S. military needs to stay in Syria in small numbers for at least two more years. Trump is unhappy with the advice, but it is unclear if he will actually order a troop withdrawal, the official said. About 2,000 U.S. troops are deployed in Syria. Graham, in the television interview, echoed White House advisers' concerns about an early pullout. "This is a disaster in the making," he said. "There are over 3,000 ISIS fighters still roaming around Syria," Graham said, using another acronym for Islamic State. "If we withdrew our troops anytime soon, ISIS would come back, the war between Turkey and the Kurds would get out of hand, and youd be giving Damascus to the Iranians without an American presence." (Reporting by Warren Strobel and Steve Holland Editing by Bill Rigby) The longtime governor of a Russian region where a huge mall inferno killed dozens of people -- most of them children -- resigned on Sunday after bitter criticism over his response to the tragedy. Aman Tuleyev, who had been at the helm of the coal-mining region of Kemerovo since 1997, said in a video address that he could no longer remain at his post with "such a heavy burden" and that quitting was "the only right choice". The Kremlin swiftly said that President Vladimir Putin had accepted his resignation. Tuleyev's move is unusual as top officials in Russia rarely resign over failings in the emergency response to deadly tragedies. But the huge fire which ravaged a shopping centre in the Siberian industrial city of Kemerovo last Sunday, killing at least 64 people including 41 children, plunged Russia into shock. Some parents lost all their children, and the youngest victim was a two-year-old boy. Many people who lost relatives have said they perished because of inaction by firefighters and police lacking the necessary equipment and skills, while some said a cinema door was locked, trapping children inside. - Kremlin about-face - Tuleyev, who himself lost a young relative in the blaze, came under heavy criticism for failing to visit the scene of the tragedy in the first few days or meet with angry relatives. Putin had initially refused to sack the 73-year-old governor despite a rare protest which saw thousands of people pack a square in Kemerovo on Tuesday, the same day Putin travelled to the scene of the tragedy. Tuleyev apologised to the president over the rally -- where protesters also called for Putin's resignation -- calling its organisers troublemakers. Officials have said that multiple safety rules were violated, the fire alarm system was not working and staff did not follow correct emergency procedures. The four-storey shopping mall was redeveloped several times and previously housed a sweet factory. Seven people have been arrested in the aftermath of the blaze, investigators said. The ailing Tuleyev had long been expected to leave the post. The Kemerovo region of around 2.7 million people has traditionally been considered one of Russia's most troubled areas and some have feared that Tuleyev's departure could spark a leadership crisis there. Tuleyev, who first became governor in the era of president Boris Yeltsin in 1997, is one of Russia's longest-serving top officials. He was credited with helping pacify the region which was beset by miners' strikes in the turbulent 1990s but had come to symbolise the worst excesses of authoritarianism in his later years, critics say. - 'Hated by everyone' - Lev Shlosberg, a former lawmaker and rights activist, said Tuleyev "had become senile", adding that the tragedy had clearly shown that Russia turned into a "mafia" state. "This is not an emotional or symbolic but a very concrete state of the authorities: they do not represent people and absolutely do not defend the interests of citizens because they do not depend on them in any way and do not hear them," he wrote in a blog. "The life of an ordinary man in a mafia state costs nothing." "Tuleyev is an example of how one climbs down from the throne after failing to leave on time: disgraced and hated by everyone, with stains of blood and someone else's tears," one commentator said on Twitter. Opposition politician Vladimir Milov said it would take "decades" for the region to recover from Tuleyev's 21-year rule. Sergei Tsivilyov, who has been Tuleyev's deputy since March, has been appointed acting governor, the Kremlin said. Tsivilyov is a business partner of one of Putin's closest lieutenants, Gennady Timchenko, who has been under sanctions imposed on Russia for its role in the Ukraine conflict. Tsivilyov's behaviour in the aftermath of the blaze has raised eyebrows. Igor Vostrikov, a man who lost his wife, sister and three children aged two, five and seven years, accused the authorities of treating people "like dirt". Tsivilyov responded by accusing him of a "PR stunt" but later went down on his knees in front of the crowd massed in Kemerovo, asking for forgiveness over the fire. Polls to elect a new governor will be held in September. By Umaru Fofana and and Christo Johnson FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone voted on Saturday in a poll delayed by fraud allegations to choose a successor to President Ernest Bai Koroma who leaves a country struggling after the Ebola epidemic and a commodity price crash. The face-off between opposition leader Julius Maada Bio and ruling party standard-bearer Samura Kamara was supposed to take place on Tuesday but was rescheduled after a complaint about ballot tampering in the first round of voting this month from a member of Kamara's All People's Congress. Neither is a clear front runner after a first round that Maada Bio narrowly won with 43.3 percent of the votes versus 42.7 for Kamara, short of the 50 percent needed for outright victory. Counting had begun on Saturday evening and the elections commission said a result would be announced in the coming days. Whoever succeeds Koroma, who is stepping aside after his maximum two five-year terms in office, faces an uphill struggle to overturn years of hardship. A slump in the price of its commodity exports since 2015 and the Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015 crippled the economy, which shrank by a fifth in 2015. "I want a better country, I want development for my country, so today I come to cast my vote for a leader who can develop this country," said Mohamed Kamara after casting his vote at a polling station in western Freetown. Voting was completed on a hot and humid day in mostly peaceful conditions though there were clashes between supporters in at least one polling station, according to witnesses. On the streets of Lumley in western Freetown, police opened fire during a violent dispute. A Reuters witness said no one was killed. Many voters complained that a heavy police presence inside polling stations had deterred people from casting their ballot. Staff at two polling stations said turnout was lower than in the first round. Many were forced to walk to their nearest voting station because of a driving ban imposed on election day for security reasons. Story continues "There is low turnout in different parts of the country because of the huge presence of security forces," Julius Maada Bio said after voting in Freetown. President Koroma also noted the low turnout when he spoke in Freetown, and urged people to head to their polling stations. Concern about policing comes after the National Electoral Commission last week said that police had tried to intimidate staff in the run-up to the election. Speaking to the media, army spokesman Major Paow Kagbo said the military personnel were there to ensure the election was "free and fair". Politics in the West African country of over seven million people has been dominated by two parties: the ruling All People's Congress, now fielding ex-foreign minister Samura Kamara, and the Sierra Leone People's Party behind Julius Maada Bio, who briefly ruled as head of a military junta in 1996. The generally peaceful nature of the election, and the fact Koroma is stepping down while some other African presidents seek to extend their mandates, is seen as a positive sign for Sierra Leone that was ripped apart by a 1990s civil war. (Additional reporting by Christo Johnson; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Stephen Powell) US President Donald Trump accused Mexico on Sunday of doing "very little" to stop the flow of people across the US border, and threatened to target the North American Free Trade Agreement in retaliation. His Easter Sunday comments on Twitter came in apparent response to the movement of hundreds of Central Americans across Mexico in a "migrant viacrucis" ("way of the cross") caravan headed for the US border. "Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. "They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!" A group called Pueblo Sin Frontera, or People Without Borders, organized the mass movement through Mexico as a way of helping Central American migrants avoid criminal gangs and harassment by authorities as they trek to the US border. About 1,500 migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, including entire families, set off on March 25 from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. "These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act!" Trump said, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Trump repealed the Obama-era program, which protects immigrants who arrived in the country without documents as children, but it is currently tied up in the courts. His attempts to reach a compromise with Democrats on DACA -- in return for funding for a Mexico border wall -- have so far failed. His administration is also re-negotiating the terms of NAFTA, the 1994 trade accord with Canada and Mexico, which he has threatened to scrap. 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #13 Posted on 1 April 2018 by John Hartz Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Photo of the Week... SkS Spotlights... Video of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus... Story of the Week... Biggest Threat to Humanity? Climate Change, U.N. Chief Says Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, said, I am beginning to wonder how many more alarm bells must go off." Credit Giuseppe Lami/European Pressphoto Agency, via Shutterstock. UNITED NATIONS Nuclear weapons? Famine? Civil war? Nope. The United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, on Thursday called climate change the most systemic threat to humankind and urged world leaders to curb their countries greenhouse gas emissions. He didnt say much, though, about the one world leader who had pulled out of the landmark United Nations climate change agreement: President Trump. Instead, Mr. Guterres suggested that Mr. Trumps withdrawal from the Paris accord nearly a year ago didnt matter much. The American people, he said, were doing plenty. Independently of the position of the administration, the U.S. might be able to meet the commitments made in Paris as a country, the secretary general said. And, as you know, all around the world, the role of governments is less and less relevant. Biggest Threat to Humanity? Climate Change, U.N. Chief Says by Somini Sengupta, Climate, New York Times, Mar 29, 2018 Editorial of the Week... Trump distracts America from the task of facing three existential threats As Trump forces Americas attention span to shrink, we are unable to address the threats that could fundamentally endanger American national security The seas are rising, imperiling hundreds of millions of people in coastal communities from Shanghai to Miami. Photograph: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images Donald Trumps daily assaults on American democracy and the pillars of Americas role in the world are disastrous and they are also distracting America from even bigger global challenges. At just the moment when the United States must be joining together with the rest of the world to confront three existential threats climate change, challenges to democracy, and the rise of China Americans are forced to spend every waking minute mitigating Trumps damage. In Trumps America, its hard to keep up. The news and controversies come so quickly they eat into each others news cycles. Actions by the Trump administration that previously might have brought down a presidency (or at least merited a congressional inquiry) pass in a matter of hours as the next jaw-dropping scandal explodes. As Trump forces Americas attention span to shrink (was that even possible?), we are unable to address the three threats that could fundamentally endanger American national security. First, climate change. Its hard to overstate the magnitude of this threat. The seas are rising, imperiling hundreds of millions of people in coastal communities from Shanghai to Miami. Climate change is likely enhancing the devastation of extreme weather like storms and heatwaves. Unless national and global actions are taken, the World Bank estimates that by 2050, more than 140 million people in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia will be forced to leave their homes because of climate change. The near to mid-term effects of the heating planet could affect hundreds of millions. The long-term effects could wipe out humanity. Preventing the worst effects of climate change and reversing its course would require a global effort the likes of which weve only seen in the movie Independence Day, in which the countries of the world put aside their disagreements to fight an alien invasion threatening all of humankind. Thats how difficult this would be in normal circumstances. But in Donald Trumps world, we are moving backwards, from announcing the intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement to gutting the federal governments role as a defender of the environment. The necessary efforts of actors like the US Climate Alliance to encourage US states to continue the transition away from dirty fuels can only do so much in the absence of presidential leadership. And America has vacated the global effort and abandoned its leadership role to forge solutions. Trump distracts America from the task of facing three existential threats, Opinion by Michael H Fuchs, Guardian, Mar 30, 2018 Toon of the Week... Hat tip to Stop Climate Science Denial. SkS in the News... In his article, About half of Americans dont think climate change will affect them heres why (The Verge), Alessandra Potenza writes: The final link embedded in the above paragraph is to: Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming, Cook et al, Environmental Research Letters, Volume 11, Number 4, April 13, 2016 In his article, Darren Aronofskys New TV Series Breaks With The Hollywood Playbook On Climate Change (HuffPost), Alexandar C Kaufman quotes John Cook: Film has a huge role to play in climate communication, John Cook, a researcher at George Mason Universitys Center for Climate Change Communication, told HuffPost. Science can communicate facts, but unfortunately, that only gets us so far. We need art to shape the facts of climate change in narratives and frames that resonate with the general public. SkS Spotlights... The Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI) is an international network of academics and non-profits addressing potential threats to federal environmental and energy policy, and to the scientific research infrastructure built to investigate, inform, and enforce them. Dismantling this infrastructure which ranges from databases to satellites to models for climate, air, and water could imperil the public's right to know, the United States' standing as a scientific leader, corporate accountability, and environmental protection. In response, EDGI is building online tools, events, and research networks to proactively archive public environmental data and ensure its continued public availability. We also are monitoring changes to federal regulation, enforcement, research, funding, websites and general agency management at agencies including EPA, DOE, NASA, NOAA, and OSHA. We aim to serve the environmental community and its allies, and to enable them to hold the new administration accountable, by preserving and improving public access to at-risk government environmental data, documents, and digital interfaces, and by monitoring, documenting, and analyzing change to federal environmental agencies. We also aim to create an open, collaborative network of individuals, non-profits, universities and companies who believe that science and data are vital for environmental governance. Video of the Week... The Sun, TSI, Maunder Minimum & Little Ice Age: Prof Michael Lockwood Coming Soon on SkS... Our leaders need to learn not everything is zero sum (Joe Robertson) (Joe Robertson) New resource: The Fact-Myth-Fallacy slide-deck (Baerbel, JG) (Baerbel, JG) American conservative are still clueless about the 97% expert climate consensus (Dana) (Dana) Climate denial explained Part 1 (qwertle) (qwertle) New research this week (Ari) (Ari) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #14 (John Hartz) (John Hartz) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #14 (John Hartz) Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus... Gifford Miller's bio page and quote source. High resolution JPEG (1024 pixels wide) It takes a little time to read about the ways the Sinclair Broadcast Group is using its vast portfolio of local television stations to pump poison into the brains of local news viewers. It takes less time to watch John Oliver explain it with illustrative video clips, but its still a bit of a commitment. But if you only have eleven seconds and still want to understand what Sinclair Broadcast Group is doing to the country, this tweet from Deadspin writer Timothy Burke makes it all crystal clear: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats a montage of local news anchors repeating, word for word, an editorial Sinclair Broadcast Group required all of its stationsand it owns nearly 200to air. This isnt new for Sinclair: In the final days of the 2004 election, all Sinclair stations had to run an hour-long program attacking John Kerrys service in Vietnam. (The company fired their Washington bureau chief for pointing out this was bullshit.) But although Sinclair normally gets a pundit like Boris Epshteyn say the actual words, this time they forced their local news anchors to play Charlie McCarthy. Advertisement The Seattle Post-Intelligencer published the complete script for Seattles KOMO TV (an ABC affiliate), and, as the video makes clear, every Sinclair media market was served exactly the same plate of garbage. The script seems to be designed to encourage the audience not to believe the bad, true things journalists are reporting about President Trump, which is, to steal a phrase, extremely dangerous to our democracy. Heres the text, complete with idiosyncratic use of quotation marks: Hi, Im(A) ____________, and Im (B) _________________ (B) Our greatest responsibility is to serve our Northwest communities. We are extremely proud of the quality, balanced journalism that KOMO News produces. (A) But were concerned about the troubling trend of irresponsible, one sided news stories plaguing our country. The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media. (B) More alarming, some media outlets publish these same fake stories stories that just arent true, without checking facts first. (A) Unfortunately, some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda to control exactly what people think This is extremely dangerous to a democracy. (B) At KOMO its our responsibility to pursue and report the truth. We understand Truth is neither politically left nor right. Our commitment to factual reporting is the foundation of our credibility, now more than ever. (A) But we are human and sometimes our reporting might fall short. If you believe our coverage is unfair please reach out to us by going to KOMOnews.com and clicking on CONTENT CONCERNS. We value your comments. We will respond back to you. (B) We work very hard to seek the truth and strive to be fair, balanced and factual. We consider it our honor, our privilege to responsibly deliver the news every day. (A) Thank you for watching and we appreciate your feedback. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you know someone who relies on local news from a Sinclair station, its probably worth taking eleven seconds of their time to show them what theyre watching. Depending on how well you know them, maybe steal a minute and thirty-eight seconds for the entire video on Deadspin, which is even more horrifying. It might not make any difference, but at least they can never say they werent told. As for the news anchors who pretended these words and opinions were their own, they can keep calling themselves journalists if they want, but no one else should feel obligated. A police vehicle in Sacramento, California hit one of the protesters who were demonstrating against the police killing of Stephon Clark on Saturday night. Video taken by a local ABC affiliate and a legal observer clearly shows how a Sacramento County Sheriffs Department vehicle hit the protester and quickly left the scene. Wanda Cleveland, a 61-year-old local activist was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for her injuries and released with bruises on her arm and the back of the head. He never even stopped. It was a hit and run. If I did that Id be charged, Cleveland said at the hospital. Its disregard for human life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters had taken to the streets again Saturday night to protest against the March 18 killing of Clark, an unarmed black man who was shot to death by police. An independent autopsy released earlier in the week found that the officers shot Clark eight times, including six in the back. Video from the Saturday night demonstration shows how a group of protesters were marching on the street when they suddenly surrounded a Sacramento County Sheriffs Department vehicle. The cruiser turned on its lights and siren and another cruiser then pulls up behind it. Back away from my vehicle, a deputy repeatedly says into the loudspeaker before slowly pulling forward and leaving the scene. But when the sheriffs vehicle that was behind it followed suit, it struck Cleveland and never stopped. Advertisement Advertisement The Sheriffs Department issued a news release early Sunday morning essentially acknowledging that a police vehicle struck the protester but emphasized that the collision occurred while the patrol vehicle was traveling at slow speeds. The statement also noted the cars were damaged by vandals among the protesters. During the incident, the Sheriffs Department vehicle sustained scratches, dents, and a shattered rear window, noted the statement by spokesman Sgt. Shaun Hampton. The damage to the vehicle was not a result of the collision involving the pedestrian but was caused by vandals in the crowd. The video, however, seems to tell a different story as the police car appears to accelerate before striking Cleveland. Witnesses also witnessed an acceleration by the cruiser. He was really upset and he accelerated, Phuong Le, a friend of Clevelands, said. He didnt get everyone to comply and move, so he just hit her. ABC10 posted a long video of the protest on Facebook that includes the incident and aftermath (around the 47-minute mark). It started off as an unusual Sunday morning. President Donald Trump seemed to be laying off his usual early morning tweets and simply sent a friendly message wishing his followers HAPPY EASTER! But it was only the calm before the storm because less than two hours later the commander in chief started going off on a rambling Twitter rant where the president seemed to announce one big change of policy and threatened a bilateral squabble. And all before most Americans sat down for breakfast. Advertisement HAPPY EASTER! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The most newsworthy part of Trumps Twitter rant is that he will apparently no longer support an effort to fix the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that would legalize millions of dreamers, or undocumented immigrants who arrived to the United States as children. He once again called on Republicans to pass tough new anti-immigrant laws by changing the rule of parliamentary procedure. He then proceeded to criticize Mexico and threatened to stop the North American Free Trade Agreement if Mexico does not stop the big drug and people flows. Advertisement Trump started his rant by warning that it is getting harder for Border Patrol agents to do their job because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release which is making the area more dangerous. He then warned of Caravans that are coming, meaning Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL! Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. Caravans coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 Advertisement It seems Trump wasunsurprisinglywatching Fox News Sunday morning, which warned in a segment about CARAVAN OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HEADED TO U.S. Recent stories have reported on hundreds of Central Americans marching toward the United States and the way in which Mexico is apparently not doing anything to stop them. Advertisement .@tomilahren on migrant marchers headed to US: We can have compassion for these people but it doesnt mean the laws dont matter - Americans come first pic.twitter.com/0ME64e2soo FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) April 1, 2018 Advertisement Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 Advertisement That appears to be why the president then proceeded to attack Mexico, saying it is doing very little, if not NOTHING to stop people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. If Mexico continues to fail at stopping the big drug and people flows, Trump will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL! Advertisement These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 Advertisement In a tweet that seems to suggest Trump may still not understand what DACA even consist of, he went on to note that the big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act! He reinforced that view as he walked into an Episcopal service with his wife Melania and daughter Tiffany. A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA, Trump told reporters. They had a great chance. The Democrats blew it. Advertisement "Mexico has got to help us at the border. And a lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA," Pres. Trump told reporters after tweeting early Sunday that he would no longer support a deal on fixing DACA https://t.co/bq1i3wMsex pic.twitter.com/3NjyeyI0tQ CBS News (@CBSNews) April 1, 2018 Having a blog is important to the long-term success of a small businesss marketing strategy and the overall reputation of the business. Knowing how to begin blogging can be confusing, leaving many people staring at a blank screen. If youve started your small business blog but dont know what to do next, consider the following seven tips to push past the introductory phase and start thriving. Tips for Starting a Business Blog Make a Budget for Time and Money Maintaining your blog is time-consuming, so before you begin, make a plan for how much time per week you can realistically devote to preparing and marketing the content. Depending on the content, putting in about one to three hours per post is a good standard. Allocating the right amount of resources when establishing your blog will have a huge impact on its long-term success, so in addition to budgeting your time, you might want to make room in your budget for: Advertising on social media platforms Plugins and other features for your blog Expenses to make specific content for your blog such as videos and audio podcasts Marketing expenses for newsletters and alternative promotional means Website hosting if your website doesnt have blogging capabilities Determine Your Main Objective When determining the purpose of your blog, consider what you want it to be. There are any number of ways to use a blog, so ask yourself: Am I going to use my blog as a marketing tool, a communication tool, a journal, to obtain leads, as the companys primary website, a landing page, or as a way of increasing company credibility? It doesnt matter whether you want your blog to serve one or a combination of these functions, as long as you understand how you will use it to promote the growth of your small business. Determine Your Target Audience Before you start sharing posts and developing content, it is imperative to define your target audience. If you dont, youll be unable to pick the optimal topics, content styles and marketing channels necessary to reach potential clients and/or consumers. Consider the people you want to address to establish the tone best suited to your audiences preferences. Examine Competitor Blogs Your companys originality is what sets you apart from other businesses in your industry, so examining your competitors blogs is a great way to make sure your strategy, along with any content you produce, is unique. Get a better understanding of the competitions strategy by looking at: User communication, Content technique and styles, Site layout and user experience, Keywords targeted, Subjects included. SEMrush is a great tool to help you carry out a large-scale keyword analysis on your competitors search engine rankings. SEMrush gives users a solid understanding of which competitor pages rank high and what keywords theyre using to get more views. This tool can be a great aid in forming phrase modifications, so you can target the identical keywords in your content. Develop a Content Plan and Make an Editorial Calendar To begin establishing a general guideline for your content, make categories for the content types you plan to use. But first, you might want to do keyword research with tools like Google keyword planner, Wordtracker and Ubersuggest to get an understanding of what keywords best embody the content you want to produce. Once you determine these keywords, title your content categories with the keyword names, so when you make a blog post, your content will be more likely to appear in search engines. Make an editorial calendar to help you form a schedule detailing when you will post or how many posts you will make per week. Remember that relevant keywords change over time, so conduct keyword research on a regular basis to optimize your blog content and increase the chances of exposure. Be Responsive Because every business has a blog nowadays, it is imperative for you to be responsive if you hope to attract subscribers. Increase the likelihood of receiving relevant consumer views and comments by responding quickly and commenting on other blogs in your industry. Use Social Media and Analytical Tools Social media monitoring and analytical tools can help you understand what your customers are saying about your business and help you stay on top of the competition. For example, if a competitor announces a promotion, real-time marketing and social tools can notify you, giving you the opportunity to decide whether you want to offer a promotion as well. Monitoring tools can also help you manage consumer complaints made on social media platforms. So, if a consumer complains about your products or services, monitoring tools can inform you of the complaint and give you the chance to respond quickly. Wall Street analysts have given CGI Group a "Buy" 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 CGI Group wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. 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 Yanzhou Coal Mining Company Limited primarily engages in the mining, preparation, and sale of coal in China and internationally. It offers thermal, PCI, and coking coal for electric power, metallurgy and chemical industry, etc.; produces and sells coal chemicals, including methanol, liquid wax, stable light hydrocarbon, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, etc., as well as electricity and related heat supply services; and explores for potash mineral. The company also manufactures, installs, repairs, and sells coal mining and excavating equipment, cable, and electrical equipment. In addition, it provides railway, river, and lakes transportation services; and sells construction materials. Further, the company is involved in the wholesale of coal and non-ferrous metals; house and financial leasing; logistics storage and leasing; development of charcoal products; LTCC technology development and equipment rental operations; manufacturing and sale of cable and rubber products; and production and processing of steel engineering components. Additionally, it provides underground mines management; mining materials testing; equity investment fund and corporate asset management, investment advisory and management, foreign investment fund, import and export, and international trading; solar and wind power, and production management; educational software development and event planning; and coal mining technology development, transfer, and consultation services. The company is also involved in the processing, production, and sale of FischerTropsch synthesis catalyst, composite pipe, and plastic profile products; provision of real estate development and operation, property management, garden greening engineering, and sewage treatment and rental housing agency services; and issuing subordinated capital notes. The company was founded in 1973 and is based in Zoucheng, the People's Republic of China. Yanzhou Coal Mining Company Limited is a subsidiary of Yankuang Group Corporation Limited. Read More SEMAFO Inc., a mining company, engages in the exploration, development, and operation of gold properties in West Africa. The company operates the Mana Mine in Burkina Faso, which includes the Siou deposit. It also holds a 90% interest in the Boungou project. The company was formerly known as West Africa Mining Exploration Corporation Inc. and changed its name to SEMAFO Inc. in May 1997. SEMAFO Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Canada. Read More South32 Limited operates as a diversified metals and mining company primarily in Australia, Southern Africa, North America, and South America. The company has a portfolio of assets producing alumina, aluminum, bauxite, energy and metallurgical coal, manganese ore and alloy, ferronickel, silver, lead, and zinc. It also exports its products. South32 Limited has a strategic alliance agreement with AusQuest Limited for exploration opportunity under at its Morrisey nickel-copper project. The company was formerly known as BHP Coal Holdings Pty Limited and changed its name to South32 Limited in March 2015. South32 Limited was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Perth, Australia. Read More Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc provides engineered solutions for the users of industrial and commercial steam systems, electrical heating and temperature management systems, and pumps and fluid path technologies. It offers industrial and commercial steam systems, including condensate management, controls, and thermal energy management products and solutions for heating and curing, cleaning and sterilizing, hot water generation, space heating, and humidification; electrical process heating and temperature management solutions, such as industrial heaters and systems, heat tracing, and various component technologies for industrial processes, heaters, and systems; and peristaltic and niche pumps and associated fluid path technologies, including pumps, tubing, and specialty filling systems and products for single-use applications. The company serves food, beverage, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, oil, gas, chemical, healthcare, power generation, buildings, mining and precious metal processing, water and wastewater, and pulp and paper, as well as original equipment manufacturers. The company sells its products directly, as well as through distributors. It operates in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; the Asia Pacific; and the Americas. Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Cheltenham, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Eli Lilly and: 1096401 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, ARMO BioSciences Inc, ARMO Bioscience, Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Alnara Pharmaceuticals, Alnara Pharmaceuticals Inc., Andean Technical Operations Center, Applied Molecular Evolution Inc., AurKa Pharma, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc., ChemGen, CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, CoLucid Pharmaceuticals Inc., Dermira, Devices for Vascular Intervention(DVI), Disarm Therapeutics, Dista Ilac Ticaret Ltd. Sti., Dista S.A., Dista-Produtos Quimicos & Farmaceuticos LDA, ELCO Dominicana SRL, ELCO Insurance Company Limited, ELCO Management Inc., ELCO for Trade and Marketing S.A.E., ELGO Insurance Company Limited, Elanco Animal Health Ireland Limited, Elanco Switzerland Holding Sarl, Eli Lilly (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Eli Lilly (Philippines) Incorporated, Eli Lilly (S.A.) (Proprietary) Limited, Eli Lilly (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Eli Lilly (Suisse) S.A., Eli Lilly Asia Inc., Eli Lilly Asia Pacific SSC Sdn Bhd, Eli Lilly Australia Pty. Limited, Eli Lilly B-H d.o.o., Eli Lilly Benelux S.A., Eli Lilly Bienes y Servicios S de RL de CV, Eli Lilly CR s.r.o., Eli Lilly Canada Inc., Eli Lilly Cork Limited, Eli Lilly Danmark A/S, Eli Lilly Egypt for Trading, Eli Lilly European Clinical Trial Services SA, Eli Lilly Export S.A., Eli Lilly Finance S.A., Eli Lilly Ges.m.b.H., Eli Lilly Group Limited, Eli Lilly Holdings Ltd., Eli Lilly Hrvatska d.o.o., Eli Lilly Interamerica Inc., Eli Lilly Interamerica Inc. y Compania Limitada, Eli Lilly International Corporation, Eli Lilly Ireland Holdings Limited, Eli Lilly Israel Ltd., Eli Lilly Italia S.p.A., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Eli Lilly Kinsale Limited, Eli Lilly Nederland B.V., Eli Lilly Nigeria Ltd., Eli Lilly Norge A.S., Eli Lilly Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd., Eli Lilly Polska Sp.z.o.o. (Ltd.), Eli Lilly Regional Operations GmbH, Eli Lilly Romania SRL, Eli Lilly S.A., Eli Lilly Saudi Arabia Limited, Eli Lilly Services Inc, Eli Lilly Services India Private Limited, Eli Lilly Slovakia s.r.o., Eli Lilly Sweden AB, Eli Lilly Vostok S.A. Geneva, Eli Lilly and Company, Eli Lilly and Company (India) Pvt. Ltd., Eli Lilly and Company (Ireland) Limited, Eli Lilly and Company (N.Z.) Limited, Eli Lilly and Company (Taiwan) Inc., Eli Lilly and Company Limited, Eli Lilly de Centro America S.A., Eli Lilly do Brasil Limitada, Eli Lilly farmacevtska druzba d.o.o., Eli Lilly y Compania de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Eli Lilly y Compania de Venezuela S.A., Glycostasis Inc, Greenfield-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Heart Rhythm Technologies Inc, Hybritech, Hypnion, ICOS Corporation, ImClone GmbH, ImClone LLC, ImClone Systems Holdings Inc., ImClone Systems LLC, Imclone Systems, Irisfarma S.A., Ivy Animal Health, Kinsale Financial Services Unlimited Company, Lilly (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd, Lilly Asia Ventures Fund I L.P., Lilly Asia Ventures Fund II L.P., Lilly Asian Ventures Fund III L.P., Lilly Cayman Holdings, Lilly China Research and Development Co. Ltd., Lilly Deutschland GmbH, Lilly France S.A.S., Lilly Global Nederland Holdings B.V., Lilly Global Services Inc., Lilly Holding GmbH, Lilly Holdings B.V., Lilly Hungaria KFT, Lilly Japan Financing G.K., Lilly Korea Ltd., Lilly Nederland Finance B.V., Lilly Nederland Finance B.V. - GCC, Lilly Nederland Holding B.V., Lilly Pharma Ltd., Lilly Portugal - Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Lilly S.A., Lilly Suzhou Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Lilly Trading Co. LTD, Lilly USA LLC, Lilly Ventures Fund I LLC, Lilly del Caribe Inc., Lilly ilac ticaret limited sirketi, Lohmann Animal Health, Loxo Oncology, Lylly Centre for Clinical Pharmacology PTE. LTD., Novartis Animal Health, OY Eli Lilly Finland AB, Origin Medsystems, PT. Eli Lilly Indonesia, Pacific Biotech, Pharmaserve-Lilly S.A.C.I., Physio-Control, SGX Pharmaceuticals, SGX Pharmaceuticals Inc, Spaly Bioquimica S.A., UAB Eli Lilly Lietuva, Valquifarma S.A., and Vital Pharma Productos Farmaceuticos. The following companies are subsidiares of Yum China: AIR BP-PBF DEL PERU SAC, BELFAST STORAGE LTD, CANADIAN ULTRAMAR COMPANY, COLONNADE TEXAS INSURANCE COMPANY LLC, COLONNADE VERMONT INSURANCE COMPANY, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LLC, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OF CANADA INC., DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL HOLDINGS LLC, DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL LLC, DIAMOND K RANCH LLC, DIAMOND OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., DIAMOND SHAMROCK REFINING COMPANY L.P., DIAMOND UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., DSRM NATIONAL BANK, ENTERPRISE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT INC., GCP LOGISTICS COMPANY LLC, GOLDEN EAGLE ASSURANCE LIMITED, HAMMOND MAINLINE PIPELINE LLC, HUNTWAY REFINING COMPANY, MAINLINE PIPELINES LIMITED, MAPLE ETHANOL LTD., MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT GP LLC, MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT L.P., MRP PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, NECHES RIVER HOLDING CORP., NORCO METHANOL LLC, OCEANIC TANKERS AGENCY LIMITED, PARKWAY PIPELINE LLC, PENTA TANKS TERMINALS S.A., PI DOCK FACILITIES LLC, PICKARD PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, PORT ARTHUR COKER COMPANY L.P., PREMCOR USA INC., PROPERTY RESTORATION L.P., PURE BIOFUELS DEL PERU S.A.C., PURE BIOFUELS HOLDINGS L.P., Parkway Pipeline, Premcor, Pure Biofuels Del Peru, SABINE RIVER HOLDING CORP., SABINE RIVER LLC, SAINT BERNARD PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, SUNBELT REFINING COMPANY L.P., THE PREMCOR PIPELINE CO., THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC., THE SHAMROCK PIPE LINE CORPORATION, TRANSPORT MARITIME ST. LAURENT INC., ULTRAMAR ACCEPTANCE INC., ULTRAMAR ENERGY INC., ULTRAMAR INC., Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, V-TEX LOGISTICS LLC, VALERO (BARBADOS) SRL, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS GP LLC, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS LIMITED, VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ARUBA ACQUISITION COMPANY I LTD., VALERO ARUBA FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA HOLDING COMPANY N.V., VALERO ARUBA HOLDINGS INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA MAINTENANCE/OPERATIONS COMPANY N.V., VALERO BROWNSVILLE TERMINAL LLC, VALERO CANADA FINANCE INC., VALERO CANADA L.P., VALERO CAPITAL CORPORATION, VALERO CARIBBEAN SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO COKER CORPORATION ARUBA N.V., VALERO CUSTOMS & TRADE SERVICES INC., VALERO EAST BAY LLC, VALERO ENERGY (IRELAND) LIMITED, VALERO ENERGY ARUBA II COMPANY, VALERO ENERGY INC., VALERO ENERGY LTD, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS LP, VALERO ENERGY UK LTD, VALERO ENTERPRISES INC., VALERO EQUITY SERVICES LTD, VALERO FINANCE L.P. I, VALERO FINANCE L.P. II, VALERO FINANCE L.P. III, VALERO FOREST CONTRIBUTION LLC, VALERO GRAIN MARKETING LLC, VALERO H2 PIPELINE COMPANY LLC, VALERO HOLDCO UK LTD, VALERO HOLDINGS INC., VALERO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., VALERO LIVE OAK LLC, VALERO LOGISTICS UK LTD, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY (PANAMA) LLC, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY COMPANY, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPY INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO MARKETING IRELAND LIMITED, VALERO MKS LOGISTICS L.L.C., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEW AMSTERDAM B.V., VALERO OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONS SUPPORT LTD, VALERO PARTNERS CCTS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS EAST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS WEST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS EP LLC, VALERO PARTNERS HOUSTON LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LOUISIANA LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LUCAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MCKEE LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MERAUX LLC, VALERO PARTNERS NORTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS OPERATING CO. LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PAPS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PORT ARTHUR LLC, VALERO PARTNERS SOUTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS TEXAS CITY LLC, VALERO PARTNERS THREE RIVERS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WYNNEWOOD LLC, VALERO PAYMENT SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE LLC, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE OIL TERMINAL LTD, VALERO PLAINS COMPANY LLC, VALERO POWER MARKETING LLC, VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL PARTNERS LLC, VALERO REFINING AND MARKETING COMPANY, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-ARUBA N.V., VALERO REFINING COMPANY-CALIFORNIA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-OKLAHOMA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-TENNESSEE L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-MERAUX LLC, VALERO REFINING-NEW ORLEANS L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-TEXAS L.P., VALERO RENEWABLE FUELS COMPANY LLC, VALERO SECURITY SYSTEMS INC., VALERO SERVICES INC., VALERO SKELLYTOWN PIPELINE LLC, VALERO TEJAS COMPANY LLC, VALERO TERMINAL HOLDCO LTD, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO TEXAS POWER MARKETING INC., VALERO ULTRAMAR HOLDINGS INC., VALERO UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., VALERO WEST WALES LLC, VRG PROPERTIES COMPANY, VTD PROPERTIES COMPANY, WARSHALL COMPANY LLC, and ZELIG COMMERCIAL INC.. How to make rocket launches possible has advanced to a more recent question: How to make frequent rocket launches safely. Researchers in Japan have developed a solid rocket fuel manufacturing method that should interest scientists looking into such methods. James Vincent, The Verge, translated the technical challenges involved in rocket fuel into plain talk: "It's potent and volatile, meaning it can explode before it even gets into the rocket. That makes manufacturing it tricky, as you need to mix together certain materials, but fling them around too hard and they'll start doing their job early." (Evan Ackerman in IEEE Spectrum similarly noted, "when you're mixing up something designed to be more or less as explosive as possible, you want to do it very, very gently.") The Japanese researchers' approach is based on the peristaltic movement of the colon using "soft actuation technology." Digital Trends' Luke Dormehl called the team's approach a "robot intestine" sending out "perfectly mixed rocket fuel." The technique involves both mixing and conveying the materials. The title of their paper is "The Continuous Mixing Process of Composite Solid Propellant Slurry by an Artificial Muscle Actuator." Author affiliations include the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Nihon University, Chuo University and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). IEEE Spectrum said the fuel is being developed in Japan by Chuo University and JAXA roboticists. Mixing solid propellant slurry is one of the stages in the solid rocket manufacturing process. "Solid propellant slurry is produced by mixing oxidizer powder, metallic fuel powder, prepolymer and additives," said the authors. The "goo" seen in posted videos is "ammonium perchlorate powder, aluminum powder, and an elastomer binder that's composed of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB)," said Dormehl. NASA's 2016 note on fuel ingredients: "Solid rocket fuel is the original rocket fuel, dating back to the early fireworks developed by the Chinese centuries ago. For the SLS boosters, aluminum powder serves as the fuel and a mineral salt, ammonium perchlorate, is the oxidizer. the blog added that "When it burns, oxygen from the ammonium perchlorate combines with aluminum to produce aluminum oxide, aluminum chloride, water vapor and nitrogen gas and lots of energy." Vincent said the prototype apparatus designed by engineers to mix the fuel was "basically a series of connected segments of tube that compress back and forth like a worm. This motion mimics how our intestines and esophagus move food around our bodya process known as peristalsis." The authors wrote, "In this work, we develop a peristaltic continuous mixer that is safe and provides well-mixed propellants." They said the pump was modeled on two peristaltic motions of the intestines, segmental movement and pendulum movement. The outside part of this mixer is made from an artificial muscle, and the inside part is a cylindrical tube. Dormehl described a tube-like system closed off at both ends, with material added in the middle, alongside pressurized air. As the tubing contracts and expands, the mixing process is carried out, with the end result being the expelling of rocket fuel." After that, the fuel can be cured "to turn it into a rubbery solid." They propose turning the fuel manufacturing process into a continuous pumping process. Their way is thought to be safer than conventional mixers. How is it safer? Evan Ackerman in IEEE Spectrum: "The researchers say their machine is safer ... because the fuel doesn't experience high shear stress inside the undulating rubber tubing and is never in contact with metal, avoiding the risk of fire and explosions." Eric Limer made a similar point in Popular Mechanics. "Traditional mixing processes, which are more aggressive and tumultuous, are functional but potentially dangerous because they both churn the highly combustible fuel against itself vigorously but also bring the substance into contact with the metal container it is being mixed in." Limer said, "Put into production, the mixing system would likely be a long, closed chain of such robots, pumping the mixture back and forth among themselves." Explore further New rocket propellant and motor design offer high performance and safety 2018 Tech Xplore The PM's visit to RTL on Saturday was a perfect opportunity to ask him a few questions, in English, which directly affect the English-speaking community. The Prime Minister was a guest on Saturday's edition of RTL's Background am Gespreich radio programme, a weekly political talk-show, presented by Roy Grotz. As Mr Bettel was exiting the RTL building, Stephen Lowe, from the RTL Today team, took the opportunity to ask him a few questions, which the Prime Minister was more than happy to answer. The PM spoke about how he sees the future of the English language, in the context of the development of Luxembourg, as a country. Indeed, he was quite measured in his response, citing the clear necessity for English in terms of business and for employment purposes, while also remaining careful not to eclipse the importance of Luxembourgish, as the country's national language, nor that of French or German. Asked if he believes there will be a further influx of multi-national companies into the country, particularly UK-centric companies, post-Brexit, Mr Bettel made reference to Luxembourg's long-term strategic plans for attracting foreign workers and their families to the country, including the expansion of many English-language and international schools. Finally, on a lighter note, the Prime Minister was happy to give some tips to first-time visitors to the country, by suggesting that they should commit to stay a few days rather than just a few hours and essentially to keep an open mind, since he says people are often pleasantly surprised at what they discover about the Grand Duchy! ASEAN tourist arrival statistics are in for 2017 and once again the big story is Vietnam, registering a whopping 29 percent increase in arrivals on top of the 25 percent increase in 2016, leading all ASEAN countries both years. We see Thailand heading up the list in total overall international arrivals followed by Malaysia and Singapore no surprise there. All three countries have highly developed tourism sectors for several decades. Indonesia generated a lot of international interest last year finishing with the 4th highest number of visitors. ASEAN TOTAL INTERNATIONAL TOURIST ARRIVALS BY YEAR - MILLION (NB: In the absence of timely ASEAN-wide statistics being available the above data was collected from various country press releases and tourism ministry articles.) At this rate nearly 17 million international visitors will be welcomed to Vietnam in 2018 and over 20 million in 2019. World Heritage Sites Ha Long Bay, My Son Ruins, and many others are generating massive international interest as well as events such as the APEC Summit held late last year in Da Nang. Many friends overseas knew Id been spending a lot of time in Da Nang and wrote to say how blown away they were by the beauty of the city as displayed during broadcasts of the APEC meetings. Its all systems go if infrastructure and services can bear the burden of more tourists coming to Vietnam. So, where are all these visitors coming from? 2017 TOP 10 MARKETS - INBOUND TOURISTS TO VIETNAM We see that the Peoples Republic of China is heading up the list, no surprise since its the worlds most populous country and northern neighbour to Vietnam. Some of the statistics are mind-boggling: 1. Chinas population is 1.4 billion of which only 5 percent have passports, so that comes to 70 million that are eligible for international travel. 2. Those 70 million passport holders made over 130 million trips abroad in 2017. 3. Authorities are issuing new passports at a rate of about 10 million per year. 4. At that pace China will have 100 million eligible international travellers by 2020. 5. If those eligible continue to travel at the same rate as in 2017 Chinese travellers will make 185 million trips abroad in 2020. 6. Chinese travellers spend 20 percent of worldwide overseas travel expenditures. Thats right, out of every $5 spent on travel in the world, Chinese spend $1. China and South Korea are the source of about half the tourists that come to Vietnam. Should they continue to arrive at the same pace during the next two years, China and South Korea would represent two-thirds of all arrivals to Vietnam by the end of 2019. Of course this is great news all around or is it? Yes it is great, but there are challenges on the horizon and some already present and being worked on. Because of the sheer volume of visitors from those two countries some destinations, particularly Nha Trang and Da Nang are gaining reputations as destinations targeted mostly at Chinese and South Korean package tourists. Market pressure keeps prices down plus tourists from other sources are less likely to visit destinations perceived as being overrun by one nationality or another. Next issue is Chinese tour guides operating illegally in Vietnam have been arrested, which is a sensitive topic with 4 million visitors involved and laws that are hard to enforce in some situations. For example, if one member of a group is leading a tour and says they are volunteering because they speak English or Vietnamese, who can state otherwise? Some of the illegal Chinese guides distort Vietnamese history implying that China still exercises some control over Vietnam. The current dispute in the East Vietnam Sea involving the notorious 9 dash line is one of many examples. So Vietnamese authorities are left to manage a difficult situation so that only qualified professional local Vietnamese guides are used on Chinese and other tours. There is also a scam involving Chinese tourists called Zero Dong Tours which involve heavily discounted or free trips over land or by airplane to destinations such as Ha Long Bay, Da Nang, and Nha Trang. Then the customers are duped into shopping, dining, and lodging at establishments owned by those Chinese tour operators or companies with which they have a commission deal thus facilitating a tidy profit. Often customers are coerced into buying at heavily inflated prices making the profits that much greater. Payments are often made and transferred back to China electronically using online applications so the result is little or no profit goes into Vietnamese hands. The tourists end up with a sub-standard travel experience, legitimate Vietnamese businesses lose profit to the Chinese companies, and these illegal tours tarnish the image of Vietnam as a destination. This is also a tricky situation for Vietnamese authorities to manage because some of the transactions are perfectly legal, while others avoid taxes and are thus against Vietnamese laws. Its well-known that Chinese tourists are often not the most polite guests. Some are considered so ill-behaved that the city of Da Nang distributed 5,000 copies of a Chinese-language etiquette book for Chinese visitors including appropriate dress, littering, and respect of sacred venues. Fair enough, the Chinese are new to the travel scene and need time to get up to speed on how to behave while abroad and it doesnt happen overnight. Environmental issues are starting to cause concern leading to discussion on potentially limiting the number of tourists visiting the most cherished World Heritage Sites in the future. Ha Long Bay, the Sa Pa region of northern Lao Cai Province, and historic Hoi An each welcome millions of visitors annually, so should a limit on visitors be considered? Visa availability is another tricky subject that has a direct impact on tourism especially in Southeast Asia, where competition among destinations is especially tough. Chinese citizens need a visa to enter Vietnam, but that appears not to be an impediment given the huge increase in arrivals. In 2015 Indonesia waived visas for 45 countries including China, resulting partly in the robust increases in arrivals we now see. We have no way of knowing how many Chinese tourists would visit Vietnam if no visa was required. Vietnam offers temporary visa-free entry to citizens of 22 countries, including nine ASEAN member countries (ranging from 14 to 30 days per entry), South Korea, Japan, Russia (15 days each), and 10 European countries (also limited at 15 days). Some of the visa-free arrangements will expire in mid-2018 and others at the end of 2019, so difficult decisions will need to be made. Vietnam introduced a trial electronic visa system for citizens of 46 countries early in 2017 which processes 30 day tourist visas for US$25. This program could be expanded to include more countries and the online processing streamlined. The visa situation is difficult to manage because on one hand it makes good sense to control who enters Vietnam up front as opposed to tracking down unscrupulous visitors who work illegally or are involved in criminal activities after theyve entered. Finally, airport commercial airline capacity is an issue shared by virtually every growing economy the world over, and Vietnam is faced with tough decisions and large infrastructural investments. The two largest airports in the country, Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City, each have expansions underway and more projects approved for the coming years. To reduce the pressure of increased traffic on those two airports many new destinations continue to be added to the other nine international airports in Vietnam as well as expansion of facilities. While there are many issues being addressed the huge upward trend in arrivals these past two years means there is a continued opportunity going forward. Who knows? Maybe one day well see Vietnam right at the top of the list of ASEAN tourist arrivals. In the meantime these are nice problems to have.. The prime ministers of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam decided to broaden the physical scope of their countries cooperation and agreed on steps taken to reach the goal during an international meeting hosted by Vietnam on Saturday. The leaders joined the 10th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Summit on Development Triangle Area, otherwise known as CLV-10, in Hanoi along with representatives from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. The meeting reached a conclusion to elevate the collaboration which has been limited to 13 border provinces of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to a scale that covers the trio in its entirety. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the leaders had formulated a general connective plan to achieve the target by 2030. He clarified that it consists in promulgating relevant policies and regulations amongst the public and businesses as the first step. The second stage involves upgrading the infrastructure which benefits transportation and tourism between the countries all year round, and cross-nation investment. Connection of people in the trio is enabled in terms of tourism and culture in the last stage. The leaders have also agreed on a common coordinating committee aimed at increasing collaboration efficiency. This organization is expected to manage security-related efforts against timber poaching, human trafficking, and drug dealing, and the removal of mines as post-war remnants as well as creating projects in tourism between the three countries. The trios ministries of agriculture are tasked with figuring out plans for boosting the cooperation in environment and natural resource management. The websites of these bodies will publish information regarding the potential of and favorable policies for the countries. Vietnamese firms have invested US$3.59 billion in 113 projects in the Laotian and Cambodian provinces within the triangle development area, according to Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their five Vietnamese counterparts have attracted $2.3 billion for 233 projects from 20 countries and territories, the ministry said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are the news stories you should not miss today: Politics -- The 10th Cambodia Laos Vietnam Summit on Development Triangle Area (CLV-10) took place in Hanoi on Saturday, during which the three countries prime ministers reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening comprehensive cooperation. -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong has extended his gratitude toward Cuban President Raul Castro Ruz, after concluding a state visit to the country from March 28 to 30. Society -- The Peoples Committee in the south-central province of Binh Dinh on Saturday inaugurated a new section of the provincial General Hospital, whose capital investment was VND13 trillion (US$572 million). -- An unseasonal rain cooled down temperatures in southern Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, on Saturday and is forecast to continue on Sunday, according to local weather pundit Le Thi Xuan Lan. -- Dozens of stalls were completely burned down after a fire broke out at the Quang Market in Thanh Tri District, Hanoi, on Saturday afternoon. -- Serious deforestation has been discovered at a protection forest in the central province of Quang Nam, with dozens of century-old trees being chopped down by illegal loggers. -- Police in Ho Chi Minh City are investigating an alleged armed heist which took place at a branch of ABBank in Tan Phu District on Saturday morning. Thanks to the alarm and efforts of security guards, the robbers had to flee the scene without taking any money. Business -- The groundbreaking of a solar energy plant was organized at Bau Ngu Lake in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan on Saturday morning, with investment estimated at VND1.15 trillion ($50.6 million). -- Local carriers Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet have announced they will increase charges of several services, namely changing names and dates, from April 1. -- Hundreds of people have been lining up to be able to buy discounted tours and flight tickets at the 2018 Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM), which takes place at the Hanoi International Center for Exhibition from March 29 to April 1. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A conflagration engulfed a market in Hanoi on Saturday afternoon, burning down the two-story main section of the venue along with dozens of stalls. The flames started at around 2:00 pm at a closed stall within the Quang Market in Thanh Liet Commune, Thanh Tri District before spreading to other areas. As managers of the market could not put out the blaze with their fire extinguishers, firefighting officers were dispatched to the site about 30 minutes later. The two-story main section of the market in the wake of the flames. Photo: Tuoi Tre They were able to extinguish the inferno at around 4:00 pm, but dozens of stalls inside the two-floor main section of the market had been severely damaged. Although there were no casualties, the fire destroyed the property of many merchants. Many sellers could not hold back their tears after seeing their products, which cost a fortune, were reduced to ashes. Products and stalls inside the venue are completely burned down. Photo: Tuoi Tre Merchants at the market often close their stalls to take a break in the afternoon, witnesses said, adding that many of them did not have time to move their goods out when the fire occurred. According to Nguyen Van Phong, chairman of the Peoples Committee in Thanh Liet Commune, the total damage has yet to be calculated. Competent agencies are working out the cause of the blaze, Phong added. Products and stalls inside the venue are completely burned down. Photo: Tuoi Tre A motorbike is destroyed by the fire. Photo: Tuoi Tre Firefighters try to cool down the temperature. Photo: Tuoi Tre Merchants react after seeing their products destroyed by the flames. Photo: Tuoi Tre A seller nearly fainted after inhaling smoke caused by the fire. Photo: Tuoi Tre Local residents help sellers gather their goods. Photo: Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Three large-scale cases of unlawful tree felling were discovered consecutively and their culprits were caught in a south-central Vietnamese province in March, raising general dissatisfaction at local authorities forest protection. On March 7, forest rangers in Nam Giang District, Quang Nam Province, found that more than 33 large trees with a collective volume of over 253 cubic meters had been cut down in one section of the districts forest. The logging predominantly involved erythrophleum fordii, a valuable timber tree endemic to several Asian regions, including in Vietnam, but under threat due to overexploitation. At the scene many trees were seen still lying, most measuring one to two meters in diameter, and some remaining uncut. While traces of sawing were fresh, and the sap felt wet on a number of stumps, the other bottom parts showed old cutting signs, which suggested that this part of the forest had been damaged for a long time. A weather-beaten stump sits at the forest destruction scene in Nam Giang District, central Vietnam March 7, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre Water buffaloes were used to drag the wood away down a steep hillside. The illegal loggers have been prosecuted. On March 8, police caught Vu Van Trung, 36, and Vu Van Cung, 40 two local men in Dong Giang District, to the north of Nam Giang, while they were cutting trees in its protection forest. Thirty-three sizeable trees with a total volume of 45 cubic meters had been downed at the time, mostly belonging to the pine variety. With three other men subsequently arrested, the five are expected to stand trial. In the last episode on March 15, scores of policemen in Nam Giang launched a sunset raid on the hut where six illegal loggers from a neighboring district were sleeping. Around the shelter were logs partly from erythrophleum fordii, totaling around 30 cubic meters in volume, and three cubic meters of wood was hidden in a nearby lake. The leader of the crime group turned himself in to the police later in the day and admitted the wrongdoing. An investigation into what officials are responsible for the incidents is under way. Here are some pictures about devastation in Nam Giang District, Quang Nam Province: Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The extended section of a general hospital in the south-central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh, whose investment was estimated at over US$57 million, has been put into operation. The provincial Peoples Committee on Saturday inaugurated the extended facility of the Binh Dinh Province General Hospital, which is located in Quy Nhon City. Initiated in October 2015, the construction of the infirmary was carried out under the public private partnership (PPP) model, at a cost of VND1.3 trillion ($57.2 million). A public-private partnership is a government service or private business venture funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies. PPP involves a contract between a public sector authority and a private party, in which the private party provides a public service or project and assumes financial, technical and operational risk in the project. The Binh Dinh Province General Hospital contributed 40 percent of the charter capital in the form of quality, reputation, and human resources. The Cotec Healthcare JSC funded 51 percent of the charter capital and its parent company, Cotec Group, supplied the remaining nine percent. The new facility is designed with the capacity of 600 beds and 25 specialized departments. The hospital will begin its first phase of operation with 310 beds, along with eight clinical departments and four paraclinical departments. It is aimed at providing high-quality healthcare services to people in Binh Dinh and other provinces in the south-central region. In other news, the construction of the first private hospital in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum began on Saturday. Located in Quyet Thang Ward, Kon Tum City, the project is expected to be complete in 2020, at a cost of VND160 billion ($7 million). Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The ongoing war in Syria is a conflict which bares the greatest risk of a Proxy war, conducted on a full scale between America, Russia and China. Stubborn advocacy of the so-called moderate armed opposition against Assad, which even led to the bombing of the Deir-ez-Zor defenders by the US Air Force, has turned out to be the biggest mistake of US foreign policy in the 21st century. Trump said it directly During his Saturday speech in Richfield, Ohio, US President Donald Trump issued a statement saying there should be no need to maintain the American military presence in Syria. The American armed forces in Syria will be withdrawing 'very soon'. Great victory for Putin's Russia The Yanks must launch a more successful anti-guerilla warfare in Afghanistan, however, they are also in desperate need to save money because of a terrifying amount of national debt. On the other hand, the Russian national economy is at present fully employed, the Russian national debt very small and, owing to the rearmamanent, the Russian state should be considered a superpower once again. The Russian generals proved to be really hard but clever fellows, ready to die in battle together with their Syrian allies. They have successfully used methods known since ancient Roman times; a mixture of crushing military pressure, mercy and forgiveness - including a generous humanitarian aid for those who changed their minds in favour of Bashar Assad. But the Western powers choose the wrong way, ensuring political support and military aid for so-called freedom fighters, without terms and conditions, only to overthrow the comparatively moderate Alawites rule in Damascus. Trump's decision could put end to wasting money and soldiers' lives The Obama administration had some idea how to support the anti-Assad forces which proved to be ridiculous: a few F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter jets were deployed in Malaysia to discourage Syrian and Russian attack jet fighters with the Raptors presence in the Syrian sky. As soon as the US jets left the area to refuel, the Russians made another bombing run, one by one. Because of an excellent Russian intelligence service, many other similar efforts to disturb the Russian and government forces operations were in vain. If Russian revenge follows 2000 American servicemen could be trapped. One American and one British serviceman were killed Thursday by an improvised explosive device in Syria. Their lives were lost for nothing. The Alawites, the Sufis and indigenous Christian population, against whom the war was waged since 2011, also their mighty Russian and Chinese friends are in Syria to stay. On the other hand, America and Britain dont need this to turn out similar to the Mogadishu slaughter. America first and Syria for the Syrians Trump's remark that the US spent 7 billion dollars in Syria and achieved nothing but crushing the Islamic State terror group should be considered as significant. Also, his decision to freeze $200m of overseas aid which had been promised for areas held by US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to help them to rebuild Eastern Syrian townships, being destroyed like Dresden by American bombardments, is an important one. As Donald Trump said: "Were knocking the hell out of Isis. Well be coming out of Syria, like, very soon. Also: Let the other people take care of it now." These other people will be, with no doubt, the Russians and the Chinese. How these friends of Syrian Alawites and Christians would manage the task to repudiate the signs of total war which has ravaged the country is not clear, and their possible failure is the only hope which is left for the opponents of any strong Russian influence in the Middle East. France is joining the global cargo airship race with the Flying Whale blimp. Unveiled this week, the 150 m long lighter-than-air airship is designed to transport lumber from deep woodland inaccessible by other means. Flying Whales, the company behind the pioneering project has already secured about 200 million euros in capital. Its main backers include the French state fund Bpifrance, which recently invested 25 million euros, and AVIC, Chinas main aerospace manufacturer. As reported by Bloomberg, the company plans an initial public offering in 2021, when a blimp prototype is scheduled to make its maiden flight. According to CEO Sebastien Bougon, Flying Whales operates on a solid base and the company relies on low-risk prospects outside of the wood market segment. In the coming decade, Mr Bougon envisages prospective sales totalling 5 billion euros from up to 150 airships built in France and China. Airship twice as long as a Boeing 747 Flying Whale will be approximately twice as long as a Boeing 747. In a strict sense, it is not a blimp but more of a traditional Zeppelin as its specifications include a rigid structure fitted with individual pockets of helium, an arrangement which will enable an optimised aerodynamic shape. It will be based on hybrid electric distributed propulsion based on multiple propellers powered by compact and energy efficient diesel or electric engines. Other major features include load re-distribution in flight, large cargo hold and under sling capacity of up to 60 metric tons. According to its developers, the manned airship could be relatively easy transformed into a completely unmanned drone. When it comes to the size and specs, the closest from its competitors comes the Russian Atlant 100 developed by Augur-RosAeroSystems. The Russian blimp has a comparable size and will have the same payload with a maximum range of 2000 km. Its flying prototype is slated to be completed late this year. Nonetheless, the hangar-free Atlant 100 would still require landing pads to operate and at least initially will not be commercially available as it was commissioned by Russia's Ministry of Defence. Cargo airships: promising market niche riddled with failure The aerospace industry already saw multiple attempts to revive the airship. One of most ambitious was made by the German Cargolifter AG, which sought to develop an LTA aircraft with a 160-ton payload but the project resulted in failure in 2002. The ongoing projects include LMH-1 and a comparable ship originally designed by Northrop Grumman that is currently being developed in the UK by Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd. Both of these designs originated from an earlier failed project to develop a military blimp for surveillance operations in Afghanistan. HAV Airlander 10 is currently the worlds largest aircraft with its total length of 90 m and an elliptical profile that earned it the Flying Bum moniker. The unusual British hybrid airship is designed to be capable to take off and land like a conventional airplane, yet using traditional mooring caused its latest model to suffer setbacks in 2016, when it crashed-landed after its mooring lines became entangled in power lines, and again last year after it broke free of its mooring pylon in gusty conditions. DUBAI (Reuters) - A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Lebanese man and his wife to death after they were convicted in absentia of killing a Filipina maid in a case that triggered a crisis between the Philippines and the Gulf Arab state, Kuwaiti newspapers reported on Sunday. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte last month ordered workers in Kuwait to return home over alleged abuse following the discovery of the female worker's body in the freezer of an abandoned home that belonged to a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife. Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai said the pair were convicted in absentia of premeditated murder. Al-Qabas, another newspaper, said the criminal court issued its verdict at its first hearing, convicting the pair of "killing the Filipina worker and putting her body in the freezer". It said the murder was discovered more than a year after it had taken place and that the couple had been sentenced in absentia. Both newspapers reported the death sentence. The sentences are subject to appeal under Kuwaiti law. Lebanese media reported last month that the worker's former employer was in custody in connection with the case and that authorities were considering a Kuwaiti request to extradite him. AFP news agency, quoting a judicial source, reported in February that the woman was being held in her native Syria. Kuwait and the Philippines, eager to end the crisis, signed an agreement last month regulating some working conditions for domestic workers in the Gulf Arab State. There are more than 250,000 Filipinos in Kuwait, the Philippine Foreign Ministry estimates, with most working as domestic helpers. There are also large numbers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. (Reporting by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Alison Williams) See Also: ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned the French ambassador to explain why armed French border police entered a clinic run by a non-governmental organization that cares for migrants trying to cross the Alps, a ministry source said. The incident prompted anger among many politicians, some of whom saw it as a violation of Italian territory. Rainbow for Africa said the incident happened on Friday evening when the French police brought a Nigerian migrant to the train station of the Italian border town of Bardonecchia. The NGO said the police entered the clinic, which is in the train station, and demanded that the personnel conduct a urine test on the man because they suspected him of drug trafficking. Massimiliano Fedriga of the right-wing League, which made big gains in the March 4 election, said the French had made Italy look like "the laughing stock of Europe". "French police do whatever they want on Italian territory without being disturbed as if they are at home. What happened in Bardonecchia is grave and shows how our so-called friends in Europe have little or no consideration for us," he said in a statement. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Andrew Bolton) See Also: ZURICH, April 1 (Reuters) - The chief executive of British low-cost carrier easyJet expects consolidation among European airlines to continue, he said in an interview with Swiss paper SonntagsZeitung. ** "We had a really good environment for aviation in recent years. The economy was doing well, oil prices were low and still Air Berlin (LSE: 0GPE.L - news) , Alitalia (Stuttgart: 2278962.SG - news) and Monarch went broke," Johan Lundgren was quoted as saying ** "Even (Taiwan OTC: 6436.TWO - news) in a good environment weak airlines get weaker, strong airlines can grow. You can imagine what will happen in an economic crisis, and we want to be in position to profit from this." ** Asked about interest in Italy's Alitalia, he said: "We are speaking to the Italian government about this. It is clear that we are interested in the short-haul business. I cannot say any more about it." ** He said easyJet was in talks with Geneva airport and airlines there about introducing EasyJet Worldwide service ** He played down the potential danger of Brexit. "I have spoken with many politicians in Brussels and Britain and no matter their position on Brexit they are confident that the EU and Britain can agree on an aviation treaty. I do not think it will come to interruptions or groundings." ** He noted as a safeguard it had applied for a European operating license in Austria, from where around 130 aircraft will operate in a year's time (Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Mark Potter) BANGKOK (Reuters) - A boat with Rohingya refugees restocked with essential supplies at an island in southern Thailand on Sunday, authorities said, amid signs that overcrowding in Bangladeshi camps could prompt many others to make similarly perilous sea crossings. Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed the border from Myanmar's Rakhine State into Bangladesh after militant attacks in August sparked a military crackdown that United Nations and Western countries have said constitutes ethnic cleansing. The boat, carrying 56 refugees, stopped on Lanta island in southern Krabi province after a heavy storm on Saturday evening. It was the first Rohingya vessel spotted off Thailand in more than a year, local police said. "We treated them with humanitarian consideration and allowed them to return to sea because they told us they were heading to Malaysia," Lanta police chief, Police Colonel M.L. Pattanajak Chakrabandhu told Reuters. Locals gave the refugees food and water, he said. Tens of thousands of Rohingya fled by sea following an outbreak of sectarian violence in Rakhine State in 2012, some falling prey to human traffickers. That exodus peaked in 2015, when an estimated 25,000 people fled across the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Rights groups expect another surge in Rohingya boats reaching Southeast Asia, even if not at the levels of the past. "We have received credible information about boats full of Rohingya refugees making their way to Malaysia over the last few months," Matthew Smith co-founder of advocacy group Fortify Rights told Reuters. "The humanitarian situation in Bangladesh for the refugees is very difficult." (Reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Panu Wongcha-um; editing by John Stonestreet) See Also: By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai editor faces possible criminal charges for sharing a student's "disrespectful" picture of historic kings wearing face masks to highlight air pollution in the northern city of Chiang Mai. The governor of Chiang Mai told Reuters on Sunday that he believed Pim Kemasingki, editor of the Chiang Mai Citylife magazine, had breached the Computer Crime Act by sharing the picture. "It is up to the police to gather evidence," Pawin Chamniprasart said. In a letter to police, he wrote that the kings are worshipped and respected in Chiang Mai and "using the picture with the three kings wearing masks is disrespectful." Thailand's cyber crime law, which criminalizes defamation and obscenity, has been widely critisized by international rights groups for curtailing freedom of expression. Pim, a Thai-British national, said the image of the three statues wearing masks had been shared on a Facebook page publicizing a "Right to Breathe" anti-air pollution rally that had later been canceled at the request of the governor. "I shared this picture thinking it was pertinent and powerful," Pim told Reuters. "For decades I've been promoting the city and loving it... so it's quite unsettling that fighting for healthy air for my fellow citizens has turned into me besmirching the city." Recently, Thailand has suffered from some of its worst air pollution in years. Achariya Ruangrattanapong, a lawyer for Pim, said he was confident that sharing the picture was not a violation of the cyber crime law. "How can this be a computer crime if it involves a picture that a child drew?" he said. Pawin said he was not seeking charges of royal insult against Pim. Under Thailand's strict lese majeste law, those found guilty of insulting the monarchy face up to 15 years in prison. (Additional reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Kim Coghill) See Also: FILE PHOTO: Botswana President Ian Khama looks on during the Botswana-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Pretoria, South Africa, November 11, 2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo Thomson Reuters GABORONE (Reuters) - Ian Khama, a retired army general, stepped down as president of Botswana on Saturday, handing the diamond-rich country to his deputy after a decade at the helm. Mokgweetsi Masisi becomes only the third leader to take charge of the southern African nation outside the Khama political dynasty that has dominated national politics since independence from Britain in 1966. Masisi, 55, inherits a country that has for decades been heralded as a beacon of African democracy and sound economic management but faces a huge task of reducing the country's dependence on diamonds. "I am not sure about his competency in as far as the economy is concerned, but if he has the respect of his ministers then he should be able to make them deliver," said political analyst Ndulamo Anthony Morima. Masisi, a trained teacher who has also worked for the United Nations Children's Fund as an education project officer for eight years until 2003, was elected lawmaker in 2009. He served in the president's office as a minister of public affairs from 2011 until 2014 when Khama named him minister of education, a post he held until appointed vice president last year. "The business community sees him as being more business-friendly so that should work well for the economy. He seems to be more likely to come up with regulation that enables more economic activity," said RMB Botswana economist Moatlhodi Sebabole. Masisi takes office more than a year before the election under Botswana's constitution that restricts the president to serving two five-year terms. Khama, son the son of Botswana's first president, Seretse, also took over from Festus Mogae a year before the 2009 election. One of the world's poorest countries in the 1970s, Botswana transformed itself into one of the fastest-growing economies by harnessing around $3 billion a year in diamond sales, to become one of the world's biggest producers, and gained middle-income status. Story continues But dependence on its wealth from the diamond industry might be catching up with the landlocked country of just two million after the collapse in commodity prices in 2014 tipped its economy into recession three years ago. "He is well versed with current challenges that the country is facing and I am sure he is quite capable of delivering," said Mothusi Sename, a 41-year-old taxi driver in Gaborone, referring to Masisi. END OF POLITICAL DYNASTY? Khama's departure leaves his younger brother and tourism minister Tshekedi as the only member of the family holding a high-profile post in the government, and depending on who Masisi picks as vice president, it would be the first time a Khama is not part of the top tier of national leadership. Khama, a 65-year old bachelor, is known as a straight talker having publicly criticized leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump for an alleged slur against African countries and then-president Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe for overstaying his welcome. Khama was born in Britain after his father a married a white British woman Ruth Williams, defying convention and opposition in Africa and Britain. Their story was depicted in the 2016 film 'A United Kingdom'. His party, Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), is expected to name Masisi as its presidential candidate for next year's election. Masisi will be inaugurated on Sunday. (Writing by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Editing by Stephen Powell) See Also: China is developing highly sensitive radars to detect an unexpected enemy: mosquitoes. Once developed, the new devices will be able to detect when a mosquito is flapping its wings miles away. Chinas central government provided a research team with a $12.9 million grant to develop what has been described as a military-grade mosquito net. The research is being carried out by Beijings Institute of Technology using Chinas advanced missile defense system, according to South China Morning Post. The technology being used is the same found on Chinas warships. Trending: Stolen Fried Rice Story Delights Twitter Because the Office Communal Fridge is A Battle Zone The radars can also collect an impressive amount of information about the insects. The radars let off rapid pulses of electromagnetic waves that hit the mosquitoes and then travel back to their origin with information such as the species, gender and direction of flight. This will help scientists discover where the mosquitoes are breeding and could help provide early warnings for communities living close to the areas where the little flies rest. China is working on the radars at a time when scientists and international development specialists are looking for ways to eradicate mosquitoes, a major source of diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and Zika. Don't miss: Chicago, Houston Diehards Fight Over Bean Sculptures in Rival Cities The number of cases of malaria has dropped substantially in China in recent years, but mosquito-borne illnesses are still prevalent in rural, underdeveloped areas. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1 million people die each year from illnesses they caught from mosquitoes. Scientists are also debating whether it would be harmful to the environment to eradicate mosquitoes altogether. Only around six percent of mosquitoes worldwide are femalethe kind that bites humans. Of that six percent, only around half is estimated to carry disease. Story continues There are also around 3,500 different species of mosquitoes, and some scientists have argued that wiping out a small percentage of those species wouldnt harm mosquitoes overall. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Israel Defense Forces Border Police broke up a group of protesters at Jerusalems Damascus Gate on March 31, participating in what was described as a show of solidarity and mourning for those killed in Land Day clashes in Gaza a day earlier. At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured when Israeli forces opened fire on demonstrators gathered at the Gaza-Israel border to mark Land Day on March 30. Thousands of Palestinians gathered along the Gaza Israel border to commemorate the anniversary of the fatal shooting of six Palestinian citizens of Israel, as they protested the Israeli governments expropriation of Palestinian land, more than 40 years ago. Haaretz reported that Israel was to deploy over 100 snipers along the border ahead of the planned protest, and orders to fire could be issued by lower-ranking officers, a change from standard procedure. Credit: Rami Khateeb via Storyful This originally appeared on The Daily Signal. A trade war with China would inflict far more damage on the American economy than could be recouped from tariffs and other protectionist levies. Thats the problem with the Trump administrations unilateral action, taken under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, to levy punitive tariffs on up to $50 billion of goods from China. Trending: Star Citizen Alpha 3.1 Released With Beacons & Customization - Patch Notes Donald_Trump_President_Xi_Jinping Getty Already that decision has prompted a retaliatory response from Beijing that targets 128 American products ranging from soybeans, wine, and various fruits to steel pipes and ethanol. These Chinese taxes on American exports, and higher prices from U.S. taxes on imports, could have wide-reaching negative impacts for the U.S. economy. Beijing has long used coercive tactics to force American companies to transfer intellectual property worth billions into Chinese hands. But countering those abuses with tariffs and sanctions on Chinese imports is not the way to go. In addition to penalizing American consumers, such actions also violate Americas commitments to the World Trade Organization. My Heritage Foundation colleague Riley Walters recommends that the administration and Congress avoid heavy-handed trade restrictions and instead take vigorous steps to protect intellectual property rights while staying true to core American values. Don't miss: Video of Fabolous Threatening Emily Bustamantes Father Leaks After Arrest He urges the U.S. government to pursue complaints about lack of access to Chinas market, including the filing of additional World Trade Organization cases, thereby allowing U.S. companies to remain on the ground in China and take advantage of the growth potential of Chinas economy. Story continues Another colleague, trade economist Tori Whiting, questions whether the Office of the United States Trade Representative conducted a full economic cost-benefit analysis of tariffs on imports from China under Section 301. Did the trade representative present President Donald Trump with comprehensive information about the impact of those tariffs before he made the decision to levy them? Did the president have a complete picture of the many potentially negative consequences the tariffs would create for American workers? Whiting cites a letter from dozens of U.S. business groups, warning the president of a chain reaction of negative consequences arising from tariffs. Among those consequences: reduced U.S. exports; higher costs for American businesses and consumers (especially for electronics, apparel, and other consumer products); and reduced manufacturing competitiveness, due to artificially higher costs of imported intermediate goods. Meanwhile, the business groups cautioned, the fundamental challenges posed by unfair and discriminatory Chinese trade practices would remain unaddressed. Most popular: Father Allegedly Forced Daughter To Sleep On Bathroom Floor Because He Thought She Was Going To Kill Him David Kreutzer, Heritages senior research fellow for labor markets and trade, praises the Trump administrations record for cutting regulations and taxes. Yet, he notes, the 301 tariffs announced this week (and earlier tariffs levied by the administration on steel, aluminum, solar panels, and washing machines) actually amount to new taxes and an increased regulatory burden on companies to comply with the new trade restrictions. The end result of this wealth transfer from the politically impotent to the politically powerful, Kreutzer warns, will be a weaker American economy. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the impact of the Trump administrations protectionist policies on American economic freedom. Over the last two decades, The Heritage Foundations annual Index of Economic Freedom has consistently demonstrated that economically freer countriesthose such as the United States that have opened their societies to new ideas, products, and innovationshave largely achieved high levels of social progress. Centrally-planned economies, such as Chinas economy, do not produce the most positive social outcomes. If China wishes to achieve real social progress, it will have to expand economic freedomand that means lower barriers to market entry and allowing its citizens and companies greater freedom to engage with the world with less government intrusion. Originally published by The National Interest. James M. Roberts is the research fellow in freedom and growth at The Heritage Foundations Center for International Trade and Economics. Roberts primary responsibility is to produce the Index of Economic Freedom, an influential annual analysis of the economic climate of countries throughout the world. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Fulcrum Utility Services was a 'buy' for the Sunday Times' Inside the City column. The electricity and gas infrastructure and services provider, which IPOed on AIM eight years ago after being spun out of National Grid, was tipped as a potential beneficiary of the rise of electric vehicles, though far from the glamorous end of the scale. Electric cars will rely on an infrastructure backbone that is currently "clearly not up to the job" and this could "turbocharge" Fulcrum. Fulcrum's owns and installs power cables and gas pipes for residential and business, with its own assets generating returns over decades. Client jobs include connecting housing estates up to the grid for housebuilders, connecting remote Highland whisky distilleries and a future area could be smart meters. Fulcrum's portfolio of utility assets is worth 13m and churned off 2.1m cash in the six months to end-September, allowing the paying of dividends that see its shares yield about 3.4%. The attraction of using cheap debt to build assets that pay double-digit returns has seen Fulcrum agree a new 20m debt facility. Targeting the electric car charging market, Fulcrum recently spent 22m acquiring a business that specialises in electrical connections and has an electrical licence from the power watchdog Ofgem. A partnership has also been signed with US-based Chargepoint to instal its electric-charging stations. Shares in Greene King were a 'buy' for Questor in the Sunday Telegraph, down 11% since the paper recommended at early December that they should be sold. Shares in the pub company are down as many investors think it will be dragged down by a 2.3bn gross debt pile that dates back three years to the 774m acquisition of the Spirit Pub Company, while the industry faces a consumer slowdown, rising business rates, minimum wage pressures, and commodity and utility costs. On the other side of the coin, the City sees the groups dividend, yielding 7%, as safe and while there are a tough few years ahead, shares trading at eight times next year's earnings, makes the shares attractive. Management boasted a record Christmas in the managed pub estate, though heavy snowy weighed on the wider numbers, with the division's sales down 1.4% in the first 37 weeks of the financial year. Cost cutting amid the downturn in casual dining has seen the Fayre & Square food brand scrapped and a sale of its Loch Fyne seafood chain. Analyst have suggested an activist investor could arrive on the scene, as seen elsewhere in the leisure sector, which could be a catalyst for asset sales, debt restructuring or more sector consolidation. Primary Health Properties was also a 'buy' for Midas in the Mail on Sunday. PHP, which was listed on AIM in 1996 and has since upgraded to the full list, has increased its dividend every year as a public company. PHP owns more than 300 purpose-built healthcare sites that are rented to GPs, pharmacists, dentists and physiotherapists. Management are looking to drum up 100m at a price of 108p to expand the property estate, with the offer at below the current market price of 110.25p open to both new and existing shareholders. Directors have identified a pipeline of opportunities worth roughly 150m in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Rents are agreed in advance so virtually all the income that PHP receives is guaranteed or its Irish equivalent. It was just last month when Donald Trump Jr's wife, Vanessa, was rushed to a local hospital after opening a letter that contained suspicious white powder. On Thursday morning, the suspect was arrested resulting in Donald Jr. quickly responding on social media. My family and I are incredibly relieved to hear this news. No one should ever have to deal with this kind of sickening behavior. Truly amazing work from the @SecretService and other agencies involved. Thank you all for your dedication to law and order. https://t.co/OROvrSzCp3 Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 1, 2018 Donald Jr. on Twitter When Vanessa Trump opened up a letter last month, it contained white powder along with a hate-filled note. After complaining of a headache and stomach pains, she was quickly taken to the hospital for evaluation. Following a review, the powder in question turned out to be nothing more than cornstarch. As reported by NBC News on March 1, police arrested 24-year-old Daniel Frisiello at his home in Beverly, Massachusetts. In addition to the letter sent to Trump, Frisiello also reportedly mailed similar notes to Democratic Sen. Deborah Stabenow, as well as actor Anthony Sabato, Jr, and is facing 10 counts of false information and mail fraud. JUST IN: U.S. Attorneys Office in Massachusetts announces charges against Daniel Frisiello for allegedly sending hoax letter with white powder in envelope to Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump, @Tom_Winter reports NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) March 1, 2018 In response to the arrest, Donald Trump Jr. wasted no time lashing out during a tweet on March 1. "My family and I are incredibly relieved to hear this news. No one should ever have to deal with this kind of sickening behavior," Donald Jr. wrote. "Truly amazing work from the Secret Service and other agencies involved," he added, before concluding, "Thank you all for your dedication to law and order." After just minutes of his post, the younger Trump was met with backlash from those who oppose the current administration. Twitter reactions Following Donald Trump Jr's tweet, critics decided to sound off with a few thoughts of their own. "Oh, so now you 'appreciate' law enforcement and investigations. Expect you'll be just as complimentary when the same law enforcement officials, doing their jobs, come for you and your grifter family," a tweet read. Did you make money off foreign deals, or just Jared? Demodogs and Cats (@DemodogsandCats) March 1, 2018 Oh, so now you 'appreciate' law enforcement and investigations. Expect you'll be just as complimentary when the same law enforcement officials, doing their jobs, come for you and your grifter family. pic.twitter.com/zwYNUG5lsF MariaC (@ArgentinaMama) March 1, 2018 "Did you make money off foreign deals, or just Jared?" one Twitter user wrote. "Jr. yet you thought it was OK to harass a girl and her family on Twitter. Parkland families do not deserve the treatment you gave them. They ended up getting death threats because of you," yet another tweet added. Agreed. Now stop peddling conspiracy theories about high school kids. Tyler Allred (@TylerAllred) March 1, 2018 So you like the justice system when it works in your favor, eh? Voice of Reason (@Montgomery_bjm) March 1, 2018 Jr. yet you thought it was ok to harass a girl and her family on twitter. Parkland families do not deserve the treatment you gave them. They ended up getting death threats becuz of you. Grams67 (@melissabloww55) March 1, 2018 "So you like the justice system when it works in your favor, eh?" an additional tweet noted. "Agreed. Now stop peddling conspiracy theories about high school kids," a follow-up tweet stated in reference to the recent shooting in Parkland, Florida. The backlash continued to pour in as the rift between the political left and the Trump White House shows no signs of coming to an end anytime soon. On Friday (March 30), a large group of students from Rockledge High School in Brevard County, Florida, staged a walkout to show their support of the second amendment and the right to bear arms, WFTV.com and Fox News reported. A few of the students that participated in the second amendment walkout told WFTV that they felt like they were silenced when the previous protest walkout on March 14, became political in support of the 17 victims and the survivors were honored. The pro-second amendment walkout The organizer of the event and a junior at Rockledge High School, Anna Delaney, stated that she is a pro-second amendment and that she would not mind stronger background checks, but that the second amendment, the right to bear arms, will not be infringed upon. The students gathered onto Rockledge High School track field carrying the US flag and held up signs that read guns dont kill people, people kill people. Other signs stated, I support the right to bear arms. A few of the students wore President Donald Trumps MAGA (Make America Great Again) hats along with some wearing camouflage attire. Some of the other students carried Dont Tread on Me flags while others carried the black-and-blue-striped US flags, which are flags designed in support of US law enforcement. Another Rockledge High School told a newspaper reporter that its all over the mainstream media news outlets that all students hate firearms. The student further stated that they wanted to show that not all of the students feel that way about firearms. During the walkout, Chloe Deaton, who assisted Delaney in setting up the walkout, said to the other students in the walkout, We were built on certain rights and that was one of the original rights, that we should have the right to bear arms. Roughly 75 students partook in Fridays second amendment support walkout at the high school and the walkout protest lasted about 20 minutes. The school principal stated that the walkout was allowed and was treated with the same respect as the other walkout protest that occurred at the school a few weeks ago in supporting the Parkland school shooting victims. Students were the sole organizers of both of the walkout events. Parkland, Florida, high school mass shooting 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz committed a mass shooting that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, that resulted in 17 people killed and 14 more were wounded. Cruz admitted his crime to the Broward County Sheriff's Office and was subsequently charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Broward County police and criminal prosecutors have not yet offered a motive and have been investigating Cruzs past that includes several incidents of disciplinary actions and his pattern of disturbing behavior that seemingly grew over the years prior to the school shooting. The 23-year-old grad student of Wilfrid Laurier University Lindsay Shepherd unwillingly became a public figure after a recording surfaced on the internet late last year. Her so-called crime involved showing first-year students a clip from a national television debate on gender-neutral pronouns featuring University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson. She was impressed with the intelligence and maturity of her audience and therefore encouraged friendly discussion on this topic. According to the University, there were complaints that her actions caused harm to transgender students. She found herself up against two professors and a university official. They criticised her neutral position on the topic instead of taking a left wing biased position. Her instinct to record the meeting served her well. The reaction has generated a national debate about Freedom Of Speech and the extreme leftist propaganda being forced on impressionable young people. Further news has surfaced claiming that no student complained about Shepherd. This has made the whole story even darker. Lindsay was branded transphobic after the incident from left wing media. Dave Rubin invited her his popular youtube show "The Rubin Report" to give her side of the story on December 1st. They listened to the recording and critiqued the insanity of the staff at the University. Shepherd explained that she had seen herself as a leftist, but this incident has shown her how corrupt left-wing politics had become. As the left shunned her and branded her the usual derogatory names, the friendly conservatives embraced her with open arms. She said she was still a liberal but was now questioning her side of politics. The second incident that pushed Shepherd further away from left-wing politics happened after she invited far right-wing commentator Faith Goldy to speak at Laurier earlier this month. She wanted to people to hear opposing views and deconstruct them instead of silencing them. Shepherd was subsequently branded a white supremacist from those on the left. This is very likely to be the final cause of her abandonment from the left wing movement. She has not confirmed whether she is now a conservative, but her video makes it clear that she does not want to be associated with left-wing behavior. Why she left the left Here are the main points she made about Leftists; -They are pro-censorship -They encourage victim culture -They claim to be morally righteousness. -They believe that being offended results in a moral victory -They dismiss any personal responsibility -They are intolerant of the diversity of thought -They lack a sense of humor -If you are not 100 committed to them, they vicariously target you with names and slander your reputation making it difficult to find employment. Left-wing discontent is common The conservatives seem to be winning with reports showing generation Z are more conservative than millennials. Trump is in the white house. Britain voted for Brexit. Italy, Germany, Austria, and France have seen an increase in right-wing support. This is not the time for left-wingers to be fencing people out. They need to change their strategy. Paddle-boating tourists enjoying the scene from the DC tidal basin during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival were shocked to discover a corpse floating beside them today. It is a Man's body, but the police have not released a cause of death or the identity of the man. It is currently unknown when he died or any of the circumstances of his death. The body The Washington Examiner, a local newspaper in the capital, was on the scene as the man's body was airlifted from the river. It was originally reported by Anna Giaritelli that the man was a victim of a paddleboat accident and that he was being boarded onto his boat, but this turned out to be false. Update: person fell overboard from tidal basin paddleboat and was rescued by boat. His legs were hanging over the rescue boat as he was taken in. #CherryBlossomDC pic.twitter.com/aQKsXaC3im Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) March 31, 2018 There were reports of a large group of paddleboats surrounding the body initially until the medical helicopter arrived to take the body away. Thousands of tourists come to DC for the festival and many enjoy scenes from the Potomac. Unfortunately, the river was closed after the body was found and the area is being treated as a crime scene. Paid to go paddling at the Tidal Basin but now its a crime scene and I want my money back. pic.twitter.com/wo0dCffGfD gemini (@gemini_drops) March 31, 2018 The Potomac The Potomac River was once one of the nation's dirtiest river. Since 2008, it has gone from a D-rating by the Potomac Conservancy to a B-, its highest ever score. Still, the river is deemed too polluted to fish from or swim in. When boaters go out of the water they are advised not to consume any of the water and to have as little contact with the water as possible. The river has seen a noticeable increase in wildlife, including bald eagles, which had all but disappeared. Algae blooms are no longer as frequent or as large as they once were and the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus have precipitously declined. The next major problem is the raw sewage being dumped into the river upstream from DC. The Clean Rivers Project is working on a construction project to divert sewage away from the main waterways and into a water treatment facility in an attempt to make the river usable for residents. The river has become so polluted because of the increase in urbanization around the river basin. The cities contain few natural barriers, like trees and soil, that might soak up pollutants and run-off from the cities. The DC metro area lost a significant portion of its tree cover in the last two decades. Efforts to clean up the river have made it more attractive to boaters and kayakers over the last decade. Many DC universities, like George Washington University, now have active rowing teams and recreational paddle-boating has become a popular tourist activity. Without this increase it's hard to say how likely it would have been for anyone to find the body in the river. On Sunday morning, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to post his Easter message but it quickly became a rant about his border wall and Daca. Within minutes, critics of the president made sure to hit back with a few thoughts of their own. Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. Caravans coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 Trump on Easter For the second time as President of the United States, Donald Trump is celebrating Easter Sunday. After arriving as his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday, the president spent the weekend with his family before planning to head back to the White House. While Trump has been known to use social media to criticize his political opponents and so-called "fake news" outlets, the commander in chief has also used the platform to post holiday greetings, though appeared to go off course this year. HAPPY EASTER! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 In a series of tweets on April 1, Donald Trump tweeted and wished the American people a Happy Easter, before going off on a multi-tweet meltdown about the future of the DACA program. "Happy Easter," Trump tweet first. "Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal laws like Catch and Release," Trump wrote. "Getting more dangerous. 'Caravans' coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW," he wrote, while announcing in all caps "NO MORE DACA DEAL!" Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018 Not stopping there, the former host of "The Apprentice" then sent two more tweets about immigration. "Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S." Donald Trump noted. "They laugh at our dumb immigration laws," he tweeted, while stating, "They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!" Easter backlash Not long after Donald Trump tweeted his immigration rant on Easter, those who oppose the current administration wasted no time responding back. "Really? On Easter?" one tweet read. Jesus loves you, but doesn't forgive your treason Left Wing Queen of Battle (@CrappyMovies) April 1, 2018 You sound more like a petulant child or a dicktator than a President. You claim the Democrats are using the DACA kids as pawns, as you hold them as pawns. American Values (@TruthJustis4USA) April 1, 2018 "Jesus loves you, but doesn't forgive your treason," a Twitter user wrote. "Are you fuc*ing serious? Can you act or even try to sound presidential for one day?" another tweet added. "I think weve finally identified that 400# man tweeting in his bed," an additional tweet sarcastically wrote. This call out about the wall is simply a ruse to get your Trumpettes agitated so that you can change congressional process to limit our democracy (nuclear option) PutinsPuppet will not stop dismantling our democratic process until we stop him - Resist & #VoteThemOut #BlueWave joe (@iamfabrizio) April 1, 2018 Im sure your religious supporters appreciate this Easter themed tweet. #howdoeshekeepfoolingthem Scott Greenwwod (@SGreenwwod) April 1, 2018 No, he cannot. And he changes his mind from hour to hour. Remember he was saying a week or so ago that if DACA legislation does not pass it is the Democrats' fault? He wouldn't have signed it anyway based on the new comment. Hilda Clark Bowen (@PBMom) April 1, 2018 "Im sure your religious supporters appreciate this Easter themed tweet," a social media user wrote with mockery. "This 'call out' about the wall is simply a ruse to get your Trumpettes agitated so that you can change congressional process to limit our democracy (nuclear option) Putin's Puppet will not stop dismantling our democratic process until we stop him," yet another tweet stated. The 50th Anniversary Commemoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (#MLK50) is fast approaching and with it, America will once again rehash his legacy. In recent years, his estate has made some controversial decisions, such as allowing King's words to be used in advertisements like this year's Dodge Ram Superbowl commercial. The speech they used was King's "The Drum Major Instinct" (1968), which ironically degrades the practice of advertising as immoral and promotes the vision of freedom from consumerism. This 50th Anniversary, let us remember that King saw race and Labor as part of the same movement. In the words of King: All labor has dignity In the last campaign before his murder, King was fighting for the garbage workers of Memphis, Tennessee. The men on the back of the trucks were trying to unionize against the troubles of discrimination from their superiors, low wages, and workplace safety. This was not the beginning of his career as a labor activist. In 1961, King addressed the AFL-CIO saying "Our needs are identical with labors needs..." (Common Dreams) and from there he praised the work of the unions of America as raising the standard of living for the common man. King knew that a new America would not only be free of racial injustice but also the injustice of capital-oriented systems. King was not a socialist. He believed that to bring sustainable justice to the world you had to acknowledge every center of power, whether it be political, economic, or social. A man is a man when he is free from injustice in all aspects of his life so that he can have a choice of how to live. King's rhetoric on race was directly related to the labor movement's rhetoric, as King said in that same speech "negroes are almost entirely a working people and I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness." (AFSCME) King's ties to labor Beyond his broad vision for America, King was close with labor movement across the country on the ground level. It was the leader of the United Auto Workers union who paid the bail after King was jailed in Birmingham. The famous "I Have A Dream" speech delivered at the capitol over the steps of the Lincoln Memorial was the main act of the 1963 "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom," where activists wanted not only a civil rights act, but a national minimum wage of $2.00, equivalent to around $15 per hour by today's standards. Rev. King saw that race-baiting was not the only vector of control on blacks in America, but that economic inequality kept them down as well. His rallies were being held at the same time the government was "red-lining" black neighborhoods for federally backed mortgage loans. This dual practice of economic and social injustice could only be fixed by cross-promoting the goals of labor and civil rights. King believed the common man was getting left behind, black, white, and brown. Years before inequality would become the major focus on leftist protests he proclaimed the United States needed better distribution of wealth. Continuing the legacy As our nation continues to struggle with the injustices of the criminal justice system, we must come together. The poor are the most afflicted population and remain disproportionately minority. Reagan destroyed our labor unions and now the working class has no voice in the American power struggle. To continue the legacy, we must work to continue the balancing of power between races, incomes, and institutions. The capital class has no right to control a disproportionate amount of the lives of labor. A unity among all those who work for a better life must come about. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated leading a labor protest and the fight of the new labor movement honors his name. The island of Formosa has for long been an ally of the United States. It holds the remnants of the Kuomintang party that lost the war to Mao Tse Tung and escaped to Formosa. The Americans normalized relations with China and agreed to cut down contacts with Formosa. They also accepted the one-China policy. America has, however, passed the Taiwan Travel Act that facilitates easier travel by officials between Taiwan and the USA. Yahoo news has reported that this infuriated China which has said that it will use a military option if Taiwan declares independence. Chinese president's threat Trump is a strong man with committed views in line with his political thought. He has now liberalized the coming to America of officials of the Taiwan government. He has also passed legislation to allow American warships to visit the ports in Taiwan. This has infuriated the Chinese President who, in his address to the 3000 delegates at the People Party Conference, stated that China would never accept Taiwan as an independent country. He went on to state that if any attempt was made by Taiwan for independence it would be crushed by force. The situation in the South China Sea is red hot and the Chinese Carrier Group headed by the aircraft carrier Liaoning, sailed through the Taiwan Strait. This sent alarm bells ringing in Taipei which activated its Operational Readiness Platform (ORP) and fighter jets took off to shadow the Chinese fleet. Taipei has reported that the aircraft on the Chinese career were only carrying out routine flights and no danger was expected Taiwan and independence The new President of Taiwan favors Independence. The Chinese will not tolerate it and have threatened to go to war in case that happens. Donald Trump is very clear that the main threat in Southeast Asia is China. He is going about meticulously in trying to contain China in the South China Sea, something which Obama failed to do Taiwan, which has the remnants of the Kuomintang party which ran away from the mainland is propped up by the USA. China has vowed to reclaim Formosa which it says is an integral part of China. The Chinese are feverishly building up their strength and plan to match the United States in the near future. Future it will be interesting to watch what happens once the Chinese achieve military parity with America. The problem of Formosa is not going to be solved easily and has the potential of causing a military clash. The Chinese are not going to give up their dreams of unifying the province with the mainland, and the Americans cannot handover Formosa to China. In case you didnt know, the Duggar family are known somewhat to be a bit of a thrifty family, as they have a whole bunch of financial tips that they share with fans. For instance, they shop at thrift stores and even garage sales. Now, that may surprise some of you readers, as the Duggar family are very well off financially, but their mantra is Buy used, save the difference. However, the family may shop at garage sales, but that doesnt stop them from owning their own private planes. Yes, you heard me right, this rather controversial family actually spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on planes but loves to buy used items to save money. What is the deal with the Duggar family and planes? As mentioned above, the Duggar family go to garage sales to save money but then spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on owning their own fleet of planes. John-David, who is considered the pilot of the Duggar family, got his first plane purchased for him by his father Jim Bob after he was certified to fly a plane. The aircraft that was purchased for him was a Cirrus SR22, which, in 2014, cost approximately $764,900 new. However, judging from the family's financial history, he probably bought him a used one which would in turn cost around $200,000. John-David is not actually the only pilot in the family, as last we heard, Josiah was getting his license, and also, in-law Austin Forsyth is a pilot by profession. Well, now the family apparently own four different private planes and even have their own co-operation, Duggar Aviation LLC, which is licensed in Springdale, Arkansas. Now, to do the math, a high price for a private plane is around $895,000, while a lower priced plane would be around $200,000. Which would mean that the average price would be $597,000. If the family owns at least 6 planes, it would mean that they have spent anywhere in the ballpark of $3,282,000 just on planes. What else is going on with the Duggar family these days? The Duggar family have been a very busy family recently as the new season of their TLC reality television series Counting On just recently started to air, and it is full of drama. For instance, this season could deal with what the consequences were of Jill Duggars husband Derick Dillard being fired from the series after he made transphobic comments about fellow TLC star Jazz Jennings. To keep up with all things Duggar-related be sure to follow them on their social media accounts, and watch their television show Counting On as well. Scheana Marie appeared to have a fun night out in Los Angeles last night (March 1) with several men, including fellow SUR Restaurant employees Jesse Montana and Adam Paul Spott. On the heels of rumors regarding the "Vanderpump Rules" star's potential romance with "Bachelor in Paradise" star Robby Hayes, Scheana shared a few Instagram stories that featured Spott -- and several heart emojis around both of their heads. During their night out, Scheana and Adam Paul Spott enjoyed the company of friends as they listened to a rock band perform. Also included in their night out was Zack Wickman, who is close friends with brittany cartwright, Kristen Doute, and a number of other members of the "Vanderpump Rules" cast. Scheana Marie flirted with Robby Hayes days ago As fans may have seen, Scheana previously shared a photo of Robby Hayes on her Instagram page and promptly sparked rumors of a romance by included a yellow heart in the caption. The reality star then further fueled the idea that she was involved in a secret romance with Hayes when she applauded a "handsome" photo of him on his own Instagram page. When Scheana Marie first shared her photo of Robby Hayes on Instagram, "Vanderpump Rules" viewers were happy to see that the SUR waitress was seemingly moving on from her allegedly obsessive behavior with former boyfriend Robert Parks-Valletta. Scheana dated Rob throughout the first half of the sixth season of the show and began discussing marriage and kids just months into their romance. She also gushed over Parks-Valletta's ability to do absolutely anything and said he treated her to much more lavish things, including a private chef, than her former husband Mike Shay was able to do. Robert Parks-Valletta was accused of cheating on Scheana A few months into their relationship, Scheana and Rob's romance was faced with claims of cheating. As fans will recall, Kristen Doute and Brittany Cartwright revealed that Rob had allegedly kissed another woman during a visit to a nightclub last year. However, as Scheana explained, the rumor couldn't possibly be true because her now-ex-boyfriend doesn't like to kiss. She then said that if his lips did come into contact with someone else's lips, it was just an accident. To see more of Scheana Marie and her co-stars, including ex-boyfriend Robert Parks-Valletta, tune into new episodes of the sixth season of "Vanderpump Rules" on Mondays at 9 PM. IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, released a statement warning the governors of the region that they had outlived their usefulness and if the Nigerian army kills any IPOB protesters, then the governors and their families would not be spared. The activists are threatening to break up a summit that will decide the fate of the Biafra region for the next 100 years. What is Biafra? Biafra is an oil-rich region in southern Nigeria inhabited by the Igbo ethnic minority, who fought a secessionist war in the 60s. The war started because of instability stemming from the decolonization process and the persecution of Igbo peoples in the north. There were around 100,000 military casualties during the war, but a government-imposed famine killed nearly 2 million Igbo people. The region is currently governed by politicians with close ties to the north and Igbo elders who are opposed to more conflict with the national government, but a new generation has renewed calls for an independent state. Due to its massive natural wealth, the Nigerian government is unlikely to ever relinquish control, causing the IPOB to resort to more aggressive tactics. In 2017 a peaceful protest was disrupted by Nigerian soldiers firing into the crowd, killing 150 protesters. Since then, rhetoric has been increasingly violent from the Igbo nationalists, who view the acts of aggression as an invitation to another war. The summit The summit in question is being held in Enugu between Igbo elders and military officials about the future of power in the region. IPOB protesters see it as a power grab by the northern ethnic tribes and an overreach by the federal government. They have vowed to send in protesters to physically prohibit the conference, saying that any such agreement to enslave the Igbo youth won't be tolerated. Igbo youth are suspected to have broken up similar talks in Enugu just last month. Powers said in her statement that if any of the protesters were killed, then the governors of the region and their families will meet the same fate. As reported by Vanguard Nigeria, Secretary Powers also said the IPOB was willing to meet with government officials to discuss a regional referendum on independence, but not on any restructuring measures. Executions Amnesty International reports that the youth activists are being killed without a day in court for being a member of the IPOB. Many leaders were taken from their home in the night before a planned protest May 30th, 2016, and many more were abducted on their way to work. The protests went ahead as scheduled in multiple locations and around 60 protesters were killed by police forces. The wife of a prominent activist, who wished to stay anonymous, told AI that her husband had called her that day and she listened as he was murdered in his vehicle. Some protesters reported being subjected to acid attacks by the soldiers. Conklin Clinics building new $3.1 home on Eighth Avenue Northeast A new Conklin Clinics building, which will cost about $3.1 million is expected to be completed by the spring of 2022. For former photojournalist Rick Kozak, it wasnt the military mission in 2005 and resulting shrapnel wound that led him away from his profession; it was a mission he chose not to go on. That mission was in 2008, when he decided to pass on an opportunity to go outside the wire near Baghdad in a Bradley armored vehicle. That vehicle hit an improvised explosive device about the size of a Volkswagen, Kozak said, destroying it and burning alive all inside it. That was the most sobering experience for this recent Rio Rancho resident who, during his long career, won the White House National Photographers Association Picture of the Year Award four consecutive years, played horseshoes at the White House with President George H.W. Bush and had assignments around the world, from Argentina and Belfast to Japan, Moscow and South Africa. One assignment led to his eventual move here, a virtual photo-essay trip along Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica Pier, Calif., in 1996, during Bill Clintons Pulse of America junket. Youll have a chance to see several dozen of his best photos at Rio Ranchos Loma Colorado Main Library April 2-28 during Richard E. Kozak Retrospective: Four Decades in Photojournalism. There will be a public reception for Kozak and his wife of six years, Elaine, at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 5. His pictures are always of the unexpected, Elaine Kozak, a native of Lancaster, Pa., says. Being a photographer is what Kozak dreamt about since his childhood, when he discovered photography equipment in a trunk from his fathers days in World War II. I want to see the world, Kozak told his father. He attended Kent State University, but got bored and headed to Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he found an intense, 2-year program. He graduated and returned east in 1980, soon finding work at the Lorraine (Ohio) Journal. A few years later, Kozak was working for the then-new Washington Times. When the Times launched a magazine, Insight, around 1988, Kozak headed there. I liked the politics of Washington, he said. I enjoyed covering political campaigns. I traveled with a lot of different candidates, especially for the primaries. Then, Kozak had the opportunity to cover the war in Nicaragua. I got hooked on wars, he said. Theyre totally unpredictable. Back in the U.S., he covered events at the White House playing horseshoes at a picnic there, when he inadvertently hit Bush with an errant pitch that bounced and worked on a piece about Gen. Colin Powell. Powell later sent a wonderful letter to Kozaks father, then dying from terminal cancer. Insight, he said, kinda folded about 2004, and he was ready for something else. After 10 years as a freelancer, Kozak got a job with the Army Times Publishing Co., owned by Gannett, and, Three months later, Im in Iraq. He wound up serving two tours there, covering missions every day, wearing body armor and a helmet. I hooked up with the Marines, he said, of his most-memorable mission, with an offensive on the border with Syria. He was with a gunny (gunnery) sergeant for two weeks, closing in on a mosque as part of Operation Steel Curtain. Then, he recalled, This mosque opens up on us a big group of Al-Qaeda. He gets hit; I get hit and all hell breaks loose. I got hit in the face I saw it coming at me. Three years later, Kozak was back in Iraq at Forward Operating Base Apache, near the northeast corner of Baghdad. A mission he accompanied one June day had been totally uneventful, and that led to the military planning a similar mission for that afternoon in Adhamiyah, one of Baghdads worst neighborhoods. Fortuitously, Kozak opted after the briefing to remain on the base to work. Ten minutes later, all hell broke loose, he said, and he soon learned of the Bradleys destruction and the deaths of the men inside. That sent me into a tizzy, Kozak said. I was stateside in August; I was in rough shape, and in a deep depression. I was extra-paranoid, was on a three-month leave, saw a shrink. In 2009, I was placed on disability. As for the photo exhibit, he said, I hope (viewers) get an understanding that this is a pretty great country were living in, despite political issues and conflicts in the world. We often take ourselves for granted as a country and there are so many great things here and Americans focus on the negative. Wolves are coming to the University of New Mexico campus. The Biology Undergraduate Society is bringing the schools mascot to life in an effort to raise awareness about wolves and provide accurate information about them, according to co-Vice President Audrey Haesen. The main point is to educate about wildlife conservation, she said. We want to educate people from different backgrounds who may not have knowledge of wolves. Wolf Fest 2018 will take place April 20 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Popejoy Hall and the Fine Arts building. The stars of the show will be Angel and Bindi, two ambassador wolves from the Wanagi Wolf Rescue in Tijeras. They will be at the event from noon until 3 p.m. Angel is an Arctic wolf, while Bindi is a mix of coyote, gray wolf and husky. Attendees will be able to pet the wolves and take a photo with them for a $10 donation that benefits the Wanagi sanctuary. Stephanie Kaylan started the sanctuary 25 years ago on her property in Tijeras after moving to New Mexico. Previously, she lived in Los Angeles and worked in the music business. She said she fled after the Northridge earthquake in 1994 that killed more than 60 people. I said, Im out,' she said. That was it. I left a lot of money, but the quality of life in New Mexico is so much better. Kaylan said she always had a fondness for animals when she was growing up, which sometimes frustrated her mother. I was one of those children that would bring home animals that were hurt, she said. My mother told me, When you have your own house, you can have any animals you want. Now look. Kaylan has a pack of 12 wolves she rescued. Her organization rescues wolves that were born in captivity. None of her wolves were born in the wild. She said people breed the wolves and sell them as pets and that doesnt work out well for either party. She said the wolves may end up at a shelter and eventually euthanized. She speaks out against breeding the animals and hopes to educate people on what to expect when owning a wolf. These wolves have not been socialized by the breeders, she said. The human doesnt know what they are about to get into. Then (the wolf) eats their couch because they are bored. While Kaylans group deals exclusively with wolves born and bred in captivity, the event also aims to raise awareness about wild wolves, which can be a controversial topic in New Mexico. In March 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started its Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project. The aim was to reintroduce the endangered Mexican gray wolves back into their natural habitats in New Mexico and Arizona. Both ranchers and environmentalists have criticized the Fish and Wildlife Services management of the wolves. Ranchers assert the wolves are a danger to their livelihoods, sometimes killing livestock, and environmentalists want the organization to release more wolves. Kaylan started her sanctuary after Jacque Evans, founder of Wild Spirit Sanctuary, entrusted her with two wolves from her sanctuary. The Wild Spirit group rescues captive-bred wolves, wolf dogs and other breeds. Evans opened the sanctuary in 1991. Kaylan attends events around the Albuquerque area frequently and sees it as part of her mission. I want to show people how amazing and beautiful and intelligent these animals are, she said. Wolf Fest 2018 WHEN: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, April 20 WHERE: University of New Mexico campus between Popejoy Hall and the Fine Arts building WHAT: Information booths and two wolves COST: Event is free, but a $10 donation is requested to take photos with the wolves Winter had trespassed into spring the day I visited Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg, Austria, where Julie Andrews and the Von Trapp children sang and danced their way through Do-Re-Mi. Snowflakes stuck to my nose and eyelashes and also found their icy way down my neck. Not that I cared. As a fan of The Sound of Music since forever, I was thrilled to skip in the footsteps of Maria & Co., snow and all. Turns out visiting the setting of a much-loved movie is a popular pastime, from the bar of the Park Hyatt Tokyo (Lost in Translation) to New Yorks Cafe Lalo (Youve Got Mail). You too can make a scene at these real-world locations connected to classic films and fan favorites. ROCKY Even if youve never watched any of the Rocky movies (guilty), chances are youre familiar with the stirring scene(s) where Sylvester Stallone bounds up the steps to Philadelphias Museum of Art. Run, walk or just amble your way up the 72 steps. Then turn around and enjoy the view of the city. HARRY POTTER See props, costumes, sets and more at the Harry Potter studio tour in Leavesdon, north of London. Warner Bros. Studio Tour London The Making of Harry Potter is located next to the studios where the movies were filmed. Other Potter places include Kings Cross Station in London, where officials have obligingly added a sign for the fictional Platform 9-3/4 complete with a trolley embedded in a wall, and Leadenhall Market, which provided exteriors for Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in the first movie. In Scotland, the Glenfinnan Viaduct is instantly recognizable as the bridge that carries the Hogwarts Express. The Jacobite Steam Train passes over the viaduct traveling from Fort William to Mallaig. LORD OF THE RINGS Middle-earth has been a high point for New Zealand tourism. Scores of tours take in the films stunning landscapes, from beautiful Lake Wakatipu in the South Island to the North Islands Hobbiton, a former movie set for the Shire, but a lot of folks show up here more interested in having what shes having. This was the setting of the scene in which Meg Ryans character, Sally, demonstrates to Billy Crystals character, Harry, that he knows less about women than he thinks. Be prepared to pay $20 or more for a signature sandwich. THE SOUND OF MUSIC Bus or van tours take fans to many Sound of Music locations around Salzburg. With a map, you can find some spots yourself. Several lake scenes were shot at the Schloss Leopoldskron, now a hotel and conference center. The (smallish) palace is decorated in grand style, including an ornate and gilded Venetian room which inspired the movies much-larger ballroom. Dont miss: sitting on the terrace and channeling some well-bred snark, baroness style. THE SHINING The movie of Stephen Kings horror novel The Shining wasnt shot at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo., but it was the inspiration for creepy Overlook Hotel. King and his wife were the sole guests at the Stanley shortly before a seasonal closing when King was visited by a nightmare that germinated into the ghoulish plot. The story involves an offseason caretaker who becomes a maniac after discovering the hotels secrets. Ghost tours are available and the hotel has installed a hedge maze (featured in the movie, not the book). The Stanley was used during filming of The Shining TV series and has been a location for the movie Dumb and Dumber. Were talking Trevi Fountain, a Rome must-see. Time your visit early or late; its crowded. A CHRISTMAS STORY This 1985 movie about a boy who yearns for a Red Ryder BB gun is a holiday tradition for many. The Cleveland, Ohio, house where Ralphie and his family lived is open for tours and even overnight stays with a museum across the street. AMELIE Quirky and charming, Amelie, the 2001 hit starring Audrey Tatou, features several locations in Paris Montmartre district. Cafe des 2 Moulins, where Amelie works, is a neighborhood hangout, but youll find an Amelie poster on the wall and a few other links to the film. THE THIRD MAN This noir classic starring Orson Welles as the amoral Harry Lime showed the gritty as well as the picturesque side of Vienna in the aftermath of World War II. There are tours in Limes footsteps and a Third Man Museum with film memorabilia. You can visit the giant ferris wheel (Riesenrad), where Lime and his former friend, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), meet in a showdown that still crackles with menace. LA LA LAND, REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE Griffith Observatory, set in the hills above Los Angeles, is worth visiting no matter what. The views are spectacular on a clear night. But movie fans have extra motivation. The planetarium inspired the dance scene (actually shot on a movie set) where Mia and Sebastian waltz among the stars. La La Land references another movie that used the setting to dramatic effect, Rebel Without a Cause. A knife fight between Jim (James Dean) and Buzz (Corey Allen) takes place at the observatory (following a visit to the planetarium) as does the 1955 classics wrenching finale. THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN, LA DOLCE VITA, ROMAN HOLIDAY Anita Ekberg (La Dolce Vita) waded in it, evening gown and all. Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday) got her hair cut near it. And Dorothy McGuire (Three Coins in the Fountain) made a wish on it. Were talking Trevi Fountain, a Rome must-see. Time your visit early or late; its crowded. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY Katzs Delicatessen on New Yorks Lower East Side makes a fine pastrami sandwich, but a lot of folks show up here more interested in having what shes having. This was the setting of the scene in which Meg Ryans character, Sally, demonstrates to Billy Crystals character, Harry, that he knows less about women than he thinks. Be prepared to pay $20 or more for a signature sandwich. A star-flecked cactus rocket piloted by an astronaut owl leans a diagonal trajectory in front of Larry Bob Phillips South Valley studio. The self-described draw-er and muralist created the piece in the hopes of producing a fiberglass version. But the avian-meets-succulent greeter is something of an anomaly. The artists studio spills over with sheets and rolls of pen-and-ink portraits, magical landscapes and opposing murals of Phillips and his wife, Tammy. The painter of murals at 516 ARTS and, most recently, Santa Fes Meow Wolf, is working on a comic book about fracking in New Mexico. Hydraulic fracturing is the fracturing of rock or tight sand by hydraulic pressure, using a combination of water, sand and chemical additives to extract natural gas and petroleum. Phillips leafed through a stack of portraits of the players in the recent Sandoval County controversy. In December, county officials voted to reject a proposed ordinance that would have regulated oil and gas activities on unincorporated land for the first time because of overwhelming grass-roots opposition to fracking. Meticulously inked black and white images of Gov. Susana Martinez, conservative financier David Koch, various county commissioners and activists lie across tables. Rolled drawings dangle from a wooden latticework hanging from the ceiling. It touches on a lot of things Im interested in, the artist said, how cultures change and learn. NASA had to tell New Mexico that it had a methane cloud over the Four Corners area. Methane is a greenhouse gas responsible for about one-quarter of global warming. Phillips unscrolled drawing after drawing as he spoke about the project. He created shadows and shaping through what could be tiny pixels or Ben-Ray comic book dots. I probably wouldnt call it photorealism, but a lot of it is photo-based, he said. Theres a lot of tension between the cartoon relationship and representational work, he continued. I like ink on paper because I can make a lot of work and its not too precious, he added. One hundred dollars will get you through the year easily. 516 ARTS Executive Director Suzanne Sbarge chose Phillips to complete three murals, including 2014s Brainbow Alley, with its mash-up of skeletons and portraits of Albuquerque artists splashed across the gallerys back wall. He is extremely accomplished and versatile and hes great to work with and he has an amazing vision, Sbarge said. Hes very grounded in the community and local culture. The mural in the Meow Wolf foyer swirls with Phillips trademark imagery. Its arguably an alien landscape, Meow Wolf chief creative officer Caity Kennedy said, a kind of abstract landscape in vivid colors. We worked with Larry Bob before we opened. He did a mural at the back of our building. Also, we love his painting; its very beautiful and psychedelic. Phillips grew up in Amarillo, Texas, with an artist mother and grandfather. By the age of 10, I had a sense of guilt around not drawing, he said. I was always the second-best draw-er. Its OK, he added. Picasso was the first-best about cubism; Braque was the second-best- and I like Braques work better. Phillips came to Albuquerque to attend the University of New Mexico and stayed. I was living in New York and 9/11 happened, he said. I looked at my bank account and my studio life and I decided to go to graduate school. I fell in love with the history and the traditions (of New Mexico). The general culture of the U.S. has obliterated traditional culture. And Im blown away by the artistic traditions in New Mexico. 516 exhibitions manager Claude Smith compared Phillips visual complexity to the Op art movement of the 1960s. There were several panels he just painted on the wall without a sketch, Smith said. He has this unique ability to pull out historic art images and contemporary graphic novels. Hes comfortable with all that visual language. There have been lots of warnings about skimming machines on gas pumps that steal credit card information when you choose the option of paying outside. In fact, Albuquerque police recently arrested one man and said they were looking for others involved in a sophisticated skimming operation that tapped into gas station ATMs around the city. Now, a reader says he believes he was the victim of a skimming device attached to an air pump that accepted credit card payments for inflating tires. These kind of pumps are often located on the edge of a gas stations parking area, where there isnt much traffic and where theyre out of view of an indoor clerk. Avoid getting ripped off in this way by checking to see if there are signs that the card reader has been disturbed and noticing whether your card sticks a bit in the slot. If you are at all uncertain about the readers integrity, pay inside. As if there arent enough reasons to be concerned about Facebook. Scammers are now calling people in New Mexico offering to help fix your account so you can avoid sharing data with others, according to the state Attorney Generals Office. To make the fixes, the callers say, they first need your subscriber information and related data. Dont fall for this. The scammers are trying to capitalize on concerns stemming from the revelation that data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica may have used information obtained improperly from 50 million Facebook users. Never share your personal information with a stranger, no matter who the caller pretends to be, Attorney General Hector Balderas said. If you need your Facebook information fixed, go to Facebook and access your account settings and fix it that way. Job scams have gotten a lot more sophisticated, the Better Business Bureau says. Reports are coming in about bogus recruiters or business owners who are going a step beyond the usual scam by conducting job interviews over Skype or Google Hangouts, which offer online chat rooms. They reel you in with amazing perks like all remote work, flexible hours and the best-ever pay. Previously, they would hire you as soon as you responded, but now theyre adding the face-to-face encounters to add legitimacy and to gain your confidence, the BBB says. The interviewer and the questions may seem very professional, the BBB says. After that point, the scenario proceeds this way: The scammer sends you a check to cover the costs of your first assignment or the purchase of needed supplies. However, you first must transfer some of the money back to the company or to a representative. The check is fake and any money you transfer will be lost for good, the BBB says. In some cases, the bogus company rep will ask for money or personal information, supposedly needed to cover training costs or a background check or to set up direct deposit. The BBB recommends doing the following: Be cautious about an advertised job that sounds incredibly wonderful, with lots of benefits and, especially, if it requires no special training. Research companies and jobs before agreeing to an interview. Make sure the company is legitimate, and the job is posted on its website. Watch out for the overpayment scam. No real job will ever overpay you and then ask you to send funds somewhere else. Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal. Contact her at emarks@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3842 if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-844-255-9210. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Five million dollars for teachers. Thats how much money was made available for bonuses for highly ranked educators working in a state with high teacher turnover and large amounts of vacancies. And teachers unions, which have openly disagreed with the bonuses and called them an infringement on collective bargaining agreement rights, are now saying they wont stand in the way of teachers getting the money. The Excellence in Teaching Awards $5,000 for exemplary teachers and $10,000 for exemplary math and science teachers in the 2017-18 school year was included in the budget Gov. Susana Martinez signed earlier this month. It contained a $5 million allotment for the rewards, part of an effort to keep high-performing teachers in the profession. The bonuses come after New Mexico had 443 teacher vacancies in 2016, according to New Mexico State Universitys educator vacancy report. In the same year, New Mexico was ranked second in the country for teacher turnover by the Learning Policy Institute. While there is a consensus that New Mexico needs to keep its qualified teachers, the consensus on how to do that isnt clear. And although the unions arent blocking the bonuses this coming fall, they remain steadfast that they ideologically disagree with the system. The unions Betsy Patterson, president of the National Education Association of New Mexico, who had previously said unions might be able to stop the bonuses by invoking their collective bargaining rights under state law, told the Journal last week that she wont take any legal action against the bonuses, but rather plans on electing a governor that sees what should be done right. Originally, a provision was placed on the bonuses that would have given unions the ability to decide whether to participate, but that was ultimately vetoed by the governor. Patterson also said NEA, which disagrees with the bonuses because of what it calls flawed methodology, wont interfere with the process in the coming year. An educators ranking is determined by the states evaluation system, which includes student test scores, classroom observations and attendance, among other things. Teachers are rated on a scale of ineffective, minimally effective, effective, highly effective and exemplary. What we have done so far is, any district that applies for the money and is receiving it, we are having the local districts let the teachers get the money, she said. But Patterson said that if districts are planning on the money for the 2019-2020 year, NEA wants the districts to bargain beforehand through a union. She said NEA wont ever stand in the way of teachers getting paid more money. The Albuquerque Teachers Federation is taking a similar stance, saying the union is still fundamentally against merit pay, but its up to the individual teachers to decide whether they will take the money. It is the unions job to bargain for everybody we represent in the most fair and equitable way, said Ellen Bernstein, ATF president. This is the opposite of what a union does. This is divisive; we are collective. We would like the Martinez administration and the (Public Education Department) to stop pushing a broken system. The teachers Sean Thomas, a teacher of 13 years who scored as highly effective last year, doesnt support the bonuses. When you look at our profession as a whole, its starting to pit teachers against other teachers with the idea of whos good and whos bad, said Thomas, who is also the executive vice president of ATF. Thomas said he was in the running for the bonus and was about one point away from being an exemplary teacher last year. And if he is rewarded with the bonus in the future, he said he wont take it. Its based on such an unclear equation, he said. If you dont have a good tool to measure, then you cant punish or reward teachers. Thomas, a social studies teacher at Eldorado High School, would rather see more funding go toward mentorship programs for new teachers and a different evaluation system put into place. I want my evaluation to be based off of what I actually do in the classroom and not over tests I have no control over, he said. Joe Dan Lovato, who has been a teacher for a decade, agrees the evaluation system may have some flaws but says he ultimately agrees with the rewards. The science teacher at the Albuquerque Public Schools-chartered La Resolana Leadership Academy thinks at the end of the day its important to reward people who are doing a good job. Coming from one of the lowest paid states for teachers and probably doing a little harder work than some school districts might require outside of our state, I think any kind of reward is good, especially for people who are doing a good job, he said. For APS, teachers start at about $34,000, according to the districts website. But Lovato wants to see a more inclusive way to reward teachers. I wish the PED would be able to find another way of tiering an incentive pay for those close to being exemplary, he said, adding that highly effective teachers are still part of a schools success. Lovato also said the evaluation system is hit or miss and can be too subjective. You could have someone come in and evaluate you and they may not like you, he said. Lovato said he has been an exemplary teacher two years in a row, and anticipates getting the $10,000 bonus this year. He plans to accept the money but wants to put it back into the school, sharing it with school staff who are rated as highly effective. I do think we are moving in the right direction, he said about the bonuses. PED Excellence in teaching should be celebrated, rewarded, championed and recognized, Public Education Secretary-designate Christopher Ruszkowski said. PED stood by its evaluation system, citing decades of research. Ruszkowski noted the system itself is based on a study of effective teaching methods called the MET project, a research partnership between 3,000 teacher volunteers and dozens of independent research teams, according to the projects online description. One of the things thats new and why the unions dont like it is because we do emphasize that teachers do impact learning in our model, Deputy Secretary Matthew Montano said. It goes from a time that we didnt use any kind of student performance to evaluate how teachers are to now using a really good measure of student performance. Montano also said PED has never claimed the test is flawless. We have never said any system we have is perfect, he said. Its significantly better in evaluating teachers and schools than any other system in the country. Ruszkowski said he agrees that highly effective teachers should be rewarded, too, but from an appropriations perspective, we had to fight tooth and nail just to ensure the $5 million for exemplary. Montano said PED has made higher salaries accessible to a broader range of teachers through eligibility changes in its licensure program. That actually equates to between an $8,000 and $10,000 raise in these teachers salaries, he said. How the bonuses work After the 2017-18 exemplary teachers are officially identified for the bonuses by late summer, districts will be given award letters for the total amount of the bonuses earned by each teacher. It will then be the districts responsibilities to distribute the money through their payrolls, according to PED. By late fall, the awards will be sent to districts. Ruszkowski said all teachers under the exemplary distinction are eligible for the bonuses despite collective bargaining terms at the school. PED can also adjust the award amount as needed to ensure that all exemplary teachers receive awards. If the money isnt used, it reverts to the general fund. But PED said that is exceedingly unlikely. The only way this would happen is if there are drastically fewer exemplary teachers and even by awarding everyone the maximum awards not all funds are expended, PED spokeswoman Lida Alikhani wrote in an email to the Journal. Exemplary teachers in NM The percentage of effective teachers in the state grew last year overall and exemplary teachers grew 0.7 percentage points in 2017 from the previous year. For APS, 3.7 percent of teachers were rated as exemplary in 2017, up slightly from 3.1 percent in 2016. PED told the Journal that 135 APS teachers and 972 teachers statewide were rated exemplary during the 2016-2017 school year. Within APS, which has approximately 6,000 teachers this year, according to APS spokeswoman Monica Armenta, 63 of the exemplary teachers were elementary teachers, 42 were middle school teachers and 30 were high school teachers. In Rio Rancho, a total of 56 teachers were rated exemplary: 29 high school, 20 elementary and seven middle school. To earn an exemplary rating, educators must score at least 173 out of 200 points on their review. What is on a teachers review? 35% on growth in student achievement 40% on observation at least twice a year of a teachers classroom practice 15% on professional practices, including self-development, planning and preparation 5% on student or parent surveys 5% on teacher attendance Source: New Mexico Public Education Department Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal With a new law taking effect July 1, the state Supreme Court has appointed a rules committee to get down to the details of reforming the states adult guardianship system but the groups composition is drawing criticism for including guardianship professionals but excluding critics and family members of incapacitated people. Of the 22 people who applied to serve on the rules committee, the Supreme Court appointed eight members two judges, five attorneys and a professional court visitor who advises judges in guardianship cases. The court visitor was the sole non-attorney appointed. Having seen the list, it looks like more of the same going on with the courts, said Emily Darnell Nunez of Albuquerque, whose family was embroiled in a controversial guardianship case, beginning in 2010. Some of these people make their living out of being attorneys for guardianship cases. So it looks like insiders. One non-lawyer who applied, but wasnt appointed, is Jorja Armijo-Brasher, former director of the city of Albuquerques Department of Senior Affairs. She has been a vocal critic of the current system and served on the guardianship commission appointed by the Supreme Court to recommend improvements. That commissions work ended Jan. 1, with a slate of reforms proposed. The hope was when it (the rules committee) went forward that there was potential and there would be some real scrutiny of the processes and procedures being used, Armijo-Brasher said last week. Theres always the concern when the people working for that industry may be the only ones looking at themselves. It is hard to always look at yourself without having other eyes to help you see clearly. Chairing the rules committee is Gaelle McConnell, an Albuquerque lawyer, who also served the Supreme Court commission last year. McConnell has a background in guardianship and conservatorship law. The judges appointed are both from Albuquerque: Shannon Bacon, who has openly advocated change in legislative hearings, and Nancy Franchini, also a member of last years Supreme Court guardianship commission. Other members include Sarah Steadman, a professor at the University of New Mexico Law School, Alice Liu McCoy, a lawyer with Disability Rights New Mexico, and Mary H. Smith, a former assistant attorney general, who most recently worked for the states Office of Guardianship, which provides legal guardianship services to low-income incapacitated people. The list also includes longtime Albuquerque attorney Ruth Pregenzer, who has specialized in elder law, probate and guardianship matters; and Mary Galvez, who has frequently worked as an appointed court visitor in guardianship cases. Pregenzer, who said she no longer takes new guardianship cases, said in an interview Thursday that she understands concerns raised by critics. This (rules committee) is hard work. Im not saying anybody cant do it, but it doesnt hurt to have some knowledge of the law, and some knowledge of the area of law that youre being asked to prepare rules for. I dont think that because I have expertise in this area that I represent the status quo. She also said the public will be able to comment on the proposed rules before they are adopted by the Supreme Court. The rules committee work is considered especially important in view of this years legislative session. The Senate bill that passed and goes into effect July 1 addressed several key concerns raised by advocates: more transparency in the now closed legal system by which incapacitated people are appointed guardians; more notice to family members of court proceedings; requiring financial bonds for professional conservators; and allowing greater visitation by relatives and others. But other proposed legislative reforms were put on hold at the urging of the judiciary. Some see the rules committee as a vehicle for additional change without the need for legislation although some say the committee could conceivably propose rules to limit the impact of some of the changes. I dont know what direction this is going now, Armijo-Brasher told the Journal last week. Is it going in the direction we had hoped? Important work The Supreme Court commission last year recommended the formation of the rules committee, and eight possible rules. They include: Requiring mediation in contested cases. Requiring national certification for professional, guardians and conservators. Addressing the court practice by which the petitioners attorney can stack the deck in favor of a guardianship by recommending to the judge who should serve as guardian, guardian ad litem, court visitor and the health care expert. Critics have challenged whether appointed professionals are really working for the best interest of a protected person or family when it is the petitioners lawyer who has recommended their hiring. Darnell Nunez served on the Supreme Court guardianship commission last year. She decided not to apply to serve on the rules committee, but she said it has the potential to make important changes. These (protected people) arent criminals were talking about. Were talking about elderly people who are sick. Ordinary people who have lived good lives, who dont deserve to have the fleecing of them at the end. Is this rules committee going to be the rules committee that creates the changes needed to make the guardianship system fairer and right for our elderly population? Both Pregenzer and Galvez were involved in the high-profile guardian/conservator case involving the mother of Emily Darnell Nunez, Corrales resident Blair Darnell. As profiled in a Journal series in 2016, most of Darnells adult children were highly critical of the closed guardian/conservator process and the fees charged by the professionals appointed to make decisions for Darnells care and her finances. Both Pregenzer and Galvez also testified last May before the Supreme Court guardianship commission, chaired by retired District Judge Wendy York. During her appearance, Pregenzer defended the professionals who are appointed on the recommendation of the person seeking the guardianship for an incapacitated person. Many petitions for guardianship arent contested by family members of others, but some are. Regardless of who nominates them to serve in these roles, (they) take their position very seriously, Pregenzer told the commission last year. Rather than rubber stamp any particular position put forth in a petition, they do their own independent investigation and try their best to provide helpful recommendations to the judge who has to make one of the most difficult decisions a judge can make. But the final report of the guardianship commission cited other testimony from several commenters that the current system allows the petitioning attorney to stack the deck in the petitioners favor. The Commission strongly believes that this practice should be avoided due to the potential of a conflict of interest. Some other states randomly select guardian ad litem attorneys for the alleged incapacitated person. In California, a court staff investigator also reviews petitions and advises the judge. In New Mexico, theres no court rule requiring the petitioners attorney to recommend appointees, but the practice has been described as a convenience for judges. The professionals who advise the court are paid from the protected persons estate if a guardianship is granted. In her testimony to the commission last year, Pregenzer said that more transparency would allow professionals to respond when family members publicly criticize their actions. Under current law, when guardians or attorneys are hammered by criticism, Pregenzer said they cannot explain their decisions, because the cases are sequestered. Yet, she told the commission, family members can explain their position to the news media. Im not against reforms, she told the Journal last week. She said the new guardianship laws mandate for open hearings is going to help provide a more balanced view of the process, and heaven knows there are problems with the process. Powerful Once appointed, guardians and conservators have virtual carte blanche over a protected persons life and financial decisions, and can dictate whether family members will be allowed to have contact with them. Top managers in one now-closed Albuquerque-based guardianship firm have been indicted on federal charges alleging they stole millions of dollars from their New Mexico clients. The firm had been appointed in hundreds of cases. There has been widespread criticism, here and nationally, that protected people under some guardianships or conservatorships are being isolated and their funds mismanaged. The Journal reported recently that required annual reports guardians and conservators are supposed to file with the court about the welfare and finances of the protected person in their care were missing in dozens of cases in southern New Mexico alone. Moreover, the courts dont have the computer capability to say with certainty how many people in New Mexico are currently under a guardianship or conservatorship. Steering committee appointees In a related action, the state Supreme Court also announced the appointment of a separate steering committee to recommend how best to use a $1 million appropriation from the Legislature this year to help enact guardianship reforms passed in SB 19, which take effect July 1. That committee includes the bills sponsor, Sen. Jim White, R-Albuquerque; and Rep. Daymon Ely, D-Corrales; along with state Auditor Wayne Johnson; Leslie Porter, cabinet director for Gov. Susana Martinez; state District Judges Shannon Bacon, Nancy Franchini, both of Albuquerque; James T. Martin of Las Cruces; David Thomson of Santa Fe; and Louis McDonald, whose district covers Sandoval, Valencia and Cibola counties. Three staff members from the Administrative Office of the Courts will serve as non-voting committee members. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal As they move around the casket, washing its long-haired occupant with water and rosemary oil and adjusting the white linens in the coffin, Annabel Griego and JoAnn Ulibarri talk to each other and to several others nearby. They smile, even laugh. Sometimes, Ulibarri, a choir director at Old Towns San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church, hums softly to herself while she and Griego work this past Monday, the second day of Holy Week. But the pervasive feeling in this small room, the San Felipe de Neri museum on the west side of the church, is one of reverence and responsibility taken to heart. And a touch of uncertainty, too, because Griego and Ulibarri are still new at this. How do you tie a loincloth? Griego asks. Griego and Ulibarri are Veronicas, the most recent in a succession of San Felipe de Neri Parish women charged with preparing the figure in the casket, a life-size statue of Jesus Christ, for El Descendimiento, a Good Friday tradition in the parish for about 150 years or more. Its a prayerful thing for JoAnn and for me, Griego says. It is preparation for the next few days, for Jesus being crucified and for the Resurrection. It is part of our preparation for the celebration of Easter. Deep roots San Felipe de Neri is one of the increasingly rare places at which the old ritual of El Descendimiento, which means the descent, is still observed. It has deep roots in the parish, which was founded in 1706. A diary entry recorded by priests at San Felipe de Neri in March 1872 refers to the c elebration of El Descendimiento in the parish that year. And it may well have been practiced at the church much earlier than that. El Descendimiento is part of the devotion known as the Stations of the Cross, which recalls Christs suffering and death. Stations are prayed at many Christian churches, but it is El Descendimiento that makes the stations service at San Felipe de Neri on Good Friday evening different. On Good Friday afternoon, the 6-foot statue of Jesus which is jointed so that its head, arms and legs move in a manner resembling an actual body is removed from the church museum by men of the parish and bolted to a large cross positioned at the center of the altar. After the 13th station, the statue is taken down (thus the descent) from the cross and placed in a casket, which is carried around Old Town Plaza as the faithful, singing and carrying lighted candles, follow in procession before returning to the church for the conclusion of the service. After Stations of the Cross, members of the congregation approach the statue in the casket to express their love for Christ and their pesame (condolences) to Mary, his mother. Touching souls Rosella Saavedra Lucero, 75, who went to San Felipe de Neri Catholic school as a youngster and is married now to parish Deacon Jose Lucero, attended El Descendimiento services at San Felipe de Neri Church as a girl in the 1950s. I remember witnessing Christ being taken down from the cross, she said. To me it was like aaahhh! It was unbelievable. I knew about the church. I had been going to Catholic school. But to see Christ on the cross, to see him taken down. How does that happen? I remember asking my mother, How did Jesus move? All these years later, she finds El Descendimiento beautiful, meaningful, a vital connection to her past, her family and her faith. The Rev. Andrew J. Pavlak, who was installed as pastor at San Felipe de Neri just before Easter in 2016, said the Catholic liturgy is pretty much the same all over the world, but he feels local customs and traditions, slight variations on the main structures, such as El Descendimiento, are important and need to be preserved. You do what is important to the people of the community, what touches their hearts and their souls, he said. What is it you want to do? How do you want to live this experience? Alabados Pavlak believes the ritual of El Descendimiento comes down to us from the Penitente brotherhood, a lay organization of Roman Catholic men active in northern and central New Mexico and southern Colorado. Founded early in the 19th century, when there was a shortage of priests in the region, Penitentes dedicated themselves to mutual aid, community charity and memorializing the suffering of Christ. In the past, they were best known for practicing severe self-discipline and are still known for their songs of worship, called alabados. Its appropriate then that San Felipe de Neri Deacon Jose Lucero, the man who has for many years been in charge of El Descendimiento in the parish, is a Penitente. Lucero, 85, a native of northern New Mexico, has, in fact, been the Archdiocese of Santa Fes spiritual director for the Penitentes since the 1990s. He coordinates San Felipe de Neris El Descendimiento service, which includes three Penitente alabados; leads the prayers at the Stations of the Cross; and delivers the homily, which this year was about crosses that still exist, the ones we must bear individually and the ones that burden the world. The part of El Descendimiento that touches me most is when we are lowering Jesus from the cross, he said. It all comes alive. This is what he did for us. Thats a lot of love. The long history of El Descendimiento at San Felipe de Neri is well established. And the parish believes the statue it possesses today has been used in the Good Friday ritual since the late 1800s. Lee Mann thinks the statue is plenty old enough to have been around back then. Leather tough Mann, a painter and a professor emeritus from the University of Kansas, where she taught design and photography, resides now in the Old Town area. She began restoring religious statues in the late 1990s and has restored more than 220 for various parishes and private parties. She doesnt charge for her work, only for materials used in the bigger projects. Its a very spiritual thing for me, she said. Each statue has been like a prayer. She started restoring San Felipe de Neris life-size Jesus statue in November 2012 and finished it just before Holy Thursday in 2013. All of the joints, especially the neck, were very, very loose, she said. It had kind of been repaired in the 1970s, as I understand, with what they had available at the time. What they had available at the time included duct tape. Mann said the 1970s repairs had been done with the tape and painted over. She said none of the goat-skin leather connecting the statues joints had been replaced at that time. I replaced the leather at all the joints, Mann said. At the knees, the leather was totally cracked in two. It took four different layers of leather to reattach the shoulders. She used new goat-skin leather to retain as much authenticity as possible and repainted the statue where necessary. Because of her extensive work on the figure, Mann probably knows it as well as anyone. Based on her research and observations, she thinks it dates from the late 1700s or the early 1800s. But thats just supposition, she said. Walk on The eyes of the statue are closed. Its hair feels real, and Mann said she thinks it is human. Blood-red swaths vividly rendered reminders of the wounds of Christ are painted on the figures neck, shoulders, elbows, hands, side, knees and feet. As Veronicas, Griego says she feels that she and Ulibarri are ministering to the statue in much the same way that the women among Jesus followers prepared his body for burial after his death on the cross. This is Griego and Ulibarris second year as Veronicas, named for the woman who, according to Christian tradition, wiped the face of Jesus as he walked to his crucifixion. The first year, we didnt know much, Griego admitted. We didnt know how heavy he was, Ulibarri said. It took both of us to lift him. As Griego and Ulibarri are growing into their duties, Deacon Lucero, who retired in December, is relinquishing his. This year is supposed to mark his last time as director of El Descendimiento. He has been training his successor. Thats the way it has been for about a century and a half in San Felipe de Neri Parish. The clergy and the faithful come and go, but El Descendimiento, the Good Friday evening procession around Old Town Plaza, endures. Easter Sunday doesnt mean anything unless you walk through Good Friday, Pastor Pavlak said. Last week, for the 10-year anniversary of the Bear Stearns failure, Marketplace released an hour-long interview with the key economic policymakers involved: former Federal Reserve chair Ben S. Bernanke, George W. Bush administration treasury secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr., and former New York Federal Reserve president Timothy F. Geithner, who would later become President Barack Obamas treasury secretary. Listening to their recounting of the start of the financial crisis, I found myself unexpectedly wistful. Not for the ensuing panic, or market crashes, or foreclosures, bankruptcies and layoffs that would lay ruin to millions of innocent bystanders. That was all unequivocally awful. The resulting scars, both economic and political, still have not fully healed. What I missed was the sense that grown-ups, even if imperfect ones, had once been in charge. Yes, they made plenty of mistakes. Some mistakes were enormous, and even today remain unacknowledged by the principals themselves, as you can hear in spurts of defensiveness and denial throughout the interview. Their deepest regrets, these former officials said, were not about specific policy decisions but general communication strategy. And their communications were indeed woefully inadequate; they were never able to sufficiently explain to the public why the instinct to let the thing burn might seem just but would also lead to a decade of breadlines across the country like what happened in the Great Depression, as Geithner put it. Nevertheless, it was a formidable team. They came from different political parties and professional backgrounds, and yet managed to work together to pull us back from the brink that is, to prevent the Great Recession from turning into another Great Depression. Bernanke, in particular, was indispensable, given his research on the lessons of the financial collapse of the 1930s. The subtext of the interview, and in the memoirs each has written about that period, is the but-fors that is, all the ways this very bad crisis could have been much, much worse. But-for these policymakers backgrounds. But-for finding a buyer for troubled Merrill Lynch. But-for their ability to instill just enough fear in Congress to get lawmakers to finally act, but not so much fear that they made the global panic even worse in the meantime. And but-for the fact that the presidential candidates in 2008 Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. agreed not to exploit the escalating crisis for political advantage over one another. They released a joint statement shortly after Lehman Brothers collapsed, about the need to rise above politics for the good of the country. Imagine such a thing. It makes one wonder, and then shudder: What if instead, a decade ago, we had had the political and economic leadership we have in place today? Ill reserve judgment on Trumps choice for Fed chair, Jerome H. Powell, who has only recently assumed the top job and has so far played his cards close to his chest. But the key members of Trumps economic brain trust, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and incoming National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow, do not exactly inspire confidence. Both continue to make repeated unforced errors. More than a year into this administration, Mnuchin still doesnt understand how the federal-budget process works; he had to be corrected twice by a Fox News anchor on Sunday about whether Congress can grant the president unilateral line-item veto power (which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional 20 years ago). He likewise struggled to keep the lies straight about what exactly the tax cuts were supposed to do, and by what mechanism they would help the middle class. Kudlow has likewise offered his own absurd forecasts for growth. And when it comes to actual policy, both propose little other than even more tax cuts. In fact, should we have the misfortune of facing another serious financial or economic crisis, its difficult to imagine the administrations response being anything beyond tax cuts, tax cuts, more tax cuts. Plus, perhaps, precisely the kind of political exploitation that, a decade ago, opposing presidential candidates chose to avoid. Today, with Trumps hunger for a trade war; trillion-dollar deficits, amid low unemployment and rising interest costs; rollback of post-crisis financial regulations; and cavalier attitude toward debt default, it is, alas, not hard to imagine some sort of self-inflicted economic catastrophe befalling the country. Lets hope it doesnt come to that. But if it does, lets then hope the team in charge grows up. Fast. Catherine Rampells email address is crampell@washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter, @crampell. George Latella is a man of a few words, but his history speaks volumes. His life now consists of sitting in a comfortable chair, while volunteering his time at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center a far cry from what he endured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, where he slept on wooden pallets. Thursday marked 45 years since the now silver-haired man was released from his captors. Looking at him, you would never know that he endured six months of living in captivity, although the images still plague him. He talks about his ordeal freely and remembers tidbits of the six months of anguish he endured at the age of 25. During those six months as a POW, Latella, who at the time was a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, was held in a small room with nothing but a wooden pallet to sleep on. He ate two meals a day of what he describes as not being very appetizing. The light above on the ceiling was always on, Latella said. Enemy forces captured him on Oct. 6, 1972, after the F-4 Phantom he was a co-piloting with Lt. Col. Robert Anderson was struck by enemy fire. The aircraft sustained heavy damage, and Latella was forced to jump and deploy his parachute. I was captured within five minutes of hitting the ground, he said. I was then taken to a POW camp in Hanoi. Latella did receive a bit of medical treatment for some injuries he suffered, including a broken right arm. At the POW camp, he stayed in solitary confinement for six weeks before captured Airman Fred McMurray joined him. A big shock The first few days in captivity were a big shock. One day you have control of your life, and later that same day you are subjected to total control of another person, Latella said. That other person was part of the ones you were fighting against. For more than five months, Latella and McMurray would talk about life back home and their time in the service. The two often wondered if they would ever return home, to the country they proudly served. Latella used his faith in the government and his fellow service members to help him through the horrendous ordeal, despite getting books from the enemy on how terribly they viewed the U.S. He thought about his family back home, his mom, one brother and two sisters in New York. And he wondered and worried about what happened to Anderson, if he were still alive and if he were also a prisoner of war. Latella never thought that he would go home lifeless, like the 58,000 other service members who didnt make it back alive from Vietnam. He and McMurray were confined to the small room for weeks on end. They rarely saw outside the four walls. They went through the days by talking to each other. Their only meals were bland, and Latella said that he dropped 15 pounds within those six months. Most difficult part This was the most difficult part of my life, Latella said. But I knew that somehow I was going to go back home. I relied on my faith in the military. In December 1972, the Eleven Days of Christmas Battle, during which U.S. forces launched a missile campaign over North Vietnam, brought hope for Latella. But he had doubts, since he thought that the war had just gotten worse and that Vietnam forces would fight back. But, to his surprise, weeks after the December missile campaign, the Paris Peace Accord was signed ending the war in Vietnam. Latella did not believe he would be released. Weeks passed, and, on March 29, 1973, Latella and McMurray were released to U.S. military officials. I was part of the last group of POWs in Hanoi, he said. But the sense of freedom did not hit Latella immediately. He still had his doubts. It was not until the plane got off the ground that I knew I was going home, he said. Latella flew into the Philippines to Clark Air Base, where additional U.S. military officials welcomed him, along with the other POWs. When I arrived at Clark, I was overwhelmed at the reception there to meet us. I had finally returned to the good old USA on April 1, 1973. It was an experience I will never forget, he said. Finally back home After returning to the U.S., Latella went back home to New York, where he received additional medical treatment and spent time with his mom and family members. It was very heart-warming when I finally saw my family, he said. Eventually, Latella was given orders to Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis. He stayed there for a few years. While at Cannon, he met his future wife, Susan. And, on March 29, 1979, six years to the day after he was released in Vietnam, the two welcomed their first-born daughter. March 29 is a day of celebration for us, one for my release and another for the birth of my daughter, he said. Latella retired from the Air Force in 1990 as a major. He resides in Albuquerque, and volunteers twice a week at the local VA hospital. He spends time with former Vietnam POWs. Latella said he also finally got the answer to what happened to Anderson. Years later, his remains were found near the downed aircraft. BEIJING U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren says chaos in the Trump administration is harming its ability to formulate coherent policy toward North Koreas nuclear program and other important issues in Asia. Vacancies in the foreign service are undermining Washingtons ability to advance U.S interests, Warren told reporters in Beijing on Saturday. U.S. allies, while still supportive, are searching for information about U.S. intentions in Asia, the Massachusets Democrat said. This has been a chaotic foreign policy in the region, and that makes it hard to keep the allies that we need to accomplish our objectives closely stitched-in, Warren said. Warren also visited South Korea and Japan during her trip to Asia. She said President Donald Trumps agreement to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was rash, in the absence of Pyongyangs commitment to take any steps at all to indicate that they were serious about denuclearization. On China, Warren said the U.S. needs to acknowledge Beijings growing power and influence and continue to emphasize the importance of human rights within the relationship. I understand that our relationship with China is complex, Warren said. There are areas where we have mutual interests and where we will work together to try to accomplish our shared goals. But there are also areas where we are vigorous competitors and do not have shared interests. Warren said the idea that China would more smoothly integrate with the rest of the world based on its economic growth and open markets has been proven wrong. And the United States is now trying to recalibrate that relationship, she said. Chinas massive surveillance system, including its control over information on smartphones and the internet, has helped it to close off the country, she said. We told ourselves a happy-faced story that never fit with the facts, and now the United States cannot avoid facing a very different reality with China, Warren said. Warrens visit to Northeast Asia follows the abrupt firing of Rex Tillerson as U.S. secretary of state and the Trump administrations continued failure to fill many crucial positions. Tillerson lost the support of many of the State Departments 75,000 workers over his moves to cut the budget, leave key leadership positions vacant and downplay human rights and democracy promotion as diplomatic priorities. Warren said consistent efforts to take the legs out of our diplomatic corps by understaffing the service stands to undermine Americas foreign policy efforts. Thats someone whose information, whose thoughts, whose analysis doesnt get put into the mix, she said. Warren said that there could be no military solution to the dispute with North Korea and that she has been told that it will take strong economic and diplomatic efforts to reduce the threat posed by Pyongyang. Warren didnt disclose details of her discussions with Beijing officials, including key economic adviser Liu He, but said the Chinese have not deviated from their talking points. SEOUL, South Korea A joint military exercise involving U.S. and South Korean troops got underway in South Korea on Sunday amid easing tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula, local media reported. Roughly 300,000 South Korean soldiers were participating in the four-week Foal Eagle training alongside more than 11,500 U.S. troops, according to South Koreas Yonhap News Agency. The annual drills normally begin in late February or early March but were delayed this year because of the Winter Olympics, which were held in in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February, Yonhap said. The exercise has also been shortened from two months to one, it said. No U.S. aircraft carriers or nuclear submarines were expected to join the drills, Yonhap said, as Seoul and Washington prepared for upcoming face-to-face meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. South Korean President Moon Jae In is scheduled to meet Kim in a rare summit on April 27 in the Peace House on the southern side of the border village of Panmunjom. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet Kim before the end of May. The exact date and location have not been agreed or disclosed. Kim has pledged not to conduct any missile or nuclear tests in the lead-up to the meetings. In a meeting last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Kim expressed his willingness to discuss North Koreas potential de-nuclearization. The trip to China was Kims first known trip outside of North Korea since his father Kim Jong Il died in 2011. 2018 Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) Visit Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) at www.dpa.de/English.82.0.html Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. _____ 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. Arrest warrants have been issued for four Iraqis on atheism charges, according to Dhi Qar province's Garraf district judiciary. The announcement garnered quite a reaction on media and social networks, as some say these hunts infringe on the rights of the Iraqi people, whose constitution guarantees them freedom of belief and expression. Other observers say the campaign has political aspects. Dhidan al-Ekili, the chief Garraf judge, told local Iraqi newspapers March 11 that security forces had been able to arrest one of the four indicted, as the search for the remaining three continued. Ekili said they are being pursued for holding seminars during social gatherings to promote the idea of the nonexistence of God and to spread and popularize atheism. According to Ekili, the local court administration has tasked intelligence agencies with cracking down on the atheism phenomenon. Ekili said the crackdown is in accordance with the Iraqi Penal Code. But political and legal analyst Ali Jaber al-Tamimi told Al-Monitor, There arent any articles in the Iraqi Penal Code that provide for a direct punishment for atheism, nor are there any special laws on punishments against atheists." However, "there are articles that punish the desecration of religions. The Iraqi Constitution allows "freedom of belief and intellectual views. Critics on social media were quick to lambaste authorities in Garraf, but atheists themselves werent safe from ridicule by well-known Facebook figures. Stand-up comedian Ahmad Wahid, for one, slammed people who publicly brand themselves as atheists without having a profound understanding of atheism. Many Iraqi newspapers are claiming that the propagation of atheism is a manifestation of the Islamic parties failed reigns over the past decade, in addition to their corruption. Studies and statistics about beliefs and views in Iraq are nonexistent. However, Gallup released a study that said about 88% of Iraqis were religious in 2012. Iraq was ranked No. 7 globally in terms of its religious demographic. The situation in Iraq seems complicated when it comes to defining atheism. Many clerics who are close to Islamic political parties have misconceptions regarding the subject. For instance, secularism is often branded as atheism. Some religious figures promote the idea that liberal and communist ideologies are inherently anti-religion and teach that God doesn't exist, which is why they should be resisted, as Shiite cleric Amer al-Kufaishi stressed in August 2017. Indeed, the campaign against atheists has heavy political ties. Some of the Islamic parties that have been in power since the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003 are behind it, as Safaa Khalaf, a reporter who follows social and political matters, believes. The idea of atheism in Iraq is rooted in political pressure and its economic and social ramifications, Khalaf told Al-Monitor. Atheism surfaced as a social reaction to the overreaching hands of political Islam and its failure to govern services and state, not to mention the new patterns of intellect and lifestyles that were the result of the openness of modern communication, especially for new generations that live under huge pressure [from] frustration. Khalaf, who monitors desperation-rooted phenomena in Iraqi society, added, Most often, intellectual views are confused with religious views or civil rights-related views. You can often see demonizing propaganda on social media against any trend that collides with the interests of political Islams authority. Based on this, "Secularism was considered an adversary of religious faith due to political Islams rhetoric, and this term has been removed from political circulation in Iraq since 2003. Many established Iraqi parties, such as the Iraqi Communist Party, renounced this term, and the term 'civility' replaced it," he said. Inaccurate and misused labels are being used to describe incorrect behaviors by the political authority in light of the security mentality prevalent in both society and state, Khalaf concluded. The authorities are comfortable with this illiteracy because it immensely aids them in oppressing any opposed view, especially if it challenges religion, clerics or practices that interfere with public freedoms. Indeed, atheism has always been on the radar of Islamic parties' leaders in Iraq. Many of them simply believe atheism is worth fighting and restricting, while some others consider it an attack on the Islamic parties themselves. Iraq's highest authority on Shiite religious and legal matters considers the propagation of atheism a result of political failure in Iraq for more than a decade. European Union officials in Brussels are alarmed over the political crisis in Ramallah and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, especially considering US policy in the region and the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem in May. A senior EU official close to High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini defined May as the month of violence. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said, It seems very difficult to prevent an outburst of Palestinian violence given several factors. According to the official, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas punitive economic measures against the Gaza Strip and Hamas have turned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza into a powder keg ready to explode. To that she added the 70-year anniversary of what the Palestinians call Nakba Day on May 15, which commemorates the 1948 Palestinian exodus. The official noted that given the various investigations Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is undergoing, Netanyahu wishes to be perceived in Israel as Mr. Security. This could also trigger provocative actions. Reports received lately by the EU indicate that violent outbreak could take various forms. It could be terror attacks by Hamas and its allies against Israelis on a much larger scale and intensity than in recent years. Another possibility is an uprising by Gaza residents along the fence with Israel directed also against Hamas, or even a full clash in Gaza between Hamas and Israel. Also, one cannot rule out that there will be elements inside Fatah that may attempt to launch an armed intifada. On the background of these threats, the EU has been consulting with its member states, especially with new German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, attempting to stabilize the situation. Several measures in that direction are being considered by EU policy planners. These include a humanitarian rescue package to Gaza led by the donors community in coordination with Norway and supervised by Mogherini. The EU is also holding deliberations with the US administration to prevent any cut in aid to the Palestinians, as proposed by US President Donald Trump. In this context, according to the EU official, Brussels is deeply concerned by the appointment of John Bolton as national security adviser to Trump. Bolton is well-known in EU diplomatic circles from his time as US envoy to the United Nations. He is perceived by the EU as an extreme foreign policy hawk, even right of Trump. It is no secret that Bolton is firmly opposed to the Iran nuclear deal and is in favor of the United States pulling out, rather than rectifying it. He objects to negotiations with North Korea, and on Israel and the Palestinians, he holds views close to pro-settler HaBayit HaYehudi leader Naftali Bennett. This appointment and the replacement of Rex Tillerson by Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, pending confirmation hearings, have diminished any hope in Brussels that Washington will propose any realistic peace plan for the region. The EU will therefore act on its own, in some consultation with Moscow and Washington, to assist Abbas in maintaining stability in the weeks and months to come. A senior PLO official close to Abbas told Al-Monitor that Ramallah has heard from Brussels about their concern. The Palestinian leadership promised the EU that Abbas is firmly committed to preventing violence this spring despite the looming provocations. Abbas is in favor of maintaining the security cooperation with Israel. The PLO official said that Abbas has virtually given up on real reconciliation with Hamas (after the assassination attempt of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and security chief Majid Faraj) and is still trying to convince the EU together with Egypt and Saudi Arabia to work in favor of an international peace conference in 2018 on a two-state solution based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. According to the official, Abbas is looking both at his legacy and his succession. He is looking at veteran Fatah officials and officers to eventually take his position, and also possibly to split up his various functions between several leaders the roles of Palestinian president, chairman of the PLO and chairman of the Fatah Executive Committee. In terms of his legacy, Abbas wants to link the diplomatic path started by PLO leader Yasser Arafat and his own continuous diplomatic efforts, while refusing any compromise on the Palestinian positions. It is important for Abbas to be remembered as standing up to international pressure. In fact, the more his relations with Washington worsen, his relationship with the EU improves. A senior Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs official commented to Al-Monitor about the views of Brussels, saying that the Europeans feel isolated and frustrated on all regional issues, primarily on the Iran deal and on Israeli-Palestinian peace. Netanyahu, he said, will pursue his close coordination on the matters solely with Trump. Liberman: Israeli soldiers "deserve a medal" Shlomi Eldar reports that the Israeli defense establishment was feeling nervous in advance of the "Great Return March" protest, including an unusual threat by the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories warning the owners of 20 Gaza bus companies that "you and your families will be held personally responsible" if their buses brought protesters to the border. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the European Union and international human rights organizations have called for an independent investigation into violent clashes at the Gaza fence March 30, when as many as 30,000 Gaza residents demonstrated against the Israeli blockade. Fifteen Palestinians were killed and as many as 1,000 injured by the Israeli military. On March 31, the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement calling for an investigation. While Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have claimed that Israel responded with live ammunition against protesters who were not armed with anything more than stones and tires, the Israeli government has responded that its forces were hit by Molotov cocktails and that most of those killed or injured were linked to Hamas, which Israel considers a terrorist organization. Israeli soldiers did what was necessary, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said April 1. He added, I think all our soldiers deserve a medal. As for a commission of inquiry there won't be one." Hamas had planned the Great Return March on March 30 as a show of both force and desperation in the context of a crisis in Palestinian leadership and the alarming economic and humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, as foreshadowed by Eldars column on March 29, as well as reporting by Al-Monitors Palestinian Pulse columnists and a recent UN report. The working assumption in the Israeli security establishment, Eldar writes, is that faced with an internal crisis, Hamas is exploiting the plight of Gaza residents to enter into conflict with Israel. Nevertheless, even with tensions in the south rising, softer voices are also emerging from Hamas. Those "softer voices" include remarks by Salah al-Bardawil, a member of Hamas political bureau, on March 20, who said that his organization is ready to engage in a dialogue with the US administration to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinian people in obtaining their rights, establishing a Palestinian state and lifting the siege on Gaza, Ahmad Abu Amer reports. Al-Monitor contacted several Hamas officials, but they all refused to comment on this issue," Abu Amer adds. They noted that Bardawils statements reflect the movements official position, but they also stressed that they were neither contacted by the US administration for dialogue nor invited to attend the donor conference held at the White House mid-March. On the contrary, Hamas criticized the conference, which it described as a US attempt to absolve Israel of Gaza's humanitarian and economic problems caused by the Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007. The demonstrations occurred at a crisis in relations between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas. Daoud Kuttab explains that Abbas remarks to the Palestinian leadership on March 19 revealed an unhinged leader no longer willing to be politically correct. Israeli and international media paid a great deal of attention to an insult that the typically reserved Abbas hurled at David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel. The speech also revealed a vindictive leader who apparently has no problem punishing the entire Gaza Strip for the March 13 attempted assassination of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and General Intelligence Service chief Majid Faraj. Six people were slightly injured when one of two roadside bombs hit Hamdallah's convoy as it entered Gaza. Abbas said March 19, In my capacity as the president of the Palestinian people, and having borne all that I can bear for the sake of unity of the homeland, which was rejected by Hamas and its illegal authority, I have decided to take national, legal and financial actions to preserve our national project. I am confident that the people of Gaza will always support the national project and the higher national interest. Kuttab adds, Abbas direct and indirect threats against Hamas not only dealt a blow to the fragile Palestinian reconciliation effort, but also risked a dangerous escalation. Last year, Abbas had cut support for electricity to Gaza to pressure Hamas leaders, increasing the hardship of Gaza residents. Entsar Abu Jahal reports that the Palestinian budget submitted by Abbas excluded Gaza unless Hamas leaders accepted his reconciliation proposals. UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov warned the UN Security Council March 26, "Illegal settlement expansion and related activities continue, further threatening the viability of the two-state solution and eroding the prospects for peace," and "Violence and incitement continue to fuel hatred, division, distrust and fear, and continuing terror attacks on Israelis as well as the recent assassination attempt on the Palestinian prime minister exemplify the growing risk of destabilization and the empowerment of radicals and extremists. According to a United Nations publication, a March 16 report by Mladenov warned specifically that the Gaza Strip continues to present the greatest risk of escalation alongside an acute humanitarian crisis with the potential for a complete breakdown in service delivery. The report also stresses the need for a changed political reality on the ground, including the resumption by the Palestinian Authority of its full responsibilities for the people, governance and infrastructure of Gaza. Hamas, a Palestinian faction, must cease its military build-up, including the construction of tunnels and the firing of rockets towards Israel, while Israels closure regime must fundamentally change to allow for the recovery and development of the Strip through movement and access of people and goods. It is no coincidence that the military wing of Hamas decided that this week it would hold its largest military drill ever, Eldar concludes. Almost all of Gaza's residents have seen or at least heard these maneuvers, involving all of the Hamas armed forced as well as the militants of various other Palestinian factions. Rockets were fired into the Mediterranean and mortars and guns were fired in the air. Though the gunfire came from light arms, it was so intense that it set off Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. The Israeli security establishment estimates that Hamas now has some 30,000 troops serving in its various security forces, including the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and the Nuhba units, trained to operate in Hamas' network of tunnels. These forces cant really threaten Israel, but they can interfere with day-to-day life in the country. Hamas has few options left. Bangui, Central African Republic Ngai Pacome, dressed in a colourful purple shirt with a backpack slung across his shoulders, keeps a smile on his face, even while describing his countrys plight. In some parts of the country, the situation is sad and deplorable, says the 23-year-old Masters students at the University of Bangui in the Central African Republic (CAR). There is simply no economic activity because of the ongoing violence. It makes me so anxious, and all students here are worried about their future, Pacome tells Al Jazeera. And its not hard to understand why. CAR has for years tethered precariously close to anarchy, ever since armed rebels known as the Seleka removed President Francois Bozize in a coup in March 2013. The bloody takeover resulted in grotesque acts of violence, including reprisal attacks, ethnic cleansing and mass displacements. Elections in 2016 have offered little consolation for the violence that haunted much of the country since 2013. The new government of CAR wields little or no power outside the capital, Bangui. Militia groups run up to 80 percent of the countryside, collecting taxes and running parallel administrations to the national government. One of the biggest casualties of the conflict has been education, and the impact on the countrys youth has been enormous. At least 75 percent of the countrys population is younger than 35 years old. Youth unemployment is estimated to be around 12.5 percent, leaving tens of thousands vulnerable as armed groups keep operating across the country. Similar to countries such as Malawi, Chad and Niger, CARs enrolment rate in higher education is less than two percent. In sharp contrast, the global average is 26 percent. Even for the small minority of young Central Africans who are lucky enough to make it to university, the intermittent fighting and ongoing crisis, in addition to a shortage of teachers, mean classes are often postponed or cancelled. Some students say it can take twice as long to attain a degree compared with institutions elsewhere. I want to finish my Masters in Law, but we dont have any teachers qualified enough for this level, Fiacre Bebenissingo, 28, says. So I have to just wait. Given that Bangui itself struggles with electricity and water shortages, the university is not exempt from these hassles. Notwithstanding a lack of facilities and resources, most classroom windows at the Department of Technology are broken. The walls are chipped, and paint is peeling off most buildings. Hollow air conditioner shells litter the upper floors. Studying here is like a type of torture, Benicia Toina, 18, says. The conditions are pushing young people to try and leave, Toina adds. Even before the conflict, education levels were low in the country. But since 2013, the possibilities of receiving an education have only deteriorated. According to UNICEF, one-third of children in the CAR are missing out on an education. In towns and villages outside the capital, rebel leaders have taken over schools. Human Rights Watch says that even peacekeepers have used school buildings as bases or barracks, or based their forces near school grounds. But despite the countrys many problems, including its immense educational crisis, Pacome says he wont leave. What you need to understand, this is still home, he says. If I leave to study elsewhere, I would have to come back, to come fix this place. Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan Dusty, arid and unforgiving: Jordans desert that houses the Zaatari refugee camp was previously unoccupied. As the Syrian war escalated, the camp emerged almost overnight, housing the Syrians fleeing the violence. The camp is located about 2km from the Syrian border and was initially a cluster of UNHCR-branded white tents that did little to shelter the refugees from the harsh summer. Today, it has expanded into a world of its own, transformed into a city-like settlement that houses around 80,000 people. When we first arrived, we werent used to this kind of life. We lived in tents, and people also sold basic necessities in their tents. There were no accessories, only the basics like shampoo. Now, things have developed, said 16-year-old Tabarak. Its infamous main market street, Champs-Elysees, has become a renowned symbol of Syrian resourcefulness and entrepreneurship. Along the market, there exists a vibrant assortment of bird shops, cafes, clothes stores, produce markets, and small restaurants. Weve seen a lot of changes economically. We, the Syrians, improved the camp and opened the market, and it became just like Al-Hamidiya market in Syria, said another 16-year-old Najat. The role of NGOs is so integrated into daily life that it is common to hear their names when Syrians discuss their schooling, their training programmes, art hobbies and food centres. Inside, as many as four generations live under one roof, the youngest knowing nothing other than the camp confinements. The teenagers growing up in Zaatari occupy a liminal space, where their memories of Syria are distant, but held close, through their families stories. My mother used to travel around Syria to cities like Aleppo, Idlib and Tartus. She wrote down her stories in a diary. She would tell us about the mills in Hama and what each city was famous for, Najat said. Using animations to illustrate their dreams, Dreaming in Zaatari: Stories After Syria, an immersive virtual-reality film, takes viewers into the lives of three Syrian teenagers in Jordans Zaatari refugee camp. Mobile users click here to view the documentary. For decades Zionists have blamed the Palestinians for Israels ongoing colonial project. If only the Palestinians had a Mahatma Gandhi, many Israeli liberals have exclaimed, then the occupation would end. But if one truly wished to find Palestinian Mahatma Gandhis all one needed to do is look at the images of protesters on Friday nights news broadcasts. An estimated 30,000 Palestinians joined the nonviolent March of Return, which aimed to set up a few camps several hundred meters from the militarised fence surrounding the Gaza Strip. Their goal was to protest their incarceration in the worlds largest open-air prison as well as the massive confiscation of their ancestral land after all, 70 percent of Gazas population are 1948 refugees whose families had owned land in what became Israel. As Gazas residents marched towards the militarised fence, I sat with my family, reciting the Haggadah for the Passover holiday, which tells us that In every generation, it is ones duty to regard oneself as though he or she personally had gone out of Egypt. In other words, while the soldiers shot live bullets at the peaceful demonstrators, these soldiers parents were being asked to imagine what it means to live in Gaza and what it would take to liberate oneself from such captivity. And as my family went on to sing, No more shall they in bondage toil, let my people go, news sites reported that the number of Palestinians killed had reached 17, while several hundred had been wounded. {articleGUID} The accusation that Palestinians have failed to adopt non-violent methods of resistance, and therefore share responsibility for Israels ongoing subjugation and dispossession, not only completely disavows the vast asymmetry in power relations between the coloniser and colonised, but, just as importantly, fails to consider the political history of anticolonial struggles, not least the Palestinian one itself. Indeed, it completely ignores the fact that Israels colonial project has been upheld through attritional, protracted and widespread violence, and, despite what certain Western media outlets might present, the Palestinians have developed a robust and long-standing tradition of non-violent resistance. Moreover, the demand to adopt a non-violent ideology completely elides the history of other liberation struggles: from Algiers to Vietnam and all the way back to South Africa. Palestinian non-violence Fridays nonviolent March of Return and Israels response to it are by no means an exception in the long history of Palestinian resistance. The march was organised to coincide with the anniversary of Land Day, which itself commemorates that tragic day in 1976 when Israeli security forces responded to a general strike and mass protest organised by Palestinian citizens of Israel whose land had been confiscated. In that peaceful protest, six Palestinians were killed and a hundred more wounded by the Israeli military. In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, matters have always been much worse, since all forms of nonviolent Palestinian resistance were banned right after the 1967 War. Political meetings, raising flags or other national symbols, publishing or distributing articles or pictures with political connotations, or even singing or listening to nationalist songs not to mention organising strikes and demonstrations were illegal until 1993 (and some are still illegal in Area C). Any attempt to protest in one of these ways was inevitably met with violence. One may wish it was otherwise - and I most certainly do - but not a single colonial project has ended without the colonised resorting to violence against their oppressors. Just three months after the 1967 War, the Palestinians successfully launched a widespread school strike in the West Bank; teachers refused to show up for work, children took to the streets to protest the occupation, and many shopkeepers did not open their stores. In response to these acts of civil disobedience, Israel enforced severe police-style measures, ranging from nightly curfews and other restrictions of movement to cutting off telephone lines, detaining leaders, and increasing the harassment of the population. This, in many ways, became Israels modus operandi when dealing with Palestinian continued nonviolent resistance. Indeed, it seems that there is widespread social amnesia regarding Israels reaction to Gandhi-style tactics. When Palestinians launched commercial strikes in the West Bank, the military government shut down dozens of shops until further notice. When they tried to emulate Martin Luther Kings transportation strike, the security forces completely immobilised the local fleet of buses. Moreover, during the first Intifada, the Palestinians adopted massive civil disobedience strategies, including merchant strikes, boycotting Israeli goods, a tax revolt, and daily protests against the occupying forces. Israel responded by imposing curfews, restricting freedom of movement and mass incarcerations (to name only some of the violent measures). Between 1987 and 1994, for example, the secret services interrogated more than 23,000 Palestinians, one out of every 100 people living in the West Bank and Gaza. We now know that many of them were tortured. Thus, the tragedy is that Gazas Passover massacre simply joins this long list of nonviolent resistance that has, historically, been met with violence and repression by Israel. Riots are the language of the unheard Lets imagine for a moment what it means to live in an open-air prison, year after year. Lets imagine that we are the prisoners and the warden has the power to decide what food we can eat, when we have electricity, when we can receive specialised medical treatment and whether we can have enough water to drink. Lets also imagine that any time we walk near the fence, we become targets for the guards. What acts of nonviolent resistance are actually open to us? Would you walk peacefully towards the fence? Thousands of Palestinians courageously did, and many paid the ultimate price. {articleGUID} Even though Gaza is, in many respects, unique, indigenous people have, historically, found themselves in similar situations. This was recognised by the United Nations, when it affirmed the legitimacy of the peoples struggle for liberation from colonial and foreign domination and alien subjugation by all available means, including armed struggle. Gandhi himself thought that in certain instances violence was an adequate strategic choice. I do believe, he wrote, that where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence I would advise violence Hence also do I advocate training in arms for those who believe in the method of violence. I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should in a cowardly manner become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonour. One may wish it was otherwise and I most certainly do but not a single colonial project has ended without the colonised resorting to violence against their oppressors. Requesting for or even angrily demanding liberation has never done the job. Ironically, this is also one of the key messages of the Passover Seder. The story of Exodus recounts how Moses approached Pharaoh several times, asking him to liberate the children of Israel from bondage. Yet, again and again, Pharaoh refused. It was only after horrific violence was deployed against the Egyptians that the Israelites were set free. This, to be sure, is not something we should ever wish for, but when one looks at Israels response to the nonviolent Palestinian march, what is clear is that we must urgently find a way to turn the Zionists question on its head in order to prevent future bloodshed. Rather than asking when the Palestinians will produce a Mahatma Gandhi, we need to ask when Israel will produce a leader that does not support the subjugation of the Palestinians through the employment of lethal violence? When, in other words, will Israel finally rid itself of its Pharaonic ethos and realise that Palestinians have a right to freedom. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Most criticism of Malala in Pakistan is a reaction to the way she has been represented in Anglophone media cultures. Malala has returned to Pakistan for the first time after she was shot almost six years ago. While many, including state officials, have welcomed her, there are also some who remain suspicious, even celebrating anti-Malala day. It seems she has as many detractors as she does fans. In October 2017, she was trolled online for wearing jeans. Earlier, in May 2017, a Pakistani minister claimed the attacks on Malala were staged. She went on to name a number of young women from Pakistan particularly those showing academic excellence calling them not Malala. And when Malalas autobiography was published, the chief of the All Pakistan Private Schools Federation, Kashif Mirza, noted that while the 152,000 private schools in the federation had supported Malala when she was shot, they had now decided to ban her book: she was a role model for children, but this book has made her controversial Through this book, she became a tool in the hands of the Western powers. In Western contexts, such anti-Malala sentiments are read as representing the pre-modern sensibilities of Pakistanis. Any critique of Malala is presumed to be a critique of human rights, and since human rights are the dominant vocabulary for justice at the current moment, expressing discomfort about Malala automatically signals an anti-womens rights disposition. We, therefore, find articles such as Why Pakistan Hates Malala in Western media outlets, that traffic in ideas about Pakistanis being conspiracy theorists, jealous, and/or inhospitable toward women/girls. What is needed, instead, is a nuanced engagement with anti-Malala sentiment, so it does not simply become further fodder to (re)cast Pakistanis and Muslims as intolerant. Significantly, understanding anti-Malala sentiment provides opportunities for us to become more astute about the politics of her representation in Anglophone media cultures, which I believe drives much of this sentiment in Pakistan. In other words, we have to analyse how she is represented, what elements of her life are discarded to curate a figure that can be glorified in the West, and the consequences of such knowledge-making practices. In the past few years, Malala has spoken out against drone strikes; she has critiqued Israel's state violence targeted at Palestinians; she has donated money to rebuild schools in Gaza; she has spoken out against bombings in Afghanistan and atrocities in Kashmir; and raised her voice for the betterment of refugees. Cultural Studies scholar Stuart Hall reminds us that an object has no fixed meaning, no real meaning in the obvious sense, until it has been represented. Representations, therefore, assign or congeal particular meanings in the objects they seek to represent. This process, as African American Studies scholar Alexander Weheliye elaborates, unfolds in a context of power imbalances, which is why some articulations become preferred, as they re-inscribe the prevalent relations of power and ideological interests. Representations of Malala in Anglophone media cultures, for instance, exceptionalise her courage to stand up against local patriarchies. This articulation of Malala is popular in the West because it relies on pre-established maps of meaning, wherein Pakistanis and Muslims appear unconcerned about violence against women. Malalas girl power then becomes legible in a geopolitical context of Islamophobia, racism, and on-going colonial relations of power. Specifically, Malala is represented as the girl who defied the cultural logics operative in Pakistan, and who now embodies a transnational, secular modernity exemplified by her emphasis on the autonomous self, enactment of choice, advocacy for freedom and arguments for gender equality. Instead of being a symbol of the courage of Muslims and Pakistanis to stand up against violence, Malala is shown to be an exception. Through extensive media coverage and uptake of her image by international organisations, she is individualised in her courage and successful performance of empowerment. She is presented as succeeding against all odds, as a heroine or, as TIME magazine calls her, the champion for girls everywhere. She is made into an exception by practices such as celebrating Malala Day, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and book deals. Even the title of her book, I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban (2013), centres her person, emphasising her uniqueness. To create the idea of Malala as an exceptional Muslim girl entails individualising and abstracting her from her local environment and cultures, and connecting her positive attributes to another source, such as her formal education, desire for success, and ambition. Her courage, then, is not read as grounded in Pashtun cultural practices that valorise social justice. Instead, she is positioned as a singular force against local customs and cultural elements. Malala as an idea, thus, sustains assumptions about Muslims and Pakistanis that are deeply hurtful. It transforms all Pakistani, Muslim men into terrorists and all Muslim women as victims or potential victims. Malala is distanced from other Muslim girls. She is made to simultaneously stand in for, represent and symbolise the perennially oppressed Muslim girl, and positioned as the empowered girl who is not one of them. This representation of Malala denies other Muslim girls similar forms of empowered subjectivities. More importantly, it sustains the facade of Islam as an oppressive religion and Pakistan as a backward nation, positioning Western interventions as necessary or even ethically imperative. It is important to note, however, that this representation of Malala erases the moments where she herself highlights her radical specificity as a Muslim and as a Pakistani, and her anti-colonial and anti-imperial stances. For instance, if we read I Am Malala against the grain, we come face to face with vibrant cultures and societies, an abundance of strong-willed women, and kind, thoughtful men. The text reveals aspects of the Pashtun culture and its people; we learn about their hospitality, their oral traditions of poetry, their love for knowledge, the imperatives for kindness, and the beauty and precariousness of mountain societies. There are incidences when the religion of Islam emerges as a source of generosity and peace. For instance, the only charities that stay behind to help local people after the earthquake in 2005 are local Muslim charities. In I am Malala, we encounter women who shatter the trope of the victimised Muslim woman waiting for a saviour. From Malalas namesake, the Malalai of Maiwand, who fought the British, and her great-grandmother, who walked forty miles alone over mountains in order to appeal for the release of her son, to the women of Spal Bandi who had great freedom and were not hidden away, we find evidence of womens enactments of agency that are emergent within the constraints of socioeconomic and political structures. These glimpses into the lives of Muslim women add complexity to, and work against, the narrative that reduces human rights activism to just resistance against local practices. Women exercise agency, and experience empowerment, at the intersection of local, national, and global forces. They resist, but they also compromise, twist, mould, and strategise. In Malalas writing then we see Pakistani women attempting to establish their rights within local frameworks and against both domestic and global patriarchies. We also come across a wide range of kind, thoughtful, and intelligent Muslim men who work for the betterment of their communities, including contesting the advances of the local Taliban-inspired militants. Figures such as Malalas father, Ziauddin Yousafzai (an activist), Jehan Yousafzai (Zaiuddins cousin who brought a gift on Malalas birth), Uncle Dada (a conscientious teacher), Nasir Pacha (a stranger who helped Ziauddin complete his college education), Akbar Khan (Ziauddins mentor), Usman Bhai Jan (the beloved school-bus driver), and Dr Javid (the Pakistani-British doctor who arranged Malalas hospitalisation in the United Kingdom) all strike at the heart of the ahistoricised and decontextualised figure of the violent, brown, Muslim man. The key Taliban characters in the book, Fazlullah, Sufi Mohammad and the mufti who tried to close Ziauddins school, are viewed as an irregularity, and their actions are contested by local men and women. Indeed, the challenge to Fazlullah comes from within the community the Pashtuns called their assembly of elders to oppose him, and those who viewed him favourably earlier retracted their support when his initiatives did not align with their sensibilities. Challenges to Fazlullahs militancy were also featured prominently in the local media. In the past few years, Malala has spoken out against drone strikes; she has critiqued Israels state violence targeted at Palestinians; she has donated money to re-build schools in Gaza; she has spoken out against bombings in Afghanistan and atrocities in Kashmir; and raised her voice for the betterment of refugees. Malala has, thus, used her stature for those who are pushed to the edges by global capital, state violence, Islamophobia, and racism. In doing so, she has shown remarkable grace, tact, and acute knowledge of local customs and global politics. Hence, any critique of Malala must make the distinction between Malala the person and how she is represented in Anglophone media cultures. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Kuwaiti draft Security Council statement demanded an investigation into Gazas Land Day rallies in which 17 were killed. The United States has blocked a draft statement by the United Nations Security Council that called for an investigation into the killing of 17 unarmed Palestinian protesters near the Gaza Strips eastern border. The statement, which was proposed by Kuwait, demanded an independent and transparent investigation under international law into the bloody events on Fridays Land Day protests. The statement also expressed grave concern at the situation at the border and stressed the right to peaceful protest. However, the US blocked the statement on Saturday, with US representative to the UN Walter Miller saying bad actors were using the protests as a cover to incite violence and to endanger innocent lives. US, UK complicit in Israels occupation Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, condemned the US decision, describing the US and the UK as being complicit in Israels persistent violations and violence. The Israeli army used unbridled violence, unleashing more than 100 snipers and firing live ammunition, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets against the protesters before the very eyes of the entire international community, Ashrawi said in a statement on Saturday. Yet, the UN Security Council failed to agree on a statement condemning the egregious violations that occurred at the hands of Israel. Such a counterproductive stance can render them [the UK and the US] complicit in Israels military occupation and in its persistent violations and violence, she continued. Neither one has displayed the moral or political courage to hold Israel to account and to curb its illegal behaviour. Meanwhile, Israels minister of defence Avigdor Lieberman rejected calls for an inquiry into the actions of the Israeli army. Israeli soldiers did what was necessary. I think all our soldiers deserve a medal, Lieberman told Army Radio on Sunday. As for a commission of inquiry there wont be one. Great March of Return More than 1,500 others were wounded on Fridays protest when Israeli forces fired live ammunition at protesters to push them back from Gazas border area, according to the Palestinian health ministry. On Saturday, 49 more people were wounded in the ongoing demonstrations. The mass protests, called the Great March of Return, were organised by civil society groups and supported by all political factions to call for the right of return of Palestinian refugees. It marked the beginning of a six-week sit-in, starting on Land Day, an event that commemorates six Palestinian citizens of Israel who were shot dead by Israeli forces after protesting the governments confiscation of large swaths of Palestinian land on March 30, 1976. The sit-in ends on May 15, or Nakba Day, which will commemorate 70 years since the ethnic cleansing of 750,000 Palestinians by Zionist militias from their villages and towns. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his comments targeting Turkeys ongoing military operation in the northwestern Syrian region of Afrin. His remarks on Sunday came in response to Netanyahus earlier comments rejecting Ankaras moral lessons over the Israeli armys killing of Palestinian protesters in Gaza, and labelling Erdogan as someone who bombs Kurdish villagers. He says our soldiers are oppressing people in Afrin. Netanyahu, you are very weak, very poor, Erdogan told the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) congress in the southern Adana province. {articleGUID} We are dealing with terrorists, but you are not. Because you are a terror state, Erdogan added. Calling the Israeli prime minister an occupier in Palestine, Erdogan said: You are also a terrorist. History is recording what you have done to all those oppressed Palestinians We are not guilty of any act of occupation. At least 17 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,500 were wounded on Friday when Israeli forces opened fire on Land Day protesters near the Gaza Strips eastern border. Land Day is an event commemorating six Palestinian citizens of Israel who were shot dead by Israeli forces after protesting the governments confiscation of large swaths of Palestinian land on March 30, 1976. On Saturday, Erdogan strongly condemned the Israeli government over its inhumane attack in Gaza. Fridays rallies were also the start of a six-week protest that culminates on May 15, the day the Palestinians call Nakba, or the Catastrophe, when Israel was officially declared a state 70 years ago and more than 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes. The demonstrators are demanding that Palestinian refugees be allowed the right of return to towns and villages which their families fled from, or were driven out of, in 1948. Turkey together with the Syrian opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group last month launched an air-and-ground operation into Afrin to vanquish the US-backed Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) fighters near its border. Germany and the US have indicated they would like to resume relations with Russia after recent diplomatic falling out. The United States and Germany have signalled their intention to gradually improve ties with Russia after they were strained by a nerve agent attack on a former spy in England. Germany, the United States and other European countries stood in solidarity with the UK in a major standoff over the attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The US consulate in Moscow said in a tweet that it would continue to work on improving US-Russian relations after the closure of the US Consulate General in St Petersburg. Now the Consulate [General] is closed, but our work toward improving US-Russian relations continues, the embassy wrote on Twitter. , - . pic.twitter.com/FM3NvNqomF (@USEmbRu) April 1, 2018 Lost trust Germanys Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild am Sonntag that much trust had been lost in the last few years due to Russias behaviour. At the same time, we need Russia as a partner to settle regional conflicts, for disarmament and as an important pillar of multilateralism, he was quoted as saying in the paper. Germany relies on Russia for roughly a third of the gas it uses Maas added: We are therefore open for dialogue and are trying to rebuild trust bit by bit if Russia is ready. He also, however, defended the decision to expel diplomats. to show solidarity with Britain but also as a signal of unity. London accuses Moscow of being responsible for the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War II and Germany has repeatedly called on Moscow to cooperate more with the investigations. The app, used during last years protests, will be replaced by a similar app built by the government, officials say. The Iranian government is set to permanently block the messaging app Telegram over national security concerns and replace it with its own messaging app. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of Irans Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, announced the ban during a radio interview, Iranian press agency MNA said. According to MNA, Boroujerdi said the decision to block Telegram was made at the highest levels of government. Boroujerdi said during the interview the government would release its own messaging app later this month, citing national security as the reason the messaging service will no longer be accessible. He added that he hopes Iranian-made messaging apps like Soroush will replace Telegram when it is blocked eventually. Telegram is very popular in Iran, with about 40 million people currently using the app in the country alone. The app was used extensively during the mass protests that took place late last year. At the time, Pavel Durov, chief executive officer of Telegram, said on Twitter that Iran was blocking access for the majority of Iranians after protesters used the popular messaging application to plan and publicise demonstrations. Instagram, another popular social media app, was also blocked during the protests. Blocking encrypted messaging apps like Telegram while allowing messaging apps approved by the Iranian government raises concerns over the Iranian-made apps. Telegram has over 200 million users worldwide, according to the company. The service, similar to other popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, WeChat and Signal, offers communication via text, photos, videos and calls. The app uses a proprietary encryption technology, which has led experts to raise questions about its security. Telegram has been in a legal battle with the Russian intelligence service, FSB, when it refused to hand over its encryption keys to the government. Handing those keys over would mean the FSB could decrypt all messages sent using Telegram. Last month, Telegram lost an appeal in court after the Russian government demanded the company hand over the keys. The court agreed with the FSBs claim that Telegram could not keep the encryption key private, according to the Russian constitution. Telegram has said it will continue to fight that decision. Iraqi Christians celebrate first Easter since ISIL defeat Iraqi Christians of Hamdaniya, in the Nineveh plains near Mosul city in northern Iraq, are returning home to celebrate Easter there for the first time since the defeat of the Islamic State group. Governor of Siberian region steps down after heavy criticism following fire at shopping centre that killed more than 60. The governor of Russias Kemerovo region that was struck by a fire last month that killed more than 60 people at a shopping centre said he was resigning from his post. In a video address posted on the regional administrations website on Sunday, Aman Tuleev said his resignation was the right, conscious and only true decision following the deadly incident. Thousands of Kemerovo residents held protests over the past few days, demanding the resignation of local officials after the deadly fire. Protesters gathered at Kemerovos Sovetov Square on Tuesday, saying that they did not believe the official version of events about the fire that started in the Winter Cherry shopping centre. The official death toll stood at 64, but protesters said they believed the number was higher. They also said the number of the rescue workers was exaggerated by city authorities. Chanting slogans such as the truth, protesters at Tuesdays demonstration demanded the resignation of Tuleev. Blocked fire exits Investigators found last week that fire exits in the mall were blocked, the alarm system was broken and the public address system was not switched on. Reports of children locked inside cinemas also emerged after the incident. https://twitter.com/RealNewsLine/status/978284127303684096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Local media reported that the cinema employees would lock doors from the outside to prevent people without a ticket from entering in. On the day when the fire broke out, the cinema was full of parents and children. At least 41 children died in the fire, according to the official numbers. President Vladimir Putin said the incident had been caused by criminal negligence and that those responsible would be punished. On Friday, police arrested an executive with the firm that owns the shopping mall. The calamitous way the emergency was handled focused attention on corruption and lax fire safety standards. Lebanese man and Syrian wife sentenced in absentia for killing Joanna Demafelis, who had gone missing in September 2016. A court in Kuwait has sentenced a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife to death by hanging over the murder of their Filipina maid whose body was found stuffed in a freezer in the Gulf state earlier this year. The couple, who were detained in February and later convicted for killing Joanna Demafelis, 29, was handed the death penalty by the Kuwaiti Criminal Court, local media reported on Sunday. The court has ruled in absentia to punish the defendants by hanging on the charges they were assigned to, the court documents, obtained by al-Rai newspaper, read. Demafelis went missing in September 2016, and her body was found on February 6 in a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait City, where it had reportedly been kept for more than a year. After the discovery, her employers Nader Essam Assaf and his wife Mona Hassoun reportedly fled Kuwait for Syria. Following an Interpol manhunt, Assaf, a Lebanese national, was detained by Syrian authorities and handed over to Lebanon, while his Syrian wife remained in custody in Damascus. The two, who were found guilty later in March, can appeal the death penalty sentence. Diplomatic tensions Demafelis had left for Kuwait in 2014 hoping to earn enough to support her family. Her death prompted Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to order a ban on the further deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, triggering diplomatic tensions. Duterte had vowed to seek justice for Demafelis and other Filipino workers being abused by their employers abroad. He also dispatched commercial aeroplanes to Kuwait to bring back to the Philippines all Filipino domestic workers who wanted to return. However, Kuwaiti officials have criticised the Filipino worker ban, saying Dutertes statements have only served to complicate the situation further. Renato Villa, the Philippine ambassador to Kuwait, previously told Al Jazeera that he received almost 6,000 complaints of abuse towards Filipino workers in 2017 alone. Suspect was identified by the ICC as Ansar Dines de facto chief of Islamic Police during conflict five years ago. A Malian man accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity has been taken into custody in the Netherlands, the International Criminal Court has announced. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, identified by the ICC as the de facto chief of Islamic Police during the conflict five years ago, was handed over by Malis authorities and transferred to a detention centre in The Hague, the court said on Saturday. The suspect, who was active in Timbuktu during 2012 and 2013, is accused of using torture, sexual slavery, and persecution on religious grounds, in addition to extrajudicial sentencing, acts of violence, attacks on religious monuments and other war crimes. The court identified Al Hassan as a member of Ansar Dine, an al-Qaeda-linked armed group that sought to establish strict Islamic law in Mali. Several armed groups were accused of committing human rights abuses when they seized control of northern Mali in 2012. ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the case reinforced her offices commitment to bring forward cases only guided and built on a strong evidentiary foundation. As we undertake this work, we continue to have the victims foremost in mind and strive to do what we can so that they may attain the justice they so rightly deserve, she said. Hundreds of thousands were displaced during the 2012 conflict and the death toll is still unknown. The Malian government and several armed groups signed a peace agreement in 2015, but fighting has continued. In 2017, al-Qaeda-linked groups increased attacks and are responsible for several civilian deaths, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). State security forces also committed extrajudicial killings and torture, and enforced civilian disappearances last year, HRW said. The ICCs actions come as part of an ongoing investigation into war crimes committed in Mali. In 2016, the court sentenced former fighter Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi to nine years in prison for destroying historic and religious sites in 2012. Last year, he was ordered to pay $3.2m for damages. Residents of southern villages of Indian-administered Kashmir take to the streets after killing of at least 12 rebels. Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir Massive anti-India protests have erupted in southern parts of Indian-administered Kashmir following the killing of at least 12 rebels. Police said on Sunday the rebels were killed in three separate gun battles in the villages of Dialgam, Dragad and Kachdora. Swayam Prakash Pani, Kashmir police chief, told Al Jazeera that eight fighters were killed in two gun battles in Dialgam and Dragad. Five more were killed in Kachdora during a standoff that lasted until the evening. Encounter concluded, Shesh Paul Vaid, state police chief, said in a post on Twitter, adding that three soldiers were also killed, as well as four civilians. Unfortunate that the stone pelting around encounter site cost four civilian deaths, he said. One of the civilians was the house owner in Dragad village of Shopian where the rebels were trapped, officials said. Police said that among the rebels killed were several top commanders. At least 25 civilians suffered pellet wounds, while six others were being treated for bullet injuries, according to police. Locals, however, said that the number of those hurt was higher. To prevent demonstrations, the authorities have restricted access to mobile internet in the region. Shesh Paul Vaid, the state police chief, told reporters that the gun battle erupted in southern Kashmir late on Saturday and continued into early Sunday after government forces raided two villages following a tip-off about the presence of rebels. Ongoing clashes Locals told Al Jazeera that a large number of people from nearby villages took to the streets and marched towards the fighting to help the rebels escape, which then triggered clashes. The forces fired live ammunition at the civilians. Several young people received pellet injuries in their eyes; two people received bullets in front of my eyes, a villager, Manzoor Ahmad from Shopian told Al Jazeera by phone. Many civilian homes have also been damaged, leaving them on roads. How long this bloodshed will continue. We are tired. The protests have spread to multiple villages in south Kashmir. According to hospital officials, at least three dozen civilians were injured in ongoing clashes between stone-throwing young men and the Indian armed forces. Separatist leaders have called for a two-day shutdown to protest the killings in the region. Hundreds of paramilitary troopers have been rushed to the volatile parts of the region, including the main city of Srinagar, to guard the streets and prevent people from taking part in protests. Business establishments also observed a spontaneous shutdown in many parts of the city. Villages in south Kashmir, particularly Shopian, Pulwama and Anantnag have become rebel hotbeds since July 2016, after the killing of young rebel commander Burhan Wani. Wanis killing in a gunfight led to widespread protests in the region for five long months, during which over 100 civilians were killed, and hundreds lost their eyes to the pellet guns fired by forces. The beginning of this year has been violent, with intermittent gunfights and civilian killings on the international border. Cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan has intensified since January, forcing hundreds of villagers along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between the Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, to flee their homes. Both countries accuse each other of targeting the civilian population. The recent tensions threaten to bring about another wave of protests in the region. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the Himalayan territory, which they both claim in its entirety. Rebel groups have largely been suppressed by Indian security forces in recent years, and public opposition to Indian rule is now principally expressed through street protests. Anti-India sentiment runs deep among Kashmirs mostly Muslim population, and many people support the rebels cause against Indian rule. Kashmir is one of the most militarised regions in the world, as India has stationed about half a million soldiers in the disputed territory. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the decades-old conflict. One of Africas strongest democracies sees fifth smooth transition of power as new leader vows to tackle unemployment. Botswana has inaugurated Mokgweetsi Masisi as its fifth president, in a ceremony designed to highlight a smooth transition of power in one of Africas strongest democracies. The ex-vice president took over on Sunday from Ian Khama, who stepped down after his term limit 10 years was reached. Elections are scheduled for next year. In his first address to the nation, Masisi vowed to focus on tackling unemployment, which stands at about 20 percent. Botswana faces a myriad of challenges, such as unemployment, poverty, crime, HIV/AIDs, alcohol and drug abuse, amongst others, he said. Therefore, my top priorities as a president of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment, especially among the young people who constitute the majority of our population. Masisi, left, takes the oath with the Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo [Monirul Bhuiyan/AFP] Donald Rasikela, one of those unemployed listening to that speech, told Al Jazeera that he hoped the president would live up to his word. My expectation is that he will improve government efficiency in order to create job opportunities for the youth, he said. I hope he will improve social services to deal with employment. Some opposition members of parliament skipped the event, partly because of a rare corruption scandal that involves the national petroleum fund. Those who did attend say they need to keep the president and his government honest. We are going to continue playing our oversight role, continue to seek more clarity from the president in terms of the way forward how he intends to deal with unemployment because this country has been experiencing what we call jobless growth, Phenyo Butale, an opposition politician, told Al Jazeera. Vote next year Masisi has 18 months to assert his authority within the ruling Democratic Party before national elections in October 2019. Botswana gets to choose its members of parliament and then the party with the majority of votes, in turn, elects a president. Masisi hopes to be that man. Many people are saying that they dont think that the new president is going to move very far from former president Ian Khamas socialist policies, said Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi, reporting from Botswanas capital, Gaborone. Khama was concerned with poverty eradication, particularly in rural areas. So people expect that President Masisi will keep in line with that, but they also hope hell have his own ideas and vision. His first test will be this week when he names his vice president and cabinet. Botswana has enjoyed strong economic growth and a stable multi-party system since gaining independence from the UK just over 50 years ago. It is one of the worlds largest producers of diamonds, but Masisi believes the country is too reliant on the gem and wants to diversify trade. Israel is already holding the bodies of 24 Palestinians since its 2014 deadly offensive on the besieged Gaza. Israel is holding the bodies of two Palestinians killed by its snipers near the border with the besieged Gaza Strip, an Israeli official confirmed on Sunday. Yoav Mordechai said Israel will not return the bodies of the two Palestinians until the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed during Israels war on Gaza are returned. Gaza will not know peace until the Israelis are returned from the Gaza Strip and our soldiers will be brought for burial in Israel, he said in a Facebook post in Arabic. Israel is already holding the bodies of 24 Palestinians since 2014, when the Israeli army launched a deadly offensive on the blockaded territory. Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, is believed to be holding four Israelis since 2014, but has not said whether they were dead or alive. Palestinian dead With the two bodies, the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli snipers on Friday has risen to 17. Israeli snipers opened fire as thousands marched near Gazas border with Israel in a major demonstration marking the 42nd anniversary of Land Day. More than 1,400 others were wounded after Israeli forces fired live ammunition at protesters and used tear gas to push them back from a heavily fortified fence, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. On Saturday, the Israeli army threatened a stronger response to Palestinian protests along the border with the Gaza Strip. Fridays rallies were the start of a six-week protest that culminates on May 15, the day the Palestinians call as Nakba, or Catastrophe, when Israel was created. The demonstrators are demanding that Palestinian refugees be allowed the right of return to towns and villages which their families fled from, or were driven out of by the Jewish settlers from around the world, when the state of Israel was created in 1948. US then and now: Reflecting on 50 years since MLKs assassination Martin Luther Kings assassination was one of many events that defined 1968 as a year of political, social and emotional chaos, but what has United States learned 50 years on? He called for peace in the Holy Land but failed to condemn the killing of Gazas unarmed protesters by Israeli snipers. In his Easter address on Sunday, Pope Francis called for peace in the Holy Land two days after 17 unarmed Palestinian protesters were killed by Israeli snipers at the Israeli-Gaza border. Francis called for reconciliation for the Holy Land, also experiencing in these days the wounds of ongoing conflict that do not spare the defenceless. The pope made his comments in his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message from the central balcony of St Peters Basilica to tens of thousands of followers in the flower-bedecked square below where he earlier celebrated a Mass. Killed protesters Israels defence minister has rejected calls for an inquiry into the killings by the military during a Palestinian demonstration that turned violent at the Gaza-Israel border. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Federica Mogherini, the European Unions foreign policy chief, and other leaders have called for an independent investigation into the bloodshed. Earlier in the week, more than 100 snipers were deployed to the border to face a 46-day planned demonstration on the Palestinian side. Prayers Francis, celebrating his sixth Easter as Roman Catholic leader since his election in 2013, urged his listeners to work for an end to the so many acts of injustice in the world. He prayed the power of Jesus message bears fruits of hope and dignity where there are deprivation and exclusion, hunger and unemployment, where there are migrants and refugees so often rejected by todays culture of waste and victims of the drug trade, human trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery. Earlier in the week, church authorities in Jerusalem had applied for around 600 permits for Gazas Christian worshipers to celebrate Easter in Jerusalem, but were issued none by Israel. Fierce gun battle lasts for several hours after attack on military camp in Bulo Marer, 160km southwest of Mogadishu. Heavily armed al-Shabab fighters have attacked an African Union base southwest of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The gunmen on Sunday detonated at least two cars at the military camp in the town of Bulo Marer, before engaging soldiers from African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The fighting lasted for several hours, according to residents and military officials. Mohamud Jimale, a Somali military officer in the town, told local media that the al-Qaeda-linked group suffered heavy losses in the attack and retreated after a long gun battle. Meanwhile, Abdiaziz Abu Musab, the groups military spokesman, told Al Jazeera they lost 14 fighters. The Mujahideen fighters entered the crusaders base and killed at least 59 of them. Our fighters also attacked five other bases, Musab said. Residents near the town of Golweyn also reported a vehicle explosion targeting African Union (AU) troops on Sunday morning. Al-Shabab, which is fighting to overthrow Somalias government, routinely targets AU forces stationed in the country. The group was pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011 by Somali troops backed by AMISOM soldiers. The incident occurred as demonstrators marched to demand justice for unarmed black man killed by police. A sheriffs vehicle in the US state of California has hit an activist as protesters continued their near-daily rallies, calling for justice for Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man killed by police. Video of the incident shared on Twitter shows the police vehicle accelerating as a protester walks in front of the car. The protester is thrown to the ground. The Sacramento Sheriffs office confirmed in a statement sent to Al Jazeera that a collision did occur between a sheriffs vehicle that was travelling at slow speeds and a protester who was walking in the roadway. As protesters approached both of the marked vehicles, they began yelling while pounding and kicking the vehicles exterior, the statement said. As one of the Sheriffs Deputies was driving, a collision occured involving the Sheriffs patrol vehicle and a protester who was walking in the roadway. The statement added that the pedestrian sustained minor injuries. The incident occurred as demonstrators marched to demand justice for Clark, a 20-year-old father of two who was killed by police on March 18. Police officers involved in the shooting death say they believed Clark was holding a gun as they shot at him more than 20 times in his grandmothers backyard. It was later revealed that the young man was only holding a mobile phone. His killing set off a wave of demonstrations from Sacramento to New York City, reigniting calls to end what many call the systemic racism among US police forces. On Friday, it was revealed that Clark had been struck eight times, mostly in the back, by police, according to an independent autopsy, commissioned by Clarks family. Own your responsibility Members of Clarks extended family spoke at Saturdays rally, saying nothing seems to change when it comes to how police treat people of colour. The situation seems to happen quite often, that someone who looks like me isnt going home, Curtis Gordon, Clarks uncle, told the rally, local media reported. You really cant internalise that unless you live it, he was quoted as saying, adding that the police officers involved in Clarks killing must become accountable. You must own your responsibility, he said. Curtis Gordon speaks at a rally aimed at ensuring Clarks memory and calling for police reform [Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo] The killing of Clark comes amid years of national outrage over what activists and others call institutionalised racism among US police. The Washington Posts Fatal Force database counted more than 980 people police killings in 2017. The Guardian documented more than 1,090 police killings the previous year. Nearly a quarter of those killed in 2016 were African Americans although the group accounts for roughly 12 percent of the total US population. According to a watchdog group The Sentencing Project, African American men are six times more likely to be arrested than white men. People of colour make up around 67 percent of the 2.2 million people held in US prisons and jails. These disparities, particularly the killing of African Americans by police, has prompted the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, a popular civil rights movement aimed at ending police violence and dismantling structural racism. On Friday, a white police officer who fatally shot Alton Sterling, a black man in the southern US state of Louisiana, in 2016 was fired, police said. The sacking came just days after the states district attorney said it would not be pressing charges against the two officers involved. Reported denial by opposition council member comes after state media says Jaish al-Islam agrees to leave besieged town. A council member of Douma in Eastern Ghouta has said reports of a deal to surrender the opposition-controlled town to the Syrian government are not true. Iyad Abdelaziz was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency on Sunday that there was no agreement reached to have the Jaish al-Islam rebel group leave Douma for north Syria and hand over the town to government forces. He added, however, that humanitarian cases would be allowed to evacuate on Monday. Earlier on Sunday, Syrian state news agency had reported that Jaish al-Islam, which controls Douma, the largest city in Ghouta, had reached a deal with the Syrian government to leave for rebel-held areas in northern Syria. However, Jaish al-Islam has yet to confirm the report and only said on Saturday that it had agreed to evacuate the wounded to Idlib in northwestern Syria. Also on Sunday, Hezbollah media said that an agreement had been reached with the rebel group to evacuate fighters to Jarablus, a town in northern Syria near the border with Turkey. Jaish al-Islam has been in Russian-brokered negotiations with the Syrian government for several days now. The government has threatened to storm the city if rebels did not agree to surrender the last patch in the enclave in exchange for safe passage to Idlib. Hamza Berakdar, spokesperson for Jaish al-Islam, said on Saturday that the armed opposition in Douma refused to leave in what he called a forced displacement. Our position is consistent and clear, he said. We refuse to be forcibly displaced and demographic change in Eastern Ghouta. Later on the same day, the head of Jaish al-Islams political office, Yaser Dilwan, said that negotiations were ongoing and seemed optimistic, but did not offer any details other than to say that different options were suggested. The comments came on the same day the Syrian army had declared victory against rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta. The Syrian General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said in a statement that Eastern Ghouta, with the exception of Douma, was now under their control again. The armed forces formations, aided by allied forces, wrapped up military operations in Damascus Countrysides Eastern Ghouta, with full control established all over its cities and towns, said the statement. Rebel groups leaving Ghouta An estimated 140,000 people remain inside Douma, with limited access to food, water and medical supplies. Eastern Ghouta was taken over by rebel groups in mid-2013, resulting in the Syrian government besieging the area since then. At least 1,600 people have been killed following the launch of an aerial and ground offensive by Syrian forces and their ally, Russia, on February 18, to recapture what was once known as Damascus breadbasket. Last week, two rebel groups reached an evacuation deal with the Russian army, which resulted in about 19,000 people leaving for the northern province of Idlib. They included fighters from the Faylaq al-Rahman and Ahrar al-Sham rebel groups, their families and other residents. Trumps comments are the latest in a long-standing political feud between the US president and California governor. Californias governor has pardoned 56 people, including five individuals facing deportation, prompting a Twitter backlash from US President Donald Trump. Governor Jerry Browns office issued the pardons late on Thursday for 56 individuals who have demonstrated exemplary behavior and have lived productive and law-abiding lives following their conviction, a statement said. According to local media, five of those pardoned were individuals facing deportation, which could greatly affect whether they are sent back to their home countries. Trump, who has a history of public disputes with Brown, called the governor a Moonbeam on Twitter, a reference to a nickname given to Brown by a newspaper columnist in the 1970s. Governor Jerry Moonbeam Brown pardoned 5 criminal illegal aliens whose crimes include (1) Kidnapping and Robbery (2) Badly beating wife and threatening a crime with intent to terrorize (3) Dealing drugs. Is this really what the great people of California want? Trump said. {articleGUID} Referring to Trumps tweet, Browns office told local media that the presidents comments were rather curious given President Trumps proclamation yesterday declaring April Second Chance Month to celebrate those who have exited the prison system and successfully reentered society.' Browns office also tweeted a reference to Trumps Second Chance Month declaration on Friday. @realDonaldTrump Yesterday This month, we celebrate those who have exited the prison system & successfully reentered society. We encourage expanded opportunities& emphasize our belief in second chances for all whoturn their lives around. https://t.co/qugcCxeKaK https://t.co/fhljK4d8cx Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 31, 2018 Two of the pardoned men facing deportation fled Cambodia with their families during the time of the Khmer Rouge Regime. According to Browns office, all of the individuals pardoned completed their sentences years ago and the majority were convicted of drug-relation or other nonviolent crimes. Pardons are not granted unless they are earned, the statement said. Many on social media pointed out that Trumps rebuke comes just months after the US president pardoned his political ally, Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt in a case involving racial profiling. https://twitter.com/Rmichau311N/status/980348532728258560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Arpaio the self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in America is known for cracking down on undocumented immigrants and investigating unfounded claims questioning former President Barack Obamas citizenship. Governor Brown said in March that the Trump administration is basically going to war with California after US Attorney General Jeff Sessions filed a federal lawsuit against the state over its sanctuary policies, which seek to help protect undocumented individuals from deportation. California passed a law last October that, among other things, prohibits local law enforcement from asking individuals about their legal status. We reached the highest number in our history in exports, $15.1bn, says economy minister. Turkeys exports is expected to rise to $170bn in 2018, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci has said. We reached the highest monthly exports of our history in March We will hopefully exceed $170bn [of exports] by the end of the year. Zeybekci said on Monday. Turkeys exports in March reached a record $15.1bn, he said during a televised interview on private broadcaster CNNTurk earlier on Sunday. The Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) also said in a statement that the countrys exports rose 11.5 percent year-on-year in March to exceed $15bn for the first time. It said exports in the last 12 months had risen 10.5 percent to around $160bn and the forcast for 2018 is very hopefull. Trade deficit widened Data from Turkeys official statistics institute on Friday showed exports stood at $13.18bn in February. They also showed Turkeys trade deficit had widened 54.2 percent year-on-year to $5.76bn. TIM President Mehmet Buyukeksi said the assembly was aiming for exports to exceed $170bn at the end of the year. Zeybekci also said he expected tourism revenues to reach $51-52bn in 2018 from around $26bn in 2017. Tourism, a major source of funding to plug Turkeys persistent current account deficit, is recovering from a sharp downturn caused by bomb attacks, diplomatic disputes and a failed coup. Foreign arrivals surged over 27 percent in 2017 to 32.4 million, largely boosted by Russian tourists after Turkey patched up a rift with Moscow, concerns over security eased and the sector offered discounts to attract customers. Decision makes Uruguay the third country in the Americas to legalise same-sex marriage. Uruguayan lawmakers voted on Wednesday to legalise gay marriage, making the South American country the third in the Americas to do so. Supporters of the law, who had filled the public seats in the Senate, erupted in celebration when the results were announced. The bill received the backing of 71 members of the 92-seat chamber. We are living a historic moment, said Federico Grana, a leader of the Black Sheep Collective, a gay rights group that drafted the proposal. In terms of the steps needed, we calculate that the first gay couples should be getting married 90 days after the promulgation of the law, or in the middle of July. The marriage equality project, as it is called, was already approved by ample majorities in both of Uruguays legislative houses, but senators had made some changes requiring a final vote by the deputies. Among them: gay and lesbian foreigners will now be allowed to come to Uruguay to marry, just as heterosexual couples can, said Michelle Suarez of the Black Sheep Collective. Contracting parties President Jose Mujicas ruling Broad Front majority, which backed the law, is expected to put it into effect within 10 days. Nationalist senator Gerardo Amarilla opposed the law, saying it debases the institution of marriage and impacts the family, especially in its role in procreation. The vote makes Uruguay the third country in the Americas, after Canada and Argentina, to eliminate laws making marriage, adoption and other family rights exclusive to heterosexuals. In all, 11 other nations around the world have already taken this step. Whereas some other countries have carved out new territory for gay and lesbian couples without affecting heterosexual marrieds, Uruguay is creating a single set of rules for all people, gay or straight. Instead of the words husband and wife in marriage contracts, it refers to the gender-neutral contracting parties. All couples will get to decide which parents surname comes first when they have children. All couples can adopt, or undergo in-vitro fertilization procedures. It also updates divorce laws in Uruguay, which in 1912 gave women only the right to unilaterally renounce their wedding vows as a sort of equaliser to male power. Now either spouse will be able to unilaterally request a divorce and get one. The law also changes the age when people can legally marry from 12 years old for girls and 14 for boys; people of either gender would need to be at least 16. Outside congress, gay couples holding hands, transvestites and transgender couples jumped in celebration when the result was announced. People in costumes carrying Uruguayan and rainbow flags danced to electronic music. I have all the rights and obligations of everyone else. I pay my taxes and fulfill my responsibilities, why would I be discriminated against? said Roberto Acosta, a 62-year-old retired gay man. Mujica, who spent more than a decade in prison for his actions as a leftist guerrilla in the 1970s, and still lives on a ramshackle flower farm in a poor neighborhood on the edge of Uruguays capital, has pushed for a series of liberal laws recently. Congress agreed to decriminalise abortion, but he had to table an effort to put the government in charge of the marijuana business, saying society has to reach consensus on that idea first. Uruguays Roman Catholic Church asked lawmakers to vote their conscience and challenged the label of marriage equality as a false pretext, saying it is not justice but an inconsistent assimilation that will only further weaken marriage. About the show A weekly programme that examines and dissects the worlds media, how they operate and the stories they cover. Watch The Listening Post every Saturday at 0830GMT I used to be an atheist. My understanding of "atheism" was simply that it is the belief that there is no God. I was an empiricist: I believed in what could be seen the material world and nothing more. I did not hate Christians. At worst, I thought they were naive and foolish for their religious beliefs, but I knew many Christians I respected, including for their insight and intelligence. Today, "atheism" means something entirely different from a simple lack of belief in God. What atheism has become can be more accurately described as "the anti-Christian movement." It is a movement that assumes that Christianity isn't merely naive and false, but a major cause of social ills, something worth the effort to actively ferret out and purge from our society. This anti-Christian crusade has been both supported by, and a natural outgrowth of, the much larger program of cultural Marxism. Anti-clericalism is nothing new, but many atheists of the past were at least coherent. They believed that the complex triune God of Christianity was silly, but they didn't think Shiva, Allah, or Zeus was any better. Like me, they simply believed in the here and now and not in the unseen and scientifically unverifiable. The new atheists are different. They are not really bound by cold, materialist, scientific facts. Although they claim that science and reason are on their side, they often are not very knowledgeable about either. More often, they are interested only in co-opting the human authority science has acquired. Science is a brand for today's atheists, not a discipline. The new atheism is generally forgiving toward Hinduism and can be almost reverent regarding Buddhism. While I grant that Buddhism is essentially godless, it's a long way from being a collection of empirical facts. Buddha's claims are certainly no more objectively verifiable than Christ's. Nirvana is no easier to find on a star chart than the Christian Heaven. Uninterested in hard materialism, today's atheists believe in an emotional narrative invented and reinvented at the whim of politically motivated human beings. Today's atheism is not a philosophical position, but a political one. Superficially, the anti-Christian movement espouses the view that Christianity is uniquely evil in its intolerance their word for the fact that we have standards. Christianity, like Western civilization, is squeezed into the usual Marxist mold as just another instrument of oppression. But without batting an eye, many of today's atheists manage to believe that Islam, an objectively more intolerant, more misogynistic, and far more bloodthirsty system of beliefs than Christianity is somehow forgivable, or even a net social boon. In truth, the new atheism isn't about helping the "oppressed" any more than it is about the non-belief in God or the exclusive belief in the world we can grasp with our senses. It is about being a vocal part of the identity group of avid Christian-haters. A political entity. It is about inventing yet another substitute sense of identity and purpose to replace the Christian sense of identity and purpose that it struggles to destroy. The anti-Christian movement of today, like all other Marxist or neo-Marxist splinter groups, draws its strength from a simple, if unstated, promise: All the world's aggrieved can acquire social acceptance and the unholy grail of victim status by denouncing someone else as an oppressor and working for his destruction. In the preface of Richard Dawkins's book The God Delusion, we find the following revealing statement: I suspect well, I am sure that there are lots of people out there who have been brought up in some religion or other, are unhappy in it, don't believe it, or are worried about the evils that are done in its name; people who feel vague yearnings to leave their parents' religion and wish they could, but just don't realize that leaving is an option. This is a Marxist meme on the time-honored pattern. Marx himself was less whiney in tone, the product of more forthright times: "Workers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!" What Dawkins is saying, perhaps without even fully understanding the meme that he himself has swallowed, is that if you've been raised in a Christian household, you're a victim. By telling you this, Richard Dawkins makes himself a kind of revolutionary hero. If gold medals were awarded for virtue-signaling, The God Delusion would have won the prize for 2006. Am I being unfair? Perhaps where Dawkins lives, people who turn away from God are burned alive as witches. Perhaps but I doubt it. The last time I checked, death sentences for apostasy were rather rare outside the Muslim world, where Dawkins's book is ineffective, being banned. Or maybe he was talking about only the sad fate of atheists being shunned by other people the unspeakable emotional trauma of "stigma." Try openly declaring your Christian faith at all but a handful of universities in America, and you will find out exactly what intolerance and vindictive outrage is. Nor is it merely Dawkins who plays this tune. Other authors have likened a Christian upbringing to child abuse. This is a thinly veiled threat, since child abuse is punishable by law. Overall, the message is clear: Renounce your faith and you'll have instant standing as a victim; keep it, and you will be counted as one of the few groups liberals are encouraged to hate and potentially persecute as well. While I'm not an advocate of affirmative action, it is telling that practically all new atheists are white, and most of them are men. This is probably no coincidence. If you are black, Latino, female, or any foreigner with solid non-white credentials, you have ready-made victim status that will charm the neo-Marxist heart. You don't need atheism to get your ration of liberal street cred. If you happen to be a white man, though, you have to make up something to earn your right to exist. Not all white men looking for a victim group to hide in are willing to emasculate themselves as anything from beta males to "transwomen," so anti-Christian militancy has been, for some, the painless alternative. As the tone of cultural Marxist rhetoric becomes more strident, however, the new atheism has lost most of its value as a refuge. Unlike being non-white, atheism is perceived as a matter of choice. It doesn't really count. Unlike being a surgically altered transsexual, mere Christian-hating isn't much of a commitment. In the weird and wondrous world of continuous social upheaval driven by social Marxist critical theory, atheists, like gay men, are yesterday's heroes thrown into the liberal lake of fire as more radical departures from traditional society are concocted. God forgives but Marxism has no room for either gratitude or forgiveness. Only the collective matters. The individual is a mere means. Of all holidays, Easter is the one that celebrates a single event that transformed the world forever. There are many religions with different founders, prophets, and teachers going back thousands of years, but only one of them has a founder who professed to be the messiah the son of God who could save mankind. Jesus was born in a Jewish family and lived and walked among the people of Israel. Every year, Jesus's parents took his family to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. On one such occasion, when he was twelve, Jesus got separated from his parents and made his way to the temple, where he sat with the esteemed teachers listening, asking questions, and teaching. According to Luke 2:47, "[e]veryone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers." Later, when his adult ministry began, Jesus drew thousands upon thousands who flocked to hear him. No one else in human history made the claims Jesus did to be able to deal with every last problem of the human heart. One primary reason the Bible is a perennial bestseller is that it's the most complete owner's manual to the most complex creation of all the human species. Nowhere else can one find as succinct yet comprehensive an explanation of what God's love is all about than in the Bible's Psalms and Jesus's teaching through parables. Another unique quality about Jesus is that he welcomed people whom no other religious leader would be caught dead with society's rejects, reviled tax collectors, and prostitutes. By caring for outcasts and the disenfranchised, Jesus showed a radical level and standard of mercy and love never seen before. Once, when Jesus was having dinner with a Jewish Pharisee, a woman convicted by her own sin came to Jesus to wash his feet with her tears and hair and then apply expensive perfume. His host was aghast at the immoral woman's presence, but Jesus responded that God's work is to forgive sinners, and that those who are forgiven much can then love much. Utterly unique in other ways, Jesus performed many miracles, healing the sick, blind, crippled, and deaf the news of which traveled throughout the land, prompting many more to seek him out. And he healed them all. Jesus also confronted evil head on and drove demonic spirits out of people dangerously possessed and abandoned by society. His work did not stop with miraculous healing. Because God himself became flesh in the person of Jesus to save people through their own faith, he went on to demonstrate his love and power in an ultimate way that could not be missed or denied: bringing the dead back to life. One such resurrection miracle was that of Lazarus, who was irrefutably dead and entombed for four days. Upon Jesus's command, Lazarus got up and walked out of the tomb that people would know beyond a shadow of a doubt who Jesus was. All other religions require works to achieve enlightenment and salvation. Christianity turns that on its head: faith in Christ and all his teachings transforms the heart, from which good works naturally follow. In saying, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light," Jesus presents an ingeniously compelling appeal that even the most hardened cynic can't easily refuse. Skeptics of the Bible's truth and the reality of Jesus need understand that there's actually much more reliable historical evidence for his life, teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection than there is evidence for any other historical figure of ancient times. Consider that no one doubts the authenticity of the life and acts of Alexander the Great. Yet there are only two original biographical accounts of his life, which were written by Arrian and Plutarch some four hundred years after Alexander died. The manuscripts of Virgil and Horace, both of whom lived within a generation of Christ, were written more than four centuries after their deaths, yet no one doubts that they lived and authored poetic masterpieces. Looking at the big picture, there are about 1,000 times as many manuscripts preserving the New Testament (about 25,000) than other classical ancient works with the exception of Homer, whose Iliad is backed by 1,800 manuscripts (but still less than one tenth of the New Testament number). We know the historical Jesus mainly through four different accounts known as the Gospels Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John all written within a generation or two of Jesus's life. Matthew and John provide eyewitness accounts from their years of walking with Jesus as disciples. Mark also had eyewitness experience. Luke, the doctor, learned about Jesus from his friend Paul, the apostle who wrote most of the letters of the New Testament. Easter is the commemoration of the single event that transformed the world forever the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross. That God would send his Son to die as a sacrifice for the sin of all who would believe in Him is an unbelievable gift beyond most people's comprehension. That a resurrection and a joyous eternal life await believers is beyond anything anyone could imagine. That is the promise and essence of Easter. Scott Powell is senior fellow at Discovery Institute in Seattle. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org. "Missile defense needs to be part of the United States' strategy" against North Korean nuclear threats, conceded even a February 11 New York Times editorial in an incoherent anti-missile defense rant. Yet the Times still derided vital missile defense efforts like Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD), a continuation of the leftist Gray Lady's longstanding dangerous folly of opposition to protecting America's homeland from nuclear attack. The Times probably would have preferred that President Donald Trump had kept his initial Fiscal Year 2018 budget request with the missile defense spending levels of his predecessor, Barack Obama. However, growing North Korean nuclear threats prompted Trump and legislators to add $368 million to missile defense, reflecting a growing missile defense commitment noted on March 7 before Congress by undersecretary of defense John C. Rood. The Alaska- and California-based GMD is central to these missile defense efforts. As the Center for Security and International Studies (CSIS) notes, GMD "is currently the only U.S. missile defense system devoted to defending the U.S. homeland from long-range ballistic missile attacks." Nonetheless, the Times simply repeated decades-old sophistries about missile defense's futility, something that "will never provide a foolproof, comprehensive shield against a nuclear adversary." "After more than 30 years of research and more than $200 billion, the nation's ballistic missile defense program remains riddled with flaws, even as the threat from North Korean missiles escalates," the Times wrote. The Times cited a 2016 Pentagon report that supposedly "faulted" missile defenses (it actually describes GMD's "limited capability to defend the U.S. Homeland"). Correspondingly, military leaders like United States Air Force (USAF) general Lori J. Robinson, the United States Northern Command commander, refute the Times. During February 15 Senate testimony, Robinson responded to the Times editorial, saying, "I have one hundred percent confident [sic] in my ability to defend the United States." Recent missile defense budget increases allow America strategically to "continue to outpace everybody and it gives me more and more confidence, continued confidence, in our ability to defend the United States." Consistent criticism from the Times and others of GMD's past missile intercept testing failures ignores the analysis of retired USAF lieutenant general Dan Leaf, former Air Force Space Command vice commander. He documents how America's Missile Defense Agency (MDA) "has an impressive record of testing, correcting failures and improving the system." The Hudson Institute's Rebecca Heinrichs agrees while noting that repeated testing failures, a common occurrence in any weapons development, have not deterred North Korea from developing nuclear-armed missiles. "Five out of eight tests of operationally configured Ground Based Interceptors, or GBIs, have resulted in successful intercepts," Heinrichs has observed in GMD's record. Two testing failures involved a new Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), the GBI's payload that destroys a missile in space and keeps debris far from targets, unlike America's other non-GMD missile defenses. Subsequent improvements to the kill vehicle made a third test successful, reflecting how individual missile tests have unique, evolving characteristics. An April 2017 CSIS report details how GMD's present flaws are not technologically insurmountable. "None of the test failures, however, indicated a fundamental flaw with the basic long-range concept or hit-to-kill technology," but resulted from things "as simple as an error in a line of software code." "Significantly more can be done to improve on the capacity, capability, and reliability of today's homeland missile defenses," the report concludes, such as with a forthcoming Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV). Yet the report warns that deficient political commitment represented by the Times can foil GMD effectiveness, as homeland missile defense spending in 2017 dollars declined from a 2002 high of $4.5 billion to $2 billion by 2016. "In the Obama years, some extraordinary damage was done" to missile defense programs, concurred former senator John Kyle, a staunch missile defense advocate. "Despite much progress, GMD remains in a form that might be described as an advanced prototype, still owing much to a basic design and technologies from the 1990s," the CSIS accordingly noted. The Times' general opposition to missile defenses additionally ignores that American defenses do not rely solely on GMD (or any other system, like the sea-based Aegis with its own testing mishaps) as a "foolproof, comprehensive shield." Rather, Trump's new National Security Strategy announced in December 2017 the goal that a "layered missile defense system will defend our homeland against missile attacks" in partnership with countries like Japan and South Korea. Thus, national security experts like Angelo Codevilla recommend implementation of long-desired American proposals to develop space-based sensor systems and airborne lasers that can destroy missiles in their vulnerable boost phase right after launch. Reflecting prevalent Times' criticism of any military modernization, the Times also asserts that effective missile defense might not even be desirable. In this bizarre analysis, a false security induced by missile defense might encourage reckless policies. Trump "would make a serious error if faith in missile defense led him to take military action against North Korea," warns the Times. Kyle counters that the stability offered by missile defenses provides a "lot more flexibility to do whatever you're going to do whether it's with more sanctions or whatever," like the various North Korean policies advocated by the Times. Conversely, the Heritage Foundation's Michaela Dodge analyzes the dangers of an America unprotected by missile defenses. Then a North Korean missile crisis could force the United States to attempt a risky preemption, retreat humiliatingly under threat, or absorb a devastating nuclear attack. Codevilla particularly examines how America's vulnerability affects an alliance with South Korea. "China's main operational goal in Northeast Asia is to wean South Korea away from the U.S. It's doing this by saying, 'Look, the Americans can't protect you'" given North Korean nuclear threats. "But if the Americans had a new missile defense it would be a game changer." International political commentator David P. Goldman decisively refutes the Times' position on North Korea's darkening missile shadow. Currently, the United States is "without reliable missile defense, allowing a spoiler with a minor inventory the opportunity to blackmail the world's most powerful country." Yet the United States clearly commands the technological resources that could "simply make Pyongyang's investment in nuclear-weapons technology irrelevant and obsolete." The Times' continued caviling against such sensible missile defense steps is the height of irresponsibility. It's a crazy story, to say the least. It appears that there is a wave of people walking through Mexico and headed to the U.S. This is from Adolfo Flores: For five days now hundreds of Central Americans children, women, and men, most of them from Honduras have boldly crossed immigration checkpoints, military bases, and police in a desperate, sometimes chaotic march toward the United States. Despite their being in Mexico without authorization, no one has made any effort to stop them. Organized by a group of volunteers called Pueblos Sin Fronteras, or People Without Borders, the caravan is intended to help migrants safely reach the United States, bypassing not only authorities who would seek to deport them, but gangs and cartels who are known to assault vulnerable migrants. Organizers like Rodrigo Abeja hope that the sheer size of the crowd will give immigration authorities and criminals pause before trying to stop them. Quite a story. It raises several questions: 1. Where are the Mexican immigration agents? We've often heard that these agents are not very nice to Central Americans. So what's up? Why such a passive approach? Speaking of that, I called a Mexican friend to chat about this story. He said Mexicans are aware of it and wondering why the authorities are not taking action. 2. What should the U.S. do? I hope we are quietly telling Mexico to stop the march and send these people back home. The group heading this march is apparently looking for a confrontation with U.S. border guards. They want to rush and run in, or something like that. Let's hope Mexico does the right thing and stops it. What does Mexico gain from this? PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. Charles Barkley went on David Axelrods show The Axe Files to express his disgust at President Trump and the state of America. Like other professional athletes, actors, or now, high school students, Charles Barkley feels it necessary emote about his feelings towards President Trump. Sadly, but not uniquely , Charles expresses his disgust, but as with most celebrities, woefully misses the mark. Barkley insisted that: Trump's focus on "building a wall" and "deporting" had emboldened racists. Firstly, as the media has reported, Barack Obama deported more than any previous president. Donald Trump has not deported near as many illegal immigrants as Obama did. Every president for the past half century has discussed building the wall because it was and is a core issue of import for the vast majority of the American people. Bill Clinton discussed it. George Bush discussed it. Barack Obama discussed it. Legal Immigrants overwhelmingly support building the wall. Are they racist? Barkley then laments the deplorable state of our public-school system. "(We've) got the worst public-school system in the world. People talk about economic opportunity; there's only economic opportunity if you're rich." You wont get an argument from me about our public-school system, but again Charles angst is misguided. The public-school system in America is run almost exclusively by the Left. Donald Trump has proposed sweeping reforms, to include; the abolishment of the ill-conceived Common Core initiative, school choice, and most recently vocational schools. Many of those whom Barkley claims to speak for, would be lifted out of poverty and generational dependency by such reforms. The left was apoplectic with the appointment of Betsy DeVos as secretary of Education, and have resisted reforms since Inauguration day. Barkley then told Axelrod that progress on infrastructure and social reform had been waylaid by White House scandals. "I want everybody to have a good job, I want their kids to go to school, I want their kids to be safe. I want everybody to have economic opportunity." I want to see kids go to school too. Particular the Parkland kids. If they want to be safer, they may wish to consider jurisdictions that permit teachers and resource officers to carry. Economists define full employment as the condition in which virtually all who are able and willing to work are employed. By most measures, this condition has been met. At 4% unemployment, workers that are willing to work, are working. Of course, as long as Democrats are prepared to pay people not to work, there will always be a pocket of Americans who would rather game the system than earn their way. The Republican tax reform, spearheaded by President Trump, has permitted working Americans to keep more of their take-home pay, encouraged hundreds of companies to share their corporate tax windfall with employees in the form of bonuses, and has produced an environment where were starting to see rising pressure on wages. Lastly, Barkley bemoans non-stop news coverage involving scandals: "We have spent the last year talking about Russia every single day. Now we got Stormy (Daniels), now we got another girl, and I'm sitting here saying, when are we actually going to help the people? If you want to stop hearing about Russia and porn stars, turn off CNN and MSNBC. Your worldview is being poisoned by their narrative. As for when are we actually going to help the people? Look around. There are people being helped every day. Many are helping themselves. If you continue to look to government for help, youll continue to find yourself dissatisfied with the results. Talk about child exploitation. Media Matters, with its rapid response to David Hogg's fury at Fox News host Laura Ingraham, (for an insensitive tweet she has since apologized for), has now made the boy's gun control issue into their own mission to shut down the free press. According to the Daily Caller: Media Matters president Angelo Carusone helped Hogg identify Ingrahams advertisers Wednesday night. On Thursday, Media Matters published a list of Ingrahams biggest recent advertisers. Hogg shared the list on Twitter. If you want to help I would suggest contacting 3-4 of these companies. Lets do this, he added. So they've actually hijacked the kid's cause for gun control and are now using him as a puppet to advance their own priorities. With Hogg in a battle with Ingraham for control of the airwaves, nobody's talking about gun control anymore. Because neither the Ingraham tweet, nor Hogg's egged-on advertiser boycott of her show, has anything now to do with guns. Ingraham's apology to Hogg was a good faith effort take the topic to gun control, as she included an invitation the kid to come onto her show to express his views, but it turns out he really doesn't care about getting his word out about his cause by expressing his views - he responded to Ingraham with a ransom-style string of outrageous escalating demands, just as terrorists and cartel members do. So instead of getting more word out about gun control, Hogg's doing what the ace tacticians at Media Matters want him to do, which is shut down her program, same as this Soros-funded smear outfit has tried to do with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Glenn Beck, sometimes with success. He's nothing but a pawn now, a dancing organ grinder's monkey, to the greater Soros agenda. I find it disgusting that they can exploit a child with no knowledge of the greater world out there for their own purposes, not even paying lip service to his causes or his personal concerns. They are exploiting his hurt at not being able to get into the college of his choice, as well as his big microphone in the wake of the Feb. 14 shooting at his Florida school. When they are done with him, they will wad him up and throw him away as they always do, and thn move onto the next exploitable young person. Any questions as to why Sharyl Attkisson, in "The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote" identified Media Matters as the most repulsive of all smear artists making their living in the Washington Swamp? The only antidote to this is to call out these child exploiters, condemn their sleazy opportunism and willingness to stoop to any dirty deed to win their cause, and expose them. About 75 students from Rockledge high school in Brevard County, Florida walked out of their classrooms during the school day on Friday in support of the Second Amendment. Daily Caller: According to Florida Today, the event lasted around 20 minutes before students headed back to class. Junior Anna Delaney and sophomore Chloe Deaton, sporting a T-shirt emblazoned with the words my rights dont end where you feelings begin, organized the event. Both are reportedly part of the schools Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Academy. We were built on certain rights and that was one of the original rights, that we should have the right to bear arms, Deaton told the group. When it was Delaneys turn to speak, she quoted former President Reagan at a 1983 NRA banquet: The Constitution does not say that government shall decree the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution says the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.' Its all over the news right now that all students hate guns. I wanted to show that not all students feel that way, Rockledge junior Zachary Schneider told Florida Today. According to Florida Today, Event organizers and participants said they were disappointed the student walkouts on March 14, marking a month since the Parkland shooting, turned political. Deaton said the original purpose of the student walkouts was to honor the victims of the shooting, but parents and social media warped the message to support gun control. In the beginning, it started as a memorial to the Parkland students. And thats how it should have stayed, said Deaton. If you are an atheist, then, by definition, you are a materialist, because you reject and believe only in the god of the material self that has no soul. This is why all self-help and New Age "religions" are man-made spiritualities and synthetic imitations of Christianity that are "practiced" by atheists, who believe themselves to be spiritual but not in a Christian way. Out of the Enlightenment was built a man-made morality based on reason, which tried to replace Christian morality. Kant told us that only through reason can man find truth; Bacon claimed to give us the foundation of truth through the scientific method; Hegel gave us dialectical materialism that Marxism was built on that attempts to predict the historical inevitability of man's perfection through his own efforts; Hume's empiricism that said knowledge and truth can only be determined through the senses; and Dewey told us truth could be found only in what works in the material world that became the basis of pragmatism and utilitarianism. Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies, a book written by the brilliant Christian theologian and thinker David Bentley Hart, covers this topic somewhat: Hart outlines how Christianity transformed the ancient world in ways we may have forgotten: bringing liberation from fatalism, conferring great dignity on human beings, subverting the cruelest aspects of pagan society, and elevating charity above all virtues. He then argues that what we term the "Age of Reason" was in fact the beginning of the eclipse of reason's authority as a cultural value. Could it be that reason itself, the basis for secular humanism, is not the real path to truth in the world and is flawed as a worldview and belief system? Has anyone considered that rationalism, the offspring of Enlightenment-created reason, has a dark shadow called irrationalism that in the past and now in the present is the cause of so many problems? Reason is simply an amoral tool that can be used for good or for evil. German concentration camps during World War II were nothing but their idea of a "reasonable" and systematic i.e., pragmatic, utilitarian implementation of the Nazis' version of rationalism for the extermination of Jews. And more from Atheist Delusions: Modern persons of a secularist bent, who believe that the roots of their solitude for human equality reach down no deeper in the soil of history than the so-called Age of Enlightenment, often tend to imagine that their values are nothing more than the rational impulses of any sane conscience unencumbered by prejudice. But this is nonsense. There is no such thing as "enlightened" morality. From the classic book by Romano Guardini, The End of the Modern World: Man is not so constructed as to be complete in himself and, in addition, capable of entering into relations with God or not as he sees fit; his very essence consists in his relation to God. The only kind of man that exists is man-in-relation-to-God; and what he understands by that relationship, how seriously he takes it, and what he does about it are the determining factors of his character. This is so, and no philosopher, politician, poet or psychologist can change it. What the secular humanists all have in common is that they entirely neglect the soul and authentic spirituality of man. So on this Easter weekend, when the atheists of the world just shake their heads in disbelief at the two most important events in human history, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, they are revealing themselves to be one-dimensional materialists who have made themselves into arrogant little gods, believing they are the center of the their own self-enclosed universe, where the world revolves around them despite any pseudo-spirituality they might believe in and practice. And it is all rooted in the egocentric material self. Jimmy Carter is back, filling our television screens and newspapers with nonsensical blather, fawning journalists at his beck and call. Seems the 93-year old failed former president, Sunday school teacher, and all-round-snopes, is shilling a book, banally titled: "Faith: A Journey for All," suggesting he calculates that this is an easy one to sell to the public. He's talking to the press, a lot, saying the American public elected President Trump because he was a jerk, instead of someone who would defend their interests, instead of all all-around smilin' nice guy like himself, and he's called President Trump's choice of John Bolton "a disaster for our country," quite without irony, given the fact that his entire presidency was a disaster for our country, and was only rescued with the election of the great Ronald Reagan who had to clean up the Carter mess. He's calculating correctly that his book might sell, and the time is right for television appearances. The young millennials have no memory of Carter or the mess he caused, and the leftists of course like it. That gives him a pretty big reach now in his dotage. What's annoying is that journalists fawning up to him ask him no hard questions, no questions about his disastrous record in office, and no questions about how he certified Venezuela's fraudulent recall referendum in 2004 and other fraud elections after that as "free and fair." Now he's out popping off, each statement a bit worse than the last one. When will this nuisance go away? National Public Radio, the taxpayer supported nationwide radio behemoth, has been forced to issue a correction that reveals an impressive level of ignorance on the fundamentals of Christianity. Rod Dreher caught the obliviousness of NPRs staff and tweeted about the religious illiteracy and lack of newsroom diversity: NPR issued this embarrassing correction today. I assume will be no questioning within the NPR newsroom about its lack of religious literacy and religious diversity. pic.twitter.com/iIfh5YXu4b Rod Dreher (@roddreher) March 30, 2018 As of 2015, 75% of Americans claimed to identify with Christianity. Yet on Good Friday, the day on which Jesus died on the Cross, NPR revealed that nobody with a hand in producing its output understands the foundational belief of Christians. This is cultural illiteracy about the foundational faith of the American Republic. Anyone who reads what the Founders believed understands that the Judeo-Christian tradition, and Christianity itself is basic to our understanding of rights. Writing on The American Conservative, Dreher made several good points, but I think that the following is the heart of the matter: For many years now, some of us Christians have been trying to talk about Christian teaching on human sexuality, and how the push for LGBT rights in some cases seriously affects our consciences. That does not mean that we have the right to prevail, but in many conversations with journalists, I have not yet found one who evinces the slightest understanding of what the traditional Christian position is. They dismiss it outright as nothing but bigotry. I think that it is clear that many in our national media are outright hostile towards Christianity's and Judaisms teachings on sexual morality. This animus leads them to believe that they miss nothing when they remain ignorant. My guess is that if staffers on NPR were to write about non-Christian religions such as Santeria, they would take the trouble to acquaint themselves with the beliefs before expressing themselves. Hat tip: Ed Driscoll, Instapundit Prague, Czech Republic-based exhibit Touching Masterpieces combines virtual reality with specialized hardware to allow blind and visually impaired people to see artistic sculptures in a way that would otherwise be impossible by touching them. By utilizing contemporary VR technologies in conjunction with traditional haptic feedback solutions built into a pair of gloves, Spanish startup Neurodigital Technologies managed to deliver a platform that provides users with the ability to feel famous sculptures in a virtualized environment. Besides the Spanish company which crowdfunded its specialized wearable through Kickstarter in 2015, the project also involves the National Gallery of Prague and Geometry Global Prague, with the latter being responsible for creating the 3D models of supported sculptures. The initiative has so far managed to cover Venus de Milo, Michelangelos David, and the bust of Nefertiti, though more sculptures are expected to be added to its portfolio in the near future. The prototype version of the solution that isnt available to the general public and has so far only been tested by a number of blind individuals allows users to feel the overall shape of supported sculptures and is accurate enough to even allow them to recognize the texture of an object theyre touching, i.e. determine whether a specific portion of a statue is rough, smooth, or has a unique and intentional texture. Some of the principles utilized by the Touching Masterpieces initiative have been adopted from traditional art education for blind and visually impaired but aim to significantly improve on the accuracy of regular tactile pictures and similar tools that are widely considered to be relatively inaccurate. The system is still being refined and should eventually be available for use to the general public, with Geometry already open-sourcing its 3D models in order to encourage third-party developers to either contribute to the project or leverage those assets to create their own accessibility solutions. A short demonstration of Touching Masterpieces and the work that went into it so far can be seen below. The Moto Z3 Play Android mid-ranger has been detailed in a new set of renders authored by industry insider Steve Hemmerstoffer, better known by his Twitter handle OnLeaks. The images that can be seen in the gallery below are said to be a relatively accurate depiction of the final product, having supposedly been based on the latest information about the next addition to Motorolas family of modular Android smartphones. The device is said to be 156.4 x 76.47 x 6.65mm in size, thus being noticeably thicker than the 2017 Moto Z2 Play which was 5.9mm thin, with the portion where its camera bump is located reportedly being 8.92mm thick. The largely bezel-less design of the Moto Z3 Play should be dominated by a 6-inch display panel featuring an FHD+ resolution of 2,160 by 1,080 pixels amounting to an elongated aspect ratio of 18:9, i.e. 2:1. The dual camera setup found on the rear-mounted circular module of the device is said to consist of a 12-megapixel sensor and an 8-megapixel one, whereas the front-facing camera is expected to be of the 5-megapixel variety, according to previous reports. The Moto Z3 Play has already been certified by the United States Federal Communications Commission last month, with its regulatory listing suggesting the handset will be equipped with the Snapdragon 636, one of Qualcomms latest mid-range chips. The more premium variant of the mobile device will reportedly boast 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal flash memory expandable via a microSD card, in addition to featuring a 3,000mAh non-removable battery. A more affordable model is said to feature half of that storage space and 4GB of RAM but should otherwise be identical to its counterpart. As has been the case with all other previously released members of the Moto Z lineup, the Moto Z3 Play should ship with a rear-mounted 16-pin connector ensuring its compatibility with Moto Mods. The Lenovo-owned phone manufacturer already confirmed its set to announce its first 2018 products later this month, with recent reports suggesting the company will introduce a number of additions to its Moto G, Z, and E lineups in the coming weeks, including the Moto G6 mid-ranger. Posted Sunday, April 1, 2018 4:30 am April 1, 1993 - 25 years ago Marshfield Superintendent Dr. Jack Howard wont confirm or deny reports that he is currently a finalist in the running for the position of superintendent at Lebanon R-III Public Schools. That position was created when former Lebanon Superintendent Dr. Dan Roe did not have his contract extended earlier this year by the Lebanon board. Howard said Tuesday he had no comment as to whether he was a finalist for the position of not. Information released recently by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education indicates a slight increase in the graduation rate for Missouri schools. The report gives the four-year completion rate for Missouri public high schools at 73.3 percent in 1992, compared with 72.5 percent in 1991. The four-year completion rate had been declining annually since 1985, when the statewide graduation rate was 77.4 percent. There was an honest-to-goodness family feud last Tuesday at Niangua High School, but it wasnt over anything like land, or women, or moonshine. No, this family feud was over things like drug abuse, sex and the HIV virus and the abuse of alcohol. The characters looked familiar to the Hatfields and McCoys, but the two families were changed to the Duds and the Smarts. The two families, played by Niangua students, squared off in a recreation of game show Family Feud to try and teach lessons about drug and alcohol abuse, tobacco, legal drug misuse and the HIV virus. The project was filmed and will be edited by local Springfield television station KYTV to be show to younger students at Niangua. Joe and Joann Wilson, formerly of Marshfield, will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on March 29. Their family includes two children, Joni and Larry Crouch of Blue Springs, and Joe Wilson of Kansas City. Joe W. Wilson and Martha Joann Cologna were married March 29, 1968 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Marshfield. Deaths reported in this issue: Bertie E. Rittershouse, 92, Marshfield; Everett L. Chandler, 69, Niangua; Vivian Lore Greer, 84; Helen J. Williams, 83, Marshfield; William Lee Thomas, 93, Marshfield. Four members of the District 10 champion Marshfield Lady Jays were named to the all-Central Ozark Conference last week. Junior guard Michelle Mikkelsen and junior guard Tammy Turner were both named to the first team all-COC, and junior forward Heather Wilson and senior forward Lauren Stocker were named to the all-COC second team. Also named to the all-COC team from the area were senior Malona Clemmons, Rogersville, who made the first team, and senior Lori Lee and junior Angye McIntosh, Rogersville, who made the second team. March 28, 1968 - 50 years ago Marshfield FFA boys received four first places and one second place at the Sub-District Contest at Mountain Grove, March 25. The schools represented were Cabool, Seymour, Lebanon, Houston, Conway, Ava, Mansfield, Rogersville, Mountain Grove and Marshfield. The members of the Parliamentary Procedure team, which took first place from Marshfield, are Robert Wood, chairman; John Rueter, Ricky Hyder, Curt Mottesheard, Bruce Young, all freshmen, and C.E. Wells, a sophomore. The Parliamentary Procedure teams have won 14 first places in the last 16 years. Other winning first place were Hoover Case, a senior, in Public Speaking; Steve Cantrell, sophomore, for Completed Records; C.E. Wells, sophomore, for Creed Speaking, and John Rueter, a freshman, third place for First Year Record Book. Names of five finalists in the essay-writing contest sponsored by Webster Electric Cooperative were announced this week by Hugh E. Bennett, manager. High school juniors, whose essays on the subject, Electric Cooperatives Building a Brighter Tomorrow For Rural America, qualified them for final consideration, are: Sharon Pope, Rogersville, Doris Rost, Marshfield, Larry Dalton, Fordland, Charlene Vestal, Conway, and Dwaine Sell, Niangua. The Marshfield Schools have announced the employment of Ray Mayes as elementary school principal for the 1968-69 school year. Mr. Mays is principal of the elementary schools in Richland at present. He has one son who is a freshman in high school and three daughters who are married. He succeeds Miss Arilla Deckard, who has reached the retirement age. Samsung has obtained certification from the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a mobile device identified by the model number SM-A605FN thats believed to be the rumored Galaxy A6 Plus. Its smaller sibling, the Galaxy A6, also previously received certification from the FCC earlier this week, having also passed through the Wi-Fi Alliance certification as the SM-A600FN. As per usual, the FCCs certification documents only contain details about the variety of tests performed on the device involving several aspects of its wireless performance such as the specific absorption rate (SAR) on different bands and other connectivity features. The fact that the U.S. federal regulator approved the handset indicates Samsung may be planning on commercializing it in the country but doesnt guarantee its eventual stateside availability. The FCC certification also suggests that Samsungs upcoming mid-range series is getting closer to its launch date; two handsets identified by model numbers SM-A600FN and SM-A605G, believed to be the Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6 Plus, appeared in Geekbench benchmarking database earlier this month, revealing their core hardware specifications which suggested the duo has been designed to compete in the upper mid-range segment of the smartphone market. While the benchmarks obviously disclosed no details about the devices release dates, they suggested the Galaxy A6 will be powered by Samsungs proprietary Exynos 7870 processor which includes eight Cortex-A53 cores and the Mali-T830 GPU. As per the same source, the device is expected to pack 3GB of RAM and run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, likely overlayed with Samsung Experience. The Galaxy A6 Plus, on the other hand, is likely to be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor boasting the Adreno 506 GPU. This model is also expected to come with Android 8.0 Oreo as well, but also ship with 4GB of RAM. Samsung may opt to introduce its latest Android mid-rangers later this spring. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for an independent probe into the death of 16 Gaza Palestinian killed by Israel defense forces (IDF) Friday as Palestinians marked the 42nd anniversary of the eviction of Palestinians from current Israel. The UN Chief demanded that the probe be independent and transparent following an emergency UN Security Council meeting called by Kuwait, Egypt after the death of 16 Palestinians in Gaza strip in a peaceful protest, taken by Israel as a cover-up to stage attacks in the territory. Around 30,000 Palestinians turned up at six points near the security fence between Israel and Gaza for weeks-long demonstrations to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of Israeli forces takeover of the Palestinian land in the buildup to the establishment of the state of Israel. Israel said Hamas instigated the protest movement and tried to exploit participants in it to deceive the international community in its attempts to hide its crimes. Over 1,400 protesters were wounded in the clashes with the Israeli forces, Hamas-ruled health ministry in the strip said, adding that close to 800 were hurt by live fire. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas based in the West Bank, condemned the killings and called on the UN to provide protection to defenseless Palestinians. The large number of martyrs and injured in peaceful demonstrations affirms the need for the international community to intervene to provide protection for our people, Abbas said in a televised address. The Palestinian leader declared Saturday a day of national mourning. Israel, ahead of protests, which also took place in the West Bank, deployed snipers, special forces and paramilitary border units to the border with the enclave. IDF said several of those killed in the clash were known as Hamas commandos and were aged between 18-30. ARA's Editor-in-ChiefMurder or suicide? At the present crossroads, Catalonias pro-independence movement must choose between allowing itself to be murdered, a heros suicide, or an unpleasant reality-check that acknowledges the existing correlation of forces and has no qualms about discussing how it can survive the current catastrophe. Todays reality is a far cry from the promised transformation of Catalonia into an independent country by means of a political process whereby the Spanish legal framework would be smoothly replaced with a new one. The much-anticipated bilateral negotiation with the Spanish authorities has not happened either, while the forces that drive the Spains new nationalism are immersed in a competition with one another: the traditional right that attends Catholic Easter processions with parading legionaries is competing against its alleged revamped version, one that was built on the back of the sort of anti-Catalan sentiment that has politically benefitted so many in Spain. The deep states political reaction when faced against a movement which it opposes but has no desire to understand has led to a repressive race between the Spanish polices Go get em! motto and a justice system that aims to make an example of the Catalan leaders and is actually looking for retribution. As a result, nearly the entire Catalan government has been deposed and the leaders of the grassroots pro-independence groups (Omnium Cultural and the Catalan National Assembly) are in a Spanish jail awaiting trial. Meanwhile, Carles Puigdemont is in a German prison cell, many officials are in exile and Catalonias Generalitat has been taken over completely by the Spanish authorities. Despite this reality, some political actors are still afraid to explain to the general public that their strategy has failed and that a new focus is needed. Those who are blatantly responsible have no excuse not to be clear and should stop justifying themselves. The fear of being called a traitor has become the independence movements worst enemy because it condemns it to act with the senseless gung-ho spirit that followed its earlier harmful motto: Were in a hurry. A choice must be made between digging in or bringing in new actors and a fresh strategy With the main Catalan leaders now in jail, a choice must be made between digging in or bringing in new actors and a fresh strategy. Sticking to their guns would lead to increased social tension because the gap left by the lack of a political leadership would be filled by unpredictable direct action from the CDRs (1), which are ripe for infiltrators who seek to justify Madrids claim that Catalonias pro-independence movement is a violent one. If such violent claims take hold, they will impact the defence strategy of those who are in prison and they will ruin the reputation built in recent years by means of massive, peaceful, exemplary demonstrations. In contrast, new leaders would mean getting back our institutions and, for now, protecting key areas such as the school system, security and Catalonias police force, as well as the Catalan broadcasting corporation. Their survival is far from guaranteed in the current onslaught. Regaining our institutions is not akin to trivialising the situation of the prisoners, but it will provide a means to denounce their situation at home and abroad. In fact, any sympathy which the Catalan cause might earn abroad could be detrimental to Spain as a brand name and to Rajoys position, but it would not automatically guarantee support for an imposed solution to the Catalan issue. Countries still avoid meddling with what they regard as each others internal affairs. Headless and without a free leadership, the separatist political parties and grassroots groups are finding their bearings with greater or lesser realism. Following the CUPs clarification of their own position, the move by the Comuns edging closer to ERC and JxCat should help to form a government, but so far talks have failed to produce a presidential candidate that is acceptable to all. Omnium Cultural true to its own history has shown off its well-honed survival skills and its ability to retain a central position amid the most adverse of political situations. In contrast, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) will need to redefine its role. Its newly-elected presidents first interview cannot be regarded as good news. By stating that If we cannot run the risk of further arrests because of the crackdown, we might as well go home, Elisenda Paluzie is upping the ante to add new acts of heroism at an extraordinary human cost. And when she adds that we need to implement the Catalan Republic, she is in denial of the actual chances of that happening in the current state of affairs. Furthermore, her rhetoric in favour of tension gets worse when she argues that this deadlock is to our benefit. It isnt: the current deadlock takes a toll on Catalonia due to the economic uncertainty it causes; it jeopardises the broad-based support of the independence movement, it gets in the way of regaining our institutions and, therefore, it risks our school system, police and public media. So far Catalonias independence process has proven that the theory whereby things must get worse before they can get better is untrue: whenever things have got worse, they have stayed that way. First of all we need a government that governs with a president who leads whilst being aware of the actual majorities and whose main goals are the release of the prisoners, recovering our institutions and strengthening the denunciation front abroad. ___________ Translators note: (1) Catalonias Comites de Defensa de la Republica (Committees for the Defence of the Republic, CDRs) are loosely-organised local groups of pro-independence activists who advocate non-violent resistance. According a statement from the British Ministry of Defense published on March 31, 2018, the British Army has taken a step towards exploring a deal for a fleet of new armoured vehicles, potentially supporting at least 1,000 British jobs, by announcing it is rejoining the Boxer 8x8 armoured vehicle program. The BOXER 8x8 armoured vehicle presented by the German Company Rheinmetall at DSEI defense exhibition in London, September 2017 (Picture source Army Recognition) The UK will rejoin the Boxer 8x8 armoured vehicle program and explore options to equip the British Army with the 8x8 troop carriers to modernise its vehicle fleet and meet the Armys Mechanised Infantry Vehicle requirement. The UK played a major role in the original design, development and testing of the Boxer 8x8 armoured, and would reassume the rights it had as a project partner if a deal was to go through - allowing the option for the vehicle to be built and exported from the UK. The deal could see the Boxer fully assembled in the UK with at least 60% of the manufacturing with British industry, sustaining and developing UK industrial capabilities, facilities and skills. Artec, the consortium who manufacture the Boxer armoured vehicle, have already made commitments to British industry by signing partnership agreements with BAE Systems, Pearson Engineering and Thales UK, in anticipation of a deal being struck. It is expected that British companies would compete for the manufacture and supply of many of the vehicle sub-systems, as well as for a full production and assembly line in the UK. Estimates suggest Artecs planned investment in the UK could secure or create at least 1,000 jobs, based across the country including locations such as Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Stockport, Telford and Wales. With the likes of Rolls Royce already powering Boxers with engines and Parker-Hannifin, William Cook Engineering and other British companies also supplying sub-systems for the vehicle, this deal could secure a broader industrial UK partnership. The British MOD is now taking forward negotiations with the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) and Artec. Looking forward to the Assessment Phase, concluding in 2019, this will consider the comparable benefits of manufacturing locations and different supply chains for Boxer, as well as value-for-money. Any deal will be subject to commercial negotiation and assessment in 2019 and the aim is to have the first vehicles in service with the British Army in 2023. OCCAR is a European intergovernmental organisation which facilitates and manages collaborative armament programmes through their lifecycle between the UK and European allies. The organisation manages the Boxer 8x8 armoured vehicle program and, as an OCCAR member state, the UK has the necessary Intellectual Property Rights to the Boxer and greater control over ensuring Britain benefits from supply chain work. The British MOD conducted a comprehensive market analysis of Mechanised Infantry Vehicles in-service, entering service and in development. The analysis was guided by the British Armys requirements and how best to deliver them. The Boxer delivered on protected mobility, capacity, flexibility, utility and agility. As part of the proposed deal, the UK is also expected to see substantial inward investment from Rheinmetall, one of Artecs parent companies, who signalled their intention to launch a production and integration centre for armoured vehicles in the UK as part of the programme. This would represent a significant commitment which would lead to long-lasting armoured vehicle capability in the UK. The other of Artecs parent companies, Krauss-MaffeiWegmann (KMW), already has a substantial UK manufacturing facility in Stockport, from where it designs, manufactures and supports complex military equipment as far afield as the US and Australia, as well as parts of Europe. To be based in Mahwah, the new HQ will double as a showroom. The 144,000 sq. ft. facility has been built following a $30 million investment and it includes 78 conference rooms, 498 workstations, and electric vehicle chargers.The opening of our all new headquarters in New Jersey ushers in a new era for Jaguar Land Rover in North America in which we will have growing sales, expanded model lineups, and breakthrough technology, said Joe Eberhardt, JLR North America president.We now have an office complex that aligns with our newest retail facilities and gives our employees an efficient and inspiring work environment.Jaguar just announced last week the signing of a deal with Waymo , the successor of Google's self-driving car project, that would allow the Brits to become the self-driving companys main supplier of electric vehicles.Plans are that over the next two years some 20,000 I-Pace electric vehicles to be built and made available for customers of Waymos driverless service, the largest such fleet in the world.The push made by JLR on the North American market comes on the heels of the great results registered last year on the continent. The 128,098 units sold locally represent an increase of 9 percent compared to the previous year.The increase has bee aided by the introduction of the E-Pace in the Jaguar lineup and that of the Velar in Land Rovers portfolio.Now that new market segments have open up, like the one created by Teslas Model X, JLR hopes to enter them from the get-go and establish itself as a one of the companies to venture into new realms. One of the comments made by some pilots when a group of them gather is that their spouses or significant others and family members wont fly with them. While riding in little airplanes is certainly not to every persons tasteand rising above the planet does generate a concern about returning to it less than gracefullysome of the time its the pilots own behavior that has caused the problem. Most of the time the pilot doesnt realize what hes done to cause those nearest and dearest to decline to go aloft with him. Its bad enough that some of the terms we use in aviation imply an unpleasant end to a flightwell depart from the terminal, were on our final approachthere are a lot of things pilots do that are technically safe, but that scare the stuffing out of their passengers. To make matters worse, they are things to which most pilots are utterly oblivious. Running A Tank Dry In general, there is nothing wrong with running a fuel tank dry on purpose, at altitude, in cruise. It isnt going to suck any impurities, dirt or small children into the fuel lines. There are legitimate times in which a pilot wants to run a tank dry. For instance, in airplanes that arent equipped with a both position on the fuel selector, a pilot may desire to get all of the fuel out of a tank, particularly on older airplanes with numerous tanks. Switching to a tank containing fuel and turning on the boost pump (if the POH/Owners Manual calls for it) usually means the engine gets noisy again once the air in the fuel lines is replaced by fuel. While it can take a fair amount of time in some circumstances (and it may be over a minuteworst casein a few airplanes), its usually not a big deal, technically. From the point of view of a passenger as the engine cuts out, its bloody terrifying. A pilot has been through it all before and is in controlthose two words are hugely important when considering your passengers. The passenger is not in control, its a heck of a long way down and that loud silence up fronteven brieflyis no fun whatsoever. Ive had pilots tell me that they hate it when they are a passenger and the pilot runs a tank dry. It never comes when they expect iteven when they know its going to be happeningand it makes the adrenaline spray out their ears. One of the very worst fears we humans have is of falling. So, where are our passengers, those humans with virtually no control over their fates? Way up high. And you, the pilot, are in charge, and allowing the engine to quit. Think how that makes them feel. Shrinks explain that anger is a secondary emotion. It is the product of a primary emotion, usually fear. Anger only comes out when a more basic emotion triggers it. When you scare a passenger, theres a healthy chance that the result will be anger at you. It may not be expressed directly, especially at first, but it will be expressed in some fashion, be it a refusal to fly with you, nasty comments behind your back or other actions against you in your relationship, especially if the passenger is your spouse. If it is a first-time rider, he or she may decide to never fly again and may actively work against airports and little airplanes. A number of the Stop the Noise anti-airport folks have stories of flying in a little airplane and being frightened by an arrogant or sadistic pilot. If the passenger is your spouse or childthe most important people in your lifeyou are telling them, through your actions, that when they are in a position of no control you will consciously do something that scares the $#@! out of them. So dont act puzzled because your spouse or kids are not excitedly leaping up to go flying with you when the opportunity is offered. When carrying a passenger, do what you can to avoid running a tank dry. On those very rare occasions where you need to do soit had better be rare otherwise something is really wrong with your flight planninglet your passengers know well in advance. Tell them what is going to happen. Explain why. Then, when the engine first coughs, change tanks right away. Get it running smoothly again and apologize to them for the power interruption, for doing something that scared them. Not Telling Your Passengers Whats Going On Remember when you were a kid going to the doctors office and there were all those terrifying instruments on in the examining rooms? You didnt know what they were, but you knew about shots and that other stuffthe clamps, and gauze and black cuff thinghad to be bad and probably hurt. Passengers tell me that virtually everything in a little airplane and its operations are without compare to what they have experienced in life. Cars dont move in the third dimension and are one heck of a lot quieter inside. Then, when theyve been riding along for a while and have gotten used to how things normally are, the pilot does something differentsuch as use more flaps on takeoff and pull up at a much steeper angle or starts demanding things from an air traffic controller or flies through clouds that are terribly bumpy rather than fly around themand the uncertainty, discomfort and fear show up once again, front and center. When Ive listened to passengers tell me what concerns them about flying, I also think about the pilots I know who hate riding as passengers, especially in the back seatout of reach of the controls. Not surprisingly, the issue boils down to the lack of control felt by the passenger on top of not knowing what is going on and why. The extra flap on takeoff question came after a flight the couple had made into a short strip with obstructions. The pilot had, correctly and safely, followed the short-field takeoff procedure for the airplane. He didnt tell his wife what he was going to do and what to expect. It didnt help that he snapped at her when she asked him about it afterward. While there are portions of any flight that demand the pilots full attention and the sterile cockpit rule applies, when carrying passengers pilots shouldnt sit mute. Theres time to explain what is going to happen before it doesbefore the runup, takeoff, climb, power changes you get the idea. Following flights with first-time passengers Ive had several tell me that the brief explanations of what was going to happen next lowered their apprehension levels significantly. So talk. Its not necessary to explain how to make a watch when your passenger simply wants to know the time. Before the flight, provide an estimate of the length of the flight, what the potty break and food situation will be. It doesnt hurt to make the estimate about 15 minutes longer than the flight will really takethen your passengers are happy that you arrived early. Mention that you are doing the runup to make sure everything is working correctly before you take off. Keep it positive; your passengers will love you for your caution and concern for their well-being. For crying out loud, dont say you are looking for something to break. Explain briefly why you are using a checklistyes, Ive had passengers tell me that they thought it was because I didnt know what I was doing. (OK, there are several possible comebacks to that remark; Ill let them all pass.) Tell your passengers that the nose will be up kind of high during the climb and that it is necessary to bank the airplane to make a normal turnwhile it seems basic, new passengers dont know that and may be convinced that the airplane is going to turn over. The noise level will change when you level off and set cruise powerlet them know its coming. Communicate with your passengers, not just with ATC; although from a safety standpoint, do as you usually do and follow the aviate, navigate, communicate priority hierarchy. Taking Risks with Passengers Ive heard spouses express fury over things the flying spouse would do in an airplane with the family aboard. The examples I heard included flying at low altitudes over large bodies of water without any flotation devices in the airplane, buzzing someone or something, flying with a radio inoperative or with a weak mag or low on fuel. To me as a pilot, flying on a nice VFR day with one of two radios inoperative is no big deal, but passengers dont know that its no big deal. Passenger spouses have told me that the message they got from the husband-pilot who flew with inop equipment or minimum fuel or a rough mag was that he didnt care about his familys well-being. The points non-pilots made to me over the years were pretty clear: If its not working, get it fixed before you take up a passenger. Make sure everyone has clothing enough for an extra day if the airplane breaks and has to be repaired. If you are flying over water, carry flotation gear; have appropriate survival equipment for your route. Its all a matter of controlthe passenger has none other than to refuse to fly. If you are willing to fly an airplane in questionable mechanical conditionand your passenger considers anything that is not working as significant although pilots may not have that point of viewthen dont be the least bit surprised when your passengers are unwilling to fly with you a second time. Fiddling Years ago I flew with a pilot whose wife had said was a fiddler and it drove her nuts. It was true. In level flight he couldnt sit still. He was constantly futzing with this, adjusting that and tapping on the other thing. He couldnt stop tweaking the mixture, often to the point of causing the engine to run rough or cut out. After about 15 minutes of it, I just want to smack him. While sitting there, I was reminded of pilots who have told me that they try to impress their passengers by constantly adjusting things, so they can see how on top of the terribly difficult world of flight their pilot is. Passengers arent impressed by fiddling. They want well-enough left alone. To them a pilot who fidgets and fiddles causes anxiety. Once somethings set, unless its broken, dont mess with it. You keep your passengers more comfortable if you set things and let them be for the remainder of the flight (or at least into the descent) if possible. Try something: On your next cross-country flight with a passenger, see if you can sit stillother than scanning for trafficfor two minutes. If you feel compelled to touch a power control or play with the GPS, youre one of those who transmits a sense of unease to your passengers. Turbulence Passengers despise and fear turbulence. Pilots get used to it and often dont notice it. There is a major disconnect between pilots and passengers on this topic, especially when dealing with headwinds. Most pilots will willingly fly low to avoid headwinds and accept turbulence as a consequence. Ill spell this out as clearly as I can: Your passengers would willingly wring your neck if you choose turbulence over a smooth ride. While the flight lasts a shorter period of time down low, in lighter winds, the full story is that time is relative. A one-hour flight in the bumps is far longer to your passengers than a 1.5-hour flight in smooth air. Yes, it costs more for the airplane rental to go slower, but thats not an expression of the total price you are paying for your decision to make your passengers miserable. Not only do you as the pilot flying not feel the pure physical discomfort of turbulence as intensely as a passengereven a pilot who is a passengerturbulence is scary because it very often feels to the passenger as if the airplane is about to go out of control. Im not kidding. When you took your first few lessons, turbulence scared you when it rolled the airplane without you doing anything to the controls. With time and experience, you learned what to do and have gotten so used to turbulence that youve forgotten what that felt like in the beginning. That very early stage of your learning is where your passengers are now. Do your utmost to find smooth air when you are carrying passengers, especially those who are the most important to you in the world, your family. Weather Decisions A fair number of passengers have told me that they dont like flying in little airplanes in weather where they cant see anything out of the window of the airplanein clouds. They are uncomfortable if they cant see the ground or a vista of clouds. If you are going to be in actual instrument conditions, say so ahead of time and give a brief explanation about what to expect. Ive had some pilot friends indicate that their spouses were so uncomfortable with being in clouds that they always flew VFR with them, even if it meant delaying a departure for a couple of days. Those marriages seem to lastand the spouses are still riding along as passengers. One of the best axioms of military aviation is, There is no excuse to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime. Even the most aeronautically nave passenger knows that thunderstorms are horribly powerful monsters that can destroy houses and airplanes. You know better than to fly through a boomer when solotheres no reason to subject passengers to one. Ice worries passengers in varying degrees. Some know how truly treacherous it is, but even those who dont will be curious about why the windshield became opaque, the wings look like a freezer that needs to be defrosted and you are suddenly sweating even though its cool in the cabin. Out of consideration to passengers, make weather decisions even more conservatively than when you are flying alone. Hey, the airlines and corporate pilots do all they can to give a wide berth to weather because they want repeat business from their passengers. Running your private flight department in such a way as to cause passengers to want to come back for more is sure to make any good capitalist happy, even though you arent charging for the flights. Little Things Mean a Lot Your passengers do not like a dirty airplane. They dont know how to evaluate the safety and condition of the airplane, so they use cleanliness as a measuring device. (Just like you do when wondering whether an unfamiliar maintenance shop is any good: You look to see if the floor is clean. Youve learned that its a pretty good indication of the overall quality of the shop.) If its a rental, demand that the FBO provide you with a clean airplane. Youre paying the bill. Plus, part of a 100-hour and an annual inspection is to wash the airplane. If its your airplane, clean out the gum wrappers and soda cans and used tissues. Respect the fact that some people get motion sickness. The victim honestly doesnt want to be sick. He or she isnt doing it to spite you. Being sick is no fun at all. If you can do something about it, youre a hero. Have sick sacks available. Land before the heave-ho takes placetolerance increases if you do so; it goes down if the person actually does the technicolor yawn. If the person is a regular passengeryou know, a family membermake a determined effort to see if any of the airsickness remedies will work for the person involved. Our family has had great success with the ReliefBand. Its pricy, but for the family members who had previously been miserable, price wasnt the first concern. Youll be amazed at how grateful a family member will be when you get something that helps with motion sickness. If you were in a situation where you badly needed to use a restroom, none was available and the person in charge refused to do anything to help you out, how would you feel? Would you willingly place yourself into that situation again? So be considerate of your passengers. Carry piddle packs of some sort. Keep flights short enough that they dont have to be used; its embarrassing for any passenger called upon to use one. In the little thing department: Keep the black humor among pilots; dont use it on passengers. The cheated death again comment some pilots seem to need to make after a flight has scared passengers out of flying again. They dont know its not true. Ive heard passengers say how much they hate it that their spouses habitually say it after a flightespecially when they thought it was a nice flight, so there may have been something really bad that happened and they had just lucked out and landed safely. Conclusion Student pilot training programs dont provide much information on the care, feeding and comfort of passengers. Im of the firm opinion that wed have many more willing and happy general aviation passengers if pilots were more attuned to keeping their passengers comfortable and avoiding doing things that scare them. Be solicitous of them, recognize that its scary to be suspended way up in the air in a little, tiny machine, communicate with them and, as the placard on the panel of my friends Stearman says, Dont Do Anything Stupid. Rick Durden is a CFII, holds and ATP with type ratings in the Douglas DC-3 and Cessna Citation and is the author of The Thinking Pilots Flight Manual or, How to Survive Flying Little Airplanes and Have a Ball Doing It, Vols. 1 & 2. Between January 27 and February 4 last year, 1, 903 travelers were stopped for a second inspection by Customs and Border Patrol following President Trump's executive order banning travelers from 7 Muslim-majority nations, according to newly released data from CBP. 1,457 of them were U.S. residents and at least 134 turned around and left the country, Buzzfeed reported. Why it matters: This is the first time that these numbers have been released. The Supreme Court will soon hear arguments in the travel ban case in April, after allowing Trump's third version of the travel ban to be implemented while the case was ongoing. One of the police officers who was involved in the 2016 shooting and killing of Alton Sterling, Blane Salamoni, is going to be fired, CNN reports citing police chief Murphy Pauls announcement to reporters Friday evening. Why it matters: Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said on Tuesday that there would be no charges pressed against Salamoni, who shot Sterling six times, and officer Howie Lake II. Per CNN, it's unclear if Lake "violated any policies or procedures." Footage released on Friday from Salamoni's body camera shows him yelling profanities at Sterling, threatening to shoot him in the head if he didn't put his hands on a vehicle. Tesla said Friday that one of its Model X SUVs that was in a fatal crash earlier this month was in Autopilot mode when it hit a barrier and was subsequently struck by other cars, according to the WSJ. Why it matters: Automakers and ride-sharing companies are trying to test and prove the safety of semi-autonomous and self-driving cars. These crashes are setbacks in that effort, both in terms of proving the technology and in gaining public trust. Azerbaijan has filed a lawsuit against Armenia in the International Court of Justice, the main judicial organ of the United Nations, for violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the international court has reported on its website. 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By Trend The price index in the real estate market of Baku in February 2018 increased by 1.75 percent, Nusret Ibrahimov, director general of the MBA Group consulting company, real estate expert, told Trend. During the month, the prices increased for primary housing and land areas, as well as rental of commercial properties, he said, "Thus, prices in the primary housing market in February increased by 1.55 percent, in the land market - by 1.99 percent, and in the market for renting of commercial properties - by 1.83 percent. Meanwhile, the prices in the secondary housing market decreased by 2.13 percent, in the rental market - by 4.2 percent, and in the market of commercial properties - by 3.69 percent, " Ibrahimov said. The expert noted that the prices in the real estate market increased by 3.22 percent since early 2018. According to him, growth is mainly linked with an increase in the cost of apartments in the primary housing market. "So, prices in the primary housing market increased by 8.5 percent from the beginning of the year. The price growth in the land market hit 2.72 percent, in the market of commercial properties - 0.36 percent, and their lease - 4.75 percent, while prices in the secondary housing market decreased by 1.63 percent since early 2018, and prices in the rental market for residential premises have not changed since the beginning of the year," the expert said. In general, according to Ibrahimov, the real estate market is expected to grow by 3-4 percent in the first quarter of 2018. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijans Central Election Commission has registered 1,285 observers to monitor the April 11 presidential election, Chairman of Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission (CEC) Mazahir Panahov said at a meeting on March 30. He noted that the Commission has registered 545 international observers and documents of several international observers are being viewed at the Commission and their number may increase. Panahov noted that the election process will be observed by representatives of 51 international organizations. The CEC chairman added that the international observers coming to Azerbaijan represent 52 countries. As for local observers, the CEC chairman said 53,900 observers have been registered. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The policy of hardcore nationalism in Armenia is at state policy level, Azerbaijani MP Aydin Mirzazade told Trend March 31. Surveys conducted by influential foreign organizations show that Armenian nationalism, the aggression of Armenians towards other nations knows no bounds, said the MP. Mirzazade pointed out that they are very aggressive not only towards Azerbaijanis and other Muslims, but also towards Jews. As a result, today, almost 100 percent of the countrys population are only Armenians. This is the root cause of their tragedies. When the hardcore nationalism policy of Armenians, who are unfriendly to other nations, reaches the official state policy level, the country lags behind in development and its political reputation falls, said the MP. He noted that over time, humanity begins to reveal the true face of Armenian nationalists. We will continue to witness researches with such results, Mirzazade believes. Residents of Armenia turned out to be the most intolerant in relation to the Jews among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, according to a sociological survey conducted by Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center conducted research in 18 countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the period from June 2015 to July 2016. According to the revealed data, 32 percent of Armenians would not like to see the Jews among the citizens of their country. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Not only Azerbaijani citizens, but the entire Turkic world should not forget about March 31, head of Turkey-Azerbaijan Interparliamentary Friendship Group Necdet Unuvar told Trend. "This day symbolizes the brutal murder of thousands of our brothers in Azerbaijan by Armenians. This symbolic day shows the inhuman method of punishment committed against one nation exactly 100 years ago," he said. "It is very sad that many countries keep silent about this, despite the fact that there are thousands of documents, videos and photographs confirming the crimes of genocide to which Azerbaijan has been subjected over the last 100 years many times and in many places," he added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend As part of the visit to Turkey, Azerbaijans defense minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov visited Turkeys Baykar Makina company, which produces unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said in a message March 31. In a meeting with the leadership of the company, Hasanov discussed the issues of military-technical cooperation and viewed the military products of the company. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Turkey will host a trilateral meeting on Syria gathering leaders from Turkey, Russia, and Iran next week, the Presidential Press Office said on March 31, Hurriyet Daily News reported. The meeting hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 4 will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, according to a statement. Besides regional developments and the ongoing Syrian war, the Turkish and Iranian leaders are also expected to hold talks to discuss bilateral relations. Turkey, Russia and Iran are the guarantor countries who brokered a cease-fire in Syria in December 2016 leading to the Astana talks in the Kazakh capital, which are being held parallel to UN-backed discussions in Geneva, to find a political solution to the conflict. Ankara will also host the seventh meeting of Turkey-Russia High-Level Cooperation Council with participants from Ankara and Moscow on April 3, the statement read. During the meeting, the leaders will also exchange views on regional and international issues as well as bilateral relations. As part of his visit, the Russian president will also attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant on April 3. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Our cameras were at the John Jay French House Museum Easter egg hunt. Did we see you there? The boss of Britain's second biggest doorstep lender has warned that "over-zealous" regulation risks taking away consumer choice from low income families and could see them "choked-off" from vital credit. (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The boss of Britains second-biggest doorstep lender has warned that over-zealous regulation risks taking away consumer choice from low-income families and could see them choked-off from vital credit. Paul Smith, chief executive of Morses Club, told the Press Association that regulators would be wrong to limit the number of home credit loans borrowed from one firm, claiming it would be tantamount to taking away borrower choice. He hit out at Frost/Nixon and Alice In Wonderland actor Michael Sheen for his recent campaign to crack down on high-charging home credit lending, saying his claims are not very balanced, despite believing he is genuinely trying to do well. One shouldnt assume that what youre dealing with here is an industry that doesnt care, he said. Expand Close Morses club boss Paul Smith said regulation of the sector needs to be balanced. (Morses Club/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Morses club boss Paul Smith said regulation of the sector needs to be balanced. (Morses Club/PA) He added his borrowers would likely be targeted by illegal money lenders if support to my customers is choked off by over-zealous regulation. His comments come ahead of next months report due from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) following its review of the high-cost home credit market. The City watchdog has already raised concerns over the impact on those taking out repeat loans and is expected to announce plans for tighter rules, along the lines of its payday lending clampdown. Mr Smith said while he agreed that greater regulation was needed to stamp out less scrupulous doorstep lending, the FCA needed to be careful not to cut credit off for those who need it most. He said: The thing I vehemently disagree with is to say to a consumer you cant take out more than two or three loans with one company. You should never say to one part of the population that you dont have consumer choice anymore. Instead the FCA should bring in a rule so that a borrower cannot renew a loan until their existing loan has been largely paid off, he said. But he supports a cap on the amount of interest that can be charged by doorstep lenders at 80 for 100 borrowed and agrees that better affordability checks need to be common throughout the industry. He said while Morses Club has a maximum charge of 82 per 100, its average is 65 per 100, while its affordability checks ensure maximum lending of 65% of disposable income, with an average of 13%. Expand Close Hollywood star Michael Sheen has founded a new scheme to provide PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hollywood star Michael Sheen has founded a new scheme to provide The home credit sector has been thrust into the public eye, with the campaign launched by Hollywood star Mr Sheen the End High-Cost Credit Alliance adding to mounting recent concerns raised by politicians and consumer groups. Mr Smith said critics of home credit fail to take into account the extra costs of face-to-face lending and the risks involved with the typically low-income sector. He also said the sector needed to be recognised for providing credit to those who would often struggle to raise cash elsewhere and need to smooth out the spikes in their finances. Morses Club has around 230,000 borrowers, with an average balance of 600, and 2,600 agents and managers across 98 locations in the UK. Its annual results come out later this month and are set to show bumper lending thanks to recent woes at rival and market leader Provident. Mr Smith said the group is setting its sights on overtaking Provident, which has been forced to tap investors for cash after a fine for mis-selling at its Vanquis Bank arm and ongoing probe into its car financing business. Hammerson is expected to shed further light on future plans this week after having rejected a takeover approach from European rival Klepierre and standing by plans to seal a 3.4 billion tie-up with Intu. The shopping centre giant will issue a trading update on Thursday, just weeks after disclosing the approach from Frances Klepierre. At the time, Hammerson branded the 4.88 billion cash-and-shares offer wholly inadequate and entirely opportunistic. The Bull Ring owner instead wants to press ahead with an all-share takeover of rival Intu, which would create Britains biggest property company with 21 billion worth of assets across Europe. Intu operates the Trafford Centre in Manchester, while Hammerson owns the Bicester Village and Brent Cross shopping centres. City analysts will be expecting an explanation for Hammersons thinking. George Salmon, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: Its been a rollercoaster few months at FTSE 100-listed Hammerson. In rejecting the offer (from Klepierre), Hammersons board described it as unsolicited and entirely opportunistic. Next weeks update will give the group a platform to show exactly why. The trading update will come at a tough time for Hammerson, which has been relegated to the FTSE 250 Index after seeing its share price slide in response to market concerns over the woes on the high street. Last month, the company announced a 6.9% rise in net rental income for the year to December 31 to 370.4 million, up from 346.5 million a year earlier. Graham Spooner, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, said: It has been an eventful past few months for the commercial property developer. All of this has occurred against a difficult background for property developers focused on the retail sector, with signs of weaker sales on the high street due to ongoing popularity of internet usage. The world woke up on Sunday to news of avocado-flavoured Coca Cola, Arlene Foster launching a dress business and blue passports from the EU. Media outlets and companies had their best stab at pulling the wool over the public's eyes with an array of April Fools' stories. Here's a roundup of the best of them: Tayto You may have spotted a story on the Belfast Telegraph website about Tayto introducing the Dream Egg, a radical infusion of chocolate and cheese and onion fondant. Unfortunately, or fortunately - depending on your outlook - this is a hoax. The 45p treat will not become available today, or any other day for that matter. Avocado Coca Cola Continuing the theme of unusual consumables, Coca Cola announced it would be bringing avocado, sourdough, and charcoal-flavoured zero sugar drinks to the market. According to the Mirror, the new flavours were targeted at the 'Instagram generation' and offer a "tasty, sugar-free refreshment", but also "double-up as the ideal accessory for any brunch-time social media photo". Heinz Weird food mashups featured prominently in this year's fake news. Heinz - most commonly associated with baked beans and savoury sauces - announced what the world needs is a chocolate mayonaise. In a slick piece of advertising the company claimed its chefs had been working in top secret to bring together one of the "nation's favourite sauces" and "the finest melted Belgian dark chocolate". 'Foster's Frock's' With a return of Northern Ireland's power-sharing Executive not on the horizon, could former First Minister Arlene Foster be set for a move into the garment industry? A story carried Sunday Life announced Mrs Foster would be opening 'Foster's Frocks', a pop-up shop in the grounds of Stormont. A source told reporter Floral Poi: "With the warm weather fast approaching, Arlene wants to initially concentrate on summer dresses." The European Parliament In perhaps the day's finest piece of trolling, the European Parliament announced it would be changing the colour of EU-issued passports to a dark blue colour. Noting to do, of course, with heated fall out from Theresa May's December announcement that the UK's blue passport would be making its glorious return in post-Brexit Britain. BREAKING: All EU passports to become dark blue https://t.co/C6g8kEQx5d pic.twitter.com/xIadOfDSPn Europarl UK (@EPinUK) April 1, 2018 The Observer Another Brexit-theme bit of tomfoolery. An article in Sunday's Observer has a definite 'is it? isn't it?' quality, with the claim an Italian emoji firm had moved to cash in on Britain's exit from the European Union. A couple of giveaways in the include a reference to a possible "post-Brexit import tariff" on emojis, and also the photo credit on the emoji degisn being given to the "Guardian Design Team". Brexit and Remain emojis condemned as divisive and dangerous https://t.co/Wlo5fqWZ8a The Guardian (@guardian) March 31, 2018 The Sunday Telegraph Not to be outdone, the Sunday Telegraph is reporting EU officials are working on a new 'bateau de commerce' to boost its trade ties post-Brexit. The new 'le trade yacht' will supposedly ship key European Commission figures to trade negotiations with non-EU countries to secure agreements after Britain's exit from the European Union. The article also mentions the 350m cost of the new EU trade yacht would be added to the Brexit divorce bill. Visit Portstewart Closer to home it was announced in vogue royal Prince Harry had celebrated one of his three reported stag parties in Portstewart. A announcement on the Visit Portstewart Facebook page read: "We understand the Prince arrived in the town on Friday and will leave this afternoon! "Congratulations to the happy couple!" Prince Harry has celebrated one of his three reported stag parties in #Portstewart. We understand the Prince arrived in the town on Friday and will leave this afternoon! Congratulations to the happy couple! Posted by Visit Portstewart on Sunday, April 1, 2018 Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday. Picture by: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. The parade made its way along the Falls Road to the Milltown Cemetery where the Northern leader Michelle O' Neill addressed the crowd. Thousands of republicans attend Easter parades across the north this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. Pacemaker Press Belfast 01-04-2018: Republican marchers takes part in a parade in west Belfast on Sunday, organised by National Graves Association Belfast. Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill has called for a vote to be held on a united Ireland within five years. Addressing a crowd who had turned out to mark the 102nd anniversary of the Easter Rising at an event in west Belfast, Mrs O'Neill said the proposition gain traction within the unionist community as the impact of Brexit becomes apparent. On the subject of Brexit, Mrs O'Neill said the debate around partition had taken on a new dynamic. "The Good Friday Agreements political institutions, human rights guarantees, all-Ireland bodies, the constitutional and legal right of the people to exercise their right to self-determination and a united Ireland through consent, must all be protected," she said. "I am confident as the consequences of Brexit become clearer and as we get closer to the withdrawal stage that more people from a unionist background will be open to the idea of exploring new relationships on our island, and between Ireland and Britain. "Because Brexit exposes the undemocratic nature of partition. "Sinn Fein believes there should be a referendum vote on Irish unity within the next five years." Her speech also covered the themes of the Good Friday Agreement and the significance of the 1916 Easter Rising. "Republicans and Unionists have conflicting narratives, conflicting histories and conflicting allegiances," she said. "Thats the reality. Part of the journey to reconciliation is about recognising that to be the case. "Much hurt has been caused and real pain inflicted on all sides of the community. "It takes time to heal those wounds and to build a new society together where we respect each other." Mrs O'Neill also addressed the issue of Israeli state violence against Palestinian protesters in recent days, and called on Leo Varadkar to "send the Israeli Ambassador home and move immediately to recognise the state of Palestine". Michael D Higgins has led commemorations marking the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. The Irish President was joined by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at a military ceremony on OConnell Street. The annual ceremony involved prayers of remembrance and the laying of a wreath by the President. At noon the National Flag will be lowered and the 1916 Proclamation will be read by an Officer from the @defenceforces. The @PresidentIRL will then lay a wreath to commemorate those who died in 1916. A minutes silence will be observed. MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) April 1, 2018 Air Corps Captain Sean McCarthy read out a copy of the Proclamation on the steps on the GPO (General Post Office) where the rebellion against British rule began 102 years ago. Although on a smaller scale than the centenary events of two years ago, OConnell Street was thronged with thousands of onlookers including relatives of the 1916 leaders. Expand Close Air Corps' Captain Sean McCarthy (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Air Corps' Captain Sean McCarthy (Niall Carson/PA) A number of government ministers and former president Mary McAleese also attended the event which culminated with an Air Corps fly past. It was also reported that Fr Joseph Mallin, the last surviving child of a rebel leader, Michael Mallin, had died in Hong Kong on Sunday morning. Separate commemorative events were also held at Glasnevin Cemetery. Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan was joined by Sarah Tiffan, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, and Ambassador Stephane Crouzat on behalf of the French Embassy as well as members of the Irish Defence Forces for the event which included the raising of the tricolour over the Sigerson Monument. Preparations are complete for todays #Easter1916 commemorations at the #GPO. The Air Corps will play a significant part this year. Watch out for the @IrishAirCorps #Flypast which will end the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/KBlHr8SOIN Irish Air Corps (@IrishAirCorps) April 1, 2018 Mr Madigan said: It is a great honour for me to represent the Government at this ceremony of remembrance to commemorate all those who died in the cause of Irish freedom during Easter Week 1916. We remember in a special way those who rest in peace in this cemetery and the creators of our two great symbols of nationhood. John Green, chairman of Glasnevin Trust, said: Its important that we remember the young men and women who gave their lives to this country. Its remembrance days like these at Glasnevin Cemetery, where so many heroes of Easter week are buried, that give us a chance to reflect our past while moving towards our future. The cost of child burials are to be covered by a new Government fund (Brian Lawless/PA) Child burial fees are to be waived after a campaign spearheaded by an MP who needed a loan to bury her eight-year-old son after he was killed in a car accident. Carolyn Harris, who represents Swansea East at Westminster, had called on the Government to cover the costs of burials and cremations to help parents struggling to pay for their childs funeral. The Prime Minister has announced the establishment of a Childrens Funeral Fund which will pay for the costs of the burials and bring England in line with Wales. I'm truly overwhelmed that we've secured a #ChildrensFuneralFund across the UK. This victory will mean parents who are going through the toughest time in their life will have one less thing to worry about. RT how we achieved this #Carolyn4Deputy https://t.co/uPuMXASjqM Deputy Leader of Welsh Labour (@WelshLabDeputy) March 31, 2018 Ms Harris said: I celebrated last year when the Welsh Government gave me the Childrens Funeral Fund, Ive celebrated when every local authority right across this country has done this. But at last after so much pressure and so much time, families right across the United Kingdom can know that if theyre ever in that terrible, terrible position when they lose a child, that there will now be a pot of money available to make sure that child has a dignified and respectful funeral. Expand Close Carolyn Harris has long campaigned on the issue since the death of her son (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Carolyn Harris has long campaigned on the issue since the death of her son (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament) Ms Harris has long campaigned on the issue, with her eight-year-old son Martin having been killed in 1989, having previously said the establishment of a fund was the dignified, compassionate and sympathetic thing to do. Theresa May hailed the dignity and strength of Ms Harris, adding: No parent should ever have to endure the unbearable loss of a child a loss that no amount of time will ever truly heal. But in the raw pain of immediate loss, it cannot be right that grieving parents should have to worry about how to meet the funeral costs for a child they hoped to see grow into adulthood. In the darkest moment of any parents life there is little light but there can be support. That is why I have asked for the Childrens Funeral Fund to be set up in England. For Carolyn, in memory of her son Martin, and in support of all those parents overwhelmed by such harrowing loss. No parent who has gone through the heart-breaking experience of losing a child should be left struggling to cover the cost of a funeralJeremy Corbyn Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the establishment of a fund was very welcome and wonderful news. He said: This is a simple piece of dignity for bereaved families across the country, secured through tenacious campaigning by Labours Carolyn Harris who tirelessly kept up the pressure when the Government was dragging its feet. No parent who has gone through the heart-breaking experience of losing a child should be left struggling to cover the cost of a funeral. Malala Yousafzai has visited her hometown of Mingora for the first time since a Taliban militant shot her there in 2012 for advocating girls education. Amid tight security, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and her parents landed in the Swat Valley in an army helicopter. Expand Close Malala Yousafzai, second right, poses with her family members and Pakistan Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, left, (AP Photo/Abdullah Sherin) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Malala Yousafzai, second right, poses with her family members and Pakistan Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, left, (AP Photo/Abdullah Sherin) According to her uncle Mahmoodul Hassan, Ms Yousafzai went to her home and also planned to meet with her friends and relatives. Security was visibly increased in Mingora the previous day. The 20-year-old had asked authorities to allow her to go to Mingora and Shangla village in the Swat Valley, where a school has been built by her Malala Fund. Expand Close A Pakistani customer looks at a book of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai at a book store in Islamabad, Pakistan (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A Pakistani customer looks at a book of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai at a book store in Islamabad, Pakistan (AP) Mr Hassan said Ms Yousafzai and her family were not afraid of going to Swat, where Taliban militants wounded her six years ago. We are grateful to the government and the army for facilitating this visit, he told The Associated Press. In October 2012, Ms Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban assassin who jumped inside her school van and yelled: Who is Malala? Only 14 when she was shot, Ms Yousafzai has since delighted in telling the Taliban that instead of silencing her, they have amplified her voice. She has also written a book, spoken at the United Nations and met with refugees. On Friday, Ms Yousafzai praised the Pakistan army in an interview on the independent Geo news channel for providing her timely medical treatment, saying her surgery was done by an army surgeon at the right time. She later received post-trauma treatment in Britain. Expand Close The Taliban attacked Malala in 2012, when she was just 14 (Joe Giddens/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Taliban attacked Malala in 2012, when she was just 14 (Joe Giddens/PA) She said she would not have been sitting in Pakistan now if she had not been treated quickly. She plans to permanently return to Pakistan after completing her studies in Britain. Schoolgirls in Ms Yousafzais hometown were already jubilant over her arrival. On Thursday, she met with Pakistans Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi at his office, where she also attended a gathering and made an emotional speech in which she said it was one of the happiest days of her life to be back in her country. Ms Yousafzai has won praise from across Pakistan on her return home, but some critics on social media have tried to undermine her efforts to promote girls education. She said she failed to understand why educated people opposed her, although she could expect criticism from militants, who had a particular mindset. Expand Close Pakistani students walk past the Nobel Peace prize winner's former school in her hometown of Swat Valley (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pakistani students walk past the Nobel Peace prize winner's former school in her hometown of Swat Valley (AP) She told Pakistani media that majority of Pakistanis supported her. Those who do criticise have absurd kind of criticism that doesnt make any sense, she said in an interview with Pakistans The News English-language newspaper published Saturday. What I want is people support my purpose of education and think about the daughters of Pakistan who need an education. Dont think about me. I dont want any favour or I dont want everyone to accept me. All I care about is that they accept education as an issue, she said. Since her attack and recovery, Ms Yousafzai has led the Malala Fund in which she said has invested 6 million dollars (4.3m) for schools and books and uniforms for schoolchildren. Ms Yousafzai became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. She said her trip to Pakistan was her college break as well. That was also one of the reasons because I could not miss my school. So this just finally happened. To be honest, I cant believe it that I am here in Pakistan. It still feels like a dream, she said. Yousafzai landed in Pakistan just before dawn on Thursday, flanked by heavy security and plans to return to Britain on Monday. The father of a boy who died in a suspected hit-and-run in Tenerife has paid tribute to his "wee superstar". The 10-year-old, Carter Carson from Newtownabbey in Antrim, was hit by a car as he left a shopping centre on Thursday. He was taken to hospital in the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where he died late on Friday. His dad Stuart told Belfast Live that his son was their world, "with a smile that touched so many hearts. "He was a football crazy kid whose loss we can't describe. "We would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for their support, kind words and generosity. "Rest easy Daddy's wee superstar." Spanish news outlets are reporting this morning that two people have been arrested in connection with with the suspected hit-and-run, following the arrest of one man last night. Detenidas dos personas por la muerte de un nino atropellado en Tenerife https://t.co/2H29EivIxP EFE Noticias (@EFEnoticias) April 1, 2018 This was confirmed by Spain's Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido who said this morning: "Police have arrested two men over their alleged links to the fatal running-over of a boy in Tenerife. "Once again the publics help has been fundamental. Thanks for all your help." - Digital Desk Gardai have launched an investigation after a robbery in Dublin left a woman in hospital with minor injuries. Last Friday night a woman in her 30s was approached by a man near the Mill Park apartment complex on the Old Nangor Road in Clondalkin. A man has been detained for questioning in Tenerife after a ten-year-old Irish boy died following a suspected hit and run. It happened on Thursday in the south of the island. Frank Murray, one of the commissioners who worked to establish the burial of the Disappeared, was an exceptional public servant, the Taoiseach has said. Leo Varadkar was leading the tributes to Mr Murray, who died suddenly on Saturday. He said: "Frank Murray was an exceptional public servant. He enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the Civil Service and I want to acknowledge his many years of loyal service to many governments. "In particular, I also want to acknowledge the professionalism and sensitivity he brought to his work over the past number of years at the Independent Commission. "He was also a proud Leitrim man who never forgot his roots." Mr Murray was in his late 70s and had been co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) for more than a decade. Irish Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan described him as a good friend and gentleman. "In all of his work Frank was a consummate professional and a perfect gentleman. He has truly done this State some service," he said. "I want to offer my most sincere sympathies to his wife Maureen and to his children and grandchildren at this difficult time." The ICVLR was set up to find the remains of people abducted, murdered and secretly buried by republicans during the Troubles. The remains of three victims have yet to be found. Mr Murray began his career with the Irish Civil Service in 1960 and was appointed as secretary general to the Government in 1993 - holding the key position during the crucial period which led to the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. After his retirement in 2000 he held a number of board level positions with the Public Appointments Service, the Military Heritage of Ireland Trust, the Parnell Society and the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA). He was appointed co-Commissioner of the ICVLR alongisde Sir Ken Bloomfield in 2006. Mr Flanagan added: "He had a particular commitment to the cause of the disappeared and their families and he never wavered in his pursuit of the humanitarian objectives of the Commission." Last week Mr Murray attended a special service for the relatives of the Disappeared in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh. Sir Ken Bloomfield said Ireland had lost a "great man". He said: "With the sad death of Frank Murray, Ireland has lost a great man in terms of public service and sheer public decency. "It has been my privilege in recent years to work alongside Frank as a Commissioner for the ICVLR. "His distinguished career in the Irish Civil Service was in itself notable but in our joint efforts to recover remains he did his utmost to ensure a Christian burial, however belated, for many grieving relatives. "It has been a privilege to know and work with him. "He will be greatly missed by all who benefited from his wisdom and unalloyed decency." Families of those who have disappeared have expressed shock and sadness at Mr Murray's death. Sandra Peake from the Wave Trauma Centre which works to support the relatives said: "His calm compassion and quiet determination to see it through even or perhaps especially when a search had been unsuccessful gave the families comfort and reassurance that they would not be abandoned. "He always attended the Palm Sunday Mass for the Families of the Disappeared in Armagh and was there again last Sunday. "He will be missed and will not be forgotten. "The condolences of the families of the Disappeared go to Frank's wife and family." - Press Association and Digital Desk Update 7.45pm: Michael D Higgins has led commemorations marking the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. The President was joined by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at a military ceremony on O'Connell Street. The annual ceremony involved prayers of remembrance and the laying of a wreath by the President. Air Corps Captain Sean McCarthy read out a copy of the Proclamation on the steps on the GPO (General Post Office) where the rebellion against British rule began 102 years ago. Wreath laying ceremonies took place at Glasnevin Cemetary today. Photo: Fennell Photography. Although on a smaller scale than the centenary events of two years ago, O'Connell Street was thronged with thousands of onlookers including relatives of the 1916 leaders. A number of government ministers and former president Mary McAleese also attended the event which culminated with an Air Corps fly past. It was also reported that Fr Joseph Mallin, the last surviving child of a rebel leader, Michael Mallin, had died in Hong Kong on Sunday morning. Separate commemorative events were also held at Glasnevin Cemetery. Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan was joined by Sarah Tiffan, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, and Ambassador Stephane Crouzat on behalf of the French Embassy as well as members of the Irish Defence Forces for the event which included the raising of the tricolour over the Sigerson Monument. Mr Madigan said: "It is a great honour for me to represent the Government at this ceremony of remembrance to commemorate all those who died in the cause of Irish freedom during Easter Week 1916. We remember in a special way those who rest in peace in this cemetery and the creators of our two great symbols of nationhood. John Green, chairman of Glasnevin Trust, said: "It's important that we remember the young men and women who gave their lives to this country. It's remembrance days like these at Glasnevin Cemetery, where so many heroes of Easter week are buried, that give us a chance to reflect our past while moving towards our future. Update 1pm: Ceremonies held to mark 1916 Rising today A number of commemoration services have been held today to remember those who died in the 1916 Easter Rising. A military ceremony was held outside the GPO on O'Connell street which was attended by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and President Michael D Higgins, who laid a wreath. Glasnevin Cemetery also held several commemorations, such as wreath laying ceremonies at the Sigerson Monument and the graves of Edward Hollywood (the man who delivered the first tricolour flag to Ireland from France) and Peadar Kearney (the composer of Irelands first national anthem). Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, was joined by Sarah Tiffan, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, Ambassador Stephane Crouzat on behalf of the French Embassy in Ireland, as well as members of the Irish Defence Forces and Chairman of Glasnevin Trust, John Green to mak the 102nd anniversary of the Rising. "This year, as we remember the significant milestones reached in 1918 on the long and difficult journey towards enfranchising men and women equally and the full inclusion of women in political life, it is fitting that we also pay a special tribute to Dora Sigerson," she said. "She was a gifted sculptor and a major figure of the Irish Literary Revival who designed this beautiful memorial to honour those who gave their lives in the pursuit of self-determination and nationhood." 8am: A commemoration service will be held today to remember those who died in the 1916 Easter Rising. President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will attend the commemoration outside the GPO in Dublin this afternoon. The ceremony will begin at noon and will involve a reading of the Proclamation, prayers of remembrance, and the laying of a wreath by the President. Dublin Lord Mayor Micheal MacDonncha says it's always important to remember those who died during the Rising. "It set the course for an independent Ireland," he said. "It also set out the principles of the Proclamation for a Republic based on equality, equal rights and equal opportunities, a sovereign state. "I think it's very important we recommit ourselves to those ideals every year and also that we honour those who sacrificed so much for the freedom of our country," he said. - Digital Desk A two-month-old girl has died in hospital after going into cardiac arrest at a safari park. Emergency services were called to West Midland Safari Park in Bewdley at around 11.30am on Easter Sunday. West Mercia Police said the incident is not being treated as suspicious. Police responded to the incident after being called by paramedics at 11.21am. GUEST INFORMATION: We are currently supporting the emergency services with a guest that has been taken ill onsite. We'll provide more information when there are further updates. Thank you for your understanding at this time. pic.twitter.com/KK2kNGxu7n West Midland Safari (@WestMidSafari) April 1, 2018 Inspector Gurjit Singh said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the girl at this tragic time. Police officers are offering them support. "I would like to thank staff and visitors at the park for their support and understanding while emergency services attended to the girl. "I would request the family's privacy is respected at this time." Further update on today's incident. pic.twitter.com/XyK4e2MHLX West Midland Safari (@WestMidSafari) April 1, 2018 The safari park said in a statement: "Park staff have dealt with an incident this morning where a baby was taken ill and suffered a cardiac arrest. "Trained park staff immediately attended and provided care until emergency services arrived and took charge of the situation. "Our thoughts are with the family at this time." - PA It was hard to filter fact from fake news on social media this April Fools' Day, with Australian businesses and organisations preying upon unsuspecting customers swept-up in the Easter madness. Sydney sweet shop Dr Dough Donut scared fans after changing its Facebook branding to Dr Doughnut Time written in the same font and peppermint green colour as the official Doughnut Time franchise. Finally approved by our legal team on Friday we will now be known as Dr Doughnut Time,' the company posted on Facebook. The latter company has been the joke of Australias hospitality industry after the company was forced into liquidation in March, with dozens of employees claiming they were owed thousands of dollars in unpaid wages. A man has suffered "severe cuts" to his calves after being hit by a propeller at a north Brisbane boat ramp, according to police. Emergency services were called to the boat ramp off Wyampa Road in Bald Hills about 12.30pm on Sunday. The Bald Hills boat ramp. Credit:Google Maps - Mayank Gardhariya A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said the man, believed to be about 30 years old, was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a stable condition. The Department of Fisheries was on scene and the vessel also remained at the boat ramp. Country Decor in the Country Crafts in the Thrashers' garage by Shelley Daily Published in March, 2018 Brisbane icon Rankins on the Mall is not going to go down without a fight and has turned to "people power" in the fight against council's decision to demolish the 35-year-old business. Owner Ross Petersen has vowed to do "whatever it takes" to save his Queen Street Mall newsagency, launching an online petition and gathering paper signatures from customers. Ross Petersen has launched paper and online petitions in the hope people power can beat Brisbane City Council. Credit:Toby Crockford - Fairfax Media After launching the petitions on Thursday, the same day Brisbane City Council confirmed he would be evicted from his business ahead of demolition, more than 1000 online signatures had been gathered as well as several pages of hand-written support. "I think weve already acquired 1000 hits, which is fantastic because a lot of people have gone away for Easter," Mr Petersen said. A man has been charged with hitting a policeman during a hit-and-run incident in Brisbane's south. The road policing command officer was operating a speed camera radar at Tarragindi, near the Pacific Motorway off-ramp, about 4.20pm on Sunday when a car ploughed into him. A police officer has been seriously injured after a hit-and-run on the southside. (File image) It was alleged the 24-year-old driver was travelling above the speed limit and when the officer stepped out to wave him down, he struck the 57-year-old senior constable. Queensland Ambulance said the officer suffered leg and hip injuries and was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a stable condition. Residents at a share house on Brisbane's southside have been left "covered in blood" after a man was stabbed to death during an alleged home invasion. Police said several men were inside the home on Metropole Street in Robertson about 2pm on Sunday when three male home invaders allegedly entered and confronted one of the residents. Police established a crime scene and launched a murder investigation after the stabbing. An argument escalated into a fight that resulted in one of the home invaders, a 21-year-old man, being stabbed multiple times. Emergency services were called and tried to revive the man but he died at the scene. The squalid deception by the Victorian Liberals on Good Friday, when they claimed pairs for two MPs who said their religious convictions would not allow them to attend, showed utter contempt for parliamentary democracy and for Christianity. Bernie Finn and Craig Ondarchie both told Parliament they did not want to work on Good Friday along with Easter Sunday, the holiest day of the Christian calendar and were granted pairs, which means two Labor MPs also stayed away. But when the Upper House vote was taken on the controversial fire services bill, lo and behold, there were Finn and Ondarchie voting against it. The absence of the two Labor MPs meant the Liberals won by a single vote. Like many Victorians, I was aghast at this. It is a double insult: to democracy and parliamentary practice, and to the faith that the principle players claim to profess. To use Christianity to deceive Parliament is to insult all Christians and, much more importantly, God. What an elastic conscience these men must have. It is all the more hypocritical given the way the Liberals have pursued Labor and rightly for their own elastic conscience in rorting Parliament of $388,000 in what the Ombudsman found was unjustifiable use of electoral officers. The United Kingdom, one of the best student countries in the world, is popular for its quality education besides physical geography. This is the reason why thousands of prospective international students fly to the United Kingdom year-on-year. With the decision to leave the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom has literally shut down the interest of pursuing an education in the country. Millions of prospective students are shocked with the referendum results and are in dubiety whether to take up education in the UK or not. However, what happened later is really a positive for students. Post-Brexit, the UK is leaving no stone unturned to bring back the glory of international students in their country. It has launched a student recruitment campaign, 'Study UK: Discover You', besides increasing the number of student visas issued, specifically to Indians. Just like the United States, the UK education doesn't come cheap. Finding a student loan or scholarship prior to the application process is advised. We too understand that achieving a scholarship from a university is extremely difficult because of the huge competition. Here are some of the government and non-government-funded scholarships for international students. British Chevening Scholarships 1) This is funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It provides full or part funding for candidates who enrolled at the UK universities for a full-time education. Students can avail this scholarship in any subject. Commonwealth Scholarships For Developing Commonwealth Countries This is available to all the international students from developing countries in the Commonwealth countries. Students who take up a master's and PhD can apply for this scholarship. Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme This is for the international students who are undertaking master's programs in the UK. However, the programs should be relevant to the development of economy, society or technology within the student's country of origin. Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarships This scholarship is meant for Indian students. This is exclusively for doctoral students, research students and fellows visiting the UK from India. Saltire Scholarships This scholarship will be awarded to students at any degree level. However, students from the US, India, Pakistan, Canada, China and Hong Kong are only eligible to apply for this scholarship. British Council GREAT Scholarships For Indian Students A range of scholarships is offered by the British Council, specifically for Indian students who wish to take up an education in the UK. Apart from the government-backed scholarships, international students are advised to search for the university-specific scholarships also. Keep following us for more information to study abroad! A controlled burn on Penticton Indian Band land has been contained after it got away from fire crews. Penticton city manager Peter Weeber said the blaze has been contained to the visible area, and said no structures are at risk. The flames extended up part of Green Mountain and have been easily seen across the city for about an hour. PIB fire chief Barry Phillip said the blaze became a challenge due to steep terrain. He said crews are still on scene attending the fire. Phillips said the details of what exactly happened aren't yet clear. More information should it become available. According to the report The Hollywood Reporter, Pre-sale of tickets from 007: No time to die Reached one in the... Pueblo East senior following brothers legacy, plays for deceased mom Senior Brandon Atencio of the Pueblo East High School football team is living up to legacy of half brother by wearing same number, producing Dawn of the dead: Are there zombies in Matthew's resurrection story? The resurrection of Christ is the decisive moment in the Easter story: the crucified Christ defies death in his shocking, earth-quaking return to life. But Matthew's Gospel gives one brief yet startling detail of events around Jesus' resurrection that can easily confuse. Is this the biblical zombie story the church likes to forget? Closing the crucifixion story, Matthew's gospel says: 'And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"'(Matthew 27: 50-54). To the popular imagination, this tale might seem suggestive of a zombie horror: tombs crack open, the dead walk and march upon civilisation. Perhaps it's not meant to be scary, but it's jarring on many levels and it's not clear what we're meant to feel about this moment. For one, it feels like a distracting sideshow to Christ's resurrection, which we've not seen yet isn't Jesus' resurrection meant to be the central, unique event that promises hope beyond death? Why are others' coming back to life? It poses a theological puzzle about the nature of these resurrected bodies are they, like Lazarus, destined to die again? Why have these 'saints' been raised at this moment, if the resurrection of all humanity is yet to come? Again the brevity seems odd if the dead are walking and 'appeared to many', why do we hear no more about them? Suffice to say, it's a moment that has confused scholars and laity alike and there's no simple explanation for it. The ESV Study Bible suggests that the raised saints (the Greek is technically 'those who had fallen asleep', the same expression found to describe the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:20) are 'probably pious OT figures and godly intertestamental Jews, reembodied to witness to the new order of things that was no in the process of dawning'. This speculation thus links the walking dead to the Messiah's miraculous return: it is a foretaste of the general resurrection to come, made possible by Christ. The ESV further suggests that this language of being 'raised', proximate to Christ's resurrection, means the saints have indeed received their 'new resurrection bodies' (undying, unlike Lazarus who would die again). Since no other historical information about this return exists, the saints 'may have been taken up to heaven at or after Jesus' ascension'. Pre-eminent New Testament scholar NT Wright has become famous, among other things, for his influential Easter-themed tome: The Resurrection of the Son of God. There he too puzzles over Matthew's 'extra-ordinary' account. He suggests clear allusions to Old Testament promises of resurrection, such as Ezekiel 32:12-13, which God says he will 'open your graves and lead you out of your graves'. Isaiah 26:19 and Daniel 12:2 also speak of the entombed rising and the awakening of those 'asleep'. The evangelist may be trying to include a strange story of which he had heard, while making resonant biblical allusions. Matthew 'knows perfectly well', Wright says, that these raised saints are no longer walking around, writing as he is decades after Christ. Though the story isn't explained by Matthew, he may just be suggesting a 'strange semi-anticipation' of the great resurrection to come. Though its historicity cannot be corroborated elsewhere, Wright notes that the story is so lacking in precedent that it would seem strange to simply invent it. Ultimately, it may be better to 'remain puzzled' than to simply dismiss the story or make an ambitious argument for it. Wright concludes: 'Some stories are so odd that they may just have happened. This may be one of them, but in historical terms there is no way of finding out.' This obscure tale certainly poses more questions than it answers, but in that it may provide a helpful push-back against efforts to easily explain or rationalise every part of Scripture's story. Matthew must have known it to be odd, yet he kept it, and the church preserved his account. It is dramatic and mysterious, but that doesn't seem wholly inappropriate in a chapter about death-defying miracles and foretelling the apocalyptic fate of humankind. Resurrection probably should be strange and surprising: Easter preachers can be content to stand perplexed alongside their fellow readers. Evangelist claims gym kicked him out for praying over a member in pain An evangelist has claimed that he was kicked out of a gym for offering a prayer to another member in pain. Craig Fasler of Christian Equippers International reportedly prayed over one of the gym members to heal his physical ailments in the name of Jesus Christ, but after doing so he was asked to leave the gym. Fasler told reporters that the gym member he helped complained of body pain in the locker room. He offered to pray over him and the person agreed. "I prayed three to four times as the healing came progressively, until he was completely freed of pain," the evangelist said. "He was very grateful." After the healing, Fasler engaged the man in a discussion about faith and Jesus Christ. He also recommended that the man read Josh McDowell's book on Christianity, "More Than a Carpenter." But a gym employee at Retro Fitness in Manahawkin, New Jersey apparently heard Fasler praying over the other person and told the evangelist he's not supposed to talk about religion or say the name of Jesus at the gym. Fasler said that the employee also declared that she's an atheist. Police were called to the gym after Fasler wouldn't leave. The evangelist was escorted out of the premises and the officer said he was understanding but confused about why he was being kicked out of the gym. The police received reports that the evangelist was disturbing the peace. The police did not witness any altercation or incident when they arrived since Fasler was already preparing to head out. Meanwhile, Retro Fitness issued a statement on their Facebook page citing that Fasler offered to "heal" other members as well. They say that he has been told repeatedly to stop bothering members who only wanted to work out but they claim Fasler has refused. The management also denied that an employee declared she's atheist. "As a gym/health club, we consider ourselves a business of personal health & mental and spiritual well being," the statement on Facebook read. "Although not technically a 'house of prayer' any member, guest or employee who feels a moment of prayer, meditation or reflection is necessary or beneficial to their well being, is not only welcome, but encouraged to do so." How to evangelize & introduce Jesus to a family member who isn't a Christian? Having a Christ-centered family is ideal. However, in reality there are many families where some members are unbelievers. Still, as a Christian, you can't just give up on your non-Christian family or relatives. You know deep in your heart God's Good News and if you really care about your loved ones, you'd also want them to hear the Good News, right? So, how do you introduce Jesus and evangelize to them? It Is Your Duty Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 As Christians, we have the duty to share the gospel with others so that they can be saved. This is a command from Jesus. Show the Walk Now that your duty is clear, how do you do it? Hesitation is understandable. You don't want to force it as this can push your non-believer relative further away. Yet, you don't want to create a bigger space between you that you can't fix. Words can only mean so much. If you keep saying the same things when you try to introduce Jesus to them, it will become repetitive and meaningless. To begin evangelizing, you should show your walk with Jesus. Simply put, show Jesus' goodness through your actions. Show your commitment to Sunday worship services. Always be kind, gentle, and generous to others. Show how you resist temptation and try your best to flee from sin. Your relatives don't need to hear everything you say. When they see your good works and how Jesus works in you, they'll open their minds and hearts more naturally. Show the Talk Jesus always preached about the right things to do. But, do you think His believers simply took His offer based on what He said? Of course, not. His apostles and the people who believed in Him saw that His actions reflected his sermons. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:6 It is not enough for you to preach or talk about what's right and wrong. You should enforce it in your own house and wherever you go. Commit to your principles. Don't use foul language and lie. Don't gossip. Don't be sarcastic, make rude comments, and hurt others through your words. Rather, always speak to inspire, to empower, to motivate, to show love, to uplift, and to support. Be A Reflection of God Actions will always speak louder than words, especially if your non-Christian family has no interest in what you have to say. Remember, it's not what you say, it's how you say it, so you must start with walking the talk. Nowadays, people hang on to proof rather than promises. Think about this when you're evangelizing. Be a living example of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Never fail to show love, patience, kindness, gentleness, peace, and self-control. They can pick up on this easily. On the other hand, this doesn't mean that you wouldn't try to use your words to share the gospel. Don't feel ashamed if they keep rejecting you. At first, your goal is to make them hear you and later, that they'll listen to you. It will take time for them to see and observe how to live what you believe, but if you are consistent, this will already plant a seed in their mind. You can go further by offering support when they're going through tough times. Pray with them and make them see the power of prayer. Share a Bible verse that's timely so they can realize that God is someone who is relatable after all. Invite them to church, show them what a supportive community the church is. Of course, your efforts can only go so far. So, you must always pray to God to help you in evangelizing to your non-Christian family. God is always waiting for that perfect timing, but since you don't know when that is, you must keep trying. Just remember, God is with you in every step, and you must realize that God is already working on the heart of your loved ones because God love us all. Intolerable cruelty? How evangelicals are rethinking the doctrine of hell This article was published first on May 25, 2016. CH Spurgeon was a great believer in hell. In his sermon The Resurrection of the Dead, he goes into considerable detail about it. "You have seen the asbestos lying in the fire red hot, but when you take it out it is unconsumed. So your body will be prepared by God in such a way that it will burn for ever without being consumed; it will lie, not as you consider, in a metaphorical fire, but in actual flame," he says. Spurgeon imagines the body joining the soul at the day of judgment, whereupon "thou wilt have twin hells, body and soul shall be together, each brimfull of pain, thy soul sweating in its inmost pore drops of blood, and thy body from head to foot suffused with agony; conscience, judgment, memory, all tortured, but more thy head tormented with racking pains, thine eyes starting from their sockets with sights of blood and woe..." and all this for ever and ever. It was to save people from such a fate that he preached conversion with such passion. "If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies," he said on another occasion. "And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay." Nowadays, it's hard to imagine anyone preaching hell with such conviction. As a doctrine, many evangelicals find it awkward or embarrassing. The idea that someone in fact, the vast majority of human beings since the beginning of time would suffer Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT) for the crime of not believing in a God of whom they might never even have heard doesn't ring true. Nevertheless, the idea that nonbelievers will suffer an eternity in hell is the default evangelical position. But increasingly, it's being challenged from within the evangelical constituency itself. A National Geographic article from May 13 outlines a serious debate on the subject by scholars committed to the authority of the Bible. It cites Edward Fudge, who in 1982 wrote The Fire That Consumes, a book challenging the biblical underpinning for ECT, as the one who kick-started the debate. Fudge argued for annihilationism or "conditional immortality", whereby people who don't believe in Christ cease to exist after death. According to Prof James Packer, it was two brief arguments from Anglican evangelical leaders John Stott and Philip Edgecumbe Hughes in 1988 that "put the cat among the pigeons". If these impeccably orthodox evangelicals could do without hell, was it really necessary to believe it? Packer himself wasn't convinced by their arguments, but many others have been. Among them is Rob Bell, whose book Love Wins, which suggested God would save everyone in the end, drew from conservative evangelical Bible teacher John Piper the notorious dismissive tweet: "Farewell, Rob Bell." Farewell Rob Bell. http://dsr.gd/fZqmd8 John Piper (@JohnPiper) 26 February 2011 Can you be an evangelical and an annihilationist, or a universalist? One author, Preston Sprinkle, certainly believes you can. The author with Francis Chan of the book Erasing Hell, which argued that the Bible taught ECT and a literal hell. But Sprinkle says that the biblical arguments in favour of annihilationism, which he prefers to call "terminal punishment", are much stronger than traditionalists have often admitted and that he only "leans toward" ECT. He says that "a terminal punishment view of hell is for those of us to prioritise the Bible over tradition, who say we're Protestant and reformed an Evangelical option". There's even a website, Rethinking Hell, whose rationale is "exploring evangelical conditionalism", with excellent and honest summaries of the debate. It's fair to say that not everyone would agree. Prof Denny Burk was a contributor to a major book from Zondervan, Four Views on Hell, in which he argued a traditionalist line. A theological hardliner who believes in ECT, he says: "In the entire 2,000-year history of the Christian church, the near consensus view has been the Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT) view. The recent decline of that view in the West may simply be a sign of Christianity's decline in the West." And, he says, "Western 'Christians' who forsake the traditional doctrine of Hell tend to be drifting in other crucial areas of doctrine as well." The quote marks around 'Christians' are original and significant: these are not real Christians. Another contributor was a British author, Robin Parry, author of The Evangelical Universalist. His book is dense and scholarly, referencing the history of the doctrine, the biblical background and the moral arguments against ECT. But what's interesting is that the time he wrote it he felt he had to do so under a pseudonym, choosing the name Gregory MacDonald. He was editorial director of the evangelical publishing house Paternoster and was worried about the impact on his employers if he was outed as a universalist. He even did a radio interview with his voice disguised and set up a Gregory email address to be able to respond to critics anonymously. Parry eventually admitted his authorship in 2009. He says in the preface to the second edition: "The actual trigger for the self-revelation was receiving the nth email in my Gregory email inbox accusing me of a lack of integrity and seeking to hinder proper academic debate." Both Parry's experience and Burk's quote marks not to mention Piper's dismissal of Rob Bell suggest that the doctrine of ECT is, in evangelical circles, still not really up for discussion in the way that Preston Sprinkle argues it ought to be. Peter Grice on the Rethinking Hell website refers to the "No True Scotsman" argument (no Scotsman would shave; if a Scotsman shaves, he is no true Scotsman). So if an evangelical doesn't believe in ECT, he is no true evangelical. The trouble is that more and more evangelicals seem to be pushing back. The National Geographic quotes Sprinkle as saying: "My prediction is that, even within conservative evangelical circles, the annihilation view of hell will be the dominant view in 10 or 15 years." And evangelicals who hold to annihilationism or universalism believe they have a strong biblical warrant for doing so. The Bible is not as clear as we have been led to believe. Spurgeon's certainty about hell was misplaced. So the question for evangelicals today is, how big is the tent? Will a doctrine that even its defenders admit is morally problematic, seeming to cast God as a sadistic monster, remain a defining tenet of evangelicalism, or is there room for debate? James Packer concludes his examination of Stott's position by saying: "When John Stott urges that 'the ultimate annihilation of the wicked should at least be accepted as a legitimate, biblically founded alternative to their eternal conscious torment', he asks too much, for the biblical foundations of this view prove on inspection, as we have seen, to be inadequate. But it would be wrong for differences of opinion on this matter to lead to breaches of fellowship, though it would be a very happy thing for the Christian world if the differences could be resolved." Breaches of fellowship, though, are very common in the evangelical world, and hell may well prove to be the next pressure point for unity. Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods Just a happy ending? Examining the evidence for the resurrection Even in an increasingly post-Christian culture, most in the West could probably still tell you what Easter Sunday is about. That's the day Jesus came back from the dead. Even the chocolate eggs evoke something of that 'new life' celebration. But for many the resurrection of Christ remains pure fantasy, a worthy myth, but a myth nonetheless. Eager believers made it up. Even some Christians may have their doubts about the historicity of the story. In a highly rationalist, post-enlightenment culture, professing faith in a resurrected rabbi might just sound silly. Yet, Christian apologists frequently centre on Jesus' 'empty tomb' not only as an essential theological tenet, but as one of the most secure platforms from which to make the case for faith. Hence the success of evangelistic books like the bestselling Who Moved The Stone? On a grander scale, academic tomes like New Testament scholar NT Wright's The Resurrection of the Son of God have examined the miracle and its 1st-century meaning. So what is the evidence for the resurrection? It's a vast conversation to sum up, but there are at least three key points to engage. 1. The honest evangelists The first assumption made about the resurrection is that it was just a fanciful legend added to the Jesus story long after his life and long after it could be clearly contradicted. And since miracles don't happen, what we can interpret from the stories of Jesus' return is rather a spiritual meaning: though Jesus died a terrible death, he 'lives on' in human hearts. Yet, the resurrection in the New Testament is not a ethereal, non-bodily event but a jarringly tangible experience: the Christ of Easter morning is seen and touched by many. Moreover, it is the central drama of Christ's story, told in all four gospels and preached passionately by Paul. The significance of Paul's writing is key: though the written gospels emerged decades after Christ, Paul writes no more than 20 years after. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 he notes the resurrection not only as a central dogma of the early Christian creed, but speaks of Christ who 'appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have died'. This mention in his letter stands as an implicit corroboration and invitation. Jesus was seen by many, Paul says, and you could even go and meet these people. If you wanted to invent or control the story you could simply say that Christ appeared to only a few, and they're dead now so don't worry about the evidence. Similarly, the Gospel writers evidence their authenticity with details that might make their story look less convincing, but which they included anyway. Every Gospel writer states that the resurrection was first discovered by women. But at the time, social prejudice was such that a female witness was not legitimate evidence in court. Hanging your central dogma on the testimony of women was at the time daring to say the least. Unless of course it was true, and enough people knew it to be that you couldn't say otherwise. 2. The empty tomb The witness of early Christian writings wold of course mean nothing without another key historical detail: the empty tomb. The Romans had just put to death a subversive, high-profile criminal: if his energetic, insurrectionist followers were suddenly declaring a return form the dead, it would be pertinent for the authorities to quash such claims, and simply produce the dead body they had entombed. But it never happened. Indeed, it would have been absurd for Christians to preach a bodily resurrection if their claim could be so easily contradicted. The tomb stands empty, so where did the body go? Some have suggested that the disciples stole the body: not only would they have had to take on the Roman guard at the tomb, but they would need to forever preserve the dark truth that the defeated saviour they were suddenly declaring 'alive' had really just been shuffled elsewhere, while later dying for their faith. Wright's historical analysis is also clear that bodily resurrection, even of great religious leaders, was simply not an expectation of 1st-century Jews. It wouldn't be something you make up, let alone convince thousands of. 3. The explosive church The despondent disciples on Holy Saturday are the picture of followers who have just watched their supposed-Messiah executed by the authorities they thought he would overthrow. Such a public humiliation and disappointment would prompt fear, not fervent faith. Yet history documents that this obscure Jewish sect did not die with that generation but exploded in an unprecedented way, becoming the faith still claimed by billions today. And it was a faith that made strange claims contrary to the Jewish culture of the day: a bodily resurrection that promised future restoration, a man worshipped as the one God who made the world. As Tim Keller writes: 'After the death of Jesus the entire Christian community suddenly adopted a set of beliefs that were brand-new and until that point had been unthinkable.' Why would this movement flourish at all, let alone expand so rapidly, if built on a shaky and ludicrous hoax and backed just by a handful of fishermen? On the contrary, if a shocking yet undeniable, tangible and transformative resurrection really had taken place, and had been witnessed by hundreds, the inspired early church starts to make more sense. No one can really be argued into faith, nor should we try to do so, and it's worth remembering that even a historically compelling case for Christ's resurrection might leave many unconvinced. The miracle may just remain too strange, too outrageous. But the historical case is good, important to state because it gets beyond the notion of resurrection as simply a 'happy ending' invented by the church. It helps get beyond assumptions and engage with what really might have happened. But ultimately, what's at stake in this debate is not a detail of history, but the nature of reality: whether death has the final word on existence, or if hope endures and transcends even that one certainty of life. It was a radical thought then; it's no less radical now. You can follow @JosephHartropp on Twitter Pope Francis says hell doesn't exist but I know he's wrong Hell does not exist, Pope Francis has been quoted as saying. If he did say this or something like it, perhaps as part of his wider mission to refashion the Catholic Church as more merciful than perhaps it has seemed in the past, there might another way to interpret it, one more relatable to the direct experience of ordinary people out there. The experience of people such as myself , people who have battled and (mostly) conquered some pretty serious and rooted personality flaws over many decades, is that hell does indeed exist. I'll leave questions around the afterlife to the theologians. For quotidian toilers such as me, it definitely exists in the here and now. And one message of Easter, the redemption of the Resurrection, is that it can be conquered, defeated, overcome in the here and now. What the pope said was radical because hell and heaven have been, and are, seen as future consequences for our present actions. You will go to hell for this but only when you die. It doesn't take me to point out how this can be abused by the unscrupulous to justify sin without apparent consequence, how it can be abused by authority, by parents, organisations both religious and secular. It is also a common criticism of Christians that we are merely being 'good' today so we can go to heaven tomorrow. But the power of Christianity and the Resurrection, at least for this insignificant believer, is not what it promises in the afterlife. I'm happy to let God be the judge of that. It is what it empowers in the present. And for me, this empowerment, the liberation from enslavement to aspects of my personality that have proved so difficult to manage, ultimately came through immersion in the Passion and the Resurrection of Christ. Hell for me was not just what I have experienced in this life as a consequence of my own actions, those of others and of sheer bad luck. It is also what I have done to others, created for others, mainly unintentionally and mainly in the past now but still done nonetheless. I want and try to be a good person and believe that is the case for most people. Also I am deeply repentant for harm I've done to others. Why I love Easter beyond Christmas, and continue to believe and pray it year on year, is because it offers repeated second chances. It offers mercy. Yes, hell does exist. But the Resurrection shows me I no longer have to live in it. Ruth Gledhill is multi-media editor of The Tablet and an editorial adviser to Christian Today. Find her on Twitter @ruthiegledhill Bill Sikes, STF / AP WASHINGTON The pace of Americans signing contracts to buy homes picked up in February, rebounding from a drop in January. But a shortage of homes on the market continues to weigh on the housing market. The National Association of Realtors said this past weekthat its pending sales index rose 3.1 percent in February to 107.5 after tumbling 5 percent in January. Despite the uptick, the index is still down 4.1 percent from a year earlier. In route news this week, Delta expands its Delta One front cabin on domestic routes; American adds some Latin America routes (and trims others), and also starts a new Oakland route; United goes transatlantic from Denver and expands Cuba service; Air France comes to Seattle; Qantas kicks off a history-making long-haul route; Qatar Airways brings a new plane to Atlanta; an unlikely California airport gets transpacific service; and Singapore Airlines gets the newest model of Boeings Dreamliner. The upgraded Delta One front cabin product that Delta offers in international markets is coming to key domestic routes on April 1, replacing domestic first class. The airline said Delta One will be offered during strategic flight times on two of its three daily Boston-Los Angeles runs, one of its three New York JFK-San Diego flights, and two of its four JFK-Seattle departures starting April 1, followed by one of five daily JFK-Las Vegas flights beginning May 1. Also on April 1, Delta One will appear on its daily Atlanta-Honolulu and Minneapolis-Honolulu flights. (Its probably no coincidence that Delta One service on BOS-LAX, JFK-LAS and JFK-SAN will compete against JetBlue flights that offer Mint front-cabin service with lie-flat seats. JetBlue has continued to expand its popular Mint flights, most recently adding them to Boston-Las Vegas and Boston-Seattle this winter, with JFK-Seattle due to start April 15.) Delta One service provides 180 degree lie-flat seats; chef-curated dining and wine selections; in-seat power and USB outlets; noise-canceling headphones; priority check-in, security access, baggage handling and boarding; and Delta Sky Club access on the day of travel. Also starting April 1, Delta Sky Miles Medallion members will be eligible for unlimited day-of-departure complimentary upgrades to the Delta One cabin on all domestic flights, including Hawaii. American Airlines unveiled plans to add several new routes to Latin America next winter and beyond, including the only non-stops between Los Angeles and Buenos Aires; that route, which will operate three times a week starting December 19, will use a 787-9 Dreamliner. Also starting December 19 are Embraer 175 flights from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Oaxaca, Mexico, followed on December 20 by new A319 service between Americans Miami hub and Georgetown, Guyana and between Miami and Pereira, Colombia. In April 2019, American will add 767-300 service linking Miami with Cordoba, Argentina. American also recently announced new Philadelphia-Mexico City service that starts July 5. Although Americans announcement didnt mention it, the View from the Wing blog notes that the airline is also trimming some Latin America service e.g., eliminating seasonal DFW-Rio de Janeiro flights next winter; ending its daytime Miami-Sao Paulo flight in August; trimming LAX-Sao Paulo from five flights a week to four; and dropping Miami-Belo Horizonte and DFW-Quito service August 21. In the U.S., meanwhile, April 3 is the launch date for new American Airlines service between Oakland International and its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub. The daily DFW flight will leave Oakland at 11:50 a.m., while the return departs DFW at 9:10 a.m., getting to OAK at 10:57 a.m. The new link is significant for Bay Area residents in that it provides OAK with roughly 100 unique connections currently not possible through Americans Phoenix hub, an OAK official noted. United Airlines last week launched new seasonal service between its Denver hub and London Heathrow. The flights will operate daily through October 26, using a 787-8 with flat-bed business class, Economy Plus and regular economy seating. British Airways also flies DEN-LHR, and last fall, low-cost rival Norwegian introduced service between Denver and London Gatwick. In other news, United and its United Express partner Mesa Airlines have received tentative government approval to increase service between Houston Bush Intercontinental and Havana, a route that United currently serves once a week. United said it plans to offer daily service on the route once it gets the final OK, using either a mainline 737-800 or a Mesa E175. In 2012, Delta took over Seattle-Paris Charles de Gaulle service from joint venture partner Air France, but last weekend, Air France came back to the route. Delta will keep flying the route as well, and together the two airlines will offer up to 12 flights a week. Air France is initially operating three 777-200 flights a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays), and will add Monday and Tuesday flights during the peak summer season. When Qantas started flying from Australia to London back in 1947, the journey was dubbed the Kangaroo Route, because it involved a series of hops seven stops over four days. And ever since then, there has been no non-stop service between the U.K. and Australia until now. Qantas has launched new 787-9 non-stops between London and Perth (continuing to Melbourne) a 17-hour flight. Qantas says its the worlds third-longest commercial flight currently operating, and the longest for a Boeing Dreamliner. The flight will follow different flight paths depending on the best winds, helping the aircraft fly faster and more efficiently, the airline said. At Perths airport, Qantas has relocated all its domestic and international flights into a single terminal for easier connections, and has opened a new transit lounge. That new Delta A350-900 service between Atlanta and Seoul Incheon that we reported last week isnt the only Atlanta route to get the new Airbus wide-body. Qatar Airways last week replaced the 777-300ER on its Atlanta-Doha non-stops with an A350-900. The airlines 777-300ER had a capacity of 358 passengers, while the A350 carries 283 in business and economy class. Ontario, California thats right, Ontario now has non-stop transpacific airline service. Taiwan-based China Airlines last weekend moved one of its two daily Los Angeles-Taipei flights to Ontario, citing the local areas large ethnic Chinese population. The airline uses a 777-300ER on the route. China Airlines said that even though its currently the off-season, the Ontario fights are running at 70 percent full. After the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 comes the 787-10, and launch customer Singapore Airlines plans to start flying the very first one as soon as next week. After operating crew training flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, the new aircraft will go into regular service during May from Singapore to Perth and Osaka. As the largest of the three Dreamliner versions its 18 feet longer than the 787-9 the Singapore 787-10 will seat 337 passengers (36 business class and 301 economy), vs. 290 on the 787-9, and will be used on regional routes of under eight hours- which means it won't be coming to the US any time soon, if ever. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The Rev. Cleophus Smith gets choked up when he recalls the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.s last sermon. The 75-year-old sanitation worker remembers the contrast on that day five decades ago between the weather outside the historic church and the future King was painting with his sermon inside. It was just raining real hard that particular night that he made that last Mountaintop speech at Mason Temple, Smith said of the civil rights leaders April 3, 1968, sermon at the Church of God in Christ headquarters on the day before he was assassinated. From the speech he made, we had hope that there was going to be a brighter day ahead. Fifty years later, as the worlds eyes turn again toward Memphis, people of faith who are passionate about racial and economic justice are recalling what was and wondering what yet could be. Historic sites across downtown Memphis are getting an influx of visitors who want to see the sites where King preached and died. Many want to see where 1,300 black sanitation workers protested, because thats what brought King to their city. And some groups that worked together in the 60s faith and union leaders are joining forces again to seek better working conditions for the nations laborers. Smith sits at the intersection of all of that hopping on and off a truck he drives five days a week to collect garbage, even as he spends much of the rest of his time as an associate minister of his Baptist congregation. The tall lean man, dressed in a brown jacket and tie and a hat he bought at a thrift store rattled off street names that hed come to know along sanitation routes. He is one of two surviving sanitation workers who were involved in the two-month Memphis strike and remain on the job. To him, the continuing struggle for better conditions for sanitation workers is a spiritual one. We are fighting for the betterment of mankind, if I might put it that way, Smith said, in his gentle Southern drawl, during an interview at the headquarters of Local 1733 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The MLK50 events are bringing renewed attention to campaigns for equal pay and a higher minimum wage, while prompting faith leaders toward renewed and unified steps on economic issues, said Pastor Linwood Dillard, a planning coordinator for the I Am 2018 initiative that is spearheaded by the AFSCME and the Church of God in Christ, an African-American Pentecostal denomination. Some people wouldnt believe that there are yet some workplaces that dont have plausible working conditions for the workers and laborers, Dillard said. Many of our parishioners are impacted and affected by the plight of inequality or injustice. Dillards maternal grandfather, who died the year before Dillard was born, was among the striking sanitation workers. Dillards mother, Lorsie Dillard, still recalls how her dad, Eddie Bowling Sr., was suddenly at home and not traveling the 30 miles from Collierville to Memphis during the strike. He was basically telling us, Make sure you go to school. You dont want to be working like Im working and have to go through what Im going through, she said after attending a recent Sunday service at her sons church. He didnt go into detail but he did tell us that this man, which is Martin Luther King, was coming down to help them. Smith did give a detailed description of his early days as a sanitation worker, when garbage was not yet placed at the curb. He had to walk to the back of houses to retrieve it, transferring the waste from a 50-gallon drum to a washtub in which he had punched holes to allow some of the excess liquid to drain. We would let it sit there on the ground til the water would drain out as to where we could pick it up, put it on our shoulders, tote it to the truck, dump it juice and garbage juice running down our backs go back and thats the way we worked for eight hours, he said. When we got off from work, many of us didnt have transportation to get home. They wouldnt let us ride the bus. We had to walk. Linwood Dillard and Smith were among the clergy at a rally this past Feb. 24 at historic Clayborn Temple, the church building from which sanitation workers marched 50 years ago with their iconic I Am a Man placards. The rally, featuring union leaders and grass-roots activists, was one of dozens held across the country that day. It followed earlier observances of a moment of silence on Feb. 1, in honor of sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker, on the anniversary of their being crushed to death when their trucks compactor malfunctioned. Smith gave the invocation at his Memphis locals remembrance of his colleagues and was recognized at Clayborn Temple a few weeks later. Dillard expressed admiration for Smiths continuing dedication to the causes being highlighted in the anniversary events. He was a recipient of the inequality and the poor working conditions and a man of God and understood that he had to stand up for not just himself but those around him and for generations to come, Dillard said. Some people, they think about the past, they get enraged. But I think he really appreciates where weve come from. Smith, an elementary school dropout who started as a Memphis sanitation worker in 1967 after leaving the cotton fields of his home state of Arkansas, said he was a much angrier man before he committed to his faith. He also credits Providence for his ability to read. He said his Sunday school teachers prediction that he would one day be able to read gradually became a reality starting in the 1970s, when he committed to Jesus, soon felt called into the ministry and was ordained in a Church of God in Christ congregation. Now, he serves as an associate minister at Eternal Peace Missionary Baptist Church, where he could be seen proclaiming words from the Bible, holding the large tome in his hand as the Rev. Maurice Hunt read from the Gospel of John about putting Jesus first: He must increase, but I must decrease. Hunt calls Smith a strong help, moving from church pew to hospital bed assisting members of their congregation by serving Communion or teaching a Bible lesson. I see him as a pioneer or a trailblazer that has strong spiritual ties that speaks well of his commitment to the cause and that effort to try to stand for the truth and justice and equality, Hunt said. Smith said he still has an I Am a Man protest sign: Yes maam. And I am a man. Those signs, intended for peaceful rallying, were in use on March 28, 1968, when King led a march that turned violent. Everything just went haywire, Smith recalled. We were sprayed with water hoses, tear gases, billy clubs. King was determined to return to Memphis and prove a peaceful protest was possible. But he was killed by an assassins bullet before he could march again. The civil rights leaders last encouragement to the workers came in his Ive Been to the Mountaintop sermon. Citing a familiar biblical story, he compared their plight to the need for the good Samaritan to help a man who had been robbed and left at the side of the road. The question is not, If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me? King preached. The question is, If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them? Thats the question. The expectation Smith felt on April 3 as he listened to Kings sermon was snuffed out the next day. The only thing I could think of was that all hope was gone, he said, of the moment he learned that King had been shot. But, decades later, he no longer feels that way. No, no, no, cause we can fight, he said. Were going to keep the dream alive and were going to move forward. Hes gradually been able to improve his living conditions moving away from the projects, saying the Lord fulfilled my dream to live in a more desirable neighborhood. And he thinks he sees some of Kings vision for the future when he walks into churches and sees a rainbow of people gathered at events to hear his story or determined to improve workers lives. This is one of Dr. Kings dreams, that hed see the day that all nationalities and colors would come together, white and black and Hispanic, he said. So this is a dream that has been fulfilled. On Easter Sunday, NBC will air a live broadcast of Jesus Christ Superstar featuring John Legend, Alice Cooper and other contemporary pop culture luminaries. But the musical by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice has been around for almost 50 years and has a long production history that has been both triumphant and troubled. So whats the back story on this British import being revisited and reimagined on television Sunday night? What is Jesus Christ Superstar? Jesus Christ Superstar is a musical play loosely based on the Gospels of the New Testament. It is a kind of late 20th-century Passion play with a late point-of-attack just as Jesus enters Jerusalem the week before his death. The main characters are all familiar to anyone with a working knowledge of the New Testament Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, Herod and the disciples. But Jesus Christ Superstar isnt really a musical. A musical is a spoken play with sung interludes that advance the plot. Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera there are no spoken sections in the original version. Lloyd Weber and Rice pioneered the form and wrote a lot of them, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, Cats and Phantom of the Opera. Rice, the lyricist, said he was inspired by a verse in the 1964 Bob Dylan song With God on Our Side: Through many a dark hour Ive been thinkin about this That Jesus Christ was Betrayed by a kiss But I cant think for you Youll have to decide Whether Judas Iscariot Had God on his side. Judas, more than Jesus, is at the center of the drama in Superstar. His songs reveal a tortured soul with a divided mind about Jesus, whom he both loves and doubts and will famously come to betray. Is Jesus Christ Superstar new? Nope. It is way older than most of the audience NBC is aiming at. It was written in 1970 and first appeared as a concept album (remember those?) that year. The album sold over 3 million copies and was an international sensation. One of the main reasons for the albums success (and the fact that this 48-year-old show is still around) is the way Lloyd Webber and Rice both from Christian backgrounds approached the Jesus story. Instead of framing his divinity or his ministry, they focus instead on the sociopolitical factors working on him and his followers. The result is a Jesus who is a radical revolutionary fighting against the establishment a very resonant idea in 1970. The concept album got the full Broadway treatment in 1971. Some critics hated what they saw as an overwrought production (including a drag queen King Herod), while others lauded the in-your-face reinterpretation of the biblical story and what was then out-of-the-box casting (the African-American Ben Vereen as Judas). The show was nominated for five Tony Awards but cast and creators went home empty-handed. But religious people loved the show, right? Wrong. The opening night was picketed by Christians who saw the suggestion that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a physical relationship as sacrilege and thought the whole production made a hero of Judas, not Jesus. Jewish groups were unhappy, too. The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League worried the shows depiction of Caiaphas and Herod as scheming against Jesus would revive charges that Jews were responsible for Jesus death. Lloyd Webber and Rice, who were ages 23 and 26 at the time of the shows Broadway opening, were upset. If opera had to be realistic, we would not be able to have a Black Judas, or a half Japanese Mary, or a Jewish Pilate, Lloyd Weber told The New York Times at the opening night party. Sure, weve taken great dramatic license, but no major trait of character is there that was not in the gospels. And Norman Jewison, who went on to direct the 1973 film version, said, My hope is that audiences will take this for what it is - an opera, not history. These kids are trying to take Jesus off the stained-glass windows and get him down on the street. Some people are not going to like that. So what can I expect in the new NBC production? Thats anyones guess. In past productions around the world, Judas and Jesus have been played as lovers; the disciples have been depicted as a band of circus performers and a band of traveling players. Sometimes the show is done in period costume sandals and robes and sometimes it is done in modern dress. Several productions have featured female Judases an added layer of psychological complexity. Its an anything goes kind of show. But the original Superstar ends with the Crucifixion. There is no Easter Sunday Resurrection. Will NBC rewrite or restage the ending to leave viewers on a hopeful note? One thing you can expect: Despite its choice of the sometimes controversial Superstar, NBC isnt looking to alienate any viewers. Its Christmastime 2013 live airing of The Sound of Music drew more than 18 million viewers and started a network tradition of producing a live holiday musical. And that proved very lucrative Hairspray Live! brought NBC $24.9 million in 2016 and Grease Live brought in $15.7 million for Fox in January 2016. Everywhere he goes, retired Texas Ranger Haskell Taylor carries a card in his wallet signifying that he is a Special Texas Ranger, a title bestowed on an elite group of retired law enforcement officers in the state of Texas. "I can still arrest people if they are a menace to the public," Taylor says with a grin. Taylor, 90, of League City, retired 26 years ago after serving 42 years with the Texas Department of Public Safety, most of that time spent as a Texas Ranger assigned to the Beaumont area. On March 27, Taylor was one of 300 active and retired state troopers and Texas Rangers at the Region 2 Sixth Annual Firearms Qualification and Luncheon, held at the Liberty County Sheriff's Office Firearms Range in Cleveland. Taylor says he looks forward to attending the reunions every year, seeing former coworkers and peers, and swapping stories from his days wearing one of the most revered badges in Texas law enforcement. "I enjoy having the camaraderie with the officers. We get to see people we seldom would see otherwise. I've been to a bunch of these reunions and look forward to them every year," he said. While working in Beaumont, Taylor recalls two cases in particular that stand out. One involved a 1985 double homicide committed by David Lee Holland who was executed in 1993. Holland, who worked security, killed two bank tellers at a savings and loan branch in Port Arthur that he was assigned to protect. In a twist of irony, the security cameras at the bank were used to identify Holland as the killer. Another then-high profile case investigated by Taylor regarded two men who shared ownership of a prized quarter horse. "The two men took out an insurance policy on the horse and one of the men had his partner killed," he said. "It took 15 years to get that man tried and convicted." Following one of the greatest American tragedies of all time -- the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Taylor was given a two-week assignment to guard Texas Governor John Connally as he recovered from bullet wounds he suffered in the incident. "The governor had two tubes in his back and his right arm was fractured, but he was determined to make a speech on Thanksgiving Day to reassure the people that everything was okay," he said. "His doctor was completely against it and told him not to do it. He went ahead and it nearly killed him. A lot of people don't know that story." Longest-serving Texas Ranger says no retirement yet Joe Haralson, who currently holds the distinction as the longest-serving active Texas Ranger, said at the reunion in Cleveland that he has no plans of giving it up just yet. "It's not even on my horizon," Haralson said. After 47 years with DPS, 37 of which he worked as a Texas Ranger assigned to Galveston County, his enthusiasm for the job obviously hasn't faded. "I enjoy my job. We work for a good agency that gets better every day," he said. Haralson has worked on countless cases while assigned to Galveston County. One still-unsolved investigation involves a series of murders committed between the 1970s to the 1990s on the I-45 corridor between Houston and Galveston. "A lot of diligent police work went into those cases. Right now some are still unsolved and the suspects are likely still enjoying their freedom," he said. According to Haralson, the hope is that DNA evidence and scientific advances will eventually pinpoint the killer. He just hopes that it happens before his eventual retirement. DPS employees 'a close-knit family' Anyone who paid very close attention to their Texas driver's license from 1991 to 1996 may have noticed the signature on the back of the license from Col. James Wilson, who during that time was in charge of all 7,000 people who worked for DPS. Following his retirement from DPS, Wilson later went on to serve 12 years as sheriff of Williamson County. "The whole thing about law enforcement is the first day is an adventure and every day until your retirement is an adventure," Wilson said at the Cleveland reunion. "I just wish I had kept a diary of my experiences because I've forgotten so many details." Chatting with Pct. 2 County Commissioner Greg Arthur, a former sheriff for Liberty County and former sergeant for the DPS office in Liberty County, the pair discussed how technology has changed law enforcement since their early days as state troopers. "If we pulled a car over and wanted to check the license plate, you would submit it to dispatch and they would run it for you, but you most likely wouldn't get the results until you signed on for work the next day," Wilson said. "Now you get the results immediately. It's much more effective." The advancements also have led technologically-savvy juries to have a higher expectation of evidence during trial. Luncheon attendance continues to grow Though attendance at the reunion grows every year, the Cleveland firearms range is keeping pace. Just this year, a covered pavilion was extended to provide more seating space. The facility is overseen by former Pct. 6 Constable Royce Wheeler who says there is still plenty of room to grow. The annual luncheon is organized by Wheeler and Texas Rangers Brandon Bess and Ryan Clendennen, Sheriff Bobby Rader, Capt. John Coleman with Dayton Police Department, Sgt. Judd Russell of Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and countless volunteers with the blessing and help of Major Jason Taylor, who oversees Region 2 for the Texas Rangers. Region 2 includes 35 Texas counties between Shelby County to the north and Matagorda County to the south. A woman accused of accidentally shooting a man in the head in front of a Museum District gas station will have her case referred to a grand jury. Cassandra Nickcole Damper, 25, is charged with tampering/fabricating evidence after she allegedly shot a man who was in the car with her at a Valero gas station, on Southmore and Almeda. A man drunkenly firing shots at a neighbor's home sparked a seven-hour SWAT scene early Sunday in Kingwood. The stand-off started around 2:30 a.m. in the 3400 block of Any Way, after an allegedly intoxicated couple got into a dispute inside their home, according to police. When the man finally emerged from the home before 10 a.m., he acted baffled to see a throng of police outside. "The suspect is telling us he doesn't understand why we're here," Houston police Lt. Rick Besselman told reporters afterward. "He's acting like he has no idea what he did wrong or why the police have his house surrounded." Because there were children around when he began firing, he's expected to face charges of child endangerment, Besselman said. "We really apologize to the neighborhood," Besselman said as police began clearing the scene. "We know it's Easter Sunday, we know there's a lot of people who are waiting for us to leave so they can go to church." It's not clear what sparked the fight that started it all. But afterward, the man got a gun and went out into the garage area, where he allegedly started firing at random into the air and at the house across the street. Police later found at least 10 bullet holes in the neighbors' home. By the time officers arrived, the man had retreated back inside with his 5- to 6-year-old son, while the woman and her 4-year-old daughter had gotten outside safely. Police tried knocking on the doors and windows in an effort to convince the gunman to surrender. But he wouldn't come out - and for many hours officers weren't entirely sure that he was actually inside, as they'd gotten no response. SWAT posted up outside the house, talking to the man through a loudspeaker and urging him to give himself up as they waited on a warrant from the district attorney. Sometime after 9 a.m., police launched renewed efforts to get the man's attention, again banging on windows and doors. "This time it worked," Besselman said. The man came out and calmly surrendered, with his small son trailing behind him. "It appears the child is completely uninjured," Besselman said. SWAT found a gun inside the home, but it wasn't immediately clear if it was the same one used to shoot up the neighbors' house. Though the standoff ended peacefully, Besselman said it could have been over much sooner. "Apparently there were some technical issues at the district attorney's office so we've been waiting for several hours to get this warrant signed," he said. "That's what's prolonged this scene as long as it has - because we were unable to get that warrant." Later Sunday, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office attributed the delay to a magistrate judge's request for more information from the scene before signing the warrant. "If officers feel they need to take immediate action to safeguard a life, they have that authority," said spokesman Dane Schiller. "No one was injured - no children, no officers, non of the adults at the home. It is the best possible outcome." Discovery Green transformed into a melting pot of cultural diversity Saturday as thousands of residents flocked to SpringWorld International Festival. Attendees watched traditional dance performances, sampled food from other countries and learned about heritages different from their own at the event. This is indeed now an international city, Mayor Sylvester Turner told the cheering crowd. Lets work to build this city and make it stronger than what it has ever been. Attendees went from booth to booth, talking to different artists, business owners, dancers and religious leaders about their culture. Its really nice to be out here with such a generous crowd, said Samar Babar of the Islamic Arts Society. I really love the diversity of Houston. SpringWorld organizers said the festival promotes learning in support of peace, love, and friendship. They are dedicated to cultivating and creating a platform to share cultural heritage around the world. The event is a project by Youth Y.A.H.O.O. Inc, which uses the proceeds for art and education programs for children in the Greater Houston area. Were happy to be here, said Gopal Krishnan with Iskcon of Houston. People are very friendly in Houston. Southern hospitality is very true. Performances by Lees Golden Dragon lion and dragon dance troupe, Calmecac Tonantzin Yolilitzyotl Aztec Dance and Drum Group, the Houston International Folk Dancers and other groups gave the crowd a taste of the worlds dance customs. The focus is on arts, education and recognizing our diversity, Turner said. And not only recognizing our diversity, celebrating the diversity that exists within our city. Many festival artists used their their paintings, jewelry, sculptures and other creative projects to represent their cultures in a visual way. Henry Murillo from the local art group ATI said he believes that art is an important part of culture because it allows people to inspire others and do what they can for their city. We do things like this because it really does show how Houstonians work together, Murillo said. Click through the slideshow above to see some of the reasons we've heard that people want to leave Houston... Are you sick of Houston and want to book a ticket out now? There are some who think Houston has jumped the shark, considering its becoming increasingly flooded with yuppie transplants and has been given such honoraries as the "New Southern Capital of Cool" by GQ magazine. SHARPSTOWN FROM ABOVE: Old photos show the Southwest Freeway taking shape It's a very punk-rock-style of looking at things to turn your back on a city once it gets deemed "cool" by the normies but actually very understandable. Once the secret gets out it makes the whole thing not very special anymore. Some see Houston as the band that you loved that all of sudden has a song on a new Transformers movie trailer. Rest assured that everyone enticed to move here by such honors will likely find May, June, July, August, September, and part of October to be warmer than they bargained for. Even us natives can find many things that get under our skin and make us stare out the window and daydream of leaving. Maybe not the state altogether, but at least somewhere new. (We're not crazy enough to leave Texas). Maybe its the endless traffic, the mindless driving, the manic weather, or the lack of "walk-ability" that irks you about Houston. Trust us, its not always better elsewhere. Every big city comes with big city problems. Craig Hlavaty covers Houston history and pop-culture. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | craig.hlavaty@chron.com Most locals know that wild hogs are a huge problem in Texas, especially in rural areas, and they are increasingly invading even more developed suburbs. This week, a man named Joe Clowers in Union Grove, Texas killed a 416-pound wild hog that had been wreaking havoc on his property. RELATED: The ins and outs of feral hog hunting in Texas The Gregg County Game Warden's official Facebook page shared two images of the hog and Clowers. Texas is home to the largest feral hog population in the United States, with an estimated 4 million hogs statewide. It's safe to say that hogs are one of the most hated animals in Texas along with mosquitoes, fire ants, bed bugs, snakes and rats. At least you can kill and eat most everything from a hog. The same can't be said of those other vermin. RELATED: Tony the Louisiana truck stop tiger has died The wild hogs that mildly terrorize Texans are the progeny of domestic hogs and European wild hogs from way back when. Texas' feral hogs are omnivores with a nondiscriminatory palate. Since they will eat anything hunters looking to bait them into certain areas can use most anything edible. The hog was taken down with an AR-15, according to Clowers, and shared that the hog had been a constant nuisance for five years. He had preyed on the fawns in the area and Clowers added that he always stayed armed when visiting his deer feeders in case the hog in question charged him. RELATED: Feral hogs appearing in Kingwood, other suburban Houston neighborhoods "My property lays between some populated areas and I try to maintain an environment like a sanctuary or nursery for the deer to raise fawns," Clowers said. "He was the big daddy," Clowers said. "I called him the bush beast." Clowers told Chron.com that he is going to mount the hog European-style. The meat was left out too long for it to be salvaged so the departed hog will live on as a trophy in Clowers' home. The most recent Census population estimates revealed something that the mainstream media would prefer to ignorethe slowing population growth of big cities, including New York. The New York Times, for example, trumpeted Gothams historically high population yet failed to mention that the citys growth is not only dramatically slowing but also, in the case of Brooklyn, declining for the first time since 2006. New Yorks rate of growth, impressive earlier in this decade, now ranks among the nations lowest, mostly because of rising domestic outmigration. In 2017, nearly three times as many domestic migrants left the city as in 2011. This may be one reason why rents, which have soared for a decade, have begun to flatten, though they remain at a level many potential newcomers may still find difficult to afford. New Yorks population slowdown is hardly unique. Many of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas have seen domestic outmigration surge over the last few years. The highest-percentage declines were found in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and, remarkably, tech-heavy San Jose, which ranked worst among 53 metropolitan areas with populations above 1 million. Last year, the San Francisco Bay Areas seven metros experienced outmigration more than ten times higher than the annual average since 2010. This includes the boomtown San Francisco metropolitan area, which attracted domestic migrants from 2010 through 2015 but saw strong net outmigration last year. At 0.60 percent, San Franciscos 2017 population growth was half its post-2010 average. In 2017, population growth in Los Angeles was among the lowest in the nation, and at 0.19 percent, down two-thirds from its annual average since 2010. The trend of people moving to metros with the densest urban coresa mainstay of media coverageis clearly over. The nations two megacities, New York and L.A., are shedding domestic migrants far faster than smaller metropolitan areas. Over the last year, the two coastal giants have lost domestic migrants at a rate of 0.95 percentfive times faster than metropolitan areas between 5 million and 10 million residents. Meanwhile, metropolitan areas with between 2.5 million and 5 million residents added domestic migrants at 0.14 percent, while those with 1 million to 2.5 million people grew through domestic migration at a rate of 0.33 percent. The major surprise was in the often-overlooked medium-size metropolitan areasthose with between 500,000 and 1 million people. These metros gained 105,000 net domestic migrants, far outpacing the negative 165,000 net domestic migrants for those with populations greater than 1 million. Last years growth leaders among the large metros were located heavily in the dispersed metros of the Sun Belt and intermountain WestAustin, Las Vegas, DallasFt. Worth, San Antonio, Raleigh, Charlotte, TampaSt. Petersburg, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Among metros with more than 500,000 people, Seattle is the only one in the Top 25 located on either the West Coast or the Northeastand it comes in at number 25. Perhaps even more surprising has been the resurgence of some, though certainly not all, Midwestern metros. It may be hard for big-city elites to believe, but Des Moines, Columbus, and Indianapolis, and others are now growing much faster than New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. One big reason: in terms of domestic migration, these areas are gaining far more new residents than are the biggest metros. Along with the shift to medium-size metros, the Census estimate confirms a trend that, in some circles, is hard to accept: people are moving back to the suburbs. In 2017, the core counties lost nearly 440,000 net domestic migrants, while the suburban counties gained more than 250,000. This trend is true even in New York, where the city dominates the local economy and offers urban amenities that easily outshine those of typical urban cores. The day before the new population estimates were released, the New York Times wrote eagerly about the decline of New Yorks suburbs and exurbs. But, if the editors had waited for the 2017 data, they would have stumbled on another, less-welcome statistic: in terms of domestic migration, New Yorks suburbs gained five people for each one who moved to Gotham over the last year. This is a far cry from earlier in the decade, when the city routinely added more population than the suburbs. This trend is, if anything, more pronounced in other large metros. In Los Angeles, the core-county growth rate was a thin 0.13 percent, well below the national average of 0.72 percent. By contrast, much faster growth took place in Riverside-San Bernardino, part of the Inland Empirethough much disdained for its sprawl, its postwar suburban development has been slightly denser than that of New Yorkwhich grew at 0.47 percent. This is especially remarkable considering Californias draconian, and profoundly anti-suburban, planning regime. The reasons for this shift in migration patterns are varied. One likely factor is the aging of the millennial generation. As members of this large cohort enter their thirties and look to buy houses and raise families, they seek out suburbs and more affordable metropolitan areas. Many of the metros with the fastest growth are those where buying a home remains feasible for middle- and even working-class families. Entering their retirement years, the baby boomers are also having an effect. Among areas with more than 500,000 people, Florida accounted for six of the top ten metros for domestic migration last year. Metros like Las Vegas and Boisehotspots for retirees from Californiaalso make the short list. The Trump administrations economic policies appear to benefit many Southern, Midwestern, and intermountain West metros, and may be driving population growth in those areas. Energy and manufacturing jobs are important in these areas, and policies on trade, oil, and gas development make a significant difference. Though the Bay Area and New York economies remain relatively strong, they no longer pace the nation. The Top Ten job-growth leaders in 2017 came primarily from Sun Belt metros, led by Riverside-San Bernardino, Austin, Nashville, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Other large metro economies, notably Los Angeles and Chicago, lag far behind. These developments, though disturbing to big-city boosters, are largely positive. Its doubtful that most residents of the Bay Area, Los Angeles, or New York want to see the continuation of breakneck population growth, with its attendant consequences of higher housing prices and rents, increased congestion, and strains on public services. Growth in Midwestern and Southern metros represents a welcome shift away from concentration, and it is sparking not only suburban expansion but also, in places like Columbus and Indianapolis, lively development of the urban core. The new Census estimates could represent both a return to the patterns of the previous decade and the suggestion of a healthier diffusion of urban growth. One of Americas great strengths, noted Alexis de Tocqueville, lies in the vitality of its many urban centers, which allows intelligence and power to be dispersed abroad. A country dominated by a handful of expensive coastal cities might be appealing to academics, the mainstream media, and some real estate interests, but for a great continental nation, a wider distribution of growth seems far more beneficialfor the emerging metros, the overheated coastal megacities, and the people who live in them. Photo: dszc/iStock If you're looking for some last-minute strategies to navigate fall tuition bills, don't add "underground casino" to the list of contenders. Parents experiencing a little bill shock at their student's looming college tab may identify with the plight of Scott and Kate Johansen (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) in "The House," now in theaters. Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler in The House. Source: Warner Bros. Pictures. The couple's daughter, Alex (Ryan Simpkins), is accepted into fictional Buckley University, but thanks to a one-two punch of no savings and no financial aid, Scott and Kate have to contend with an outstanding balance of $50,819.87. Reluctant to tell Alex they can't afford to send her to her dream college, the couple instead works with their friend Frank (Jason Mantzoukas) to open an illegal casino. "The math seems to check out," says Ferrell in the movie's trailer. "Do this math," Poehler responds. "You're 40 years old, and you're in jail for 20 years. How old are you when you get out?" Obviously, it's better for families to avoid the shock of an unaffordable school by looking for one that's a good financial fit and creating a four-year plan to figure out how you'll cover those costs. But financial advisors say real-life families who find themselves with an unexpected gap ahead of that fall tuition due date aren't without options. Here are eight last-minute strategies that are less of a gamble: 1) Revisit the FAFSA Three in 10 undergraduate students don't file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to a 2016 brief from the National Center for Education Statistics based on 2011-12 data. If you haven't, it's worth doing (the deadline is June 30, 2018 for the 2017-18 academic year), said Matthew Boersen, a certified financial planner with Straight Path Wealth Management in Jenison, Michigan. "A lot of people think that once it gets past January or February, it's not worth filling out anymore," he said. Late filers may have lost their shot at some first-come, first-served state and college aid, but a completed FAFSA is required to apply for federal student loans (which, if you need to borrow, are better than private student loans on rates and borrower protections) and to qualify for many schools' merit-based aid. Already filed? Alert the school if that bill shock stems from a change in your financial circumstances, said certified financial planner Melissa Sotudeh, chief compliance officer at Halpern Financial in Ashburn, Virginia. For example, if you've experienced a job loss, unexpected medical bills or other hardship. "Once your child is in, a lot of schools want to work with you," she said. "It never hurts to call." 2) Break up the bill If you can come up with the full tab just not all at once ask the college if it offers a payment plan, Sotudeh said. Setup fees are often less than $100, and many colleges don't charge interest. Spreading out the tab over a semester (or longer) can make it easier to cover the bill with current income (i.e., your paycheck), she said. 3) Scrutinize college costs Tuition gets a lot of the focus, but don't forget to look for savings on room and board, said Rita Cheng, a certified financial planner and chief executive officer of Blue Ocean Global Wealth in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She crunched the numbers and found it was cheaper to pay for her daughter, a rising college senior, to have a daily Starbucks breakfast (or make her own) than have those meals at the dining hall. "Depending on your child's eating habits, you could easily go from 19 to 14 meals [per week] and save some money," she said. Adding an extra roommate, picking a different dorm or even opting to live off campus could also yield savings on housing. The University of Florida's East Campus, for example, lists per-student, per-semester prices ranging from $2,236 to $3,947 depending on the building, room amenities and number of roommates. 4) Search for scholarships Don't count out the possibility of outside scholarships, said certified financial planner Joel R. Cundick, a financial advisor at Savant Capital in McLean, Virginia. There are plenty with summer deadlines for incoming freshman and upperclassman. "It's not necessarily going to be the easy hunt people think it is," Cundick said. "You have to go into the search thinking, 'I'm going to get some from a few,' rather than one big-ticket win." But before you go all-in on this strategy, it helps to ask the college about its displacement policy on outside scholarships. Some colleges may offset grant aid first, rather than loans meaning the award will have less of an impact (if any) on your bottom line. 5) Explore work-study Working in college or over breaks can have advantages both immediate (cash to cover bills) and long term (money management skills and work experience), said Cundick. (As an undergraduate, he covered a year's room and board by working as a resident assistant.) But be mindful of the impact of student work on next year's FAFSA application, he said. The formula on expected family contribution expects that half of income the student earns will be used to pay for college. Aid packages often factor in some work-study element, but more substantial student earnings could hurt next year's package, he said. 6) Assess your balance sheet Depending on other elements of your financial situation, you might have different investments or assets to tap, or options to borrow. (Just keep your hands off those retirement accounts.) Home equity loans, for example, have low rates right now and the interest can be deductible, said Boersen. But you'll need to carefully consider how a particular move could influence financial aid in future years, and more broadly, the health of your finances now and in the future. You don't want to end up in a situation where your home is at risk because you can't repay that loan, for example. Co-signing a private student loan or taking on parent student loan debt can also have expensive consequences. "Can the parents financially sustain those payments, and are they still OK for their own lives, whether that be retirement or their own current needs?" Boersen said. "Just because the bank's willing to qualify you for something doesn't mean it's going to be a good financial decision." 7) Ask for help Nearly 4 in 10 high net worth grandparents are chipping in for college, according to Fidelity, and more are willing to do so but haven't been asked. If you do reach out to relatives, be mindful of how their gifts might impact aid in future years, said Peter McKenna, a certified financial planner with Highland Financial Advisors in Wayne, New Jersey. Funds from a grandparent-owned 529, for example, are treated as student income in FAFSA filings. You'd be better off waiting to use that gift until the student's senior year, he said. 8) Come up with a four-year plan Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Thursday Beijing's commitment to "one country, two systems," even as Hong Kong democracy advocates grow increasingly skeptical of the mainland's intentions. Xi's visit, tied to the 20th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from British rule, has renewed protests from those who claim Beijing has no interest in maintaining the policy, and instead wants to see the semi-autonomous "special administrative region " brought into the fold. 'Two systems' is a sticking point On Wednesday, local police arrested 26 demonstrators who clambered up the Golden Bauhinia, a commemorative handover statue, to demand universal suffrage. Most of the protesters were detained for more than 24 hours before being released. Pro-democracy party Demosisto said in a Monday statement, "Our confidence in 'one country, two systems' has waned and is replaced by the fear of it becoming 'one country, 1.5 systems.'" (From L to R) Student protest leader Joshua Wong, Hong Kong pro-democracy party League of Social Democrats (LSD) chairman Avery Ng, pro-democracy lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung and pro-democracy lawmaker Nathan Law hold a protest against their recent arrests in Hong Kong on June 30, 2017. Jayne Russell | AFP | Getty Images The principle of "one country, two systems" has allowed the special administrative region to preserve civil liberties that mainland China does not uphold. For his part, from the tarmac of the Hong Kong airport, Xi said Beijing wants to make sure the structure has a "far-reaching future." But democracy advocates like Claudia Mo, who holds a seat on Hong Kong's Legislative Council, are critical of the policy's implementation to date. "The 'one country, two systems' promise has been a sham, a fraud, a cheat because Beijing simply doesn't trust Hong Kong," she told CNBC. Geopolitics experts also expressed doubt about the sanctity of the two separate systems. The 'one country, two systems' promise has been a sham, a fraud, a cheat because Beijing simply doesn't trust Hong Kong. Claudia Mo Hong Kong lawmaker Recently, it seems Beijing "barely recognizes the two systems" part of the structure, said Rodger Baker, vice president of strategic analysis at geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor. He explained that the Chinese Communist Party can stomach two systems only "so long as those systems are 100 percent compatible with Beijing's interests." Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrive in Hong Kong, China, ahead of celebrations marking the city's handover from British to Chinese rule on June 29, 2017. Bobby Yip | Reuters But there are elements of Hong Kong society and life that Beijing finds fundamentally disquieting. Under Xi's administration, pro-Beijing forces in Hong Kong have responded to recent political unrest with swift crackdowns, which have subsequently elicited greater sympathy for protesters. In 2014's "Umbrella Movement," police fired tear gas into a crowd that had gathered on the streets of one of the world's safest cities. When images of the chaos went viral, thousands poured into the streets to support the pro-democracy activists, many of whom were students. China's reactions to Hong Kong's recent political developments seem to indicate paranoia, said Richard Bush, director for the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution. Lawmaker Mo explained that the Chinese central government has a "profound" distrust of any push for broader democracy in Hong Kong because it equates those movements with demands for independence. Umbrellas are opened as tens of thousands come to the main protest site one month after the Hong Kong police used tear gas to disperse protesters October 28, 2014 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Getty Images But the idea that many Hong Kong residents want to become independent is perhaps overblown. A recent survey conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that just 11.4 percent of respondents supported independence and that only 2.9 percent thought it was possible. On a practical level, independence would involve many logistical complications for Hong Kong, which is dependent on China for basic necessities. For instance, the city has typically imported at least 70 percent of its water from southern China since the 90's. Rather than independence, most protesters in Hong Kong are simply looking for better adherence to the democratic values enshrined in the documents that incorporated the city as a special administrative region of China. 'True' universal suffrage One of the largest flashpoints between Beijing and activists is a single sentence in Article 45 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution: "The ultimate aim is the selection of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures." In 2014, thousands took to the streets to demand "true" universal suffrage, when China revealed that Hong Kong people could only vote for chief executive candidates that had been nominated by a small committee filled with Beijing loyalists. The Chinese central government argues that this process achieves the goal laid out in the Basic Law, since all eligible voters would be able to cast a ballot. But pro-democracy advocates disagree, claiming that pre-screening candidates undermines the democratic process. Mo said activists want a "true democracy" where all qualified candidates would be able to run. "If the elected chief executive turns out to be a bad choice, we suffer the consequences and we'll try again the next time around. That's what we mean by true democracy," she said. Although protesters are legally allowed to express their frustration with the central government's interpretation of the Basic Law, experts said that the anti-establishment camp must walk a fine line. The politically disenfranchised, Stratfor's Baker said, have to be careful and not slip toward more radical protests. "It really just does come down to these fringe elements who have the potential to make this a more violent protest. That, in the long run, could trigger China just to decide that two systems is no longer viable at all," he said. Mo agreed, saying activists need to be aware of Beijing's tendency to perceive democratic advocacy as a demand for independence. "With that, they can use legal means to shut you down if you're not careful, and that's the end of Hong Kong if they want to reign with fear in this town," she said. A new leader On Saturday, Xi will observe the swearing in of Hong Kong's new chief executive, Carrie Lam on July 1, the same day as the handover anniversary. Lam assumes office amid a fragmented political landscape, in which her detractors allege she has no mandate because of the chief executive electoral process. Between the mounting pressures from both the Hong Kong public and Beijing, Brookings' Bush said that Lam "is caught in an impossible position." The chief executive-elect has pledged to uphold "one country, two systems" and maintain Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. But Beijing's anxieties about agitation in Hong Kong will likely compel Lam to exercise control over local unrest. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is working on a Chinese-language device to rival Amazon's Echo, according to a report published Thursday by The Information. The device could come as early as next week, people familiar with the matter told The Information. The device could potentially understand Chinese voice commands and, like the Echo, allow Alibaba's core users to buy products from shopping sites, The Information said. Though Alibaba is often dubbed "The Amazon of China," Alibaba founder Jack Ma has said that Amazon is closer to a retailer while Alibaba is more like a small business ecosystem. Still, the two companies compete in similar areas outside of shopping, including movies, cloud, groceries and artificial intelligence. A Chinese steel worker helps load steel rods onto a large truck for transport at a plant in Tangshan, Hebei province, Chin China's manufacturing activity accelerated more than expected in June, suggesting the world's second-largest economy continues to confound expectations for a slowdown. The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 51.7 in June, accelerating from May's 51.2 and beating a Reuters poll forecast for 51.0. Levels above 50 indicate expansion, while levels below signal contraction. In the services sector, the official services PMI for June rose to 54.9 from May's 54.5. While the manufacturing PMI data tends to be more closely watched, China's pivot toward domestic consumption and away from investment-led growth means the services sector accounts for a bigger slice of the mainland economy. The services sector includes consumer industries such as real estate, retail and leisure. It is also a key barometer of consumption, accounting for more than 50 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). "Today's official PMI readings suggest that growth may have held up reasonably well this month," Julian Evans-Pritchard, a China economist at Capital Economics, said in a note on Friday, adding that the reading was consistent with other data he tracked. "The breakdown suggests that stronger foreign demand is helping to support manufacturing activity the new export orders increased by a larger margin than overall new orders," he said. "But there are hints of an improvement in domestic demand too the import index rose to a four-month high. Finally, the price components both increased for the first time since December, suggesting that downward pressure on producer prices may now be easing." But Evans-Pritchard noted that official PMIs, which focus primarily on larger, often state-owned, companies, have sometimes provided false signals and he said he was waiing for the private Caixin manufacturing PMI survey, due on Monday, for a clearer reading. The Caixin PMI tends to focus on smaller, private companies. Betty Rui Wang, a senior China economist at ANZ, also expressed some skepticism about the data in a note on Friday. She said the surprise acceleration in manufacturing PMI was mainly on higher production and new-order sub-indexes, which masked an uneven recovery across sectors. "Traditional sectors including crude oil, chemicals, and non-metal mineral sectors continued to contract during the month. The producer price sub-index remained at a low level (June: 49.1 vs May: 47.6) although it has edged up in the month," she said. Wang added that moderation in second-quarter GDP growth is "inevitable," as the average manufacturing PMI in the period slipped to 51.4 from the first quarter's 51.6. She forecast second quarter GDP growth at 6.7 percent on-year. In the first quarter, China's GDP grew 6.9 percent on-year, slightly faster than the 6.8 percent forecast in a Reuters poll and the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2015. The government is targeting growth of around 6.5 percent for this year, compared with last year's target of 6.5-7 percent, Reuters reported, noting that 2016's growth was at 6.7 percent, the weakest for 26 years. Concerns over China's economy have grown as policy makers' stimulus efforts have also spurred a leverage buildup. In a note on Monday, Nomura estimated that China's outstanding non-financial sector debt hit 191.3 trillion yuan ($27.96 trillion), or 251 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter, up from 158.3 trillion yuan, or 231 percent of GDP, at the end of 2015. Last month, Moody's Investors Service expressed concern that China's effort to support economic growth would spur higher debt levels, and the ratings service downgraded the mainland's sovereign credit rating to A1 from Aa3, changing its outlook to stable from negative. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. China has called off plans for top-level talks with South Korea and Japan, according to reports. The trilateral summit was expected to take place in late July. Beijing notified Tokyo that that time won't work, although the controversy over the U.S.-supplied THAAD missile shield system appears to be the main reason, according to Japan's Asahi Shimbun. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had been expected to host the summit. China has put economic pressure on Seoul to abandon the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, designed to defeat nuclear-armed North Korean missiles. The Chinese are concerned THAAD's powerful radar gives the U.S. and South Korea the ability to peer deep inside China to monitor military activities. The last time the leaders of China, South Korea and Japan met for three-way talks was in 2012. There's a chance the meeting could be rescheduled for early 2018. The talks would have marked an opportunity for newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in to meet face to face with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and begin repairing fractured ties with China, its largest trading partner. Moon is currently in Washington for talks with President Donald Trump to discuss North Korea, THAAD and U.S.-South Korea trade issues. Japan's Nikkei Asian Review said Beijing's hesitance to hold talks in July also appears to be because of an upcoming National Congress of the Communist Party, where Chinese President Xi Jinping could get a second term as the party's general secretary. The publication said Xi's camp wants "to avoid making political waves" before that meeting in the fall. Meantime, Moon and Abe are expected to hold brief bilateral talks next week at the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany. The two U.S. allies are likely to discuss strategies to deal with the common threat from North Korea, among other things. Elon Musk is on a roll. On the weekend of June 23, his company SpaceX successfully completed two back-to-back rocket ship launches. Then on Wednesday, Musk announced The Boring Company, the infrastructure business he founded in 2016, has completed the first leg of its dig to create a tunnel underneath Los Angeles. He shared his glee through a series of tweets that proclaimed his love for tunnels and floors. First he revealed the progress, referring to "Godot," the boring machine named after the Samuel Beckett character. Then this: According to Musk's tweets, "They will never let you down." And, "They are so under appreciated." Still: "Just try one," Musk urges via Twitter. "It's way better than you think." Then he gets romantic: Musk has used social media to share various milestones during the tunnel-boring project, which he is undertaking in an effort to alleviate L.A. traffic. First, he plans to build a tunnel from SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. to nearby Los Angeles International Airport. Last month, Musk posted photos of "Godot." Before that he posted a YouTube video of what the completed tunnel system might look like. Musk has also been posting about his SpaceX projects. Friday, SpaceX launched and landed a reused rocket carrying the first telecommunications satellite for Bulgaria in a mission that originated at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Then on Sunday, SpaceX launched a rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California that landed on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean in eight minutes. The drone ship the rocket landed on was named "Just Read the Instructions." Musk put a time-lapse video of the landing on his personal Instagram account. The Sunday launch was part of a project SpaceX is doing for mobile voice and data satellite communications company Iridium. In total, SpaceX will put 75 satellites into orbit for the telecommunications company. In addition to launching telecommunications satellites, Musk has grand plans for utilizing reusable rockets to make living on Mars feasible he believes it could bring down the cost to less than buying a house in the U.S. He sees a future where people would save up for a move to Mars like they do a home. "It gets to the point where almost anyone, if they saved up and this was their goal, could buy a ticket and move to Mars and given that Mars would have a labor shortage for a long time, jobs would not be in short supply," he says. On Musk's Instagram, he has also posted things like SpaceX parties and nights out with his new(ish) girlfriend Amber Heard. There are more intimate shots, like hotel-room selfies, moments with his kids and this picture of him at 17. "So the question remains, if Republican rank-and-file voters have rejected the GOP establishment in Washington, who exactly is Mitch McConnell representing in the Senate and as Senate Majority Leader?" A study conducted by the left-leaning money and politics watchdog Maplight that showed McConnell is a top recipient of insurance and pharma industry campaign donations, as are most of the other key members of that Senate health bill working group. Now that more of the bill has been officially unveiled, the public hates it: The measure got just a 17 percent approval rating in one poll and is not even close to popular in any other survey. But it doesn't matter whether the bill is a dud because of its individual policies or because it is another massive and complex plan that was rushed to fruition. McConnell has failed the American people by committing so many of the sins committed during the also very unpopular Obamacare drafting and Congressional voting process. A real representative of the people, liberal or conservative, would never do what McConnell is doing now. As far as undermining conservative principles, the McConnell bill does plenty of that as it continues to dictate what kind of insurance Americans can buy, keeps almost all of the massive subsidies from the ACA, and seems to protect the insurance and pharma industries instead of repealing Obamacare. This could be written off as just another case of Washington duplicity, but when you're the top Congressional leader of a Republican Party that's made repealing Obamacare its rallying cry for at least seven years, it's far from an acceptable position. Stalwart conservatives are surely not surprised by this latest McConnell betrayal. He first started to incur conservative ire in 2014 when he helped to defeat several Tea Party Republican Senate primary candidates in favor of GOP Senate contenders who backed him for the Majority Leader position. He pulled the same strategy last year. But the worst offense for many rank-and-file conservative voters was McConnell's conduct after the GOP won control of the Senate in 2014. Even before that new Republican Congress fully arrived in Washington, McConnell preemptively gave away the key Congressional bargaining chip known as the "power of the purse" by repeatedly promising not to shut the government down over Obamacare funding or anything else. Thus, the Obama White House and the Democrats felt little need to negotiate or compromise. They had won a battle so many Republican voters sent their Representatives and Senators to win... or at least fight. It was that kind of betrayal that many experts believe helped launch the Trump revolution against establishment Republicans. And as the numbers proved in primary after primary in 2016, the battle wasn't even close. McConnell may be making nice to the White House in public now, but his execution on this health bill is doing President Donald Trump no favors. If the bill doesn't pass, much of the blame will be on Trump's shoulders. So the question remains, if Republican rank-and-file voters have rejected the GOP establishment in Washington, who exactly is Mitch McConnell representing in the Senate and as Senate Majority Leader? After all, his record as a conservative Republican is pathetic. His record as Majority Leader is equally troubling with this health bill problem and the net loss of GOP seats he oversaw in the 2016 election. McConnell is doing a great job of upholding the D.C. status quo that so many voters from Trump supporters to Bernie Sanders backers are clearly tired of. Lobbyists and career politicians are getting great support and representation from McConnell and they seem to be his true constituency. Everyone else is getting the shaft. It doesn't matter if you're conservative, liberal, progressive, pro-Trump, or anti-Trump. The kind of politics Mitch McConnell practices doesn't work for any of us. Even if the health bill passes, the debacle that is this bill and the way it was drafted should be the final straw. President Trump promised to drain the swamp both during the campaign and his inaugural address. And Mitch McConnell is the Swamp King. Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. U.S. sanctions on a Chinese bank aiding nuclear-armed North Korea are "extremely long overdue" and the Trump administration should also consider action against even larger banks, according to a former U.S. intelligence official. "This is a significant step but really a first step in what should be a much more extensive program against the Chinese entities that are violating U.S. law," said Bruce Klingner, former chief of the CIA's Korea branch and now senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center. On Thursday, the Treasury Department designated China's Bank of Dandong to be a "primary money laundering concern." It said the small bank "acts as a conduit for illicit North Korean financial activity." Two Chinese individuals were also targeted in the government's action. The U.S. Treasury Department said its FinCEN (or Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) is taking steps that will prevent the bank from continuing to be an avenue for North Korea to have access to U.S. and international financial systems. It said the bank's activities include "facilitating millions of dollars of transactions for companies" or front entities known to have ties to the hermit regime's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. "For whatever reason, the U.S. has not taken action against China the way we had against other nations for their involvement with Iran," said Klingner. Klingner said it was time to step up the sanctions and consider "imposing significant fines against China's big-four banks if they are found to be complicit" in illicit dealings with North Korea. In the past, he noted that the U.S. had imposed billions of dollars in fines on major European banks for money laundering, including violating sanctions with Iran. That said, the former U.S. intelligence official added that the large Chinese banks maybe "too big to designate as money laundering concerns because it would have an impact on the U.S. and world economy." "The medium to small banks," Klingner said, "could be designated depending on the available evidence." President Donald Trump appears to have waited to impose sanctions against Chinese banks because he believed Chinese President Xi Jinping would be able to help persuade North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un to abandon the regime's nuclear and missile programs. A frustrated Trump, though, tweeted June 20 that "it has not worked" and many took it to mean the China outreach on North Korea had failed. Tax reform is coming in September, regardless of what happens with health care, says Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council. President Donald Trump has promised tax reform since taking office in January, but some have questioned whether he can accomplish it this year, especially if Congress' attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act fail. Cohn dismissed concerns, telling MSNBC on Thursday that the White House will "absolutely" get tax reform done. "We were going to get to tax reform if this passes or it doesn't pass," Cohn said, referring to the Senate's health-care bill. "We are on a tax reform agenda when we come back in September when the August recess is over. We will be 100 percent engaged in tax reform." The two areas Cohn said the administration has to work on to grow the economy are the tax code and regulations. He also pushed back at criticism that the Trump administration's goal of reaching 3 percent GDP is unrealistic. Shortly before Cohn's interview aired, the Commerce Department released figures showing GDP increased at a 1.4 percent annual rate. "We do not think 3 percent GDP is that lofty of a goal," Cohn said. "We think we're setting very realistic expectations." Cohn sidestepped responding to speculation he might succeed Janet Yellen as Fed chairman, saying he has the opportunity to reform the tax code and infrastructure. "Both are phenomenal opportunities." The FedEx cyber attacks may have been targeting something more than money, according to Ed Stroz, the former FBI head of computer crime. "Even though there's a financial component in terms of the payload looking from ransomware, the deeper analysis shows that may not have been the main purpose," Stroz, founder of cybersecurity firm Stroz Friedberg, said in an interview Thursday on CNBC's "Squawk Alley." "If you look at the geographic impact as to where it hit, and if they start to reverse-engineer some of the code and the functionality, it looks like the disruption payload was more significant than the ransomware payload," he said. FedEx's TNT Express subsidiary suffered a cyber attack earlier this week that operations and communications systems. While no data was breached, the attack could have a material financial impact, the company said. Charles Carmakal, vice president at Mandiant Cyber Security, agreed that the attack's objective may not have been purely financial, claiming it could be part of a bigger ploy to hinder all organizations based in Ukraine. The attack hit other businesses beyond FedEx, affecting companies such as Danish shipping giant Maersk, according to Thomson Reuters. "What's really clear right now is that we are seeing what appears to be the first widescale attack against the economy and Ukraine," Carmakal said. "It appears to be more of a disruptive attack against organizations that do business in the Ukraine and something to really impact the way of life out there." The companies themselves are partially to blame for the attacks, according to both Carmakal and Stroz, who claim there are better defense techniques companies should be taking to reduce the impact. Companies should be "looking at a more holistic approach to the risks that are inherent in this kind of field, and understanding [they] can't just tell the IT department to make [them] safe because it's impossible, and anybody can be hurt," Stroz said. CNBC's Angelica LaVito contributed to this report. Goldman Sachs on Thursday issued a mea culpa of sorts, releasing a research note explaining how it misread the crude oil market, after the bank significantly lowered its price forecast. In light of the recent downturn in oil prices, the investment bank was forced to revise its forecast for U.S. crude to average $55 per barrel over the next three months, bringing it down to $47.50 a barrel. At the root of the problem, Goldman said it failed to appreciate two things: how quickly U.S. shale oil production would ramp up as crude prices rose and how swiftly investors would pile into the trade. OPEC's decision to cut output last winter boosted oil prices, which suddenly made it affordable for many U.S. shale drillers to start up new production. Tapping oil from shale rock is expensive, but drillers can start pumping from these resources very quickly once they get a green light in the form of higher crude prices. Goldman notes that the rush of money into long positions, or bets that oil prices will rise further, only encouraged more output from U.S. shale fields. When oil prices rise, drillers can hedge their production, which involves using financial instruments to lock in prices for future delivery of crude. Agreeing to a price with buyers gives oil companies protection against falling prices later in the year although drillers leave money on the table if prices rise. In February, long positions in U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures surged to an all-time high, giving oil firms the opportunity to hedge. Halo Top promises shoppers the indulgence of ice cream without the guilt, and millennials are eating it up. Literally. The brand launched in 2012, but it did not explode until 2016. Halo Top has become one of the most Instagram-able products available in the frozen dessert aisle, with 28.8 million pints sold last year, generating $132.4 million in sales, according to data from IRI. Halo Top's growth reflects shoppers' growing desire to shop for healthy, unique products from small brands. That's good news for brands like Halo Top, but that doesn't necessarily mean traditional ice cream brands are doomed although they may need to play catch up. Ice cream is still a profitable industry: last year, sales reached $6.6 billion, up 3.4 percent, according to Nielsen. But conventional products aren't necessarily driving the growth. While the sales for the whole category increased, sales of products that fit within the Food and Drug Administration's definition of "healthy" grew 85 percent last year. "There's no turning back here. This is not a fad," said Jack Ringquist, principal and global consumer products leader, Deloitte Consulting. "This is truly an evolution that's occurring and (big companies) need to truly adjust to become positive players as opposed to resistors." 'Consumers are paying attention' Small companies are driving growth throughout the food industry, according to research from Nielsen. Halo Top is leading the effort in the pint section of the frozen desert aisle. The brand is privately owned and is still run by Justin Woolverton, its 36-year-old founder. Woolverton used to make ice cream for himself in his spare time. His hypoglycemia prevented him from eating store-bought ice cream because it was high in sugar, so he experimented with Greek yogurt and fruit. He stumbled upon a cheap ice cream maker on Amazon and decided to test out a new recipe. When he tasted it, he had a "eureka" moment, knowing he had created something other people would want to eat. He convinced an ice cream factory to let him use their equipment and spent the next two years toying with the recipe when he wasn't working at a law firm. Once Woolverton was satisfied with his product, he quit his job and focused on getting his ice cream, which was then called Eden Creamery, in stores around Southern California in 2012. After being sued for copyright infringement, Woolverton rebranded his product Halo Top. He was sued again by another company in 2015. He was allowed to keep the name, but he had to change the packaging, which he considers a lucky break. The new packaging put its nutrition facts "front and center," prominently displaying the calorie count of the entire pint on the front of its cartons. One-half cup of Halo Top's vanilla ice cream is 60 calories, while one-half cup of Ben & Jerry's ice cream is 250 calories. Woolverton knew the difference would be attractive to shoppers, but he did not realize how much it would drive sales. Customers may buy three or four pints at a time because it's lighter, so they may feel better about it eating it more often, he said. "We built kind of a lifestyle ice cream that you can stock up in freezer," he said. But Ben & Jerry's does not necessarily mind the difference. In fact, prosecutors have said in an indictment, two months before that MSMB Capital had just $700 on hand, as a result of Shkreli's ongoing trading losses. She testified that in January 2011, shortly before he invested $300,000 of her own money in MSMB Capital, Shkreli during a dinner in Manhattan told her the hedge fund had between $40 million and $50 million under management. Hassan may have been very fortunate to do so. She eventually, almost a year later, ended up getting her principal investment, and then some, along with a bunch of Retrophin stock that resulted in a steep profit. Hassan said that when Shkreli, 34, had told investors he was closing the fund, he offered to pay out all of their investments either in cash, in stock of his new drug company Retrophin , or a combination of both. "It just wasn't right," said Hassan, who was the first witness to testify in Shkreli's criminal trial on charges of securities fraud. "To be frank, I felt somewhat betrayed at this point," Hassan, 27, told jurors in Brooklyn, New York, federal court. "I was told I could get my cash from the fund months ago." "I was upset. I saw that as being my cash," testified Sarah Hassan about learning from Shkreli in early 2013 that there was no money left in his hedge fund MSMB Capital after his decision to close it. The daughter of a well-known pharmaceuticals executive testified Thursday she felt "betrayed" by Martin Shkreli after the "pharma bro" dragged his feet for months in paying out her supposedly profitable hedge fund investment only to tell her the money had been used without her permission to capitalize his new drug company. His daughter said she was surprised, several times, to see her father mentioned as a consultant to Retrophin in news articles. She also was "quite surprised" to see her father's email address was among the addresses in a group email that broke down how much people had invested in Retrophin, "because he certainly wasn't an investor." Fred Hassan was CEO and chairman of Schering-Plough before it merged with Merck in 2009, and was chairman of Bausch & Lomb for three years after that. He now is a managing director at the private equities investment firm Warburg Pincus. Hassan also testified that several times she felt compelled to tell Shkreli not to publicly suggest, falsely, that her dad Fred Hassan was either an investor with Shkreli or an advisor to his then-start-up Retrophin. Sarah Hassan said she first invested $300,000 with Shkreli's hedge fund after meeting him through a colleague of her father, former Bausch & Lomb CEO Brent Saunders. She testified that Saunders had told her Shkreli was "a rising star in the hedge fund world." Her investment amount represented about 30 percent of her personal net worth of $1 million, she said, and she made the investment because he was interested in developing a business relationship with Shkreli. When she made that investment, Hassan said, she was told she could get her money out of the fund on one month's notice. She also said she was told that MSMB Capital invested in a "mix" of equities, and did not as a rule hold more than 5 percent of its assets under management in a single equity position. Hassan said she was "ecstatic" over the months to receive emailed statements showing a solid profit for her money. Her first statement from Shkreli, emailed on March 2, 2011, claimed that MSMB Capital had earned a return of 4.24 percent on its stock positions in the prior month, the first full month she had her money in the fund. But in reality, prosecutors say, Shkreli blew effectively all of MSMB Capital's assets in a disastrous short position he took on Orexigen Therapeutics shares, which left the fund with with a $7 million debt to Merrill Lynch However, by the end of 2011, Hassan testified, Shkreli had told her the investment had grown to more than $365,000. That had purportedly grown to more than $435,000 by mid-2012, Hassan testified, reading from an email she received updating her on her investment. Hassan said she did become curious as to why those statements showing her investment returns, which had previously been emailed every month or so, over time became more sporadic. However, "I was thrilled" to learn her stake had increase so much, she said. "It was a very significant return. This was the single biggest investment I had, so to see it as the best performing [one] was exciting." Hassan said she was "surprised" to hear in late 2012 that Shkreli planned to wind down MSMB to focus on a different investment strategy. She noted that Shkreli claimed the fund had an almost 80 percent return on assets under management since it was started in 2009, well outpacing the benchmark S&P 500 stock index. She said it would be unusual for a hedge fund to close when it was doing so well. Hassan described her frustration over how Shkreli for months dragged his feet in disbursing what she had been told was then more than $435,000 in funds at MSMB, net of fees, by the time Shkreli told her he was closing the hedge fund. That represented a return of more than 45 percent on her original investment. Hassan said that after months of asking him about the money, Shkreli told her the money had been used to fund Retrophin, his new drug company. "I would like you to tell me would like you to tell me why you are refusing to return my calls," Hassan wrote Shkreli in one email. "I asked for my funds to be returned to me fully in cash." It was only after almost a year of being told of MSMB's wind-down that she managed to get $400,000 in cash paid to her by Retrophin not Shkreli ,and more than 58,000 shares of Retrophin stock. But that came only after she agreed to sign a settlement agreement and promised not to sue for over the situation. She later sold those shares for $900,000, she testified. And her family's hedge fund, Dynagrow, which she manages, itself realized a profit of almost $1.3 million after selling Retrophin shares it had acquired as a result of a $125,000 initial investment by that fund, Hassan testified. Prosecutors have argued that Hassan and other investors were unaware of the fact that Shkreli, contrary to the glowing financial statements he sent them, was losing money at MSMB Capital, and then another hedge fund he started, MSMB Healthcare. They allege he looted millions of dollars from Retrophin to repay the investors he had defrauded at his hedge funds. When asked by a prosecutor whether she had had any contact with Shkreli since finally receiving her a pay-out for her hedge fund investment with him, Hassan said, "Not really." She also said she had never invested with him again. Asked why, Hassan said, "I have a very troubling experience in the past, so it's not something I would choose to opt in on again in the future." During an aggressive cross-examination of Hassan, Shkreli's lawyer Benjamin Brafman underscored the fact that she had eventually gotten well more than her original investment back, and that Retrophin became a successful company. "At the end of the day you made a hefty profit?" Brafman asked. Hassan said, "Yes, even more than I asked for." Bitcoin skeptic Mark Cuban is looking to take part in one of the hottest trends in the digital currency world right now: the initial coin offering. One of the companies Cuban is invested in, Unikrn, is planning its own offering, and digital currency news site CoinDesk said Thursday that the billionaire entrepreneur intends to participate. Cuban confirmed the report in an email to CNBC. "I want to learn more about them," he said. I "haven't signed the paperwork yet. But it's likely it will happen," he added. An initial coin offering is a fundraising process for blockchain-based projects that allows investors to own part of a project through a digital network token. Start-ups in the blockchain world often find this method of fundraising more attractive than venture capital funding for the speed and amount they can raise on June 12 a project called Bancor raised the equivalent of about $150 million within two hours. He scolded the younger members of his generation for their unrealistic, YOLO "expectations" and for spending too much on indulgent lifestyles early on in their careers. "When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn't buying smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each," he said. "We're at a point now where the expectations of younger people are very, very high. They want to eat out every day, they want travel to Europe every year." Millennials should be putting every spare penny into savings, not blowing it on lattes and brunch, Gurner said, implying that young people could not both own property and splurge on Starbucks. Prominent Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel spent just 12 days in New Zealand over the course of five years before the country allowed him to become a citizen, according to documents the country's government released on Wednesday. Thiel, who was born in Germany and has citizenship there and in the U.S., petitioned for New Zealand citizenship citing "exceptional circumstances" that would be in the public interest. Taking into consideration Thiel's track record which includes cofounding PayPal, backing New Zealand company Xero, contributing money for the development of a local fiber optic cable, investing early in Facebook and donating to an earthquake relief fund and his interest in supporting New Zealand entrepreneurs, New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs ultimately granted his request for citizenship in 2011. But Thiel did not meet all requirements for New Zealand citizenship. Having received permanent residence in the country in 2007, he was supposed to have spent at least 1,350 days there in the five years leading up to his citizenship application, according to documents made available under the country's Official Information Act. Additionally, New Zealand law required Thiel to intend to continue to reside in New Zealand or work outside the country for an approved organization, such as a New Zealand company. But Thiel "has stated that, if granted citizenship, he would continue to reside there (in the U.S.) to manage his American companies," one document states. The government officials pointed to multiple instances of Thiel looking to do more in New Zealand. For example, they noted that Thiel representatives talked with New Zealand's Ministry of Science and Innovation officials about forming a technology company incubator in the city of Auckland, as well as a San Francisco "landing pad" for New Zealand entrepreneurs going to the U.S. "As a world-class entrepreneur Mr. Thiel believes that with the right support New Zealand can achieve a place at the top of the world's list of best countries for entrepreneurs," the Department of Internal Affairs officials wrote. Thiel is a cofounder of Founders Fund, which has invested in Airbnb, Lyft, Spotify and Stripe, among other companies. He is also an advisor to President Donald Trump. A Founders Fund representative did not respond to a request for comment. DALIAN, China Terrorists have used technology to their advantage, but now it's time for the industry to band together to combat that, said David Scharia from the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate. These days, terrorists use technology "from radicalization, to incitement, to recruitment, to training even the perpetration of the attack itself," Scharia told CNBC at the World Economic Forum's "Summer Davos" meeting in Dalian, China. To fight those groups, tech firms must agree on the kind of terrorist content they won't allow on their services, and "once companies agree that this kind of propaganda will not be part of their platform, then the next challenge comes in how to identify, and how to take it down." Just this week, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter announced an initiative with Scharia's division of the UN to tackle the issue with today's new tools for instance, using machine learning to find and remove certain terrorist content. Along with the UN counter-terrorism executive directorate, the companies will also help smaller firms work on the same processes to tackle extremist content online. Tech platforms have struggled to find a balance between issues of freedom of speech and privacy while working to curb the spread of terrorist content online. In other instances, there are also law enforcement debates on whether or not government can compel companies like Apple to allow access to consumer devices in related investigations. The long-standing question has been where to draw the line, and what a regulatory and legal framework would look like. "A result of technology is that terrorists can hit anywhere, everywhere," Scharia said. "They're not limited by national borders they can travel, and they can also plan attacks in one part of the world and execute it in a completely other part of the world, so everybody should be worried [and] everybody should work together." The challenges associated with terrorism's online presence are here to stay, and it's important to work to stay one step ahead, said Scharia. "When we look at the information technology revolution, it was developed without thinking about the fact that it may be used by terrorists," he said. Society needs to be planning ahead, so that in a few years' time, "when we have trucks that are autonomous, nobody will be able to hack them and get into the streets of Paris or New York." "The spread of terrorism and violent extremism is a pressing global problem and a critical challenge for us all," the four firms said in a joint statement. "We take these issues very seriously, and each of our companies have developed policies and removal practices that enable us to take a hard line against terrorist or violent extremist content on our hosted consumer services." See more of CNBC's World Economic Forum "Summer Davos" coverage here. Research suggests there's one remarkably simple behavior that separates ultra-successful people from the rest. How many times do we look at one aspect of our lives or another be it weight, stress, or finances and wish it were different? Or that we knew how to change it? Carol Dweck, a researcher from Stanford University, spent over 3 decades trying to solve this common problem, and get to the root of why some people are able to figure out and overcome new challenges, while others failed. The answer was quite simple, actually. She found that there were two different approaches to life and resulting behaviors that separated the ultra-successful from the rest. More from Elle Kaplan: How to hack your brain for insane productivity, according to science Adopting these powerful morning habits will give you exceptional mental strength How to start good habits and (actually) stick to them, according to Stanford psychologists These two habits are known as the "fixed mindset" and "growth mindset": A "fixed mindset" assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can't change in any meaningful way. They think success is the affirmation of that inherent intelligence, an assessment of how those givens measure up against an equally fixed standard; striving for success and avoiding failure at all costs become a way of maintaining the sense of being smart or skilled. A "growth mindset," on the other hand, thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of un-intelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities. These two very different approaches, Dweck's research found, are at the root of whether some people become the best in their field while others languish. Why you should use this behavior Individuals who commit to a growth mindset have been found to accomplish more (both professionally and personally) than those with a fixed mindset. Rather than wasting time worrying about how intelligent they come across to others, they are putting their energy into developing and learning the skills necessary to accomplish the task at hand. Additionally, organizations that encourage and embody a growth mindset report an overwhelmingly more positive feeling about the workplace (in addition to more profits) when compared to those with a fixed mindset, according to Harvard Business Review. How it works to build your confidence and success You can accomplish nearly anything with a growth mindset, because you are more willing to accept both challenges and setbacks with the understanding that you may need to try several times to reach success. A person with a fixed mindset, on the other hand, is resistant to challenges and completely rejects failure by moving on to a new task, thus, never achieving the original goal. For example, a person with a fixed mindset is likely to think, "I'm a naturally talented writer, so it's likely that I will achieve great things in the writing field." While, at first, there may seem to be nothing wrong with this mindset, it only applies to one niche. This same person's fixed mindset will also think, "I'm not naturally talented at public speaking, so it's unlikely that I will achieve great things in public speaking." But let's think about this for a minute: when is the last time you or the others took any time to actually try public speaking? My guess it was probably in your early years of college (when truth be told, you probably weren't very interested in it). So I challenge you: try a public speaking course or read some articles on it, and you will be surprised at how much you can accomplish if you simply attempt it. How you can hack your brain As with most other things in life, if we do not already have a growth mindset, we have the ability (over time), to train our brains to think this way. These easy-to-implement brain hacks may just be the thing you need to actually accomplish your goals and kickstart good habits: Start thinking (and truly believing) that life is a compilation of mini experiments Through our education system we are taught that our successes are very black and white; pass or fail. If we fail, there is often not a second chance or we have to go through a major setback (waiting to repeat the ninth grade again and experience utter humiliation). In a 2014 Ted Talk, Carol Dweck discusses the power of "not yet" she describes a high school in Chicago that gives students who did not achieve a passing mark in a course the grade "not yet," rather than a fail. This sends a message to students that they are on a learning curve and on a path to success instead of receiving the message of "full-stop you are going nowhere." If we start thinking about our lives this way, we have a much greater potential of eventually reaching our goals even when it doesn't happen the first time around. If you apply for a job and do not receive an offer it does not mean you are a failure and will be jobless forever it probably wasn't the right fit, go for the next one! Aim for improvement, not perfection "The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it's not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives." Carol Dweck Once you convince yourself to dig for those hidden talents that you have been suppressing for all these years because you thought you weren't good at them, aim for improvement, not perfection. If your PE teacher in middle school told you that you weren't fit for running, do not aim to be an Olympic athlete rather, start with one mile and eventually work your way up to a 5K in the Spring. If you haven't been to the gym in six months, do not go straight for the six-pack; aim for a low calorie lunch instead of pizza and take a walk 34 times a week (you are much more likely to achieve this and will develop a positive outlook on exercise in the long-run). Remember, the point is not to be the best at everything you do enjoy the ride and take note of the people you are meeting, the learning you are doing and the personal growth that is happening along the way. Step outside your comfort zone Donald Trump Carlos Barria | Reuters More than five months into his presidency, President Donald Trump is starting to fill out the executive branch more quickly. But he still lags behind his predecessors in filling jobs and many departments in his administration remain thin. As of Wednesday, Trump had formally nominated 178 people to positions that require Senate confirmation, with 46 appointees confirmed, according to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization that tracks the pace of presidential nominations. He trails the pace set by Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush but he has started to catch up relative to his predecessors since the end of May. The numbers exclude judicial nominations many of which Trump has made and noncivilian positions. Here are how Trump's nominations compare with the four presidents who served before him, though the numbers are not perfectly comparable because the presidents filled different numbers of positions: Trump had formally nominated only 110 people to positions tracked by the Partnership for Public Service as of May 31. He has nominated 68 since, an increase in his pace. But the executive branch remains broadly understaffed, which can affect policy across the government, said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. "When you talk about 46 people confirmed, it's pretty much everywhere that you've got substantial glaring holes. ... This is not a localized problem. It's everywhere," Stier said. Trump "is primarily slowing himself down by imposing loyalty tests, requiring multiple staffers to sign off, and acting erratically," according to Anne O'Connell, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who has studied the presidential appointment process. Still, some factors going for Trump could speed up his nominations, she said. In particular, a 2013 rules change means nominees can get through with only a majority vote in the GOP-controlled Senate something that already saved some Trump picks like Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Potential trouble spots It seems to have taken the election of a businessman president to shine a spotlight on, and start an overdue national conversation about, some of the most pernicious forms of workplace sexism. In two tweets posted Thursday, Donald Trump writes that he has heard Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," speak "badly" of him. Noting that he no longer watches the program, Trump wonders why "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and "Psycho Joe" would have come to his Mar-a-Lago resort at New Year's Eve, hoping to join him. He writes that, at the time, Brzezinski was "bleeding badly from a face-lift" and that he "said no!" TWEET TWEET The response to Trump's missives has been swift, profuse and bipartisan. Some have focused on how inappropriate it is for the leader of the free world to be personally attacking morning show hosts on social media, while others have zeroed in on the distinctly sexist way in which Trump chose to insult Brzezinski. The Washington Post's Callum Borchers writes, "The posts followed a consistent pattern: When Trump hits Brzezinski and Scarborough on Twitter, he hits Brzezinski harder, more personally and in a way that seems designed to portray her as someone who is insecure ('facelift') and unintelligent ('low IQ') and who would not be on TV if not for her romantic relationship with Scarborough, to whom she was recently engaged." Trump's use of the word "crazy," too, seems to have gendered connotations. Professional women have long fought against the stereotype that they're more emotional than their male counterparts, or even emotionally unstable. Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Lee have demanded an apology from the President. So have Republicans like Ben Sasse and Lindsay Graham, as well as conservative pundits like Bill Kristol, who told the President, "You are a pig." TWEET This isn't the first time Trump has gone after a woman in viciously personal terms (see: Rosie O'Donnell). Nor is it the first time he's castigated a female journalist after a perceived slight: He also disparaged "Little Katy" Tur, whom Trump called a "third-rate reporter" and accused of refusing to report on crowd size at his rallies. It's not even the first time he's hurled accusations of bleeding-while-female who could forget his infamous post-debate remarks about "blood coming out of" Megyn Kelly's "wherever?" Walgreens CEO Stefano Pessina said Thursday abandoning the $9.4 billion deal to acquire rival Rite Aid and instead buying half its stores will still allow the firm to achieve its expansion goals. The new deal will also put it in a strong position to compete if companies such as Amazon get into the pharmacy business, he said. "When we first began discussions with Rite Aid, it was with the vision of increasing our network and our population coverage," Pessina explained on the company's third-quarter earnings conference call with analysts. "The stores we are proposing to purchase are more than enough to create the potential opportunity for optimization of our expanded network and to create greater efficiency above and beyond the synergies the deal is expected to deliver," he said. Walgreens will now pay $5.1 billion in cash for 2,186 of Rite Aid's stores, about half the chain's national footprint. The purchase will give Walgreens a stronger presence in the Northeast, and the company expects to achieve $400 million in savings within three to four years of the deal closing, Pessina said. The acquisition also will add to earnings within the first year. The Federal Trade Commission was expected to announce its decision on the Walgreens-Rite Aid merger within the next week. But after more than a year and a half of FTC review, the companies concluded the deal would be rejected, despite its offer to divest some 1,200 stores to Fred's in order to ease the regulator's concerns. Some analysts questioned whether there would be antitrust issues with the new store purchase agreement, which will result in a high market concentration in some regions. Walgreens executives said they have tried "to address all of the substantive regulatory points raised" by the FTC during the regulatory review of the original deal. Walgreens reported profits of $1.33 per share, which was three cents better than the analysts estimated, on $30.1 billion in revenue, which also topped expectations. Results were driven by strong growth and increased market share in its pharmacy division. Nonetheless, Pessina said it remains a "challenging market for pharmacies," with increasing margin pressure on generic drugs. Although there have been reports that Amazon is exploring the mail-order drug business, the bar to entry is high given the regulatory issues, according to Pessina. "It's a business or industry where the consolidation has been really quite significant and so there is not a lot of new things they could do," Pessina said. "If you analyze this coldly, you would see this is not the best opportunity for Amazon and you would see the market has changed so many times in the past, and the big players in this market have survived." Having said that, he said he's ready to take on the online retail giant if it decides to enter his turf. "If we were wrong, and what I believe was wrong, I believe that at the end of the day we could find our role in the new environment," he said. Walgreens will pay Rite Aid a $325 million break-up fee for the termination of their merger. There is no break-up fee involved in the new deal to buy the 2,100 stores. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a number of energy initiatives, including a review of U.S. nuclear energy policy and efforts to make sure new coal plants are built overseas. The announcements came during a speech on achieving American "energy dominance." The position is similar to previous administrations' goals of achieving "energy independence," dating back to the 1970s. President Barack Obama paved the way for Trump by lifting a 40-year ban on exporting U.S. crude oil and by approving about two dozen liquefied natural gas export licenses. On Thursday, Trump said his administration will attempt to expand the nuclear energy sector by launching a "complete review" of current policy to identify ways to revive the industry. Nuclear reactors currently generate about 20 percent of the country's power, but that share is expected to decline to 11 percent by 2050 as some of the nation's aging nuclear power plants retire. The viability of new large-scale nuclear plants has come into question. Industry leader Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy in March as delays and cost overruns piled up at new nuclear plants in Georgia and South Carolina. Energy Secretary Rick Perry told CNBC the administration is focusing to some degree on new, lower-cost nuclear technologies. The Treasury Department will attempt to "address barriers" to financing high-efficiency coal plants overseas, Trump said. The administration hopes to increase U.S. coal exports by encouraging the construction of coal plants abroad, he said. The prospect for new coal plants in many parts of the world is murky because prices for cleaner-burning natural gas are cheap and most countries are aiming to reduce carbon emissions in order to mitigate global warming. Trump announced this month he will pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement. Many top Trump officials deny the scientific consensus that carbon emissions from human activity are driving global warming. The president, who has called climate change a hoax, refuses to say whether he now believes in it. Trump also said the Interior Department would move forward with a new five-year leasing program for offshore drilling, which will replace Obama's plan. The move was widely anticipated, as Trump instructed Interior to create a new plan in April. The president also touted the approval of a new petroleum pipeline to Mexico and licenses to export liquefied natural gas from a proposed export terminal in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Watch: Trump touts coal mining jobs The White House is not backing down after widespread condemnation of President Donald Trump's Thursday tweet about "Morning Joe" host Mika Brzezinski. Principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders repeatedly and vehemently defended the tweet Thursday, arguing it was justified because Trump felt "personally attacked" by the show. "I don't think you can expect someone to be personally attacked, day after day, minute by minute, and sit back. Look the American people elected a fighter. They didn't elect somebody to sit back and do nothing. They knew what they were getting when they voted for Donald Trump, and he won overwhelmingly," Sanders told reporters. In a pair of morning tweets, Trump said he heard "Morning Joe" hosts Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough who were known to have the president's ear in the past speak "badly of me." He then said that "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and "Psycho Joe" came to his Mar-a-Lago resort around New Year's Eve and wanted to join him, but he "said no!" A social media presence is no longer an optional part of running a small business; it's an absolute necessity. Facebook, Instagram and other popular forums are as important, if not more so, to a company's marketing as is television ads and sponsoring local events. But that's still a lesson some small-business owners are learning. Half of small-business owners have a Facebook page, according to the CNBC/Survey Monkey Small Business Survey. The survey, conducted in April, gathered the findings from more than 2,000 small-business owners across the country in a variety of industries. It revealed that while 40 percent use social media to communicate with potential customers, just 21 percent advertise their companies on social media. Those numbers are increasing as these sites become a bigger part of the general public's life (Facebook, for example, recently announced it had hit 2 billion users). If you're running a small business and are on (or joining) Facebook and other social networks, there are a number of ways to gain an edge on the competition and boost your bottom line. 1. Don't staff social media out to the youngest staffer. Because social media is a relatively new phenomenon, many companies especially small businesses look to their youngest employees to take care of their presence on those sites. While the logic makes sense on paper (since the most active users of social media are millennials), it overlooks the value of marketing experience. "Businesses need to understand this is serious marketing; this is serious brand projection," says Glen Gilmore, a professor at Rutgers University School of Business and principal of the social media marketing firm Gilmore Business Network. "It requires thoughtful engagement so that what they're doing [is] an asset for the business." 2. Be genuine. This seems to go without saying, but there's a difference between marketing on social media and traditional marketing. Don't just push your brand or product. Instead, share your passion about your field and be creative in how you do so. Social media is about talking with your customers, not to them. "Social media is a conversation," says Gilmore. "You don't interrupt conversations; you try to figure out how you can add value to them." 3. Learn to take a good picture. In a world where we all carry a high-end camera and video camera with us at all times via our smartphones, it's tempting to post regularly to Facebook and Instagram. That's a good idea for business owners, but be very choosy about the shots you put up there. And definitely learn about the best angles and how to realize what's in the background of pictures. "There is a time and place for that instant gratification, behind the scenes, not well-produced video or photo, but as an overall rule, you need to learn how to use a camera and you need to learn how to edit," says Laura Bell Greeno, chief marketing officer for Webscout. "The editing will make all the difference in how it's seen and absorbed by the audience." 4. Don't get caught up in the number of followers. An easy trap in any form of social media is to obsess over how many followers your company's page or account might have. The truth is, that's not important. What is important is how engaged your followers are. Experts concur it's better to have a smaller number of people who actually take advantage of your products or services than a large group of people who glance at your updates as they scroll through their feed. Ultimately, decide if you are more interested in garnering attention or people buying your product or service. "It's not about the number of followers," says Gilmore. "It's about whether that small or large community is relevant and engaged. That's what differentiates celebrity and influence." 5. Involve your community. The best marketing for your business doesn't come from you, it comes from your customers. Just like word of mouth is more powerful than any commercial or ad you might place, user-generated content can have more impact than anything you come up with. Did a customer make a flattering meme about your company or send an unsolicited testimonial? Highlight that on social media. It's not only more genuine, it underscores the more important thing about Facebook, Instagram and the like it's an open conversation in which anyone is welcome to participate. 6. Understand the nuances between social platforms. While all social media platforms are about sharing, each has an area of specialization. Facebook offers the opportunity for more in-depth content, for example, but hashtags have very little impact. Instagram, meanwhile, is about telling stories through photos, and hashtags are critical for discovery. Twitter, while less important, is about concise communication. 7. Make it relevant. Too many businesses regurgitate the spec sheet of their product or feature list of their service and declare it content. But there's no incentive for potential customers to read that and if they do, they won't be engaged. Foster, instead, a conversation that's built around your industry or culture. A restaurant, for example, could talk about the benefits of locally sourced, sustainable food or offer recipes for some of its dishes. Retail shops can run gift guides during holiday and other periods. "In social media, we look for common values that are important to us," says Gilmore. "It takes some businesses out of their comfort zone to realize they have to share the essence of their business and what they're about." 8. Target your outreach. While some businesses might hesitate when it comes to paying for better placement on Facebook, it can have some notable benefits. The targeting that the site can offer is tremendously precise letting you choose the age and geographic range of people who will see your paid ads, which could dramatically improve the response rate. First, see what's resonating with followers, then broadcast that to a wider spectrum of people. "Don't be afraid to advertise," says Greeno. "Don't be afraid to spend money on Facebook. People might say they don't know where to start, but anyone can go in and spend $10 for the week and see what happens." 9. SEO's not just for web pages. When creating web pages, many small businesses spend time and money on search engine optimization to ensure they rank high on Google and similar sites. But as they build their social media presence, they often forget that. People search for what interests them on a variety of platforms, so be aware of the keywords you use when writing your business description or photo captions. If you're using a hashtag-friendly social media site like Instagram or Twitter, choose them carefully. 10. Get some help. If Amazon's servers were to go down, the internet would be in big trouble, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian said Friday. "The internet kind of skips a beat," Ohanian said on "Squawk Box," due to the reliance of many of the websites users "know and love" on Amazon's infrastructure. "So many companies are contingent on that. Google's got a cloud option. There are few others that are coming up," he noted. Ohanian spoke after a massive ransomware attack hit companies and government computers this week, causing them to shut down their systems. It was the second such attack in two months. Among the companies that use Amazon Web Services, the world's biggest cloud business, are Netflix, Airbnb, Slack and Time Inc., according to Amazon's website. Reddit also uses AWS. Earlier this year, web users experienced widespread glitches after Amazon's cloud had a technical disruption. Amazon did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. Reddit, which is sometimes referred to as "the front page of the internet," was founded in 2005. The website was the 64th most-visited U.S. site in May with 48 million visitors, according to ComScore. Regarding Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods, Ohanian said the deal is one additional step of Amazon working toward vertically integrating everything consumers want to buy. "These trade-offs all make us a lot happier because our lives are a lot better," he said. "[But] what's important to me is that there is always competition." Mum (Mary Lou) and Dad (Alf) occasionally picnicked and plotted their life together on the Beehives and one such visit produced the accompanying photo of the bride-to-be an emblematic image of their romance and 56 years of wedded bliss. The other great symbols of Rabaul are the Beehives, or Dawapia Rocks - two rocky volcanic outcrops in one of the worlds most spectacular harbours. It became a symbol of resilience for the town after poking stubbornly through the volcanic ash and re-flowering after the historic double eruption devastation of 1937. The frangipani had been introduced to Papua New Guinea by Alfs anthropologist-botanist grandfather Richard Parkinson in the 1880s. It was at the Frangipani Ball in 1951 that the romance between Mary Lou Harris and her future husband Alfred Max Parkinson Uechtritz blossomed. SYDNEY - Mary Louise Uechtritz passed away on Holy Thursday at Brigidine House, Randwick in Sydney. She was surrounded by children and grandchildren, her room festooned with Papua New Guinean memorabilia, flag and flowers. Frangipani flowers. Mary Lou at the Beehives in Rabaul with harbour and volcanoes in the background Alf Parkinson Uechtritz and Mary Lou at their engagement party in Rabaul They were married in Rabauls St Francis Xavier cathedral in April 1952. After the reception, the couple was taken by great family friend Jack Thurston on his boat to Sum Sum plantation on the south coast of New Britain. Sum Sum had been gifted by Alfs grandmother Phebe Parkinson to his mother Dolly Parkinson Uechtritz. It holds a special place in the collective family soul to this day. The first six of their 10 children were born in the shadow of the volcano at Namanula hospital and after a suitable time in Rabaul, known once as the Pearl of the Pacific the babies were taken back to idyllic Sum Sum. English-born Mary Lou - with a blend of Swedish/Irish/Scottish - had come to New Guinea aged only 10 months in 1929. Her parents Gordon and Ursula Harris owned Biwa plantation on Djaul Island in New Ireland. She went to boarding schools in Wales and England then graduated from City University, London. Her first job was teaching English to Czech blue bloods at the British Council in Prague but in 1951 she returned to Rabaul with her mother and became a teacher at the Chinese school in Rabaul one of the most rewarding roles in her career. She was also head of the local girl guides and, to her delight, the guides formed a guard of honour at her wedding. Mary Lou swears in a Guide leader The guides movement would become a vocation for Mary Lou. On return to PNG in 1968 after eight years farming in Queensland the family moved to the government agricultural station at Erap in the Markham Valley outside Lae. Mary Lou re-joined the guides and became provincial commissioner and then the PNG Girl Guides Association Deputy Commissioner. As the associations International Commissioner, she travelled to Kenya to represent PNG at the guides World Conference in 1987. At Government House in Port Moresby in 1988, Mary Lou was awarded the Bird of Paradise, the highest award for national and international service to the Girl Guides Association, as well as the Independence Medal. In the Markham Valley, Mary Lou continued her teaching. She was the principal at Zifasing and then later at Adzera near Leron Plains. As in New Britain, she and Alf became immersed in the Markham Valley and Lae communities. They also had house at Salamaua. Moving to Australia in 1990, they started a rare fruits orchard and cattle property near Innisfail named Kuradui in memory of the Parkinson plantation near Kokopo. Mary Lou continued her community service with Innisfails St Vincents de Paul Society and was delighted to be sent by the society as an emissary to PNG. The pair continued to have a close relationship with their beloved PNG, returning many times to Rabaul and Kokopo. The Phebe Parkinson Study Centre at Kuradui (run by Darusila Watangia) is special to the family and the adjacent Parkinson family matmat (cemetery) is sacred soil. It was there in 2004 that Alf and Mary Lou presided over the reburial of granny Phebe Parkinson whose remains were finally discovered in a jungle grave on New Ireland 60 years after her death in a World War II Japanese prison camp. Mary Lou and Alf (1929-2008) requested that when they went to the afterlife their ashes would be taken by their children back to New Britain. An only child herself, Mary Lou is survived by 10 children, 32 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. Their love, admiration and respect for our Matriarch is infinite, as is the legacy she has left. A funeral service for Mary Louise Uechtritz will be held at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church at Randwick at 10am on this coming Saturday 7 April. In a wonderful gesture the Tolai and East New Britain communities of Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra have kindly volunteered to provide a church choir for the service. The search for yield has turned many investors' attention to emerging Asia, with China, India and Indonesia often featured as preferred investment picks. But Amundi Asset Management has thrown a surprising name into the hat: Singapore. Equities in the Southeast Asian city-state have outperformed many of their regional peers in the first half of 2017, said Chan Hock Fai, director for investment at Amundi. So far this year, Singapore's benchmark index, the Straits Times Index (STI), has climbed around 13 percent. That beat the 10 percent gain in Indonesia's Jakarta Composite Index and the 2 percent increase in the Shanghai Composite Index, although it lagged the 15 percent rise in India's Sensex. Chan pointed to Singapore equity yields coming in between 3 and 3.5 percent as driving gains. The country's political stability and strong fiscal position add to the attractiveness of its equity market, where valuations are currently cheap, Chan told CNBC in an interview. An escalator past an electronic screen and ticker board at the Singapore Exchange. Lee Yen Nee | CNBC "Singapore is actually a high yield market. If you look at the general (equity) market, we're more than 3 percent yield, between 3 and 3.5 percent that's very attractive for investors these days in a yield hungry market, when fixed incomes are yielding so low," he said. The Singapore 10-year government bond yield was around 2.07 percent, while the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was around 2.27 percent on Thursday. In a note earlier this week, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) said the STI's dividend yield was 3.3 percent as of June 27, 2017. That was higher than the 2.8 percent average of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, and the 2.5 percent average of Japan and Hong Kong markets. That was a turnaround for an exchange that struggled with investor confidence and thin trading volume after a penny stock rout, a spate of delistings and few initial public offerings (IPO). SGX has stepped up to inject some much-needed vitality into the market, including pursuing the listings of tech companies and studying the possibility of dual-class shares. Those efforts are paying off. This year, the exchange has seen nine new stock listings and is tipped by consultancy EY to lead the IPO pipeline for Southeast Asia in the second half of 2017. The $2 billion listing of Singtel's broadband subsidiary NetLink Trust next month, set to be the largest IPO this year, is among corporate actions on the SGX that could drive further market upside for Singapore, Credit Suisse wrote in a report earlier this month. The bank estimated that close to 79 percent of MSCI Singapore could be involved in corporate activities such as asset divestment, listings of business units or consolidation of holdings. Its preferred stocks include Singtel, DBS, UOL and Sembcorp Marine. Major banks are betting on artificial intelligence (AI) to act like a digital personal assistant to customers, helping to automate money-making decisions, top CEOs in the sector told CNBC, amid the continued threat from new, more nimble entrants into the market. "Really people don't like banking , it's boring, it takes time, causes them stress, and people have bad financial habits," Carlos Torres Vila, CEO of Spain's BBVA, told CNBC in an interview at the Money 20/20 conference in Copenhagen earlier this week. "What we can do is leverage data and AI to provide people with peace of mind, really having an almost magical experience that things in their financial life turn out the way they want it. It's almost like a self-driving bank experience." BBVA is one of the big banks investing heavily in moves to digitize its operations, as customers come to expect more from mobile apps and the way they interact with lenders. A NAO humanoid robot, developed by Softbank Corp. subsidiary Aldebaran Robotics SA. Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images AI has been hailed as a technology that can impact a number of areas from using data to make more informed decisions for customers to having robot assistants that could answer questions. "AI is a very potent technology that we are applying in many areas. It will also sit in the interface with customers. The funny part is that sometimes you can see that the reliability of an answer of an AI-generated answer to the question of a customer is higher than of the very next person you get on the phone," Wiebe Draijer, CEO of Rabobank, told CNBC earlier this week. "We see AI as a solution to get more reliable insight, the right answer to the right question at the right time in support of the person sitting in a call center or in the branch. And so AI is extremely potent and we are going to see a revolution in how it's applied already." According to a survey of 600 bankers by Accenture, 76 percent think that in the next three years, the majority of banking organizations will deploy AI interfaces as their primary point for interacting with customers. Mass job losses? But the promise of AI also threatens the existence of bank branches. At the same time, a plethora of challenger banks from the likes of N26 to Monzo which are app-only have appeared, also posing a threat to traditional institutions. Banks are being attacked on several fronts, and face a potential "Kodak moment" by falling into irrelevance, according to former Barclays CEO Antony Jenkins, who now runs his own financial technology or fintech firm 10X. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note sat slightly higher at around 2.296 percent at 3:12 p.m. ET, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was up at 2.836 percent. Bond yields move inversely to prices. U.S. government debt prices were mostly lower on Friday, as investors parsed through economic data on the last day of June. With Friday marking the last trading day of the quarter this is usually seen as a time when investors reposition their portfolios or take profits. Investors also looked to more data releases, with personal income rising 0.4 percent in May, more than the expected gains of 0.3 percent. The Chicago PMI manufacturing adjusted June index came in at 65.7, above May's 59.4. Consumer sentiment, meanwhile, hit 95.1 in June, more than the expected 94.5. In the political sphere, U.S. President Donald Trump continued with his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House. Cheesecake Factory's irresistible bread basket isn't the only thing contributing to its popularity. Now approaching its fortieth year of business, David Overton, the eatery's chief executive, tells company review site Glassdoor his main ingredient for success: keeping employees happy. And it seems to be working. In fact, Overton made his 2017 debut on Glassdoor's Highest Rated CEO list thanks to his employees giving him a 93 percent approval rating for his leadership. The list was based on over two million company reviews submitted by anonymous employees on Glassdoor. Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. Getty Images Here are three ways he keeps his staff happy and engaged: Treat your employees like family Overton explains that fostering employee trust and engagement is crucial. Those who help him lead the company are tasked with having a caring attitude towards their employees. "Treat them like you would treat yourself, always respectful and understanding that you're a family," he tells Glassdoor. This belief runs through Cheesecake Factory's history. The restaurant dates back to 1940 when Overton's mother, Evelyn, opened a small cake shop in Detroit, Michigan. In 1978, Overton helped his parents open the first official Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills. He proudly notes that the restaurant had "a line in front of our door before we even opened." Hire people that share the same values Hiring employees that share the same values has helped the company achieve cultural harmony and alignment. "We have tried to hire quality people, caring people, passionate people throughout the years," says Overton. "I think that really brings out the best in everyone." Camaraderie and teamwork also play a large part in keeping employees satisfied at work. The company routinely measures the staff's engagement and is "always looking for how to do more for the staff" and how to thank them. Set your employees up for success "The demographics of both China and India have the IMF and others predicting these two countries will remain at the top of GDP growth lists for the next several years." There's a particular strength in those at the prime working age (roughly mid-thirties to mid-fifties), who have risen in the ranks to a stable career. This concentration should drive consumption, investing and saving, all of which support economic growth. India paints a similarly positive picture, outpacing all of the major global indices over the start of 2017. India has solid demographics, with a median age of 26 indicating an even younger slice of educated, working people than China. In turn, the country's economy holds potential for innovation and productivity to thrive as more of the population enters the labor force. Over the past three years, its gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by over 7 percent annually. Furthermore, increased economic activity should result from Narenda Modi's pro-business reforms, with his particular focus on boosting infrastructure. The growth story in China and India is not a new one as both countries have been consistently near the top of world GDP growth over the past decade. China's growth took off in the late 90's and India joined it at the top of the list in 2013. China's growth slowed during the past several years and India's growth rate dropped last year due to policy changes, which removed large denominated bills, but recent data show that growth in both countries is beginning to accelerate again. Staying at the top of the growth list is sometimes difficult, especially for these emerging economies, which are now reaching a more mature status. But the demographics of both China and India have the IMF and others predicting these two countries will remain at the top of GDP growth lists for the next several years. With all of these signs pointing to continued growth among the middle, working classes in China and India, investors may want to consider looking to strategically incorporate these countries into their portfolios. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, including exchange-traded-funds (ETFs), industrial commodities, the Yuan and the Rupee. While we're constantly surrounded by the political buzz in America, it's important for investors to keep in mind that market movements resulting from the new administration's decisions are increasingly short-term, impulse reactions. Keeping an eye on the fundamentals will help differentiate long-term, safer investments versus short-term, risky decisions. With the U.S. equity markets continuing to reach all-time highs, it could be a good time to look at locking in some profits and diversifying into foreign markets. Incorporating emerging markets into your portfolio can help you break away from the noise in the U.S. while expanding your portfolio. Commentary by Chris Gaffney, president of the World Markets division of EverBank. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn asked South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday for help in working with China. "At some point we'd be interested to hear how you're dealing with the Chinese policies and how you could help us in dealing with Chinese policies," Cohn said in candid comments on camera because the press was invited in to view the start of the meeting. Speaking at the request of President Donald Trump, the former Goldman Sachs president listed China's "many predatory practices," such as: its infringement on intellectual property rights its demand that the U.S. transfer technology into China its requirements that U.S. firms form joint ventures with Chinese companies to operate in the country its restrictions on U.S. ownership of companies in China. The detailed list follows the Trump administration's tough turn this week on China. The Treasury on Thursday issued sanctions against a Chinese shipping firm and two Chinese citizens tied to North Korea. The U.S. also plans to sell Taiwan $1.42 billion in arms, Reuters reported Thursday, citing a State Department spokeswoman. Then on Friday, Axios reported the White House is "hell-bent" on potentially imposing roughly 20 percent tariffs on imports from countries such as China. South Korea is China's largest source of imports, and the smaller country's economy has come under significant pressure from Beijing for allowing the U.S. to deploy a missile defense system in South Korea. Although the system is intended to deflect North Korean missiles, China views it as a security threat and has boycotted and banned South Korean products. After winning the election in early May, Moon temporarily suspended deployment of the missile defense system. Last week, Moon said he would ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to lift China's retaliatory measures against South Korean businesses. He also said China should do more to curb North Korea's nuclear weapons development. Trump has criticized U.S. trade policies with China and South Korea. In 2016, the U.S. had a $347 billion trade deficit with China for goods and a $27.7 billion deficit with South Korea, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. "Much of our biggest problem on trade has to do with our economic relationship with China," Cohn said. "We have maintained a very large trade deficit with China and it continues to grow." Also Friday, Trump pledged to work with Moon on dealing with the "menace known as North Korea." Reuters contributed to this report. Online food takeaway company Delivery Hero appeared to whet investors' appetite on Friday as its shares surged higher on the company's stock market debut. "I'm glad we have had a good start but this is really about the long term (it's) about the next 10 to 15 years to build a very good service," CEO Niklas Ostberg told CNBC on Friday. The company's shares rose over 3 percent shortly after Friday's opening bell. The start-up had priced its initial public offering (IPO) at top end of the price range, in order to raise around 1 billion euros ($1.14 billion). On Wednesday, it placed almost 19 million new shares and 15 million existing shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at $25.50 a share. The loss-making German firm is set to trade at a premium in comparison to its peers, a move which had split opinion among analysts assessing its profitability. While some traders have pointed to Delivery Hero's larger global footprint as reason to justify its premium rate, others have warned the company could be vulnerable to sustaining heavy losses. When asked how the firm planned to soothe investor concerns regarding the start-up's loss-making track record and premium rates, Ostberg replied, "I think we will continue to go for growth we also see that our customers are very, very sticky. They stick with us for years and years and years and order more and more frequently and I think that's what investors really like." A small number of family businesses in Asia and Europe continue to thrive despite fierce competition from larger corporations with deeper pockets . Besides the usual challenges confronting any enterprise, family businesses have also had to tackle obstacles unique to them, from family tiffs to planning the transition to the next generation. CNBC spoke to several family-run businesses over the past two seasons of "Lasting Legacy" to uncover insights on not only overcoming the increasingly competitive business environment but also prospering. Starting young In many family-run businesses, younger generations often grow up around the business without being directly involved in business operations until much later. Anderson Tanoto, a director at family-run resources giant RGE (Royal Golden Eagle), told CNBC he frequently spent time at the company's plantations in Indonesia as a child. RGE began as as a plywood-focused business in the 1960s before it expanded into palm oil and pulp. "I spent four or five summers actually, in Kerinci, in Riau for example or in the plantations ... It was fun as a young kid being in nature, being fascinated by large structures, wearing hard hats and going through different canals and rivers," Anderson said. His sister, Belinda, recounted how spending time in the fields gave the younger members of the family a "strong emotional connection" to the family business. All in the family At the Chateau de Beaucastel winery in France, the Perrin family has chosen to keep its business completely family-owned. "We are 100 percent family-owned, so it's never even been discussed to even give one percent outside of the family for shareholding," said Marc Perrin. He is part of the fifth generation of the family involved in the operation of the vineyard. The reason for doing so? The family wants to provide a foundation for future generations. "You don't plant a vineyard for you, you plant a vineyard for the next generation," Francois Perrin told CNBC, "It's important to know that your work ... is not for you, it's for the next generation." Close, but not too close While keeping the family close has been a common theme in some of the oldest family-run businesses, Italian coffee business Illy operates on set of rules that ensures family members do not report directly to somebody they are related to. "We have very strict family rules, we could not have more than one (person)... per family branch within the same company or area," said Daria Illy, a fourth generation member of the family responsible for new product development. "You would not find two brothers working in the same department, for sure, and for sure not under the direct responsibility of a family member," she added. Family feud When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes to Israel next week (July 4), for a historic first visit of a government leader from the subcontinent, he does so against a background of booming business ties between the two countries, particularly in the field of defense. Israeli companies, led by government-owned aerospace giant Israel Aircraft Industries, have signed arms deals totaling over $2.6 billion so far in 2017 alone. Israeli businesses are also active in other fields in India including in agriculture, water and pharmaceuticals, but the arms deals remain the most eye-catching. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks on upon his arrival before a meeting at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon on June 24, 2017. Patricia De Melo Moreira | AFP | Getty Images Eli Alfassi, IAI's executive vice president for marketing, in a telephone interview with CNBC emphasized the breadth of the ties. "Not everything is starting and ending in defense activities, there are more areas. I think the cooperation between the two countries is very important and strategic to both." India is IAI's most important arms market. Total trade between the two countries was close to $4.2 billion in 2016. It's a far cry from the $200 million, mainly diamonds according to the Indian embassy's website, in 1992, when the two countries formally established relations amidst Israeli-Palestinian peace moves. Initially, ties were very much defense-driven, with India facing domestic terrorism, a perennial rivalry with Pakistan, with which it has fought several wars, and sometimes uneasy relations with China. Israeli arms exports to India, as to most other countries, were "threat-driven", Daniel Flesch at consulting firm Avascent, told CNBC. But that may be changing now, as the Modi visit exemplifies: "India in particular was really a threat-driven market and it's showing a normalization of defense relations." The Modi visit signals an opening to a more strategic partnership, said Flesch, with cooperation growing on a range of other issues, also outside the field of defense. Yet, the huge arms deals of earlier this year show that defense remains a vitally important component of the relationship. The sales concern missile air-defense systems, an area on which the countries have long cooperated. The vast bulk of these contracts is with IAI, with another considerable chunk going to Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. "The meaning of the recent deal is that now the Indian armed forces have chosen this air defense system for the three services," said IAI's Alfassi. The most recent deal, inked in May this year, was for a missile system for India's navy. Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, gestures as he speaks during an inauguration of the India International Exchange Dhiraj Singh/ | Bloomberg | Getty Images The deals have long-term implications, said Alfassi: "The meaning of this project is that IAI and other Israeli companies will be active in India for years to come." Apart from the missile systems, IAI also sells drones and other equipment to India. Israel and India have been cooperating on defense, including missile systems for years but under Modi's Make in India policy, which encourages local manufacture and research, the nature of this cooperation is likely to shift to ever more Indian input. "With this program we're 100 percent implementing the policy of Prime Minister Modi of Make in India. Even before this initiative we started developing and producing together with dozens of subcontractors in India who're producing parts and systems and subsystems of this MRSAM [Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile] system in India," said Alfassi. The new projects will mean a further shift, he said: "From the next batch, which is for the navy, the lead integrator for the system will be an Indian company, Bharat Electronics Ltd., a governmental company. Until now IAI was the lead integrator, we were responsible for the installation of the system." With that kind of cooperation India will acquire actual Israeli defense expertise, not just arms, said Avascent's Flesch. "India can look to Israel, not only to acquire defense capabilities but also defense know-how and be able to adapt to threats, unforeseen threats in its environment." MPs from the Green party celebrate with confetti following a debate and vote on same-sex marriage in Bundestag, Germanys lower house of Parliament in Berlin on June 30, 2017. Germany's parliament voted by a wide margin on Friday to legalize same-sex marriage after did an about-face that freed members of her ruling conservative bloc to follow their personal conscience rather than the party line. Merkel, who will seek a fourth term in a national election on Sept. 24, told reporters after the landmark decision that she had voted against the measure because she believed that marriage as defined under German law was between a man and a woman. But she said her decision was a personal one, adding that she had become convinced in recent years that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. "I hope that the vote today not only promotes respect between the different opinions but also brings more social cohesion and peace," Merkel said. The parliament voted by 393 votes in favor of same-sex marriage to 226 against. Many other European countries, including France, Britain and Spain, have already legalized same-sex marriage. Merkel's announcement on Monday that she would allow lawmakers to vote on same-sex marriage according to their individual conscience drew the ire of some in her traditionally Catholic conservative bloc. But political analysts say the issue will likely have faded from voters' minds by the time the September election comes around. Friday's vote marks a rare victory for Merkel's Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners, who are trailing the conservatives in opinion polls. They had seized on Merkel's surprise comments on Monday to say they would push for an early vote before parliament's summer recess. Success in passing the so-called "marriage for all" amendment could provide a sorely needed boost for the centre-left SPD, which has seen a short-lived boost in the polls earlier this year evaporate in recent months. The measure will likely be signed into law by the president sometime after July 7. One prominent hedge fund manager and bear on China said Friday that this week's developments in U.S. and Chinese relations signify a "tectonic shift." "I think it took a major change, a major step for the worse yesterday," Hayman Capital Management's founder and chief investment officer, Kyle Bass, said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "And I find all of the optimism to be questionable." Bass noted that the U.S. on Thursday announced sanctions on a Chinese firm and two Chinese citizens for their dealings with North Korea. Also on Thursday, the Trump administration told Congress of a proposed $1.42 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. State Department spokeswoman. Taiwan's independence from Beijing is a red-line issue for China. "We firmly oppose the arms sale to Taiwan," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a press briefing Friday. "We urge the U.S. side to abide by its solemn commitment to the 'one China' principle, stop the arms sales to Taiwan and any military contact to avoid further damage [to] our relations, and important cooperation in other fields." In December, the President-elect Donald Trump took a phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, challenging the decadeslong U.S. policy of officially recognizing Beijing, rather than Taiwan, as the seat of Chinese rule. Trump also has threatened significant tariffs on U.S. imports from China and said he wanted to label China a currency manipulator. Trump reversed some of those positions in the last several months. But he appears to have resumed some of that tough stance on China, especially since North Korea shows no intention of scaling back on nuclear weapons development. Since China is North Korea's largest trading partner, Trump has tried to put pressure on Beijing to act. However, Trump tweeted last week that "it has not worked out." On Friday, Axios reported the White House is "hell-bent" on potentially imposing tariffs of around 20 percent on steel and other imports from countries such as China. The U.S. is also less likely to reach out to North Korea on its own. Last week, American college student Otto Warmbier died at age 22, less than a week after being released in a coma by North Korea, following months of captivity there. Now, "I think any meetings with North Korea are now off," Bass said. China has taken some steps to put economic pressure on North Korea, including suspending coal imports. But the world's second-largest economy also has retaliated against South Korean businesses for allowing the U.S. to deploy a missile defense system in the southern part of the Korean peninsula. The installation of that missile defense system has apparently prompted Beijing to call off planned talks in late July with South Korea and Japan, as Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported Thursday, citing government sources. Trump is scheduled to wrap up a two-day meeting Friday with newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House. On Friday, Bass also reiterated his worries about unsustainably high debt levels in China. "They're doing things to try to tweak their trade relationship with the U.S., but more importantly, their newfound strength globally, both economically and as you see militarily in the South China Sea, is all based on their belief in their economic strength," Bass said. "All that is built upon a massive credit expansion that they're going to have to come up" against, he said. for the latest on the markets. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Before and after winning the White House, President Donald Trump promised a bevy of achievements for his time in office. Trump has gotten some key wins and gives himself extremely high marks for his first months in office. But the president has faced setbacks and delays on some of his signature policy proposals. He has also been dogged by a probe into his campaign and a reported more recent investigation into him personally. While Trump has by some measures had a rough time adapting to the office, the first few months have not been all bad for him. Here is a summary of what Trump has or hasn't done so far to follow through on the major promises he made. Creating a jobs boom Trump won the White House promising an American economic boom and jobs for displaced workers in the Rust Belt, pockets of the country that helped to fuel his electoral win. He pledged to create 25 million jobs over a decade, while his administration has repeatedly said it wants to achieve at least 3 percent sustained annual gross domestic product growth. The Trump administration has repeatedly touted corporate hiring or investment announcements as evidence that the president's agenda is working but job and GDP growth have barely changed since he took office. The first five months of 2017 saw average nonfarm payroll growth of 162,000 slightly lower than the average job creation rate of about 187,000 a month in 2016. The pace is below what would be needed to create 25 million jobs over a decade. On Thursday, the Commerce Department gave a revised reading of 1.4 percent GDP growth for the first quarter, again not a major shift from the previous administration. It may be too early to assess Trump's effect on the economy only five months into his term. The Trump administration has also said that some policies it has not yet implemented like tax reform would drive economic growth. Repealing and replacing Obamacare Reforming the U.S. tax system Trump has promised an overhaul of the American tax system that includes the "biggest tax cut" in American history. His administration wants to slash the corporate tax rate to 15 percent and chop income tax rates across the board, reducing income tax brackets from seven to three. The White House and congressional Republicans have set a deadline of this year to pass a tax reform bill. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin previously gave an August goal, but delays in the Obamacare replacement process forced him to back off. So far, the Trump administration has outlined only a one-page summary of its tax reform priorities. The White House has been meeting with congressional leaders to hash out a combined plan that they hope can start working its way through Congress following the August recess. Passing tax reform will wait until at least the fall. Overhauling American infrastructure Trump pledged a $1 trillion injection to fix American bridges, roads and airports. So far, it has taken a backseat to health care and tax reform. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has said it will feature $200 billion in public spending, with the rest coming from private investment, over 10 years. Details have been scant, beyond that. Trump has also encouraged Congress to privatize the nation's air traffic control system, though he has taken no concrete action on that front yet. Any congressional action on infrastructure likely would not come until next year. Slashing regulations Trump came into office promising to scale back regulations, saying the moves would help to boost economic growth and energy jobs, in particular. Easily the most Trump administration action has related to efforts to undo Obama-era regulations. Trump has signed various congressional review acts designed to roll back environmental regulations imposed on oil, gas and coal companies, while signing executive orders aimed at undoing rules Obama created to fight climate change. Some of those measures have been largely symbolic. Among various other moves, he has signed an executive order with the goal of executive branch agencies revoking two regulations for every new one put forward. He also dropped Obama-era regulations that imposed restrictions on coal-related emissions and dumping. Trump also followed through on a pledge to withdraw from the landmark Paris climate accords, despite opposition from some parts of his administration and most major American companies. It's questionable whether rolling back regulations will unleash a boom in production or jobs. While energy companies often advocate publicly for deregulation, 13 of the 15 biggest U.S. oil and gas producers told their investors that current regulations have little impact on their operations, Reuters reported in March. Michael Cohen, Barclays head of energy commodities research, told CNBC on Thursday that Obama-era regulations "didn't really inhibit this dramatic increase in energy production that we saw." The Trump administration has repeatedly touted that its actions have created coal jobs, but it is unclear if those positions actually exist. Cracking down on immigration Trump pledged to take various actions on immigration that he argued would boost national security and aid American workers. Trump promised to build a physical wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and make Mexico pay for it, deport criminal undocumented immigrants, triple the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and terminate Obama-era protections for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Congress has shown a reluctance to fully fund the border barrier, while Mexico has said unequivocally that it will not pay for the wall. Through executive orders, Trump has pushed to stop funding for so-called sanctuary cities, and ordered the Department of Homeland Security to hire more immigration officers. He has also publicly supported two bills that passed the House on Thursday: one that would increase the punishment on undocumented immigrants who try to re-enter the country after getting deported for crimes and another that would cut funds from sanctuary cities. It is unclear if those bills will pass the Senate and make it to Trump's desk. Trump has also at least temporarily backed off his pledge to end the protections for the undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Reforming trade Trump promised to renegotiate trade deals and push back against trade practices that he said punished American manufacturing workers. The president withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Pacific trade deal backed by the Obama administration. It would not have received congressional approval, even if the Trump administration had supported it. His administration has also taken the formal steps to start renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, the deal among the United States, Canada and Mexico. The actual renegotiation of the deal may not take place until late this year or early next year. The Trump administration has announced various actions against Canada and other trading partners, and he is reportedly considering tariffs on steel imports. Some critics have warned that Trump's tactics could lead to a trade war or other effects that could damage the U.S. economy or harm consumers. Travel ban As a candidate, Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown" on Muslims entering the United States in response to terrorism concerns. The divisive and potentially unconstitutional proposal gradually evolved. Trump signed an executive order in January temporarily restricting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, arguing it would prevent attacks on U.S. soil. That controversial "travel ban," which prompted confusion at airports nationwide, was eventually revised and again suspended in the courts. However, when the Supreme Court said this week it would hear the Trump administration's challenges to rulings blocking the order, it said it would temporarily allow enforcement of parts of the travel ban in what was seen as a win for Trump. The U.S. has started to enforce it, at least until the Supreme Court hears the case this fall. Nominating a conservative Supreme Court justice As a candidate, Trump promised that he would nominate a conservative Supreme Court justice to succeed the late Antonin Scalia. He nominated 49-year-old Neil Gorsuch, who the Senate confirmed in April after having to change its rules to overcome a Democratic filibuster. Gorsuch has so far proven reliably conservative on the nation's top court. Boosting military spending Trump repeatedly called for more funding to refresh what he called a stagnant American military. The spending bill he signed to fund the government through Sept. 30 includes $15 billion toward his planned military buildup. WATCH: Trump takes another swipe at Amazon, says Jeff Bezos doesn't pay 'internet taxes' One of India's most ambitious economic reform plans in 70 years will ultimately boost tax receipts and provide simplicity for businesses, but the true impact may not be felt for at least a decade due to implementation challenges, experts said. After several rounds of deadlock in the parliament, India rolled out the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, replacing a thicket of indirect central and state levies that critics argue have blunted economic competitiveness and hobbled efforts to lift more out of poverty. Observers have described the reform as the most meaningful change to India's tax regime since the country became independent in 1947. The government will introduce GST for a variety of goods and services along four main rate bands: 5-, 12-, 18- and 28 percent irrespective of the location of purchase. Certain goods such as fresh meat, eggs, milk, among others, will not be taxed, according to a list compiled by the Economic Times newspaper. Vishnu Varathan, a senior economist at Mizuho Bank, told CNBC's "The Rundown" that the full economic potential of this historical tax reform could take years to materialize as India would first need to build up its tax ecosystem. "Long term, and we're talking more than five years, we're talking about eight to 10 years, I think it will lift growth potential, that's for sure," he said. In the near term, the reform will formalize more of India's untaxed economy, which would increase efficiency but not the size of the gross domestic product (GDP), he added. HSBC in a report in May also predicted the GST rollout will add about 40 basis-points to India's GDP growth in the medium term, lower than their initial forecast of 80 basis points. Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC, explained that in HSBC's previous estimate, the growth fillip was meant to come from "having the same tax rate for each product across all states and having the same tax rate across all goods and services." "Given that the second source of efficiency gains is getting compromised in the multiple rate structure, the growth impact could halve, to the 40bps ballpark," Bhandari said in the note. Though experts agree on the long-term benefits, including the ease of doing business in India and bringing swathes of the country's informal economy inside the tax net, they say in the near term there could be significant disruptions. Senate Republican leaders know that chances of passing their health bill are slim, that they depend on preserving some Obamacare tax hikes, and that they probably require flipping the vote of vulnerable Nevada Sen. Dean Heller. Those assessments, from a GOP strategist familiar with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's thinking, show how narrow a path awaits Senate Republicans when they return July 10 after a holiday week off. McConnell hasn't given up, the strategist said, but is unlikely to allow debate to extend past July 21. "The odds for them getting 51 votes might be at best one in five," the strategist said, even allowing for McConnell's tactical skills. "There are limits to what he can do. He is not turning water into wine." The leadership can afford to lose just two of the GOP caucus' 52 members, which would then allow Vice President Mike Pence to cast the tie-breaking 51st vote in favor. Calculations begin with the assumption that Rand Paul, the leader's Kentucky colleague, is virtually certain to vote no. The libertarian-minded Paul, echoing Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse and President Donald Trump, suggested Friday that lawmakers first pass a simple repeal of Obamacare, then, after that, legislation to replace it. Senate leaders reject that option out of hand. "For better or worse, that ship has sailed," the strategist familiar with McConnell's thinking said. A repeal-first strategy was considered and rejected by GOP leaders and Trump himself early this year. Among other things, returning to it now would probably preclude action on tax reform until 2019. As June ends, the gaming business in Macau appears have to have notched another big win on strength in the lucrative VIP segment. According to Consensus Metrix, analysts are looking for Macau's June gross gaming revenues (GGR) to soar nearly 27 percent from a year ago and they see July also producing a double-digit increase. However, some analysts are predicting June could produce GGR growth as high as 33 percent compared with the year earlier. "Channel checks through the first three weeks of June show the month is tracking to be well north of 30 percent," said Vitaly Umansky, an analyst at brokerage Sanford C. Bernstein. "The strength in the VIP side continues to surprise everybody." That said, there were easy comparisons with June compared with a year ago, when Macau was still reeling from a downturn blamed on the Beijing government's corruption crackdown on the junket business. The so-called junkets or specialists bring in the high-value Chinese gamblers to the Macau casinos. Macau GGR for May beat expectations and came in at 23.7 percent, well ahead of the 16.5 percent increase expected by analysts. June is expected to mark the eleventh-consecutive month of gaming growth in Macau, the world's largest gambling mecca. A booth of Micron Technology at an industrial fair in Frankfurt, Germany. Shares of Micron Technology fell on Friday, dragging the broader chips sector lower. The iShares PHLX Semiconductor exchange-traded fund (SOXX) slipped 0.2 percent, with Micron falling about 4 percent to lead the decliners. Shares of chip makers Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia last year's best-performing component also traded lower. Semiconductors have been underperforming lately. In the past month, the SOXX ETF has fallen about 5 percent, helping to drag down the overall tech sector lower. Tech stocks have been the best performers this year, rising more than 16 percent. But the space has been under pressure lately given its high valuation. Micron had traded higher in the premarket Friday on the back of better-than-expected quarterly results on Thursday. Kevin Cassidy, semiconductor equities analyst at Stifel, told CNBC in an email that Micron's stock decline is a combination of selling on the news and concern that the Chinese may disrupt the semiconductor market. He added that Friday is the last trading day of the quarter, and Micron has been a big gainer this year, which could be adding to the stock's volatility. Micron has risen more than 37 percent this year. Micron shares in 2017 The attack was designed to cause disruption, not to make financial gains, according to experts. The cyberattack could be interpreted as an act of war, A "state actor" was behind the cyberattack that hit over 12,000 devices in around 65 countries on Tuesday hitting major industries from advertising to oil, according to a NATO-affiliated think-tank . The "Petya" ransomware attack encrypted files on a computer and demanded $300 worth of the cryptocurrency bitcoin in order to unlock them. Kaspersky Lab estimates at least 2,000 targets were affected, mostly in Russia and the Ukraine, but attacks were registered in several other countries, including Germany, the U.K. and China. Researching the attack, a NATO-affiliated research institution says it was likely launched by a state actor, or by a non-state actor with support and approval from a state, as the operation was very complex and expensive. "The operation was not too complex, but still complex and expensive enough to have been prepared and executed by unaffiliated hackers for the sake of practice. Cyber criminals are not behind this either, as the method for collecting the ransom was so poorly designed that the ransom would probably not even cover the cost of the operation," NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), said in a press release on Friday. Kacper Pempel | Reuters The implications of this mean that the cyberattack could be interpreted as an act of war, according to the organization. On Wednesday, NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said a cyber attack could trigger Article 5, the principal of collective defense. "As important government systems have been targeted, then in case the operation is attributed to a state this could count as a violation of sovereignty. Consequently, this could be an internationally wrongful act, which might give the targeted states several options to respond with countermeasures," Tomas Minarik, researcher at NATO's CCDCOE law branch, in the press release. The investigators added that the cyberattack was a "declaration of power" and a demonstration of the culprit's ability to cause disruption. More than 30 percent of affected firms were financials, according to analysis by Kaspersky Lab, while at least half of those targeted were industrial organizations, such as utilities, oil and gas, transportation, logistics, manufacturing and other companies. "The nature of this malware is such that it could easily stop the operation of a production facility for a considerable amount of time", said Kirill Kruglov, security expert at Kaspersky Lab, in a press release published Thursday. A laptop displays a message after being infected by ransomware as part of a worldwide cyberattack on June 27, 2017. Rob Engelaar | AFP | Getty Images Initially it seemed the attack was caused by cybercriminals looking to extract ransoms from victims, but NATO's analysis appears to put this theory aside. In terms of the bitcoin ransom demanded, it appears the attackers haven't made much. Only a total of 3.99 bitcoins has been paid in ransom so far, worth a total of $10,284 at today's bitcoin price. Even if someone paid the ransom, the associated email address has been shut down by the web provider. This means victims cannot get their files back, and any encrypted files are effectively lost. "The underlying motive appears to be aimed at wreaking the maximum amount of disruption in Ukrainian infrastructure, while merely operating under the guise of ransomware," said Tyler Moffitt, a senior threat research analyst with cybersecurity firm Webroot, in a blog post on Thursday. "This suspicion is supported by the absence of a payment portal or functional email address to deliver the ransom payment." A message demanding money is seen on a monitor of a payment terminal at a branch of Ukraine's state-owned bank Oschadbank after Ukrainian institutions were hit by a wave of cyber attacks earlier in the day, in Kiev, Ukraine, June 27, 2017. Valentyn Ogirenko | Reuters Back in 2007, Martin Shkreli "wanted to be Stevie Cohen" but the "pharma bro" tended to give bad stock tips and blew through nearly $5 million of an investor's money at his hedge fund in less than one year, the investor testified Friday. "Sorry for all the inconvenience," Shkreli emailed that investor, Josiah Austin, after the steep loss of Austin's entire stake in his fund, Elea Capital. Shkreli, now 34, later reneged on a promise to try to repay investor Josiah Austin by gifting him a stake in Shkreli's new drug company Retrophin when it was being launched, Austin testified in Brooklyn, NY, federal court. "No, I don't think he had my best interests at heart," Austin said of Shkreli and his handling of Austin's money. He also said that now-defunct financial giant Lehman Brothers ended up suing him to try to recoup about $2 million the firm lost from Shkreli's trading at his hedge fund Elea Capital in the mistaken belief that Austin had promised to cover any trading losses for Shkreli. Austin's testimony added to a picture of prosecutors are painting of Shkreli at his trial on securities fraud charges. That picture is someone who was a serial failed investor of other people's money, one who dragged his feet at turning over tax documents about that money, and someone who dropped the names of other investors. One of them legendary pharmacy executive Fred Hassan, was touted as being an investor in Retrophin by Shkreli in 2011, according to Austin. But Hassan never invested in Retrophin, his daughter Sarah testified Thursday in the same courtroom. Fred Hassan took the witness stand after Austin. Hassan is former CEO and chairman of Schering-Plough, and ex-chairman of Bausch & Lomb. He currently is a managing director of private equity firm Warburg Pincus, and serves on the board of Time-Warner. Prosecutors had Hassan detail the fact that he recalled meeting Shkreli once, briefly, at the request of his daughter, but then never personally invested with Shkreli or in Retrophin, or ever served as an advisor to him. "He was a pleasant person, very respectful," Hassan said of his short meeting with Shkreli at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco in January 2011. "He seemed to be a little intimidated by me." Hassan said Shkreli struck him as "a homework person ... an analytic person." Hassan is a CNBC contributor. During cross-examination by Shkreli's lawyer Benjamin Brafman, Hassan said that more than 90 percent of the money invested in his family's hedge fund, DynaGrow, belongs to himself and his wife. Courtroom sketch of Fred Hassan on stand being cross examined by defense attorney Ben Brafman. Far left is Martin Shkreli seated. Elizabeth Williams | CNBC Their daughter Sarah, who manages that fund, had invested $125,000 of DynaGrow's money in Retrophin when the company was being created. Sarah Hassan, who herself did invest her personal money with Shkreli's hedge fund MSMB Capital, testified Thursday that she repeatedly had to remind Shkreli to not refer to her father as investor, or director or consultant to Retrophin because she saw documents suggesting he was. Sarah Hassan had testified that Shkreli for months refused to redeem what she believed to be her $435,000 stake in MSMB Capital after it shut down, and later was told by him that he had used her investment to help capitalize Retrophin. She later received, after long delays and multiple excuses, $400,000 in cash, and more than 58,000 shares of Retrophin. She ended up selling that stake in the company for $900,000, she testified. Austin, 70, said he manages about $300 million in his own money through an entity called El Coronado." Austin said he first met Shkreli in 2005 or 2006 at the bank UBS, while visting people there, and was impressed by him. "I liked Martin," Austin said "I was very interested in Martin's ideas." "I thought Martin was young, smart, a little cocky," Austin said. "I thought Martin wanted to be Stevie Cohen," he said, referring to the legendary hedge-fund chief. Austin said that he told Shkreli at the the time, that "if he ever went out on his own, I'd be interesting in talking to him." Shkreli over time time routinely discussed stocks with Austin, and recommended various companies for investment. "I'd say no," Austin testified, when asked by a prosecutor if Shkreli's tips tended to be profitable. "I had a pretty substantial loss" after taking a position in one drug company that he started accumulating after a recommendation from Shkreli, Austin said. Despite that, Austin testified, he eventually placed what ended up totaling $4.8 million in Elea Capital, a hedge fund that Shkreli started, in 2007. "To make money," Austin said, when asked why he did so. Fred Hassan Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images But he did anything but that. Elea failed in late 2007 after suffering losses, including all of Austin's stake, he testified. "I was very upset," Austin testified. In apologetic email to Austin soon after losing all of Austin's money in Elea, Shkreli wrote Austin an email that said, "I am embarrassed by my performance." "Sorry for all the inconvenience," Shkreli wrote. "I know sorry doesn't cut it." Asked if Shkreli ever repaid him for his losses at Elea, Austin said, "No." He also said he never invested with Shkreli again. "I had already lost a fair amount of money with Martin, and I didn't want to lose any more," Austin said. "I still thought Martin was an intelligent, smart guy, but I didn't particularly want to do any more business with him." Shkreli is not charged with anything to do with Elea or Austin. He is accused of looting Retrophin to repay investors he allegedly defrauded while running two other hedge funds, MSMB Capital and MSMB Healthcare, which he formed after Elea. Shkreli has pleaded not guilty to charges of securities fraud and conspiracy to commit both securities and wire fraud. Watch: Pharma exec testifies at Shkreli trial In this image taken from video, emergency personnel converge on Bronx Lebanon Hospital in New York, after a gunman opened fire there on Friday, June 30, 2017. Local authorities told NBC News they were responding to reports of shots fired at the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center in New York City on Friday afternoon. A NYPD spokesman said the suspect is dead from a self-inflicted wound. Police said the suspect was a former employee of the hospital. The spokesman said the gunman killed one victim and wounded at least six others. A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that the gunman was seen wearing a lab coat and concealed a rifle inside of it. @NYPDnews: UPDATE: The shooter is deceased. Several others are injured regarding the shooting at Bronx Lebanon Hospital. A person on the hospital staff told NBC New York that the facility is under lockdown. Images captured by local television crews showed police sweeping the roof of the building and the area with their guns drawn. There were also reports of a smoke situation on one floor of the hospital. The fire department said they recieved a call at 2:55 p.m., ET. Video taken by people nearby showed heavy police presence. Tweet: They are even evacuating patients from Bronx Lebanon Hospital This is breaking news. Please check back for updates. Reporting by NBC News and NBC New York. A diplomatic crisis on the Arabian Peninsula is turning into a protracted standoff, and some analysts now say the risk of armed conflict is emerging. The dispute between Qatar, a major natural gas exporter, and its neighbors is now entering its fifth week. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and implemented a partial blockade on June 5 in a bid to bring the tiny Persian Gulf monarchy in line with Saudi-dominated foreign policy. Some analysts initially thought the parties would seek a resolution by the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but last week, the anti-Qatar alliance issued a series of harsh demands. I now can't say this is not going to lead to some kind of military escalation. Helima Croft RBC Capital Markets global head of commodity strategy "It's escalated to a stage where it's very difficult for both sides to back down," Firas Modad, analyst at IHS Markit, told CNBC this week. The demands include non-starters such as shutting down Al Jazeera news and closing a Turkish military base. The coalition also calls on Qatar to end its alleged ties to terrorist groups and political opposition figures in Gulf nations and Egypt. It demanded Qatar pay reparations and submit to compliance reviews going forward. Qatar has rejected the demands. That is likely to trigger a series of additional economic and political sanctions against the government in Doha, causing the impasse to stretch out for months, risk consultancy Eurasia Group concluded in a briefing this week. "The crisis will continue to escalate before the Qatari leadership ultimately adjusts its policy positions, or in a slightly less likely scenario, opts to cement an alliance with Turkey and closer ties with Iran," Eurasia Group said. Arabian Peninsula and Iran, source: Google Maps Qatar, the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, has long chafed the region's pre-eminent Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia by attempting to forge its own foreign policy. That includes maintaining ties to Riyadh's Shiite Muslim rival Iran, which shares a massive gas field with Qatar and has sent food supplies to Doha since the crisis began. Meanwhile, Turkey has moved forward plans for military cooperation with Qatar. On Friday, fresh Turkish armed forces arrived at the military base in Qatar, where training missions began last week. Charles W. Freeman Jr., U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War, this week suggested the recent escalation risks pushing the crisis into armed conflict. Watch: Qatar's neighbors issue list of demands to end crisis President Donald Trump has "absolute authority" to cite national security concerns in order to impose tariffs on steel imports, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is a good idea, former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez told CNBC on Friday. The Commerce Department is currently investigating whether steel imports threaten U.S. security. A decision was expected by Friday. Meanwhile, Axios reported Friday Trump is "hell-bent" on slapping tariffs potentially as high as 20 percent on steel. Gutierrez, who served under President George W. Bush, said Trump will probably be able to justify that steel imports are putting national security at risk. "Whether that is the way to solve the steel capacity issue is another thing. Because this national security concept is somewhat ambiguous, you can expect for China to do some kind of retaliation," he said in an interview with "Power Lunch." "It's a slippery slope and I think we have to be careful." That retaliation could come in the form of Chinese tariffs on U.S. imports, Gutierrez said. The country has a particular interest in technology and would like to create its own cloud, he added. Using the national security premise may also have other implications. "Do other countries start using a similar argument? Do other countries start making a case for their national security interests? I think that's the risk here," said Gutierrez. CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report. Voters cast ballots at an Upper East City polling station in New York City on Nov. 8th, 2016. Officials from multiple states, including Vice President Mike Pence's home state of Indiana, said Friday that they would not fully comply with the information request from the Trump administration's voter fraud commission. The commission's vice chair, Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach, sent letters to all 50 states Thursday, asking them to send information on their election systems and voter fraud within two weeks. He also asked for more voter information than what is typically publicly available, like Social Security numbers. Officials from several states not only Democratic strongholds like New York and California but also Republican-led Indiana and Ohio indicated that they would not provide information beyond what is publicly accessible. At least 10 states in total said they would not give private data, according to The Hill. "Indiana law doesn't permit the Secretary of State to provide the personal information requested by Secretary Kobach," Indiana's secretary of state Connie Lawson said in a statement. Pence, the former governor of Indiana, chairs the voter fraud commission. It is unclear how he or the commission will respond to the states who are not giving the data freely. Trump set up the commission through an executive order last month. He said it aims to "promote fair and honest" federal elections. But critics have questioned the body's intentions, arguing that it may seek to suppress voters. More than once, Trump has claimed without evidence that millions of people illegally voted against him last year. "California's participation would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive voter fraud made by the president, the vice president, and Mr. Kobach," California secretary of state Alex Padilla said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also said he would not "perpetuate the myth voter fraud played a role in our election." "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli, during a surprise visit with reporters covering his fraud trial Friday, criticized the people prosecuting him as the "junior varsity," claimed he never considered taking a plea deal and said people "blame me for everything." Shkreli also griped about news headlines regarding his case, and teed off on a young woman who had testified he for almost a year dragged out redeeming her $435,000 investment in his hedge fund, saying she wasn't a "victim." And Shrkreli said that several documents discussed at the trial, which raised questions about his honesty with investors, were prepared by other people. "Do I want to exonerate myself?" he asked a small group of journalists when asked if he had desired to have his day in court. "Yes." He only stopped talking and left when his high-powered lawyer Benjamin Brafman peered in the room and asked, "Martin, can I talk to you for a minute?" Later, Brafman said would prefer Shkreli not conduct any more impromptu press conferences "because sometimes he doesn't have a filter." "I'm hoping he doesn't do it ever again," Brafman told reporters. Tweet At the end of the day's session, before leaving court, Shkreli told one reporter "I have to be very careful about who I talk to. I might get into trouble." And Shkreli said to a sketch artist, "You're talking to 'Rain Man.' I remember everything." The "Rain Man" reference was to Brafman's blistering opening argument, during which he said Shkreli's business colleagues used the name of that Tom Cruise movie behind his back because it featured an autistic savant, played by Dustin Hoffman. Those colleagues supposedly suspected the highly intelligent Shkreli also might be autistic. Shkreli's unexpected remarks came during the lunch break of his securities fraud trial in Brooklyn, NY, federal court. He is charged with looting millions of dollars from Retrophin, the publicly traded drug company he founded. Prosecutors claim he used the money to repay to investors whom allegedly defrauded at two hedge funds he had run, in addition to paying off personal debts. Shkreli walked into a courtroom that is on the same floor as the one where his trial is being conducted, and saw several reporters. The room has an video and audio feed of the trial for spectators who don't have seats in the main courtroom. "Welcome," one reporter said when she saw Shkreli. The 34-year former pharmaceuticals executive then began talking freely for about five minutes. Shkreli first mentioned that a friend of his had been in the the trial's so-called "overflow" room earlier in the week, and tried to sit on the judge's bench. When a reporter asked Shkreli what he thought of the trial's opening arguments on Wednesday, he shot back, "How do you think they went?" Shkreli then suggested that his lawyer Brafman, who gave an impassioned opening, had far outclassed assistant United States Attorney G. Karthik Srinivasan, who argument was more workman-like. Shkreli several times mentioned that Srinivasan had joined the prosecutor's office in the Eastern District of New York only two years ago. He also pointed out that Srinivasan before that had been an associate at the Manhattan law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind. When a CNBC reporter noted that the Eastern District is a well-regarded prosecutors' office, one which as late as 2015 had been led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Shkreli scoffed. He then called the Eastern District the "junior varsity." There is a long-standing intramural rivalry between the U.S. Attorney's Office for Eastern District of New York which encompasses Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island and prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, whose ambit includes Manhattan and its Financial District. In New York's legal world, many see the Southern District as the more elite of the two, a fact that Shkreli seemed keenly aware of. John Marzulli, a spokesman for the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District, declined to comment on Shkreli's scornful remarks. Shkreli also suggested that Winston Paes, who had been the lead prosecutor in the case, chickened out of taking it trial, because he had accepted a job several months at the large Manhattan firm Debevoise & Plimpton. "Why would you walk out on the biggest case of your life?" Shkreli asked. Paes, through a colleague, declined to comment to CNBC. Defense attorney Ben Brafman stands at the defense table with Martin Shkreli during his opening statement. Elizabeth Williams | CNBC Asked if he thought Brafman's opening argument was worth $4 million that has supposedly been paid to that attorney's law firm, Shkreli disputed the accuracy of that amount. He also said the reporter who asked about it always gets facts wrong. But a 10-Q filing in May by Retrophin, which ousted Shkreli in 2014, says he claimed the company owed him $5 million in legal expenses that he had incurred in defending both the criminal case and a related civil case by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrophin, according to the company's filings, to date has advanced $2.8 million in pre-trial fees for Shkreli's lawyers, and $2 million in trial fees, for a total of $4.8 million. At the same time, Retrophin is suing Shkreli for allegedly ripping off the company, is and cooperating with federal authorities in their cases against him. Brafman, during a hearing last week, said his firm has been paid $800,000 less than the $4.8 million tally. The difference between the two amounts is $4 million. Shkreli on Friday said he thought the trial, which was in its third day since jurors were seated, was going well for the defense. But he bemoaned the headlines about the testimony of Sarah Hassan, who invested $300,000 of her own money in his hedge fund in 2011. Shkreli complained that those headlines did not highlight the fact that she ended up getting a total of $1.3 million in cash combined with the proceeds of sales of Retrophin stock given her. Her own family's hedge fund, which she manages, netted even more from selling Retrophin stock it had acquired as a result of an initial $125,000 stake in the company. "How can a victim make $2.7 million?" Shkreli asked. "She's not a victim." But Hassan had testified that Shkreki for almost a year stalled in redeeming her personal investment stake which he claimed had grown to $435,000 after she asked to be paid out upon learning he was closing that MSMB Capital. She also said Shkreli surprised her by telling her that he had, without getting her permission, used her personal money at MSMB to capitalize the start up of Retrophin. Shkreli told reporters Friday that he believed jurors were most impressed not by Hassan's complaints about the long delay in getting her money, but by the fact that she made "four times" her investment. "I made nothing" from MSMB Capital, Shkreli added. "They blame me for everything," Shkreli said, apparently referring to prosecutors and his other critics. "Blame me for capitalism," Shkreli said. "Blame me for EpiPen." Several prospective jurors earlier this week were excused from consideration because they incorrectly believed Shkreli had raised the price of the anti-allergy device EpiPen. In reality, Shkreli drew widespread public scorn in 2015 for hiking the price of an anti-parasite drug named Daraprim by more than 5,000 percent while serving as CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. Martin Shkreli on lunch break from his court trial in Brooklyn, New York on June 29th, 2017. Justin Solomon | CNBC The Profit returns with all-new episodes Tuesday, July 11 at 10P ET/PT. On the next episode, Marcus heads to Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders in California to meet with inexperienced coffee shop owner Steve Sims. Steve's gamble may have paid off big time, but now he's in over his head. The company has no organization, no clear leader and a staff in conflict. Check out the clips above for a sneak peek. About The Profit When Marcus Lemonis isn't running his multi-billion dollar company, Camping World, he goes on the hunt for struggling businesses that are desperate for cash and ripe for a deal. In each one-hour episode of The Profit, Lemonis makes an offer that's impossible to refuse; his cash for a piece of the business and a percentage of the profits. And once inside these companies, he'll do almost anything to save the business and make himself a profit; even if it means firing the president, promoting the secretary or doing the work himself. Every year, the White House is required to release the salary of every White House employee. On Friday, the Trump Administration released the salaries of current White House personnel. The highest-paid members of President Trump's team make $179,700. The 22 staffers who take home this top salary include Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon, Senior Counselor Kellyanne Conway and Director of Communications Omarosa Manigault. Just six of the top 22 highest-paid White House employees are women. In 2016, the highest-paid White House employees, including Susan E. Rice and Valerie B. Jarrett, earned $176,461. That equates to a $3,000 pay bump for the top-paid employees in the Trump Administration, compared to those in the Obama Administration last year. China's growing influence on Hong Kong has triggered concerns and protests, but Beijing will want to keep the city politically stable given its economic importance to the mainland and appeal to Western firms looking to set up a base in the region, analysts said. "From Beijing's perspective, Hong Kong is still very important as a bridge to the rest of the world," said Commerzbank's senior emerging market economist, Hao Zhou. "China wants to have a relatively politically stable Hong Kong, as well as strong financial services in Hong Kong, to enhance China's transition to a service-oriented economy," said Zhou, adding that he expected "supportive policies" from Beijing soon. Hong Kong was returned to China from Britain 20 years ago on July 1, 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula which confers wide-ranging freedoms and judicial independence not seen in mainland China. Concerns in the city about the creeping influence of the Communist Party, however, loom large. Widespread protests in 2014 saw thousands flood the streets and camp on major roadways, blocking traffic for months, to protest proposed changes to Hong Kong's electoral system. The disappearance of some Hong Kong booksellers specializing in politically sensitive books in 2015 added to skepticism about Beijing's intentions for the Special Administrative Region. Despite the political tensions, Chinese investments and businesses have continued to grow in Hong Kong. The city, said Zhou, has opened a door for Chinese companies, while Western firms prefer to set up a base in its familiar environment. The city is also a bridge for the Chinese financial system, linking it to the rest of the world. The growing heft of Chinese companies in Hong Kong's markets reflects this. President Donald Trump urged U.S. Republican senators on Friday to repeal Obamacare immediately if they cannot agree on a new health-care plan to take its place. Struggling to get consensus in the party, Republican leaders have set Friday as the goal for working out changes to Senate legislation that would repeal extensive parts of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the law dubbed Obamacare that expanded health insurance coverage to 20 million people. Their efforts were complicated on Thursday by a Congressional Budget Office report that said the Senate proposal would cut spending on government Medicaid for the poor by 35 percent come 2036. "If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!" Trump wrote in an early morning Twitter post. @realDonaldTrump If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date! U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican who has often clashed with Trump, welcomed the suggestion. Sasse said this week he was not satisfied with the Senate health-care legislation. "Sounds great, Pres. @realDonaldTrump," Sasse wrote in a response on Twitter. "We are agreed. We need to break the logjam." Overturning Obamacare, former Democratic President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation, has been a goal of Republicans since the law came into effect, and has become a priority since January, when the party assumed control of the White House as well as both chambers of Congress. Trump pledged in his campaign to overturn a law that Republicans view as a costly government intrusion. However, a simple repeal is unlikely to draw the support of Republican moderates who are needed to help pass a bill in the Senate. A repeal was the Republicans' original intent for Obamacare. But the prospect of not having an alternative in place raised worries that insurance markets would collapse and people not insured under Obamacare would be left with few or no options for coverage, hitting the poor especially hard. The House of Representatives passed its version of a health-care bill last month, only after striking a balance between the center of the party and the right wing. A bill produced by the Senate Republican leadership has exposed similar party divisions, with moderates concerned about the numbers of people who would lose their uninsurance, and conservatives saying it should erase more of Obamacare. Iraq plans to award oil and gas exploration and development contracts in 11 new blocks on April 15, oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said on Sunday. Iraq had initially set June 21 as the date to open the bids for the new blocks, located in border areas with Iran and Kuwait, and in offshore Gulf waters. Bidding documents will be made available to oil companies planning to make offers on April 13, Jihad told Reuters. The offers will have to be submitted on April 15 and the winners will be announced the same day, he added. The oil ministry announced on Thursday measures to reduce the fees received by the oil companies from the government in the new contracts. The new contracts will exclude oil by-products from the companies' revenues, establish a linkage between prevailing oil prices and their remuneration, and introduce a royalty element. Oil producers in Iraq currently receive a fee from the government linked to production increases, which include crude and oil by-products such as liquefied petroleum gas and dry gas. Walmart has been making forays into consumer health care for more than a decade. Now, the nation's largest retailer may be looking to play a bigger role in the sector by acquiring Medicare insurance giant Humana just as its rival Amazon is increasingly making its own moves in the health-care market. Walmart and Humana are having early-stage talks about strengthening their existing partnership, people familiar with the matter tell CNBC. As part of those talks, an acquisition has also been discussed, but such deal talks are very early stage and may not happen. For Walmart, a deal to buy Humana would not come cheap: The health insurer had a market valuation of $37 billion, as of Thursday's close. Aetna's failed 2015 acquisition of Humana was valued at $54 billion. The firms have held preliminary talks exploring a possible combination, including a potential merger, according to the Wall Street Journal. "Humana is potentially an attractive asset for Walmart as it would help diversify its revenue stream," Cantor Fitzgerald health insurance analyst Steven Halper wrote in a recent report, noting that the retailer and insurer already partner on a co-branded Medicare prescription drug plan. "But our industry contacts suggest that Humana has been minimizing its relationship with Walmart recently," Halper added. Walmart may very well want to reinforce its partnership now, partly in response to retail pharmacy giant CVS Health's $69 billion deal to acquire insurer Aetna, and health Cigna's $54 billion proposed merger with pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts. Additionally, there is a threat of online retailer Amazon's potential entry into the pharmacy business. The healthcare organization that accurately captures and analyzes the data of the fast-growing U.S. demographic seniors stands to lead the industry of the future. David Friend, M.D. managing director at consulting firm BDO "I think it's interesting to contemplate what the disruption could bring because I think that it makes everybody more creative in how they think about what's possible," said Tracy Watts, senior partner at health benefits consulting firm Mercer. "That's some of the good that has come out of these various types of partnerships and merger announcements," Watts said. Potential Medicare game changer The key for all of these deals is whether they can provide consumers with a more affordable and effective new health care model. CVS and Aetna are proposing to use pharmacy clinics to provide coordinated, personalized medical care for members with chronic conditions at a lower cost, by leveraging prescription and medical data. Yet some analysts say a Walmart-Humana combination has the potential to be even more transformative. Humana already has its own pharmacy benefits unit, and has launched nearly 200 standalone clinics to help manage chronic conditions for its Medicare members. Walmart has pharmacies in most of its 4,700 stores and Sam Club brands, and in-store clinics in Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas. An expanded partnership or merger with Humana catering to Medicare patients could help the retailer become a major provider of primary care. "The healthcare organization that accurately captures and analyzes the data of the fast-growing U.S. demographic seniors stands to lead the industry of the future," said Dr. David Friend, managing director at consulting firm BDO. Walmart has also tried to promote its in-store clinics as a lower cost point of primary care for its workers. As the nation's single largest employer, with more than 1.5 million workers, acquiring an insurer could ostensibly help Walmart bring down health costs for its own workforce. Still, buying a health-care company for its own employees' benefit "would be a terrible reason, because you paid for the value of Humana upfront when you purchased them," said Craig Garthwaite, director of the Health Enterprise Management Program at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. A woman waits to speak with Medicare consultants for enrollment in the Medicare Part D program in New York City. Getty Images Mays Easter message: the dark moments and the triumph of hope In her address, Theresa May recalled dark moments of the last year, including the Westminster Bridge and Manchester Arena terrorist attacks, and the Grenfell Tower fire. In the bravery of those facing adversity, the dedication of our emergency services, and the generosity of local communities, we see the triumph of the human spirit, she said. The Easter story contains an inspiring promise of new life and the triumph of hope. Several bishops draw on the recent events in Salisbury and their aftermath in written messages and sermons during Holy Week and the Easter weekend. Sunday Telegraph >Yesterday: Audio: Music for Holy Saturday: Recessit Pastor Noster >Today: ToryDiary: Support for May leading the Conservatives into the next election hits its highest total yet New investigation exposes Corbyns anti-Jewish fervent supporters and links on Facebook Jeremy Corbyn faces a damaging new anti-semitism scandal as a bombshell dossier reveals the full extent of anti-Jewish, violent and abusive comments on Facebook groups mobilising his most fervent supporters. Twelve senior staff working for the Labour leader and the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, are members of groups containing anti-semitic and violent comments, including praise for Adolf Hitler and threats to kill Theresa May, the prime minister. The most comprehensive investigation conducted into 20 of the biggest pro-Corbyn Facebook groups numbering 400,000 members found routine attacks on Jewish people, including Holocaust denial. The Sunday Times Labour council candidate accused of repeatedly publishing antisemitic tropes Sunday Telegraph Sugar deletes Corbyn-Hitler tweet Observer McDonnell had asked him to delete and disown it Sun on Sunday Meanwhile, Izzard to replace Shawcroft on NEC Sunday Express Leading donor leaves party Observer And Corbyn faces revolt from women MPs Mail on Sunday Comment: What exactly do Labour supporters think theyre supporting? Janet Daley, Sunday Telegraph My experiences Luciana Berger, The Sunday Times The party is worse than the BNP Dan Hodges, Mail on Sunday Editorials: Corbyn must take a zero-tolerance approach Observer Corbyns crisis is self-inflicted The Sunday Times >Yesterday: Gauke faces criticism over shelving of victims law Labour claims 181 Conservative manifesto promises have been ditched The Sunday Times Plan for making public sector more diverse secretly shelved Mail on Sunday The justice secretary, David Gauke, is under fresh pressure over the treatment of rape victims as it emerged his department has shelved a key manifesto pledge to introduce a victims law. In the wake of the John Worboys fiasco, other rape victims have come forward to reveal they too were not warned their assailants were about to be released from jail. The Sunday Times can today reveal that a victim of Antoni Imiela, the M25 rapist, said she heard he was being considered for release only when it was reported in the media. The Sunday Times Comment: Were launching a victims survey because theyve been overlooked Claire Taxman, The Sunday Times Last weeks Worboys result was a victory for women everywhere Karren Brady, Sun on Sunday Electoral Commission members criticised for anti-Brexit stance Confidence in the elections watchdog was evaporating last night as it emerged that almost half of its board have made public statements criticising the pro-Brexit campaign or backing calls for the result to be overturned, despite strict impartiality rules. An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph found that four of the Electoral Commissions 10 commissioners, including the chairman, had made pronouncements on Brexit since the referendum all of them backing Remain. The bodys code of conduct states that commissioners must act at all times to uphold its impartiality. Last night there were calls for the commissioners to resign, as MPs suggested their personal views could have been behind the Commissions refusal to investigate alleged illicit collusion by pro-Remain campaign groups, while conducting several inquiries into the official Leave campaign. Sunday Telegraph Editorial: How can the Commission claim to be impartial? Sunday Telegraph More Brexit Verhofstadt more optimistic than ever for good Brexit deal Sun on Sunday Increased number of Spanish intrusions into Gibraltar water Sunday Express Is the EU seriously building a Britannia? Sunday Telegraph When did Gove start planning his leadership bid? Mail on Sunday How the implementation period should work Shanker Singham, Sunday Telegraph Goodwill to draw up report on adoption of military practices in schools Military academies could be part of mainstream education Sun on Sunday May to set up fund to pay childrens burial fees Ministers could back the use of a military ethos in more schools across the country after the Defence Secretary commissioned a review of the benefits of an education inspired by the discipline and values of the Armed Forces. Robert Goodwill, who was an education minister until Januarys reshuffle, is to draw up a report for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) assessing how pupils gain from schools that already adopt military-style practices. Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary said: Our Armed Forces are the best of their generation, embodying teamwork, leadership, and aspiration Sunday Telegraph Theresa May will scrap burial fees for children in a victory for The Sunday Timess funeral poverty campaign. The prime minister has personally intervened to establish a funeral fund for grieving parents who lose a child. The move comes just days after more than 100 MPs signed a letter urging her to act on the growing funeral poverty crisis, after an investigation by this newspaper found babies being buried in cardboard coffins and councils denying families their loved ones ashes. The Sunday Times More Government FO considering Russian request for access to Skripal daughter Observer The danger Moscow poses Gavin Williamson, Sunday Telegraph McVey pushes for Saturday jobs Observer Hunt calls for HPV vaccine for boys Mail on Sunday Sugar tax on soft drinks begins next Friday The Sunday Times And rest of UK Adams wants Ireland to expel Israeli ambassador Belfast Telegraph Salmond LBC call-in show ends after six months Herald Penning: Heres how we should deal with knife crime Britain is in the grip of a knife crime epidemic and it is spreading far beyond our inner cities. Hardly a day goes by without the pages of our newspapers containing stories of yet another life needlessly lost to this sickening scourge. So far this year, 18 men under the age of 25 have been stabbed to death in London including a 23-year-old, who died from his injuries after being knifed in Greenwich on Thursday. The next day, a 36-year-old woman from Haringey, North London became the latest victim. But carrying blades is no longer restricted to youths in the capital. The routine carrying of weapons has infected leafy market towns and shire counties across the nation. Sun on Sunday More Conservatives Backbench Tory MPs gain average of almost 12,000 from second jobs The Sunday Times Davies faces investigation after feminist event The Sunday Times Hunts colleagues not so keen on NHS levy Macer Hall, Daily Express >Today: Robert Colville: Our drive at the Centre for Policy Studies for new ideas for ownership Cohen: We should be worried about Hungary You may think Hungary is a faraway country. Small and landlocked, it has a baffling Finno-Ugric language few outsiders master. What do its corruptions and conspiracy theories have to do with us? When I was last in Budapest in August, I met Marta Pardavi. I worried about her and her friends in the Hungarian human rights movement, but I did not think I needed to transfer my fears back to Britain. To understand her predicament, you must know that the ruling party, Fidesz, and its capo, Viktor Orban, rigs the constitution, the electoral system, most of the media, the judiciary and Hungarys cultural institutions. Observer News in Brief Nicholas Mazzei is a former Army Officer who now works for BT. On Sunday 25th March, Paul Goodman wrote that Diehard Remainers must get over Brexit: they lost. I openly admit I am a Diehard Remainer. Im not quite a Remoaner-in-Chief, but I mostly agree with those Conservatives who are labelled as such by Brexiteers. While Paul raises important points, its unfair simply to tell Remainers to get over it, when it comes to an electoral loss. While hes right that the vote wasnt just a political verdict (I felt, and still feel, the wounding to my sense of self, too), it was still a political vote, meaning it can be overturned by another vote. After all, those who campaigned in the 1975 referendum to leave the European Community didnt (in the words of Gavin Williamson) shut up and go away. They continued campaigning to leave, many even going so far as to form a political party dedicated to taking the UK out of Europe, and forming wings of the Conservative Party to work on the inside to bring about their desire. Campaigning for another vote is not just legitimate, it is how democracy works. Now let me deal first with those areas of Pauls column I do agree with. Hes right that it is a cause of the Ascendency: the opportunity to live and work across Europe is one desire of those with the money and education to do so. Usually, these are citizens of the world types, who are so despised by Brexiteers. Also, the agenda of those who are making claims of unfair or illegal practice is usually aimed at overturning the result. I agree with Hugo Rifkind that there is likely no further revelation that will be enough simply to overturn the result. But Brexiteers must deal with the many issues of the campaign. These include the improper use of social media data, the claims of Shahmir Sammi (whose position on this is given extra weight in that he is very pro-Brexit and would vote Leave again), and accusations of industrial-level interference by Russian state actors on the Brexit side. The first reaction to these claims should not be shouts of conspiracy!!, enemy of the people, or stop undermining Brexit!!!, as many Brexiteers yell when presented with issues from the campaign. It is the duty of everyone, Brexiteer and Remoaner alike, to ensure that political decisions and campaigns are conducted fairly and to the letter and spirit of the law. I am strongly in favour of accusations against the Remain campaign of improper activity and spending being investigated fully by journalists and the Electoral Commission. Leave campaigners should be equally horrified at the accusations that British democracy has been subverted by Russian interference on social media, or the breaking of spending limits by Vote Leave and BeLeave. Alexander Nix, the former chief executive of Cambridge Analytica, has now been accused of deliberately misleading parliament by Conservative MP Damian Collins, since Christopher Wylie, a former research director at the firm, released information showing the company had misused personal data from Facebook. On 27th March, the DCMS committee spent four hours questioning Wylie believed by the chair to be the longest single panel session, and testament to how serious the issue is and the weight of evidence presented. Wylie believes it is perfectly credible to say that, without cheating, there would have been a different result. This is no longer a wild conspiracy theory, but one being investigated by a parliamentary committee. Paul is right that the Remain campaign outspent Leave. But that doesnt justify the claims of funds being funnelled from Vote Leave to Aggregate IQ via BeLeave. Paul also neglects to mention that Remain was the official policy of the government of the time, which is why it released leaflets explaining the governments position and the extra funds spent on Remain. That might not be popular with Brexiteers, and it happened before the spending limits came into play, but it was the right of government to do so. Hes also right that Remainers need to stop assuming Leavers are thick, but many people have been misguided by the Leave campaign. Both Cornwall and Grimsby have asked to be exceptions to any future deal to ensure their industries can be protected by the impact of Brexit an impact that Theresa May herself recently said would probably leave the UK poorer. Brexit is now only a year away, and many Remainers will do what they can to keep the UK in the EU, or at least to minimise the damage to the relationship. Paul argues that many if not most have simply accepted the referendum results, but a poll by Survation in March showed that 42.7 per cent of Conservatives who supported Theresa May to be party leader wanted a referendum on the deal, compared to 34.6 per cent who didnt. The same poll suggests most Conservative Londoners want a second vote, too. Brexiteers shouldnt be dismissing these people; they should include them, and deliver a Brexit that recognises that nearly half the country voted to Remain. They should look at the very serious accusations of unfair practice, and address them as they would allegations against the Remain campaign. Robert Colvile is the Director of the Centre for Policy Studies. This week, I got a leaflet through the door for the London elections. In the space of roughly 90 words, it managed to use the phrase Tory cuts no fewer than seven times all in bold type or capitals. There were also two uses of destroying local services, plus cameos for social care in a state of emergency, fewer libraries, fewer Sure Start centres and fewer youth centres. Labour, in other words, has its message. Never mind whether its affordable, or even possible. Jeremy Corbyns party will deliver the funding Britain needs, no matter how titanic the bill. But what about the conservative message? By which I dont mean Conservative with a capital C, but the counter-argument from those who us who think for example that you might want to have more than one company making your sandwiches or delivering your mail, or that Chinas stunning economic success owes slightly more to market mechanisms than the Great Leap Forward. One of the leitmotifs of Britains political debate recently has been a certain sense of frustration even bafflement that voters, and most especially young voters, dont understand why capitalism is worth supporting. As Chris Grayling pointed out in a speech last week to the Institute of Economic Affairs (which repays reading in full), there is a great irony that the generation who are umbilically linked to products by Apple and Samsung, whose lives are shaped by Google and Amazon are also the most sceptical about a free enterprise, capitalist society. In their consumer choices, the story goes, these people are to quote the magnificent words of Liz Truss, Graylings Cabinet colleague #Uber-riding #Airbnb-ing #Deliveroo-eating #freedomfighters. Yet when they pick up their shiny iPhones, they are likely as not to use them to film Corbynite propaganda videos. There are two explanations for this. The first is that voters are in many ways perfectly justified in being sceptical of the current state of affairs, since it has delivered flatlining wages, elephantine house prices, and an unprecedented wealth imbalance between young and old. But the other is that while they have heard plenty of expressions of concern, voters have heard few concrete proposals for how to fix these problems save, of course, from taxing the rich and nationalising everything in sight. This isnt a criticism of the Conservative Party. The task of repairing the public finances in the wake of the crash of 2008, and Gordon Browns ill-considered spending spree, was awesome in its scope. And today, the task of seeing through Brexit is equally awesome in scope, and equally vital to the nations future. Yet at the same time, we are at a political inflexion point one which actually has little to do with Brexit. The task of clearing away the deficit has mostly been completed (although there are some painful cuts still to come). So what do we do next? Already, there are all kinds of demands for higher spending, many for extremely worthy causes. NHS pay, social care for the elderly, cash-strapped councils, the defence of the realm who could possibly object? Allied to this are gloomy projections that whatever we do now, we are on a one-way track towards higher taxes and higher spending. David Willetts, for example, has been arguing that the low-tax society is effectively dead. To pay the bills for an ageing population, we will need tens of billions more to funnel into the coffers of HMRC even though taxes are already at 30-year highs. The problem is that much of this debate takes us right back to the terrain of the leaflet above. A message of spending restraint and balancing the books may have started to grate on the voters ears. But in an auction of spending promises, the highest bidder will always win. On university tuition fees, for example, how do you come up with a better offer than free? As Truss put it when we shared a panel this week, the price of liberty is eternal fiscal vigilance. But prudent budget management isnt enough to see off socialism we also need some damn good ideas. To put it another way, it is not enough for those who believe in free markets and a free society to tell others that they are wrong. We need to show them why we are right by making clear how we will solve the problems of todays Britain, by both maximising prosperity and sharing it across society. Back in November, we at the Centre for Policy Studies launched our New Generation programme to come up with the policy ideas to take the country forward to recruit new voices and fresh faces to offer practical examples of how voters lives could be made better. Now, we are buttressing this effort with a series of initiatives to produce such policies in areas that are of pressing concern to voters: tax, enterprise, housing, welfare. Our aim is to come up with policies that promote ownership in all its forms to give people money in their pockets, a home to live in, support to start and grow a business, the promise that if you do the right thing, the state will do right by you. Helping people, in other words, to take back control. (Now, where have I heard that before?) In this effort, we will call on the talents of some of the brightest stars in the Westminster firmament. Alex Morton, policy guru and ConservativeHome columnist, will be overseeing the programme. Tom Clougherty, formerly of the Adam Smith Institute and currently of Cato, will be working on simpler, lower taxes. Rachel Wolf, founder of the New Schools Network, and her team at Public First, will be examining the state of the welfare system. We will also be drawing on private-sector expertise: on housing, Graham Edwards, the CEO of the countrys largest privately owned property company, will be helping our in-house team devise policies to turbo-charge both house-building and home ownership. And, of course, we will continue to work with a wide range of policy thinkers, including many of the most talented young MPs, to come up with other ideas to take Britain forward. In the opening paragraphs of the 1987 Conservative manifesto, our co-founder, Margaret Thatcher, made the case that there was an umbilical link between growing the economy and providing the public services people need. That is still true today. Growth, enterprise, competition these are not indecent, shameful concepts, but the foundation of a modern, prosperous post-Brexit Britain that provides opportunity and security to all. They are also a pretty good starting point for the policies that can persuade people that there is more to conservatism than Tory cuts. A restaurant chain based in Danbury is going into big-time expansion mode. Salsa Fresca Mexican Grill announced it is going the franchise route to meet its goal of opening 100 fast-casual restaurants over the next five years. Salsa Fresca has eight locations, with a ninth under construction. The location on Federal Road in Danbury also serves as the restaurants headquarters. Its a realistic goal: 100 stores in five years, John Tucker, one of the restaurants founding partners, said. We see what weve been doing and we know its attainable. Theres room in the Northeast for 100 stores. Salsa Fresca is looking to expand throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida. It opened its first location in Millerton, N.Y., in 2008, after Tucker returned to the East Coast after several years in San Diego. Missing the burritos he grew accustomed to eating on the West Coast, he approached business associates Seth Hirschel and Marc Miles about opening a fast-casual Mexican restaurant. They were on board from the start. The success of that location prompted the owners to bring in another owner David Norris and open a location in Bedford Hills, N.Y. We realized that burritos were going to work here, Tucker said. It has since expanded into Danbury and New Haven in Connecticut, and Mamaroneck, Cross River, Carmel Hamlet, Peekskill and Yorktown Heights in New York. Another restaurant is being built in LeGrange, N.Y. Tucker said the Danbury location thrives even with competition from similar fast-casual restaurants Chipotle and Moes Southwest Grill. Weve learned a lot from our trials and tribulations, Tucker said. Well give a lot of support to the franchisees. We arent going to give the franchises to just anybody. The owners are looking for multi-unit operators with restaurant experience. Franchisees will be stepping into a business with a built-in demand, Lynette McKee, national director of franchising, said. With best-in-class support, franchise owners can look forward to hands-on help from the very beginning, to build-out assistance, pre-opening training programs, and on-site support during launch and on an ongoing basis. She said anyone interested in franchise opportunities may visit salsafrescafranchise.com. Recipe for success Salsa Fresca features an open-kitchen concept, fresh ingredients and traditional flavors from Mexico. There are no freezers on site at any Salsa Fresca location. The open-kitchen concept, the owners said, allows customers to see exactly what is being prepared and how. There have been so many different factors in our success, Hirschel said. One of the biggest factors is the fact that were not using pre-frozen ingredients its all fresh, every day. The response at all eight of our locations has been so overwhelming, and were seeing constant interest from patrons who want to enjoy our fresh foods in other locations, too. Its time for the next step, and our franchise program will finally meet that incredible demand. Tucker said a commitment to the customers from its employees is one of the restaurants core values. In turn, there are growth opportunities for employees the classic dishwasher-to-manager scenario, said Tucker. With 100 stores opening over the next five years, Tucker said the opportunities abound. Well be hiring a lot of people, he said. Earth matters Another of the restaurants core values is a commitment to the earth. Eco-friendly materials are used to build the restaurants, and Salsa Fresca to-go packaging and utensils are made from plant-based materials that decompose at the landfill. Were trying to get rid of plastic, including plastic straws. We want to know if our stuff ends up in a landfill it will disintegrate, Tucker said. The other owners and I are sick of plastic and the irresponsibility of some companies using single-use products and spoiling the earth. It really makes me and my business partners crazy with a lot of the packaging that gets pumped out to people. Salsa Fresca also recycles its cooking oil and is working on a composting program. Entrepreneurs today are interested in a strong concept and a profitable business plan, but theres more than that todays generation of entrepreneurs are also interested in sustainable concepts and ecologically conscious business models, Hirschel said. Contributed / Griffin Hospital DERBY The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St., Derby, will host a free talk on how to plan for future healthcare and medical decisions at 10 a.m. April 18. Griffin Hospital Advance Care Planning Coordinator Lynn Aiksnoras will present, Advance Care Planning: Honoring Healthcare Choices, an open discussion on the three stages of Advance Care Planning in which individuals discuss and decide their future healthcare wishes in the event that they are unable to speak for themselves. Four months after deadly fires ripped through Portuguese forests and villages, Prime Minister Antonio Costa picked up a spade and planted a cork oak tree. The move was aimed at offering hope to communities that lost everything to some of the worst blazes in Portugal and to prevent future conflagrations -- oaks are more resistant to fires than eucalyptus and pine forests. For Corticeira Amorim SGPS, the world's biggest exporter of cork products, the call for more oak couldn't have come at a better time. Riding an increased demand for traditionally bottled wine, the company has been asking Portuguese landowners to plant more oak trees. Cork stoppers, which account for two-thirds of the company's annual sales, are expected to help Corticeira Amorim post another record year of revenue in 2018, according to Chief Executive Officer Antonio Amorim. The Mozelos, northern Portugal-based company, which doesn't own any cork oak forests, is now considering investing alongside landowners in new plantations of this type of tree. "We're reaching a point in which the industry and the market demand a bigger supply of cork," Amorim, whose company was founded by his great grandfather in 1870, said in an interview. "Today everybody wants to have wines that use cork stoppers because they offer more quality and a more traditional and positive experience for consumers. We need to ensure that the supply of cork will meet demand from this growing industry." Cork demand has been recovering since 2010, after earlier being challenged by alternatives such as plastic stoppers, according to Amorim. Demand for wines that use cork stoppers in countries from France to China helped boost sales at Corticeira Amorim by 9.4 percent to a record 702 million euros ($869 million) in 2017. About two-thirds of the 18 billion bottles of wine that are produced annually are sealed with cork, according to the Portuguese Cork Association. The remainder are sealed with screwcaps or plastic stoppers. The company's push dovetails nicely with a government plan to reform Portugal's forests, following last year's deadly fires. Under the plan, the government is looking to expand the area of cork forests by at least 50,000 hectares by offering incentives to farmers who plant the thick, medium-sized trees with slow-burning outer barks. "Cork forests are normally more resistant to fires because of the size and distance between the trees," Miguel Freitas, the country's secretary of state for forests and rural development, said in an interview. "This is only the first step toward increasing our supply of cork." Prime Minister Costa said in the European Parliament on March 14 that southern Europe needs to have fewer eucalyptus trees, fewer pine trees, and more oaks and olive trees to cope better with fires. Eucalyptus is used to produce pulp and paper, one of Portugal's main exports. Cork is also a major export for the country, which produces more than half of the world's cork and ships about 986 million euros a year of cork-based products, according to the Portuguese Cork Association. Cork forests currently occupy an area of about 700,000 hectares, data from the association showed. Corticeira Amorim is working with researchers to reduce the time in which the slow-growing Quercus Suber tree bears its first harvest of cork bark from about 25 years to less than 10 years. Another way to bolster production is to increase the density of oak tree plantations to about 300 trees per hectare from 70 trees per hectare, said Amorim. The aim is to convince farmers to invest in planting the trees, he said. "When landowners realize the enormous potential of cork to increase profit, they'll start planting cork oak trees instead of other species," Amorim said. "Cork has great potential to continue to grow. Our only limitation is in terms of supply." Any event involving the physical presence of talent from Hindi films in Pakistan, or vice versa, is bound to make headlines. Perhaps that is why there is nothing exceptional about the first edition of Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF), which kicked off in Karachi last week with actor-director Nandita Das, screenwriter Anjum Rajabali, filmmaker and music composer Vishal Bhardwaj and actor Vinay Pathak slated to participate in sessions. Film and ideology The festival had made some noise in India with the news of the screening of Baahubali, which has been accused of promoting a specific ideology here in India. The decision to screen it, while films such as Dangal and Naam Shabana that promoted India were banned, was being lauded as a step in the right direction. Pakistan International Film Festival One of the sessions at the festival was titled Collaborations across borders: Possibilities and Future Directors. Intriguingly enough, just a few days ago, a new Rahat Fateh Ali Khan song, Tab bhi tu, from the coming Shoojit Sircar film October, featuring Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu, seemed to have been the perfect precursor. While on the one hand, these developments might seem like artists from across the border are once again welcome to collaborate and participate, on the other hand it makes the whole debate whether Pakistani artists should be allowed to work here while their country seems to be more than involved in attacking India at every possible front pointless. There is little doubt about the degree of intrigue within Indias local news cycle when it comes to Pakistani actors. Every other day there is news of Mahira Khan dancing to a Hindi film song at some wedding or Filmfare honouring Fawad Khan with Best Cinematic Icon award at its Dubai launch and such. When questioned, the film industry is quick to point out that the Government of India does not stop issuing visas to Pakistanis, or take away the Most Preferred Nation for trade status given to the neighbour. But does the film industry have the bandwidth to understand that a nations foreign policy is not that simple or uncomplicated, and needs to factor in a multitude of components, unlike some of the screenplays it prides itself on? Policy outcomes In an essay on a way to judge how successful a foreign policy was, Stephen M Walt commented that most policy outcomes are shaped as much by each countrys own decisions as they are by the presence and participation of other actors, including non-state. In this aspect, Bollywoods decision to engage with talent from Pakistan is an indirect action but nonetheless has a significant impact on how Indias foreign policy plays out. In 2010, Newsweek had called Pakistan the worlds most dangerous country, and if India took an all-out hard stand, the chances of the situation between the two countries getting worse are very high. The process of peace is also as important as the end result, and somewhere, Bollywood is right in extending its hand beyond the border. However, it needs to ask itself, at what cost? Hindi films are a potent soft power tool and an equally dynamic instrument in ensuring the efficacy of Indias foreign policy. There is always a battle with uncertainty in foreign policy and it becomes more difficult as no one knows how any initiative would be greeted or our actions perceived by other societies. Obvious answer Therefore, the manner in which the government of India is trying to deal with Pakistan, such as trying to engage with the elected government despite a call for talking directly to the Army gaining momentum, continuing trade so that a large segment of society there doesnt probably tip over to an anti-India stance, allowing people to visit each other even though cross-border infiltration bids continue to claim Indian lives, need to be aided. So, when those engaged with Hindi films find expressing solidarity with the soldiers on the border and creatively engaging with artists from a nation that has a policy to kill them is nothing but high whataboutery. Pakistan is many things to many people and because of our joint pasts, maybe our futures cannot be too independent. In such a scenario to have to come up with a feasible, practical plan for the road ahead is enough to make any foreign policy-maker go mad. Dealing with Pakistan when it comes to foreign policy reminds one of the fine art of preparing and eating a Japanese delicacy Fugu, or blowfish. This fish is more poisonous than cyanide and the smallest mistake in its preparation could be fatal, yet people throng to have it. While one is not against the presence of talent from across the border, there is much more to it than what meets the eye and principally there ought not to be a dilution of our stance as a nation when it comes to security and safety. For Bollywood, the question is straightforward and the answer obvious. (Courtesy of Mail Today) Also read:Why it is impossible to separate BJP from Postcard News founder The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) paper leak, terrible as it is, is a symptom of the disease, not the disease itself. The disease is toxic and runs deep. It's a disease that the BJP government has spread, obsessed as it is with rewriting the past and rewiring the future. So obsessed, that it is systematically undoing contemporary institutions. It's not merely central universities, such as University of Hyderabad, which saw the tragic suicide of Rohith Vermula, Jawaharlal Nehru University, which has seen a series of protests against attempts to stifle students whether it is on the colour of their politics or their accusations of sexual harassment and Benaras Hindu University, where authorities decided it was easier if women stayed indoors because they could not guarantee their safety on campus after certain hours. Its a systematic assault on institutions in the name of removing any Nehruvian imprint. The Staff Selection Commission examination leak has already created a lot of resentment among young people. Photo: PTI In doing that, theyve allowed indecision and medicority to flourish. Rajesh Chaturvedi, an IAS officer appointed for a five-year term in 2016, took some tough measures, from asking affiliated schools to furnish details about their fee and facilities to instructing them to follow only those textbooks published by NCERT. But his term was abruptly cut short amidst the issue of inflating of marks (the government was dragged to court on account of CBSEs decision to discontinue the practice of inflating marks under the garb of moderation in the Class 12 Board examination) and of its decision to set different sets of question papers for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET in different languages. Chaturvedi is now director-general of the National Skill Development Corporation, which either means he is very good at his job (in which case why was he removed) or that he is not (which proves the point that neither education nor young people is a big priority with the BJP government). The CBSE is currently headed by a Gujarat cadre IAS officer, Anita Karwal, who was additional secretary in the Human Resource Development Ministry and Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer during the 2014 General Elections. She has been noticeably low key and was not exactly very proactive when the leak broke, leaving it mostly to Secretary (School Education) Anil Swarup to address a press conference two days later. There are two issues here, which are symptomatic of the deeper problem with the BJP governments lack of understanding of this crucial portfolio. One is the selection of key personnel, which seems to be guided less by qualification and more by convenience. The CBSE, over the past few years, has been headed by professional educators who have a comprehensive understanding of issues. Ashok Ganguly, who headed the board between 2000 and 2008, was succeeded by Vineet Joshi, who was secretary in the CBSE, and continued as chairman till 2014. Joshi, a 1992-batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh, introduced the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system in schools, which has since been overturned by this government. But its the years after Joshi that tell the story of the BJP government's cavalier handling of this critical portfolio in 2015, Iranis choice and ministry official Satbir Bedis appointment was not cleared because of lack of educational administration. Iranis second choice, Sarvendra Vikram Bahadur Singh, was also rejected by the Department of Personnel and Training. Chaturvedi was appointed after two full years of dithering to find a person to head a board that proudly says it has with the addition of the NET, the exam for grant of junior research fellowship and eligibility for assistant professor in institutions of higher learning become the largest exam-conducting body in the world. Gigantism is a big issue with this government, as is its desire to be the first off the block in everything. This story of poor selection of personnel is repeated across most educational institutions in this government. But the other issue this leak highlights is this the BJP government's habit of undermining institutions. On November 10, 2017, the Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared a proposal for the creation of a National Testing Agency (NTA), which would conduct various entrance examinations. From 2019 onwards, the NTA will hold the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The entrance exams conducted by CBSE and other agencies such as AICTE will be taken over by the NTA, and Joshi has just been appointed director general of this body. The NTA will begin with JEE and NEET, but will take over the charge of conducting other such tests as well. So what happens to the CBSE, which conducts JEE, NEET, Central Teacher Eligibility Test (twice a year), UGCs National Eligibility Test (twice a year) and the entrance test for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, and how will these two organisations interact with each other? There is no clarity. But then this is a ministry that has been sitting on the late TSR Subramanians excellent draft on changes needed in the education system among the many things it recommended is that an Indian Education Service (IES) should be established as an-all India service, with officers on permanent settlement to state governments but with the cadre-controlling authority vesting with the HRD ministry. It also said that the outlay on education should be raised to at least 6 per cent of the GDP without further loss of time. The reality is that the Union Budget 2018 allocated only 3.5 per cent to education. Clearly, the government doesnt take young people seriously, beyond mouthing platitudes. The Staff Selection Commission examination leak has already created a lot of resentment among young people in a market where jobs are few and far between. The protests against the CBSE leak are continuing, and its handling by the HRD Ministry has not helped. Perhaps the BJP government has forgotten that students do end up as voters. Also read: Blame shoddy administration for CBSE paper leak 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]arketbeat.com | (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. Tenaris SA manufactures and supplies steel pipe products. The firm operates through the following business segments: Tubes and Other. The Tubes segment includes the production and sale of both seamless and welded steel tubular products and related services mainly for the oil and gas industry, particularly oil country tubular goods used in drilling operations, and for other industrial applications with production processes that consist in the transformation of steel into tubular products. The Other segment includes all other business activities and operating segments, including the production and selling of sucker rods, industrial equipment, coiled tubing, heat exchangers, and utility conduits for buildings and the sale of energy and raw materials that exceed internal requirements. Its principal finished products are seamless and welded steel casing and tubing, line pipe and other mechanical and structural steel pipes for different uses. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Luxembourg. Read More 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 [] The following companies are subsidiares of Quanta Services: (De) Lazy Q Ranch LLC, 1 Diamond LLC, 1Diamond AS, 618232 Alberta Ltd., 8246408 Canada Inc., Advanced Electric Systems, Advanced Electric Systems LLC, Advanced Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Alexander Publications LLC, Allteck GP Ltd., Allteck Limited Partnership, Apprenticeship Programs Inc., Arby Construction, Arcanum Chemicals LLC, Arnett & Burgess Oil Field Construction Limited, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners (Rockies) LLC, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners Ltd., B&N Clearing and Environmental LLC, Banister Pipelines Constructors Corp., Banister Pipelines Constructors GP Ltd., Banister Pipelines Limited Partnership, Brent Woodward Inc., Brink Constructors Inc., Brink Constructors Inc. 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Limited Partnership, Coe Drilling Pty Ltd., Computapole, Conam Construction Co., Consolidated Power Projects Australia Pty Ltd, Conti Communications Inc., Crux Subsurface Canada Ltd., Crux Subsurface Inc., Cutting Technology - 1 Diamond LLC, DB Utilities Inc., DE Lazy Q Ranch LLC, DNR Pressure Welding Ltd., Dacon Corporation, Dashiell (DE) Corporation (Dashiell Corporation), Dashiell Corporation, Dashiell Corporation DBA Dashiell (DE) Corporation, De Mears Group, De Mears Group Inc., Delaware Quanta Technology LLC, Delaware Underground Construction Co., Didado Utility Company Inc., Digco Utility Construction L.P. Digco Utility Construction Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services. Ltd. L.P., Driftwood Electrical Contractors, EHV Power ULC, ELITE PIPING & CIVIL L.P., ELITE TURNAROUND SPECIALISTS LTD, Elite Fabrication Ltd. 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Ltda., R. R. Cassidy Inc., RMS Holdings LLC, RMS Holdings LLC (Delaware), RMS Welding Systems, RMS Welding Systems LLC, Ranger Directional, Realtime Engineers Inc., Realtime Utility Engineers Inc., Redes Andinas de Comunicaciones S.R.L., Riggin & Diggin Line Construction, Rms Welding LLC, Rms Welding Systems LLC, Road Bore Corporation, Ryan Company Inc. The, Ryan Company Inc. of Massachusetts, Ryan Company Inc.(The), Seaward, Seaward Corp, Seaward Corporation, Service EC (DE) Inc., Service Electric Company (DE), Service Electric Company Inc., Service Electric Company of Delaware, Servicios Par Electric S. de R.L. de C.V., Servicios de Infraestructura del Peru S.A.C., Southwest Trenching Company Inc., Specialty Tank Services L.P., Specialty Tank Services LP, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Ltd., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. (LP), Specialty Tank Services Ltd. L.P., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold General LLC, Stronghold Holdings (BVI) Limited, Stronghold Inspection L.P., Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Lp, Stronghold Inspection Ltd L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Limited Partnership, Stronghold Ltd., Stronghold Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Management Holdings LP, Stronghold Specialty General LLC, Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Tower Group LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd., Stronghold Tower Group Ltd. LP, Stronghold VI LLC, Subterra Damage Prevention Specialists Ltd., Summit Line Construction, Sumter Utilities Inc., T. G. 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Inc., Ucc - Underground Construction Co., Underground Construction Co. Inc., Underground Construction Co. Inc. (Delaware), Underground Electric Construction Company LLC, Utilco Inc., Utility Fleet Services, Utility Line Management Services Inc., Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Utility Training Services Corporation, VALARD Polska sp. Z o.o., Valard, Valard, Valard Construction (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Construction (Quebec) Inc., Valard Construction 2008 Ltd., Valard Construction Australia Pty Ltd, Valard Construction LLC, Valard Equipment (AB) Ltd., Valard Equipment GP Ltd., Valard Equipment Limited Partnership, Valard Geomatics (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Geomatics BC Ltd., Valard Geomatics Ltd., Valard Mechanical Ltd., Valard Norway AS, Valard Sweden AB, Valard Zagreb d. o. o., Wade D. Taylor Inc., West Coast Communications, Winco Helicopters, Winco Inc., Winco Inc. an Oregon Based Corporation, Winco Powerline Services, Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Services Inc., World Fiber Inc., and mmit Line Construction Inc.. Synthomer plc operates as a specialty chemicals company in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Malaysia, China, the United States, rest of Europe, rest of Asia, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Performance Elastomers, Functional Solutions, Industrial Specialities, and Acrylate Monomers. The company offers pressure sensitive adhesives, acrylic polymers, acrylic dispersions, and other adhesives; latices for foamed bedding products and footwear; acrylonitrile butadiene rubber for glove dipping and specific needs of medical, examination, clean room, food handling, medical drug handling, and chemical laboratory applications; and artificial turf and gel foam elastomers for floor coverings, footwear, and mattresses. It also provides latices for medical devices, condoms, and balloons. In addition, the company offers binders, vinyl acetate copolymer dispersions, solvent-borne resins, and other products for various coatings applications; and synthetic binders for graphic, packaging, and specialty paper coating applications. Further, it provides compounds and aqueous curing pastes for carpets and other applications; coalescing agents for enhancing the properties of coatings; and acrylic monomers for enhancing the performance characteristics of polymer formulations. Additionally, the company offers liquid polybutadienes, polyvinyl alcohol suspending agents, polyvinyl acetates, thermosetting resins, butyl ethyl propanediol, and inorganic materials for various industrial applications; and specialty polymers for construction applications. It also provides impregnation binders, polymer dispersions, styrene butadiene copolymers, acrylic and styrene acrylic dispersions, and butadiene-based binders for textiles applications. The company was formerly known as Yule Catto & Co. plc and changed its name to Synthomer plc in 2012. Synthomer plc was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Vesuvius plc provides engineering services and solutions principally to steel and foundry industries worldwide. It operates in two segments, Steel and Foundry. The company offers foundry consumables and equipment, including binders, coatings, feeding systems, filtration and gating systems, melt shop refractories, metallurgical and pouring control systems, die dressings and coatings, melt treatment products, crucibles, and ceramics for the iron, steel, and nonferrous foundries. It also provides nonferrous metals, such as primary and secondary aluminum, copper, and other metals and alloys; cement and lime solutions, iron ore pelletizing and calcination products, and grains and powders; and process heaters, FCC units, hydrogen reformers, boilers, coke calciners, and thermal oxidizers, as well as sulphur, ethylene, and ammonia plants. In addition, the company offers solutions for power generation and incineration; glass products comprising artistic, display, float, hollow, and optical glass; glass tempering, and reheat and forming products; and solutions for solar multi-crystal silicon ingots, thin film and cell processing, and feedstock. Further, it provides solutions for blast furnace stack repair; taphole clay, iron and slang runner, sampler and temperature, tilting runner, and torpedo ladle solutions; iron ladle solutions; lining, taphole system, bath agitation and tuyere system, electric arc furnace and BOF maintenance, and metallurgical sensor solutions; and ladle, ladle to tundish, and tundish solutions, as well as tundish to mold solutions for conventional slab, thin and slim slab, beam blank, flow control valve bloom or billet, and calibrated nozzle billet casters. Additionally, the company offers ingot casting solutions; and reheat furnace, steel hot forming, galvanized steel, and electrical and stainless steel solutions. Vesuvius plc was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Zayo Group Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides bandwidth infrastructure solutions for the communications industry in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The company operates in six segments: Fiber Solutions, Transport, Enterprise Networks, Zayo Colocation (zColo), Allstream, and Other. The Fiber Solutions segment provides dark fiber, and fiber-to-the-tower and small cell mobile infrastructure services for carriers and other communication service providers, Internet service providers, wireless service providers, media and content companies, large enterprises, and other companies. The Transport segment offers lit bandwidth infrastructure solutions comprising wavelength, Ethernet, wholesale IP services, and SONET services through its metro, regional, and long-haul fiber networks for carriers, content providers, financial services companies, healthcare, government entities, education institutions, and other medium and large enterprises. The Enterprise Networks segment provides connectivity and telecommunications solutions comprising Internet, wide area networking products, managed products, and cloud based computing and storage offerings to medium and large enterprises. The Zayo Colocation (zColo) segment offers data center infrastructure solutions consisting of colocation space, and power and interconnection services to a range of enterprise, carrier, cloud, and content customers. The Allstream segment provides cloud VoIP and data solutions, such as voice offerings; and unified communications, as well as telecommunications services, including Ethernet, and IP/MPLS VPN solutions. The Other segment provides network and technical resources to customers in designing, acquiring, and maintaining their networks. Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. 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Ltd., Shell Gas Nigeria B.V., Shell Gas S.A., Shell Gas Supply Trinidad Limited, Shell Gas Trading (Asia Pacific), Shell Gas Venezuela B.V., Shell Gas and Energy Philippines Corporation, Shell Generating (Holding) B.V., Shell Global Customer Services Centre CA, Shell Global Solutions (Deutschland) GmbH, Shell Global Solutions (Eastern Europe) B.V., Shell Global Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Shell Global Solutions (Thailand) Limited, Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc., Shell Global Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Shell Global Solutions Canada Inc., Shell Global Solutions Holdings (Thailand) Limited, Shell Global Solutions International B.V., Shell Global Solutions Saudi Arabia LLC, Shell Global Solutions Services B.V., Shell Greenland A/S, Shell Grundstcksgesellschaft Wesseling GmbH & Co. KG, Shell Guam Inc., Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc., Shell Hasdrubal Limited, Shell Holdings (Bermuda) Limited, Shell Holdings (U.K.) Limited, Shell Holdings Switzerland AG, Shell Hong Kong Limited, Shell Hungary Trading close Company Limited by shares, Shell Hydrogen Deutschland GmbH, Shell India Markets Private Limited, Shell India Ventures Pte. Ltd., Shell Information Technology International B.V., Shell Information Technology International Inc., Shell Information Technology International Limited, Shell Integrated Gas Thailand Pte.Limited, Shell International B.V., Shell International Exploration and Development Italia S.p.A., Shell International Exploration and Production B.V., Shell International Exploration and Production Inc., Shell International Finance B.V., Shell International Gas Limited, Shell International Limited, Shell International Petroleum Company Limited, Shell International Shipping Services (Pte) Ltd, Shell International Trading Middle East Limited, Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited, Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V., Shell Internet Ventures B.V., Shell Investments NZ Limited, Shell Iraq B.V., Shell Iraq Petroleum Development B.V., Shell Iraq Services B.V., Shell Italia E&P S.p.A., Shell Italia Holding S.p.A., Shell Italia Oil Products S.R.L., Shell Japan Limited, Shell Japan Trading Ltd., Shell Kazakhstan B.V., Shell Kazakhstan Development B.V., Shell Korea Limited, Shell Kuwait Exploration and Production B.V., Shell LNG Gibraltar Limited, Shell LNG Port Spain B.V., Shell LNG T&T Ltd, Shell Leasing Company, Shell Lubricants Egypt, Shell Lubricants Supply Company B.V., Shell Lubricants Switzerland AG, Shell Luxembourgeoise Sarl, Shell MDS (Malaysia) Sendirian Berhad, Shell MRPL Aviation Fuels and Services Limited, Shell MSPO 2 Holding B.V., Shell Macau Limited, Shell Macau Petroleum Company Limited, Shell Madeira Praia Formosa, Shell Malaysia Limited, Shell Malaysia Trading Sendirian Berhad, Shell Manatee Limited, Shell Manufacturing Services B.V., Shell Marine Personnel (I.O.M.) Limited, Shell Marine Products (US) Company, Shell Marine Products AS, Shell Marine Products Limited, Shell Markets (Middle East) Limited, Shell Mexico, Shell Mexico Exploration and Production Investment Limited, Shell Mexico Gas Natural, Shell Midstream LP Holdings LLC, Shell Midstream Operating LLC, Shell Midstream Partners, Shell Midstream Partners GP LLC, Shell Mozambique B.V., Shell Myanmar Energy Pte. Ltd., Shell Myanmar Petroleum Pte. Ltd., Shell NA Gas & Power Holding Company, Shell NA LNG LLC, Shell Namibia Upstream B.V., Shell Nanhai B.V., Shell Nederland B.V., Shell Nederland Chemie B.V., Shell Nederland Raffinaderij B.V., Shell Nederland Verkoopmaatschappij B.V., Shell New Ventures Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Shell New Zealand (2011) Limited, Shell New Zealand Pensions Limited, Shell Nigeria Closed Pension Fund Administrator Ltd, Shell Nigeria Exploration Properties Alpha Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration Properties Beta Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration Properties Charlie Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Delta Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Echo Limited, Shell Nigeria Gas Ltd (SNG), Shell Nigeria Infrastructure Development Limited, Shell Nigeria Offshore Prospecting Limited, Shell Nigeria Oil Products Limited (SNOP), Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited, Shell Nigeria Upstream Ventures Limited, Shell North America Gas & Power Services Company, Shell North China Petroleum Group Co., Shell North Sea Holdings Limited, Shell Nusantara Trading B.V., Shell OKLNG Holdings B.V., Shell Offshore (Personnel) Services B.V., Shell Offshore Central Gabon Ltd, Shell Offshore Inc., Shell Offshore North Gabon B.V., Shell Offshore Response Company LLC, Shell Offshore Services B.V., Shell Offshore and Chemical Investments Inc., Shell Oil & Gas (Malaysia) LLC, Shell Oil Company, Shell Oil Company Investments Inc., Shell Oil Products Company LLC, Shell Olie - OG Gasudvinding Danmark B.V., Shell Olie OG Gas Holding B.V., Shell Olie-og Gasudvinding Danmark Pipelines ApS, Shell Oman Exploration and Production B.V., Shell Oman Marketing Company SAOG, Shell Oman Trading Limited, Shell Onshore Ventures Inc., Shell Operaciones Peru S.A.C., Shell Overseas Holdings (Oman) Limited, Shell Overseas Holdings Limited, Shell Overseas Investments B.V., Shell Overseas Services Limited, Shell Pakistan Limited, Shell Pensioenbureau Nederland B.V., Shell Pension Reserve Company (SIPF) Limited, Shell Pension Reserve Company (SOCPF) Limited, Shell Pension Reserve Company (UK) Limited, Shell Pensions Trust Limited, Shell People Services Asia Sdn. Bhd., Shell Petrol A.S., Shell Petroleum (Malaysia) Ltd, Shell Petroleum Inc., Shell Petroleum N.V., Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., Shell Pipeline Company LP, Shell Pipeline GP LLC, Shell Polska Sp. z o.o., Shell Project Development (VIII) B.V., Shell Property Company Limited, Shell Pulau Moa Pte Ltd, Shell QGC Holdings Limited, Shell QGC Midstream 1 Limited, Shell QGC Midstream 2 Limited, Shell QGC Upstream 1 Limited, Shell QGC Upstream 2 Limited, Shell Quebec Limitee, Shell RDS Holding B.V., Shell RSC Company, Shell Rail Operations Company, Shell Research Limited, Shell Response Limited, Shell Retraites SAS, Shell Road Solutions (Zhenjiang) Co. Ltd, Shell Road Solutions Xinyue (Foshan) Co. Ltd., Shell Sabah Selatan Sendirian Berhad, Shell Sakhalin Holdings B.V., Shell Sakhalin Services B.V., Shell Salym Development B.V., Shell Saudi Arabia (Refining) Limited, Shell Seraya Pioneer (Pte) Ltd, Shell Service Station Properties Limited, Shell Services Oman B.V., Shell Servicios Mexico, Shell Shared Services (Asia) B.V., Shell Ship Management Limited, Shell Singapore Trustees (Pte) Ltd, Shell Solar Philippines Corporation, Shell South Africa Energy (Pty) Ltd, Shell South Africa Exploration (Pty) Limited, Shell South Africa Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Shell South Africa Upstream B.V., Shell South Syria Exploration Limited, Shell Spain LNG, Shell Subsidiary Distributors Pension Trustee Limited, Shell Supplementary Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Shell Taiwan Limited, Shell Tankers (Singapore) Private Limited, Shell Tankers (U.K.) Limited, Shell Tankers Australia Pty Ltd, Shell Tanzania Limited, Shell TapUp B.V., Shell Taranaki Limited, Shell Technology Ventures B.V., Shell Technology Ventures Fund 1 B.V., Shell Technology Ventures Investments B.V., Shell Technology Ventures LLC, Shell Thailand E&P Inc., Shell Thrift & Loan Fund Trustees Nig Ltd, Shell Timur Sdn. Bhd., Shell Trademark Management B.V., Shell Trademark Management Inc., Shell Trading (M.E.) Private Limited, Shell Trading (US) Company, Shell Trading Canada, Shell Trading International Limited, Shell Trading Mexico, Shell Trading North America Company, Shell Trading Risk Management, Shell Trading Rotterdam B.V., Shell Trading Russia B.V., Shell Trading Services Company, Shell Trading Switzerland AG, Shell Transportation Holdings LLC, Shell Treasury Center (West) Inc., Shell Treasury Centre East (Pte) Ltd, Shell Treasury Centre Limited, Shell Treasury Company Switzerland AG, Shell Treasury Dollar Company Limited, Shell Treasury Euro Company Limited, Shell Treasury Luxembourg Sarl, Shell Treasury Malaysia (L) Limited, Shell Treasury UK Limited, Shell Trinidad 5(A) Limited, Shell Trinidad Block E Limited, Shell Trinidad Central Block Limited, Shell Trinidad Ltd, Shell Trinidad and Tobago Limited, Shell Trinidad and Tobago Resources SRL, Shell Trust (Bermuda) Limited, Shell Trust (U.K. Property) Limited, Shell Trustee Solutions Limited, Shell Tunisia El Jem GmbH, Shell Tunisia Kairouan GmbH, Shell Tunisia LPG S.A., Shell Tunisia Offshore GmbH, Shell Tunisia Upstream Limited, Shell U.K. Limited, Shell U.K. North Atlantic Limited, Shell U.K. Oil Products Limited, Shell US E&P Investments LLC, Shell US Gas & Power LLC, Shell US Hosting Company, Shell Ukraine Exploration and Production I LLC, Shell Upstream Albania B.V., Shell Upstream Development B.V., Shell Upstream Indonesia Services B.V., Shell Upstream Overseas Services (I) Limited, Shell Upstream Spain B.V., Shell Upstream Turkey B.V., Shell Venezuela, Shell Venezuela Productos, Shell Ventures New Zealand Limited, Shell Ventures U.K. Limited, Shell Verwaltungsgesellschaft fr Erdgasbeteiligungen mbH, Shell Vietnam Ltd, Shell Western LNG B.V., Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited, Shell WindEnergy Inc., Shell WindEnergy Services Inc., Shell Windenergy Limited, Shell Windenergy NZW I B.V., Shell Windenergy Netherlands B.V., Shell and Topaz Aviation Ireland Limited, Shell and Vivo Lubricants B.V., Shell-Mex and B.P. Limited, Ship Shoal Pipeline Company, Singapore Lube Park Pte. Ltd., Sinopec and Shell (Jiangsu) Petroleum Marketing Company Limited, Sirius Well Manufacturing Services Pte. Ltd., Sitra Petroleum Company, Snijders Olie B.V., Societa Italiana per l'Oleodotto Transalpino S.p.A., Societa' Oleodotti Meridionali S.p.A., Societe de Gestion Mobiliere et Immobiliere SAS, Societe des Petroles Shell SAS, Solen Insurance Limited, Solen Life Insurance Limited, Solen Versicherungen AG, Sonnen, Southern Petroleum No Liability, Stansted Fuelling Company Limited, Starzap Pty Ltd, Station Managers of Puerto Rico, Stazioni Autostradali Bellinzona SA, Ste du Pipeline Sud Europeen S.A., Stockholm Fuelling Services AB, Sucre Gas, Sun-Canadian Pipe Line Company Limited, Sunshine 685 Pty Limited, Sunshine Gas Pty Limited, Suzhou Liyuan Retail Site Management Co., Synthetic Chemicals (Northern) Limited, Syria Shell Petroleum Development B.V., Syriaga Neftegaz Development, TBG Tanklager Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H., TMR Company, TRINLING Limited, Tabangao Realty, Tacoma Company Limited, Tamba B.V., Tanjung Manis Oil Terminal Management Sdn. Bhd., Tankstation Exploitatie Maatschappij Holding B.V., Tanzania LNG Limited, Taranaki Offshore Petroleum Company of New Zealand, Tejas Coral GP, Tejas Coral Holding, Tejas Power Generation, Telegraph Service Stations Limited, Texas Petroleum Group LLC, Texas-New Mexico Pipe Line Company, Thai Energy Company Limited, The Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company Limited, The Asiatic Petroleum Company Limited, The Consolidated Petroleum Company Limited, The Consolidated Petroleum Supply Company Limited, The Egyptian LNG Company S.A.E., The Egyptian Operating Company for Natural Gas Liquefaction Projects S.A.E., The International School of Port of Spain Limited, The Mexican Eagle Oil Company Limited, The New Motion B.V., The New Motion Deutschland GmbH, The New Motion EVSE Limited, The New Motion France SAS, The Shell Company (W.I.) Limited, The Shell Company of Hong Kong Limited, The Shell Company of India Limited, The Shell Company of Nigeria Limited, The Shell Company of Thailand Limited, The Shell Company of The Philippines Limited, The Shell Company of Turkey Limited, The Shell Company of West Africa Limited, The Shell Marketing Company of Borneo Limited, The Shell Petroleum Company Limited, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, The Shell Transport and Trading Company Limited, The Valley Camp Coal Company, Thermocomfort Limited Shell Pension Plan Trust Limited, Three Wind Holdings LLC, Tiba Petroleum Company, Trans-Northern Pipelines Inc., Transalpine lleitung in sterreich GmbH, Tri Star Energy LLC, Trident LNG Shipping Services Pty Ltd, Trident Shipping Services Pty Ltd, Triton Diagnostics Inc., Triton Terminaling LLC, Triton West LLC, True North Energy LLC, Tunisian Processing S.A., Tupi B.V., UBAG, URSA Oil Pipeline Company LLC, Union Temporal Bloque Sin Off 7, Unitas Company Limited, United Kingdom Oil Pipelines Limited, Vestprosess DA, Waalbrug Exploitatie Maatschappij B.V., Walloons Coal Seam Gas Company Pty Limited, Walton-Gatwick Pipeline Company Limited, West London Pipeline and Storage Limited, West Shore Pipe Line Company, West Sitra Petroleum Company, Wonderbill Limited, Woodlea Limited, Yanchang and Shell (Guangdong) Petroleum Co., Yanchang and Shell (Sichuan) Petroleum Company Limited, Yanchang and Shell Petroleum Company Limited, Yueyang Sinopec and Shell Coal Gasification Company Limited, Zeolyst C.V., Zhejiang Shell Fuels Company Limited, Zhejiang Shell Oil and Petrochemical Company Limited, Zydeco Pipeline Company LLC, euroShell Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, and euroShell Deutschland Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain. The United States segment consists of the financial business activity of BBVA USA in the country and the activity of the branch of BBVA SA in New York. The Mexico segment refers to banking and insurance businesses in this country as well as the activity of its branch in Houston. The Turkey segment reports the activity of Garanti BBVA group that is mainly carried out in this country and, to a lesser extent, in Romania and the Netherlands. The South America segment comprises of operations in n Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Rest of Eurasia segment includes the banking business activity carried out by the group in Europe and Asia, excluding Spain. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. Read More CEMEX SAB de CV engages in the production, distribution, marketing, and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates. It operates though the following geographical segments: Mexico; United States; Europe; South, Central America and the Caribbean (SCA&C); Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA); and Others. The Europe segment covers United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Czech Republic, Poland and Latvia, as well as trading activities in Scandinavia, and Finland. The SCA&C segment includes Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Caribbean TCL, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Jamaica, the Caribbean, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The EMEA segment comprises of Egypt, Israel, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. The Others segment refers to the cement trade maritime operations, information technology solutions business, and other corporate entities as well as other minor subsidiaries with different lines of business. The company was founded by Lorenzo Zambrano Gutierrez in 1906 and is headquartered in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of TransDigm Group: ARA Deutschland GmbH, ARA Holding GmbH, Abbott Electronics Ltd., Acme Aerospace, Acme Aerospace Inc., Adams Rite Aerospace GmbH, Adams Rite Aerospace Inc., Advanced Inflatable Products Limited, Aero-Instruments, AeroControlex Group Inc., Aerosonic, Aerosonic LLC, Air-Sea Survival Equipment Trustee Limited, Airborne Acquisition Inc., Airborne Global Inc., Airborne Holdings Inc., Airborne Systems, Airborne Systems Canada Ltd., Airborne Systems Group Limited, Airborne Systems Holdings Limited, Airborne Systems Limited, Airborne Systems NA Inc., Airborne Systems North America Inc., Airborne Systems North America of CA Inc., Airborne Systems North America of NJ Inc., Airborne Systems Pension Trust Limited, Airborne UK Acquisition Limited, Airborne UK Parent Limited, Aircraft Materials Limited, AmSafe, AmSafe Aviation (Chongqing) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Private) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport Ltd., AmSafe Global Holdings Inc., AmSafe Global Services (Private) Limited, AmSafe Inc., Arkwin Industries, Arkwin Industries Inc., Aviation Technologies, Aviation Technologies Inc., Avionic Instruments, Avionics Instruments, Avionics Specialties Inc., AvtechTyee Inc., Beta Transformer Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Beta Transformer Technology Corporation, Beta Transformer Technology LLC, Breeze-Eastern Corporation, Breeze-Eastern LLC, Bridport Erie Aviation Inc., Bridport Holdings Inc., Bridport Ltd., Bridport-Air Carrier Inc., Bruce Aerospace Inc., Bruce Industries, CDA InterCorp, CEF Industries LLC, Champion Aerospace, Cobham, DDC Electronics K.K., DDC Electronics Ltd., DDC Electronics Private Limited, DDC Electronique S.A.R.L., DDC Elektronik GmbH, DDL195 Limited, Data Device Corp., Data Device Corporation, Dukes Aerospace Inc., Edlaw Limited, Electromech Technologies LLC, Elektro-Metall Export GmbH, Elektro-Metall Paks KFT, Esterline, Extant Components Group Holdings Inc., Extant Components Group Intermediate Inc., GQ Parachutes Limited, HARCO LLC, Harco, Hartwell Corporation, ILC Holdings Inc., Irvin Aerospace Limited, IrvinGQ France SAA, IrvinGQ Limited, Johnson Liverpool LLC, Kirkhill Elastomers, Kirkhill Inc., Kunshan Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., MarathonNorco Aerospace Inc., McKechnie Aerospace, McKechnie Aerospace (Europe) Ltd., McKechnie Aerospace DE Inc., McKechnie Aerospace DE LP, McKechnie Aerospace Holdings Inc., McKechnie Aerospace US LLC, Mecanismos de Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Militair Aviation Ltd., Norco, Nordisk Asia Pacific Limited, Nordisk Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Nordisk Aviation Products (Kunshan) Ltd., Nordisk Aviation Products AS, North Hills Signal Processing Corp., North Hills Signal Processing Overseas Corp., Pascall Electronics Limited, Pemberton 123 Ltd., Pexco Aerospace, Pexco Aerospace Inc., PneuDraulics, PneuDraulics Inc., Rancho TransTechnology Corporation, Retainers Inc., SSP Industries, Schneller, Schneller Asia Pte. Ltd., Schneller S.A.R.L., Schroth Safety Products, Semco Instruments, Semco Instruments Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Signal Processing Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Skandia, Skandia Inc., Skurka Aerospace, Skurka Aerospace Inc., Symetrics, Symetrics Industries LLC, Symetrics Technology Group LLC, TDG Germany GmbH, TEAC Aerospace Holdings Inc., TEAC Aerospace Technologies Inc., TTERUSA Inc., Tactair Fluid Controls Inc., Takata Protection Systems, Technical Airborne Components Industries SPRL, Telair International, Telair International AB, Telair International GmbH, Telair International LLC, Telair International Services PTE Ltd (JV 70.5%), Telair US LLC, Texas Rotronics Inc., TransDigm (Barbados) SRL, TransDigm European Holdings Limited, TransDigm Ireland Ltd., TransDigm Receivables LLC, TransDigm UK Holdings plc, Transicoil (Malaysia) Sendirian Berhad, Transicoil LLC, Whippany Actuation Systems, Whippany Actuation Systems LLC, XCEL Power Systems Ltd., Young & Franklin, and Young & Franklin Inc.. The following companies are subsidiares of General Dynamics: 42SIX LLC, ARMA Global Corporation, Advanced Technical Products, Aeromil (Australia) Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aircraft Engineering Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil IT Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil Marine Pty Ltd, Aeromil Pacific Pty Ltd, American Overseas Marine Company LLC, Anteon International Corporation, Applied Physical Sciences, Applied Physical Sciences Corp., Ascend Intelligence, Australian Avionics Pty Ltd, Autonomic Resources LLC, Avion Logistics Limited, Avjet Corporation, AxleTech International, Axsys, BATH IRON WORKS CORPORATION, BP-HP Pte Limited, Bath Iron Works, Bath Iron Works Australia Corporation, Bath Iron Works Canada LLC, Bluefin Robotics Corporation, Blueprint Technologies Inc., Braintree I Maritime Corp., Braintree II Maritime Corp., Braintree III Maritime Corp., Braintree IV Maritime Corp., Braintree V Maritime Corp., Buccaneer Computer Systems & Service Inc., CSC Computer Sciences Venezuela S.A., CSRA, CSRA (Costa Rica) S.A., CSRA (Guyana) Inc., CSRA (Middle East) LLC, CSRA Argentina S.R.L., CSRA BH d.o.o., CSRA Bahamas Limited, CSRA Bahrain S.P.C., CSRA Belgium SPRL, CSRA Bolivia S.R.L., CSRA Brazil Servicos de Tecnologia Ltda., CSRA Canada Inc., CSRA Caribbean Inc., CSRA Chile SpA, CSRA Colombia SAS, CSRA Commerce 2010 LLC, CSRA Consular Services Holding Company LLC, CSRA Consular Services Inc., CSRA France SARL, CSRA Guatemala Solutions Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Honduras Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Inc., CSRA Information Systems LLC, CSRA Information Technology Spain SL, CSRA Ireland Limited, CSRA Italy S.R.L, CSRA Kosovo L.L.C., CSRA LATAM LLC, CSRA LLC, CSRA Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., CSRA Netherlands B.V., CSRA Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Panama Inc., CSRA Peru S.R.L., CSRA Senegal SARL, CSRA South Africa (Pty) Ltd, CSRA State and Local Solutions LLC, CSRA Systems & Solutions LLC, CSRA Trinidad & Tobago Limited, CSRA Turkey Bilisim Teknolojileri Limited Sirketi, CSRA Uruguay S.R.L, CSRA Visa Services Israel Ltd., CSRAIT - Information Services Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Centauri Solutions LLC, Command System, Computing Devices International, Concord I Maritime Corporation, Concord II Maritime Corporation, Concord III Maritime Corporation, Concord IV Maritime Corporation, Concord V Maritime Corporation, Convair Aircraft Corporation, Convair Corporation, Creative Technology, Customer Services Ecuador CSRA S.A., Devcor, Diamond Fortress Technologies, DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, EB Groton Engineering Inc., EBV Explosives Environmental, ELCS-CZ s.r.o., Eagle Enterprise Inc., Earl Industries - Ship Repair and Coatings Division, Ebv Explosives Environmental Company, Electric Boat - Australia LLC, Electric Boat - UK LLC, Electric Boat Canada LLC, Electric Boat Corporation, Electric Boat France LLC, Electrocom Inc., Engineering Technology, Expro Finance Inc., FBD Fahrzeug und Bremsendienst GmbH, FC Business Systems, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Force Protection, Force Protection Europe Limited, Force Protection Inc., ForeSight Technology Services LLC, Freeman United Coal Mining Company LLC, GD Brazil Holdings LLC, GD European Land Systems - Steyr GmbH, GD European Land Systems Holding GmbH, GDOTS Services Corporation, GM GDLS Defense Group L.L.C., GPS Source Inc., GTE Government Systems, GWA-Datatrac FAST LLC, Galaxy Aerospace Company, Gayston Corporation - Defense Operations, General Dynamics - OTS (Global) Inc., General Dynamics AIS Australia Pty Ltd, General Dynamics Canadian Finance Inc., General Dynamics Canadian Holdings Inc., General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services LLC, General Dynamics European Finance Limited, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Austria GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Bridge Systems GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Czech s.r.o., General Dynamics European Land Systems - Denmark ApS, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Deutschland GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - FWW GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Mowag GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems Romania S.R.L., General Dynamics European Land Systems S.L., General Dynamics Global Force LLC, General Dynamics Global Holdings Limited, General Dynamics Global Imaging Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Government Satellite Services LLC, General Dynamics Government Systems Corporation, General Dynamics Government Systems Overseas Corporation, General Dynamics Information Technology Canada Limited, General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., General Dynamics Information Technology Limited, General Dynamics Installation Services LLC, General Dynamics International Corporation, General Dynamics Itronix LLC, General Dynamics Land Systems - Australia Pty. Ltd., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Corporation, General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Services Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canadian Services Limited, General Dynamics Land Systems - Force Protection Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems Customer Service & Support Company, General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., General Dynamics Limited, General Dynamics Marine Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems International Limited, General Dynamics Mission Systems Overseas Company LLC, General Dynamics Motion Control LLC, General Dynamics OTS (Aerospace) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (California) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (DRI) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Niceville) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Pennsylvania) Inc., General Dynamics One Source LLC, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Valleyfield Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Simunition Operations Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., General Dynamics Overseas Systems and Services Corporation, General Dynamics Properties Inc., General Dynamics Robotic Systems Inc., General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Satcom Technologies Asia Private Limited, General Dynamics Satellite Communication Services LLC, General Dynamics Saudi Holdings S.L., General Dynamics Shared Resources LLC, General Dynamics Support Services Company, General Dynamics Swiss Financial Management Limited, General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited, General Dynamics Worldwide Holdings Inc., General Dynamics-OTS Inc., General Motors Defense, Gulfstream 100 Holdings LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (CA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (DE), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (OK), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation of Texas, Gulfstream Aerospace Hong Kong Limited, Gulfstream Aerospace LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace LP, Gulfstream Aerospace Ltd., Gulfstream Aerospace Services Corporation, Gulfstream Aerospace Sociedad de Responssabilidad Limitada de CapitalVariable (S. de R.L. de C.V.), Gulfstream Do Brasil Servicos De Suporte E Manutencao A Aeronaves Ltda., Gulfstream International Corporation, Gulfstream Leasing LLC, Gulfstream Product Support Corporation, Gulfstream Services Corporation, Gulfstream Tennessee Corporation, Gulfstream-California Inc., Hawker Pacific (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Hawker Pacific Aircraft Management Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Airservices Limited, Hawker Pacific Airservices Pvt Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Holdings Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Australia Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific NZ Limited, Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd, IPWireless, IPWireless PTE. Limited, Information Services Consulting Limited, Interiores Aereos S.A. de C.V., International Manufacturing Technologies Inc., Itronix, Janteq Australia PTY Limited, Janteq Corp., Jet Aviation, Jet Aviation (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Jet Aviation (Bermuda) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Hong Kong) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Malaysia) SDN BHD, Jet Aviation 125 Services LLC, Jet Aviation AG, Jet Aviation Brazil Holdings Inc., Jet Aviation Business Jets (Hong Kong) Limited, Jet Aviation Business Jets AG, Jet Aviation Business Jets FZCO, Jet Aviation California LLC, Jet Aviation Dulles LLC, Jet Aviation Flight Services Inc., Jet Aviation France SAS, Jet Aviation Holding GmbH, Jet Aviation Holdings USA Inc., Jet Aviation Houston Inc., Jet Aviation International Inc., Jet Aviation Malaga SA, Jet Aviation Management AG, Jet Aviation Netherlands B.V., Jet Aviation Savannah Holding LLC, Jet Aviation Services GmbH, Jet Aviation St. Louis Inc., Jet Aviation Teterboro LP, Jet Aviation Texas Inc., Jet Aviation of America Inc., Jet Aviation/Palm Beach Inc., Jet Professionals LLC, Kylmar, Longreach Energy LLC, MAYA Viz, Maricom Systems Incorporated, Material Service Resources Company LLC, Matthews Land Company, Mediaware International, Mediaware International Pty Ltd, Metro Machine, Metro Machine co, Midwest Properties Sales LLC, NASSCO, NASSCO Holdings Incorporated, NES Associates LLC, National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, Network Connectivity Solutions Corp., Newberry Holdings LLC, OOO Jet Aviation Vnukovo, Open Kernel Labs, Page Europa Srl, Patriot I Shipping Corp., Patriot II Shipping Corp., Patriot IV Shipping Corp., Plane 79 LLC, Praxis Engineering Technologies LLC, PrimeX Technologies, Prodelin India Private Limited, Proyectos Prohumane Mexico S.A. de C.V., Quincy Maritime Corporation III, Raven Acquisitions LLC, SENTECH INC., SRA International Inc., Saco Defense, Santa Barbara Sistemas S.A., Savannah Air Center LLC, Signal Solutions LLC, Southern Illinois Recovery Inc., Spectrum Astro, St. Marks Powder Inc., Stabilo Pty Ltd, Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug AG & Co KG, Sydney Jet Charter Pty Ltd, Tadpole Computer, Tecnologias Internacionales de Manufactura S.A. de C.V., Tenacity Solutions Incorporated, The Depth of Ideas for General Trading LLC, TriPoint Global Communications, Vangent, Vangent Servicios de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Veridian, Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, ViPS, Vulnerability Research Labs LLC, and Weco LLC. For over 40 years, our friends have described our home as having a revolving door. Our family has hosted nearly two dozen exchange students from 15 countries. I am an employee of the exchange organization International Fellowship, and have placed and supervised over 50 students in central and western New York. Last month, my husband, Pat, and I ventured to Mexico City to visit five former students. The kids have been asking us to visit for several years, and now that were both retired, we had the time. Ana Maria Consuegra, who is originally from Bogota, Colombia, but has lived in Mexico City for 10 years, and Cecilia Jimenez and Susana Sanchez, who live in Queretaro, got together and planned the entire itinerary and hired English-speaking guides, showing their former parents both ancient and modern sites. During the planning, Ceci discovered that she works in the building next to Price Waterhouse Cooper, where Susys husband, Baltazar, is employed. Both Susy and Ceci are now accountants. Consuegra, a 1988 graduate of Ithaca College, is self-employed in the textile industry. Vous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire [] The following companies are subsidiares of Masco: A&J Gummers, Airex 3 LLC, Arrow Fastener, BEHR PAINTS IT! INC., BSI Holdings, Behr, Behr (Beijing) Paint Company Limited, Behr Paint (Beijing) Commercial Co. Ltd., Behr Process Canada Ltd., Behr Process Corporation, Behr Process Paints (India) Private Limited, Behr Sales LLC, BrassCraft Manufacturing Company, Brasstech Inc., Bristan, Bristan Group Limited, Cambrian Windows, ColorAxis Inc., Davenport Insulation Group, Delta Faucet (China) Co. Ltd., Delta Faucet Company, Delta Faucet Company India Private Limited, Delta Faucet Company Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Delta Faucet Company of Tennessee, Diversified Cabinet Distributors Inc., Duraflex, Duraflex Limited, Erickson Framing, Glass Idromassaggio, Guy Evans Inc., Hans Grohe Pte. Ltd., Hansgrohe, Hansgrohe A.B., Hansgrohe A/S, Hansgrohe AG, Hansgrohe Armature Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Hansgrohe B.V., Hansgrohe Brasil Metals Santitarios Ltda., Hansgrohe CS s.r.o., Hansgrohe Deutschland Vertriebs GmbH, Hansgrohe Handelsges.mbH, Hansgrohe Inc., Hansgrohe India Private Ltd., Hansgrohe International GmbH, Hansgrohe Japan K.K, Hansgrohe Kft., Hansgrohe Ltd., Hansgrohe N.V., Hansgrohe Pty Ltd, Hansgrohe S. de R. L. de C. V., Hansgrohe S. a r.l., Hansgrohe S.A., Hansgrohe S.A.U., Hansgrohe SA (Pty) Ltd., Hansgrohe SE, Hansgrohe Sanitary Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hansgrohe Sanitary Products W.L.L., Hansgrohe Sp. z.o.o., Hansgrohe Wasselonne S.A., Hansgrohe d.o.o., Hansgrohe ooo, Hansgrohe s.r.l., Hot Spring Spa Australasia Pty Ltd, Hot Spring Spas New Zealand Limited, Huppe B.V., Huppe Belgium S.A., Huppe GmbH, Huppe Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Huppe S. a r.l., Huppe S.L., Huppe Spolka z.o.o., Huppe s.r.o., IDI Group inc, Inrecon, Jet Acquisition LLC, Kichler Lighting LLC, L.D. Kichler Lighting Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Landex of Wisconsin Inc., Liberty Hardware Asia Co. Ltd., Liberty Hardware Mfg. Corp., Liberty Hardware Retail & Design Services LLC, Masco Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Masco Building Products Corp., Masco Cabinetry Hong Kong Limited, Masco Canada Limited, Masco Capital Corporation, Masco Chile Limitada, Masco Corporation Limited, Masco Corporation of Indiana, Masco Europe Inc., Masco Europe S. a r.l., Masco Europe SCS, Masco Framing Corp., Masco Germany Holding GmbH, Masco HD Support Services LLC, Masco Home Products Private Limited, Masco Home Products S.a r.l., Masco Retail Sales Support Inc., Masco Singapore Pte. Ltd., Masco WM Support Services LLC, Mascomex S.A. de C.V., Masterchem Industries, Masterchem Industries LLC, Mercury Plastics LLC, Milgard Manufacturing, Mill's Pride, Mirolin Industries Corp., My Service Center Inc., NCFII Holdings Inc., Newport Brass, Oz Acquisition LLC, Peerless Sales Corporation, SCE Unlimited, Service Partners, Shanghai Hansgrohe International Trading Co. Ltd., SmarTap, SmarTap A.Y. Ltd., Tapicerias Pacifico SA de CV, Tempered Products Inc., Texwood Industries, The Faucet-Queens, The GMU Group, The L.D. Kichler Co., Tvilum, Vapor Technologies Inc., Vapor Technologies Shenzhen Co. Ltd., Watkins Distribution UK Limited, Watkins Europe BVBA, Watkins Manufacturing Corporation, and Wellness Marketing Corporation. The following companies are subsidiares of Dover: ALMATEC Maschinenbau GmbH, Accelerated Production Systems, Advansor A/S, Advansor Dover International (Poland) sp. z o.o, Alfred Fueling Systems Holdco Ltd., Alfred Fueling Systems Inc., Alfred Fueling Systems Intermediate Holdco Ltd., All-Flo Pump Company Limited business, Anman LLC, Anthony Equity Holdings Inc., Anthony Holdings Inc., Anthony Inc., Anthony International Foreign Sales Corp., Anthony International Holding Company, Anthony Mexico Holdings LLC, Anthony North Holdco Inc., Anthony Specialty Glass LLC, Anthony TemperBent GP LLC, Automatik Grundstucksverwaltung GmbH & Co. KG, Automatik Plastics Machinery (Taiwan) Ltd., Automatik Plastics Machinery Sdn. Bhd., BSC Filters Limited, Background2 Limited, Belanger Inc., Belvac Middle East FZE, Belvac Production Machinery Inc., BlitzRotary GmbH, Butler Engineering and Marketing S.P.A., CEP Liquidation LLC, CP Formation LLC, CPC, CPC Europe Inc., CPI Products Inc., Caldera, Caldera Inc., Canada Organization & Development LLC, Chief Automotive Technologies (Shanghai) Trading Company Ltd., Chippewa Square Captive Insurance Company, Colder Products Company GmbH, Colder Products Company LTD, Cook Compression BV, Cook Compression LLC, Cook Compression Limited, Cook-MFS Inc., DD1 Inc., DDI Properties Inc., DE-STA-CO Benelux B.V., DE-STA-CO FRANCE, DE-STA-CO Shanghai Co. Ltd., DFH Corporation, DSR BZ Holdings LLC, De Sta Co (Asia) Company Limited, De-Sta-Co Cylinders Inc., DeStaCo Europe GmbH, Delaware Capital Formation Inc., Delaware Capital Holdings Inc., Destaco Ema Industria e Comercio Ltda., Dover (China) Investment Co. Ltd. , Dover (Schweiz) Holding GmbH, Dover (Shanghai) Industrial Co. Ltd., Dover (Shenzhen) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover (Suzhou) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover Asia Trading Private Ltd., Dover Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Dover Business Services EMEA Limited, Dover Business Services LLC, Dover Business Services Philippines Corporation, Dover CLP Formation Limited Partnership, Dover CR spol s r.o., Dover Canada Finance LP, Dover Canada Holdings ULC, Dover Canada Operations ULC, Dover Corporation Regional Headquarters, Dover DEI Services Inc., Dover Denmark Holdings ApS, Dover EMEA FZCO, Dover Energy, Dover Energy UK Ltd, Dover Engineered Systems Inc., Dover Engineered Systems UK Ltd, Dover Europe Inc., Dover Europe Sarl, Dover Fluids Inc., Dover Fluids UK Ltd, Dover France Holdings S.A.S., Dover France Participations SAS, Dover France Technologies, Dover Fueling Solutions UK Limited, Dover Germany GmbH, Dover Global Holdings LLC, Dover Global Trading Pte. Ltd., Dover Holdings de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Dover India Pvt. Ltd., Dover Intercompany Services UK Limited, Dover International B.V., Dover International Operations Inc., Dover International Ventures Inc., Dover International Ventures Tunisia S.a.r.l., Dover International ithalat ihracat ve Pazarlama Limited Sirketi, Dover Italy Holdings S.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Finance Sarl, Dover Luxembourg Participations Sarl, Dover Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Services Sarl, Dover Operations South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Dover Overseas Ventures Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment UK Ltd, Dover Resources International de Mexico S. de R.L. C.V., Dover Solutions Colombia SAS, Dover Southeast Asia (Thailand) Ltd., Dover Spain Holdings S.L., Dover UK Pensions Limited, Dover WSCR Holding LLC, Dover WSCR LLC, Dover do Brasil Ltda., Dow-Key Microwave Corporation, Dressor Wayne Data Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Dressor Wayne Fuel Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, EOA Systems Inc., Ebs-Ray Holdings Pty Ltd, Ebs-Ray Industries Pty. Ltd., Ebs-Ray Pumps Pty. Ltd., Em-tec GmbH, Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH, Ettlinger Management Inc., Ettlinger North America LP, Ettlinger Vertrieb und Service GmbH & Co. KG, Ettlinger Verwaltungs-GmbH, Fairbanks Environmental Limited, Ferguson CO. S.A., Fibrelite Composites Limited, Fibresec Holdings Limited, Fibresec Limited, Finder, Finder Oriental (Beijing) Trading Co. Ltd, Finder Pompe S.R.L., Finder United Saudi Arabia Company, GAL LLC, GIIER LLC, Gala Industries Asia Limited, Gala Industries Incorporated, Gala Kunststoff-und Kautschukmaschinen GmbH, Guangdong Tokheim LIYUAN Oil Industry Technology Limited Company, Highland Park Insurance Company, Hill PHOENIX Inc., Hill PHOENIX WIC LLC, Hill Phoenix Costa Rica Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, Hill Phoenix El Salvador Limitada de Capital Variable, Hill Phoenix Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Honduras Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hiltap Fittings Ltd., Hydro Systems, Hydro Systems Europe Ltd., Hydronova Australia-NZ Pty Ltd, Industrial Motion Control LLC, Inpro/Seal LLC, International Trade and Equipment B.V., JK Group SPA, JK Group USA Inc., K&L Microwave DR Inc., K&L Microwave Inc., K. S. Boca Inc., KPS (Beijing) Petroleum Equipment Trading Co Ltd., KPS Asia Sdn. Bhd., KPS Fueling Solutions Sdn. Bhd., KPS Hong Kong Holding Limited, KPS UK Limited, KS Formation Inc., KS Liquidation Inc., KSLP Liquidation L.P., Kiian Digital (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Knappco LLC, Lianyngang Jump Petroleum and Chemical Machinery Co. Ltd., Liquip, Liquip International Pty Limited, MARKEM FZ SA, MARKEM Holdings Inc., MARKEM International Inc., MARKEM S.A. de C.V., MARKEM Tag Inc., MARKEM UK Holdings 1 Unlimited, MARKEM UK Holdings 2 Limited, MIP Holdings Inc., MS Printing Solutions S.R.L., Maag Automatik GmbH, Maag Automatik Inc., Maag Automatik Plastics Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Maag Automatik Srl, Maag Pump Systems (US) Inc., Maag Pump Systems AG, Maag Pump Systems SAS, Marathon Equipment Company (Delaware), Markem Imaje Center of Competencies Spain S.L.U., Markem-Imaje, Markem-Imaje (China) Co. Limited, Markem-Imaje A/S, Markem-Imaje AB, Markem-Imaje AG, Markem-Imaje AS, Markem-Imaje Application Innovation Center Sarl, Markem-Imaje B.V., Markem-Imaje CSAT GmbH, Markem-Imaje Co. Ltd., Markem-Imaje GmbH, Markem-Imaje Holding, Markem-Imaje Identificacao de Produtos Ltda., Markem-Imaje Inc., Markem-Imaje India Private Limited, Markem-Imaje Industries, Markem-Imaje Industries Limited, Markem-Imaje KK, Markem-Imaje LLC, Markem-Imaje Limited, Markem-Imaje Ltd., Markem-Imaje N.V., Markem-Imaje Oy, Markem-Imaje Pty Ltd, Markem-Imaje S.A., Markem-Imaje S.A. de C.V., Markem-Imaje S.r.l. a socio unico, Markem-Imaje SAS, Markem-Imaje Sdn Bhd, Markem-Imaje Software Development Centre Pvt. Ltd., Markem-Imaje Spain S.A.U, Markem-Imaje Unipessoal Lda (Portugal), Markpoint Holding AB, Midland Manufacturing LLC, Mouvex, Neptune Chemical Pump Company, Northern Lights (Nevada) Inc., Northern Lights Funding LP, Northern Lights Investments LLC, Nova Controls Inc., OK International (UK) Ltd., OK International Holdings Inc., OK International Inc., OPW Engineered Systems Inc., OPW Fluid Transfer Group Europe B.V., OPW Fluids Group Inc., OPW France, OPW Fuel Management Systems Inc., OPW Fueling Components (SuZhou) Co. Ltd., OPW Fueling Components LLC, OPW Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OPW Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., OPW Slovakia s.r.o., OPW Sweden AB, Officine Meccaniche Sirio S.R.L., PDQ Manufacturing Inc., PISCES by OPW Inc., PSG (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, PSG (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PSG Worldwide Inc., Petro Vend Sp. z o.o., Pike Machine Products Inc., Piston OPW Inc., Pole/Zero Acquisition Inc., Precision Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Para Postos De Combustiveis Ltda., Precision Service - Servicos De Manutencao E Instalacao De Postos De Abastecimento De Combustivel Ltda., Pump Management Services Co. LLC, RAV Equipment U.S.A. Inc., RAV Equipos Espana S.L., RAV France, Rav Equipment UK Limited, Ravaglioli Deutschland GmbH, Ravaglioli S.P.A., Reduction Engineering GmbH, Revod Corporation, Revod Finance Ireland Limited, Revod Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Revod SAS, Revod Sweden AB, Robohand Inc., Rosario Handel B.V., Rotary Lift Consolidated (Haimen) Co. Ltd, SE Liquidation LLC, SWEP A.G., SWEP Germany GmbH, SWEP Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., SWEP North America Inc., SWEP Slovakia s.r.o., SWEP Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Scheer Pelletizing Systems & Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Scheer Taiwan Machinery Co. Ltd., Seabiscuit Motorsports Inc., Simmons Sirvey Corporation, So. Cal. Soft-Pak Incorporated, Solaris Laser S.A., Space S.R.L., Start Italiana Petrol Cihazlari Sanayi Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Start Italiana S.R.L., Swep Energy Oy, Swep International A.B., Swep Japan K.K., Sys-Tech Solutions Inc., TQC Quantium Quality S.A. de C.V., TTSI III Inc., TWG Canada Consolidated Inc., TXHI LLC, Tartan Textile Services Inc., The Curotto-Can LLC, The Heil Co., Tokheim Belgium, Tokheim China Company Limited, Tokheim GmbH, Tokheim Group, Tokheim Guardian Venture Sdn. Bhd, Tokheim Hengshan Technologies (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Tokheim Holding, Tokheim Holding B.V., Tokheim India Private Limited, Tokheim Netherlands B.V., Tokheim Sofitam Applications, Trans - Logistic Group S.R.L., Tulsa Winch Inc., Unified Brands Inc., Val TemperBent Glass L.P., Vectron Frequency Devices (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vehicle Service Group LLC, Vos Food Store Equipment Ltd., Warn Automotive LLC, Waukesha Bearings, Waukesha Bearings Limited, Waukesha Bearings Russia LLC, Wayne Fuel Management UK Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems (Rus) Limited Liability Company, Wayne Fueling Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Wayne Fueling Systems Canada ULC, Wayne Fueling Systems Deutschland GmbH, Wayne Fueling Systems Italia S.R.L., Wayne Fueling Systems LLC, Wayne Fueling Systems Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems Pte. Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems Sweden AB, Wayne Fueling Systems UK Holdco Ltd., Wayne Industria e Comercio Ltda., Wei Li Pump Shanghai Co. LTD., WellMark, and Wilden Pump and Engineering LLC. Phoenix Group Holdings plc engages in the long-term savings and retirement busines in Europe. The company operates through UK Heritage, UK Open, Europe, ReAssure, and Management Services segments. It engages in the management of insurance policies, which include active and closed life insurance products. The company also provides workplace pensions, and customer savings and investments products under the Standard Life brand. Its retirement solutions business includes vesting annuities and bulk purchase annuity business, where it acquires annuities and deliver the financial stability for secure pensions. The company also offers a range of financial products for the over 50s market under the SunLife brand, which cover life cover, equity release, funeral plans, and home insurance. Phoenix Group Holdings plc has a strategic partnership with Standard Life Aberdeen plc. The company was formerly known as Pearl Group and changed its name to Phoenix Group Holdings plc in March 2010. Phoenix Group Holdings plc was founded in 1782 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of UnitedHealth Group: 1031387 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, 1070715 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, 1st Avenue Pharmacy Inc., 310 Canyon Medical, 310 Canyon Medical LLC, 4C MSO LLC, 4C Medical Group PLC, 5995 Minnetonka LLC, ABCO International Holdings LLC, ACN Group IPA of New York, ACN Group IPA of New York Inc., ACN Group of California, ACN Group of California Inc., AHJV, AHJV MSO, AHN Accontable Care Organization LLC, AHN Central Services LLC, AHN Target Holdings LLC, AMIL International, AMIL International S.a.r.l., APS Assistencia Personalizada a Saude Ltda., ARC Infusion, ASC Holdings of New Jersey LLC, ASC Network LLC, ASI Global, ASI Global LLC, Access Administrators Inc., Access HealthSource Administrators Inc., Access HealthSource Inc., Access I.V., Administradora Clinica La Colina S.A.S., Administradora Country S.A., Administradora Medica Centromed S.A., Advanced Care, Advanced Care Pharmacy, Advanced Pharma Inc., Advanced Surgery Center of Clifton LLC, Advanced Surgical Hospital LLC, Advantage Care Network Inc., Advocate Condell Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate Sherman Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate Southwest Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate-SCA Partners LLC, Alere Health, Alere Health Improvement Company, Alere Healthcare of Illinois, Alere Wellbeing, Alere Wellology, Alere of New York, Aliansalud Entidad Promotora de Salud S.A., All Savers Insurance Company, All Savers Life Insurance Company of California, Alliance Surgical Center LLC, Aloha Surgical Center LLC, Ambient Healthcare, Ambient Healthcare Inc., Ambient Healthcare of Central Florida, Ambient Healthcare of Georgia, Ambient Healthcare of Northeast Florida, Ambient Healthcare of S. Florida, Ambient Healthcare of West Florida, Ambient Holdings, Ambient Holdings Inc., Ambient Nursing Services, AmeriChoice, AmeriChoice Corporation, AmeriChoice Health Services, AmeriChoice of Connecticut, AmeriChoice of New Jersey, AmeriChoice of New Jersey Inc., American Health Network of Indiana Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Indiana II LLC, American Health Network of Indiana LLC, American Health Network of Ohio Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Ohio II LLC, American Health Network of Ohio LLC, Amico Saude Ltda., Amil, Amil Assistencia Medica Internacional S.A., Amil Lifesciences Participacoes Ltda., Antelope Valley Surgery Center L.P., Analisis Clinicos ML S.A.C., Apothecary Holdings Inc., Apothecary Shop of Phoenix Inc., AppleCare Medical Management, AppleCare Medical Management LLC, Aquitania Chilean Holding SpA, Arise Physician Group, Arizona Physicians IPA, Arizona Physicians IPA Inc., AssuranceRx, AssuranceRx LLC, Athens ASC Holdings LLC, Audax Health Solutions, Audax Health Solutions LLC, Austin Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., Avella Patient Access Program Inc., Avella Specialty Pharmacy, Avella of Austin Inc., Avella of Columbus Inc., Avella of Deer Valley Inc., Avella of Denver Inc., Avella of Gilbert Inc., Avella of Las Vegas II Inc., Avella of Orlando Inc., Avella of Phoenix III Inc., Avella of Sacramento Inc., Avella of Scottsdale Inc., Avella of St. Louis Inc., Avella of Tampa LLC, Avella of Tucson II Inc., Avella of Tucson Inc., Aveta Arizona, Aveta Health Solutions Inc., Aveta Inc., Aveta Kansas City, Aveta Tennessee, AxelaCare Health Solutions, AxelaCare Intermediate Holdings, AxelaCare Intermediate Holdings LLC, AxelaCare LLC, B.R.A.S.S. Partnership in Commendam, Banmedica Colombia SpA, Banmedica Internacional SpA, Banmedica S.A., Beach Surgical Holdings III LLC, Behavioral Healthcare Options, Behavioral Healthcare Options Inc., Belleville Surgical Center Ltd. an Illinois Limited Partnership, Benefit Administration for the Self Employed L.L.C., Benefitter Insurance Solutions Inc., Birmingham Outpatient Surgical Center LLC, Blackstone Valley Surgicare GP LLC, Blue Ridge GP LLC, Bordeaux (Barbados) Holdings I SRL, Bordeaux (Barbados) Holdings II SRL, Bordeaux (Barbados) Holdings III SRL, Bordeaux Holding SpA, Bordeaux International Holdings Inc., Bordeaux UK Holdings I Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings II Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings III Limited, Bosque Medical Center Ltda., Brandon Ambulatory Surgery Center LC, BriovaRx, BriovaRx, BriovaRx Infusion Services, BriovaRx Infusion Services 102 LLC, BriovaRx Infusion Services 200 Inc., BriovaRx Infusion Services 204 Inc., BriovaRx Infusion Services 209 Inc., BriovaRx Infusion Services 305 LLC, BriovaRx Infusion Services 402 LLC, BriovaRx Infusion Services Inc., BriovaRx Specialty LLC, BriovaRx of California, BriovaRx of California Inc., BriovaRx of Florida, BriovaRx of Florida Inc., BriovaRx of Georgia, BriovaRx of Georgia LLC, BriovaRx of Hawaii, BriovaRx of Indiana, BriovaRx of Louisiana, BriovaRx of Louisiana L.L.C., BriovaRx of Maine, BriovaRx of Maine Inc., BriovaRx of Massachusetts, BriovaRx of Massachusetts LLC, BriovaRx of Nevada, BriovaRx of New York, BriovaRx of New York Inc., BriovaRx of Texas, BriovaRx of Texas Inc., CDC Holdings Colombia S.A.S., CLISA Clinica de Santo Antonio S.A., CMO Centro Medico de Oftalmologia S/S Ltda., CMS Central de Manipulacao e Servicos Farmaceuticos S.A., CNIC Health Solutions Inc., COI Participacoes S.A., COI Clinicas Oncologicas Integradas S.A., Cabin Enterprises LLC, Cabin Holdings LLC, California MedTrans Network IPA LLC, California MedTrans Network MSO LLC, California Medical Group Insurance Company Risk Retention Group, Camp Hill-SCA Centers LLC, Capital City Medical Group L.L.C., Cardio Management, Cardio Management Inc., Care Improvement Plus Group Management, Care Improvement Plus Group Management LLC, Care Improvement Plus South Central Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus Wisconsin Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus of Texas Insurance Company, Casa de Saude Santa Therezinha Ltda., Casa de Saude Santa Therezinha S.A., Castle Rock SurgiCenter LLC, Catalyst360, Catalyst360 LLC, Catamaran Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Catamaran Health Solutions, Catamaran Holdings I, Catamaran IPA III, Catamaran Mail, Catamaran PBM of Illinois II, Catamaran PBM of Puerto Rico, Catamaran PD of Pennsylvania, Catamaran PD of Puerto Rico, Catamaran Rebate Management, Catamaran S.a.r.l., Catamaran Senior Services, Catamaran of Pennsylvania, Cedar Park Surgery Center LLC, Cemed Care - Empressa de Atendimento Clinico Geral Ltda., Cemed Care Empresa de Atendimento Clinico Geral Ltda., Central Indiana Care Organization LLC, Central Ohio Care Organization LLC, Central de Compras SpA, CentriHealth Corporation, CentriHealth UK Limited, CentrifyHealth LLC, Centro Medico Hospitalar Pitangueiras Ltda., Centro Medico Odontologico Americano S.A.C., Centro Medico PJ Ltda., Centro de Entrenamiento en Reanimacion y Prevencion Limitada (CERP), Centro de Servicios Compartidos Banmedica S.A., Centromed Quilpue S.A., Centros Medicos y Dentales Multimed Ltda., Centurion Casualty Company, Channel Islands Surgicenter L.P., Channel Islands Surgicenter Properties LLC, Charleston Surgery Properties LLC, Charlotte-SC LLC, Childrens Surgery Center LLC, ChinaGate (Hong Kong) Limited, ChinaGate Company Limited, Citrus Regional Surgery Center L.P., Clinica Oftalmologica Danilo de Castro Sociedade Simples, Clinical Partners of Colorado Springs LLC, Clinica Alameda S.A., Clinica Bio Bio S.A., Clinica Ciudad del Mar S.A., Clinica Davila y Servicios Medicos S.A., Clinica Medico Cirurgica de Santa Tecla S.A., Clinica San Borja (La Esperanza del Peru S.A.), Clinica San Felipe S.A., Clinica Santa Maria S.A., Clinica Sanchez Ferrer S.A., Clinica Vespucio S.A., Clinica del Country S.A., Coachella Valley Physicians of PrimeCare, Coachella Valley Physicians of PrimeCare Inc., Coalition For Advanced Pharmacy Services, Coalition for Advanced Pharmacy Services Inc., Coastal Physicians Management Inc., Collaborative Care Holdings, Collaborative Care Holdings LLC, Collaborative Care Services, Collaborative Care Services Inc., Collaborative Care Solutions, Collaborative Realty, Collaborative Realty LLC, Colmedica Medicina Prepagada, Colonial Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Colorado Innovative Physician Solutions Inc., Colorado Springs Surgery Center Ltd., Comfort Care Transportation, Comfort Care Transportation LLC, Commonwealth Administrators, Connecticut Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Connecticut Surgery Properties LLC, Connecticut Surgical Center LLC, Connextions, Connextions HCI, Constructora e Inmobiliaria Magapoq S.A., Consumer Wellness Solutions Inc., Country Scan Ltda., Crescent Drug Corp., Cypress Care, Cypress Care Inc., DBP Services of New York IPA, DBP Services of New York IPA Inc., DTC Surgery Center LLC, DWIC of Tampa Bay, DWIC of Tampa Bay Inc., DaVita Magan Management Inc., Danbury Surgical Center L.P., Day-Op Surgery Consulting Company, Day-Op Surgery Consulting Company LLC, Definity Health, Dental Benefit Providers, Dental Benefit Providers Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of California, Dental Benefit Providers of California Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of Illinois, Dental Benefit Providers of Illinois Inc., Derry Surgical Center LLC, Diagnostico Ecotomografico Centromed Ltda., Diasnostico por Imagenes Centromed Ltda., Dilab Medicina Nuclear Ltda., Diplomat Pharmacy, Distance Learning Network, Distance Learning Network Inc., Doctor + S.A.C., Dry Creek Surgery Center LLC, Dublin Surgery Center LLC, Duncan Printing Services, Duncan Printing Services LLC, E Street Endoscopy LLC, ELG FZE, EP Campus I, EP Campus I LLC, East Brunswick Surgery Center LLC, Electronic Network Systems, Electronic Network Systems Inc., Elual Participacoes S.A., Empire Physician Management Company, Empire Physician Management Company LLC, Employers Health Choice PPO Inc., Empremedica S. A., Endoscopy Center Affiliates Inc., Enterprise Life Insurance Company, Equian, Equian LLC, Equian Parent Corp., Esho Empresa de Servicos Hospitalares S.A., Etho Empresa de Tecnologia Hospitalar Ltda., Evercare Collaborative Solutions, Evercare Collaborative Solutions Inc., Everett MSO Inc., Excellion Servicos Biomedicos Ltda., Excellion Servicos Biomedicos S.A., Excelsior Insurance Brokerage Inc., Executive Health Resources, Executive Health Resources Inc., Executive Surgery Center LLC, Eye Clinic Oftalmologia Clinico Cirurgica e Diagnostico Ltda., FMG Holdings, FMG Holdings LLC, FOR HEALTH OF ARIZONA, Family Health Care Services, Family Home Hospice, Family Home Hospice Inc., First Rx Specialty & Mail Services, Florida MedTrans Network LLC, Florida MedTrans Network MSO LLC, For Health, For Health Inc., For Health of Arizona Inc., Fortified Provider Network Inc., Fortify Technologies Asia LLC, Fortify Technologies LLC, Foundation Financial Services Inc., Franklin Surgical Center LLC, Freedom Life Insurance Company of America, Freeway Surgicenter of Houston LLC, Frontier MEDEX Limited, Frontier Medex Tanzania Limited, FrontierMEDEX, FrontierMEDEX (RMS), FrontierMEDEX (RMS) Inc., FrontierMEDEX Government Services, FrontierMEDEX Government Services LLC, FrontierMEDEX Inc., FrontierMEDEX Kenya Limited, FrontierMEDEX US, FrontierMEDEX US Inc., Fundacion Banmedica, GRANTS PASS SURGERY CENTER LLC, Gadsden Surgery Center LLC, Gadsden Surgery Center Ltd., Gainesville Surgery Center L.P., Gainesville Surgery Properties LLC, Genoa, Genoa Healthcare Inc., Genoa Healthcare LLC, Genoa QoL Wholesale LLC, Genoa Technology (Canada) Inc., Genoa Technology Inc., Genoa Telepsychiatry Inc., Genoa of Arkansas LLC, Glenwood Surgical Center L.P., Glenwood-SC Inc., Golden Outlook, Golden Outlook Inc., Golden Rule Financial Corporation, Golden Rule Insurance Company, Golden Triangle Surgicenter L.P., Grapevine Finance LLC, Greater Hartford ASC LLC, Grove Place Surgery Center L.L.C., Guardian Health Systems Limited Partnership, H&W Indemnity (SPC), H&W Indemnity (SPC) Ltd., H.I. Investments Holding Company LLC, HCP ACO California LLC, HCP ACO Nevada LLC, HCentive Technology India Private Limited, HMI NewCo LLC, Harken Health Insurance Company, Hayes-Strub LLC, Health Business Systems, Health Care-ONE Insurance Agency Inc., Health Inventures Employment Solutions LLC, Health Inventures LLC, Health Net Insurance of New York, Health Net Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Health Plan of Nevada, Health Plan of Nevada Inc., Health Technology Analysts Pty Limited, HealthAllies, HealthAllies Inc., HealthCare Partners ASC-LB LLC, HealthCare Partners Management Services California LLC, HealthCare Partners RE LLC, HealthFirst IPA Inc., HealthMarkets Group Inc., HealthMarkets Inc., HealthMarkets Insurance Agency Inc., HealthMarkets LLC, HealthMarkets NewCo Inc., HealthMarkets Services Inc., HealthSCOPE Holdings Inc., HealthScope Benefits Inc., Healthcare Partners Plan of Nevada Inc., Healthcare Solutions Inc., Heartland Heart and Vascular LLC, Help S.A., Help Service S.A., Highlands Ranch Healthcare, Highlands Ranch Healthcare LLC, Home Care I.V. of Bend, Home Infusion With Heart, Home Medical S.A., Hospice Inspiris Holdings, Hospice Inspiris Holdings Inc., Hospitais Associados de Pernambuco Ltda., Hospital Alvorada de Taguatinga Ltda., Hospital Ana Costa S.A., Hospital Maternidade Promater Ltda., Hospital Samaritano de Sao Paulo Ltda., Hospital Santa Helena S.A., Hospital de Clinicas de Jacarepagua Ltda., Humedica, Humedica Inc., Hygeia Corporation, Hygeia Corporation (Canada), Hygeia Corporation (DE), Hygeia Corporation (Ontario), INOV8 Surgical at Memorial City LLC, INSPIRIS of New York IPA, INSPIRIS of New York Management, INSPIRIS of New York Management Inc., INSPIRIS of Texas Physician Group, IRX Financing I LLC, Illinois Independent Care Network, Imed Star Servicos de Desempenho Organizacional Ltda., Impel Consulting Experts, Impel Consulting Experts L.L.C., Impel Management Services L.L.C., Indian River Surgery Center Ltd., Indian River Surgery Properties LLC, Indiana Care Organization LLC, Infusource, Ingram & Associates, Ingram & Associates LLC, Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3001 S.A., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3600 Ltda., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo S.A., Inmobiliaria Clinica Santa Maria S.A., Inmobiliaria Vinamed Ltda., Inmobiliaria e Inversiones Alameda S.A., Inspiris, Inspiris Inc., Inspiris Services Company, Inspiris of Tennessee, Instituto do Radium de Cammpinas Ltda, International Psychological Services Pty Limited, Inversiones Clinicas Santa Maria S.A., Isapre Banmedica S.A., Isapre Vida Tres S.A., Johnston Surgicare L.P., Joliet Surgery Center Limited Partnership, LHI, Laboratorio ROE S.A., Laboratorios Medicos Amed Quilpue S.A., LifePrint Health, LifePrint Health Inc., LifeStyles Marketing Group Inc., LifeWell Ltd. Co., Lifeprint Accountable Care Organization, Lifeprint Accountable Care Organization LLC, Lifeprint East, Lifeprint East Inc., Logistics Health Inc., Lotten-Eyes Oftalmologia Clinica e Cirurgica Ltda., Louisville S.C. Ltd., Louisville-SC Properties Inc., Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center at Oakbrook Inc., Lusiadas - Parcerias Cascais S.A., Lusiadas A.C.E., Lusiadas S.A., Lusiadas SGPS S.A., MAMSI Insurance Resources, MAMSI Life and Health Insurance Company, MD Ops, MD Ops Inc., MD-Individual Practice Association, MD-Individual Practice Association Inc., ME AHS UC LLC, MEDEX Insurance Services, MEDEX Insurance Services Inc., MGH/SCA LLC, MHC Real Estate Holdings, MHC Real Estate Holdings LLC, MIAMI SURGERY CENTER LLC, MSLA Management LLC, MXMD Centros De Cancer, Mamoeco Mamografia e Ecografia Centro de Diagnostico, Managed Physical Network, Managed Physical Network Inc., March Holdings, March Holdings Inc., March Vision Care, March Vision Care Inc., Marin Surgery Holdings Inc., Maryland Ambulatory Centers, Maryland-SCA Centers LLC, Massachusetts Assurance Company Ltd. PIC, Massachusetts Avenue Surgery Center LLC, Mat-Rx Development, Mat-Rx Fort Worth GP, MedExpress Development, MedExpress Development LLC, MedExpress Urgent Care Alabama LLC, MedExpress Urgent Care Inc. - Ohio, MedExpress Urgent Care Maine Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care New Hampshire Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care of Boynton Beach, MedExpress Urgent Care of Boynton Beach LLC, MedSynergies, MedSynergies LLC, MedSynergies North Texas, Medalliance Net Ltda, Medalliance Net Ltda., Medica Health Plans of Florida, Medica Health Plans of Florida Inc., Medica HealthCare Plans, Medica HealthCare Plans Inc., Medical Clinic of North Texas PLLC, Medical Hilfe S.A., Medical Preparatory School of Allied Health, Medical Support Los Angeles Inc., Medical Surgical Centers of America Inc., Medical Transportation Services, Medical Transportation Services LLC, Medication Management Systems Inc., Melbourne Surgery Center LLC, Memorial City Holdings LLC, Memorial City Partners LLC, Memphis-SC LLC, Memphis-SP LLC, Mesquite Liberty LLC, Metro I Stone Management, Metropolitan Medical Partners LLC, Metropolitan Medical Transportation IPA LLC, Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee, Midwest Center for Day Surgery LLC, Mile High SurgiCenter LLC, Mississippi Surgery Holdings LLC, Mississippi Surgical Center Limited Partnership, Mobile Medical Professionals, Modern Medical Inc., Monarch Management Services, Monarch Management Services Inc., Montgomery Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Mountain View Medical Group LLC, Mt. Pleasant Surgery Center L.P., Multiangio Ltda., Muskogee Surgical Investors LLC, Mustang Razorback Holdings, Mustang Razorback Holdings Inc., My Wellness Solutions LLC, NAMM Holdings, NAMM Holdings Inc., NSC Fayetteville LLC, NSC Greensboro LLC, NSC Lancaster LLC, NSC Seattle Inc., NSC Upland LLC, Nashville-SCA Surgery Centers Inc., National Foundation Life Insurance Company, National MedTrans LLC, National Pacific Dental, National Pacific Dental Inc., National Surgery Centers LLC, Neighborhood Health Partnership, Neighborhood Health Partnership Inc., Netwerkes, Netwerkes LLC, Nevada Medical Services LLC, Nevada Pacific Dental, New Orleans Regional Physician Hospital Organization L.L.C., New West Physicians Inc., Newton Holdings LLC, North American Medical Management - Illinois, North American Medical Management California, North American Medical Management California Inc., North Puget Sound Center for Sleep Disorders LLC, North Puget Sound Oncology Equipment Leasing Company LLC, Northern Nevada Health Network, Northern Nevada Health Network Inc., Northern Rockies Surgicenter Inc., Northwest Surgicare LLC, Northwest Surgicare Ltd., Nutritional/Parenteral Home Care, Nutritional/Parenteral Home Care of Huntsville, OC Cardiology Practice Partners LLC, OSB Tecnologia e Servicos de Suporte Ltda., Omesa S.A., OmniClaim LLC, Oncocare S.A.C., OneNet PPO, OneNet PPO LLC, Optimum Choice, Optimum Choice Inc., Optum, Optum Bank, Optum Bank Inc., Optum Biometrics, Optum Biometrics Inc., Optum Care Inc., Optum Care Services Company, Optum Clinical Services, Optum Clinics Holdings, Optum Clinics Holdings Inc., Optum Clinics Intermediate Holdings, Optum Clinics Intermediate Holdings Inc., Optum Digital Health Holdings LLC, Optum Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Optum Global Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Optum Global Solutions (India) Private Limited, Optum Global Solutions (Philippines), Optum Global Solutions (Philippines) Inc., Optum Global Solutions International B.V., Optum Government Solutions, Optum Government Solutions Inc., Optum Growth Partners LLC, Optum Health & Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, Optum Health & Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, Optum Health & Technology (India) Private Limited, Optum Health & Technology (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Optum Health & Technology (UK) Limited, Optum Health & Technology (US), Optum Health & Technology (US) LLC, Optum Health & Technology FZ-LLC, Optum Health & Technology Holdings (US), Optum Health & Technology Holdings (US) Inc., Optum Health & Technology Servicos do Brasil Ltda., Optum Health Services (Canada) Ltd., Optum Health Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd, Optum Health Solutions (UK) Limited, Optum Health and Technology FZ-LLC, Optum Healthcare of Illinois, Optum Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services, Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services LLC, Optum Inc., Optum Infusion Services 100 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 101 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 103 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 201 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 202 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 203 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 205 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 206 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 207 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 208 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 301 LP, Optum Infusion Services 302 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 308 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 401 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 403 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 404 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 501 Inc., Optum Insurance of Ohio, Optum Insurance of Ohio Inc., Optum Labs, Optum Labs Dimensions, Optum Labs Dimensions Inc., Optum Labs Inc., Optum Labs International (UK) Ltd., Optum Life Sciences (Canada) Inc., Optum Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Optum Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co. 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Hawthorn Inc., SHC Melbourne Inc., SPINETRACK 20/20 Inc., SRPS LLC, SXC Comet, Sacred Heart ASC LLC, Saden S.A., Salem Surgery Center LLC, Salveo Specialty Pharmacy, Salveo Specialty Pharmacy Inc., Sand Lake SurgiCenter LLC, Santa Cruz Endoscopy Center LLC, Santa Helena Assistencia Medica S.A., Santos Administracao e Participacoes S.A., Savvysherpa Administrative Services LLC, Savvysherpa Asia Inc., Savvysherpa LLC, Scanner Centromed S.A., ScripNet, ScriptSwitch Limited, Seisa Servicos Integrados de Saude Ltda., Senate Street Surgery Center LLC, Senior Benefits L.L.C., Senior Care Partners, Serquinox Holdings LLC, Serquinox LLC, Servicios Integrados de Salud Ltda., Servicios Medicos Amed Quilpue S.A., Servicios Medicos Bio Bio Limitada, Servicios Medicos Ciudad del Mar Ltda., Servicios Medicos Santa Maria Limitada, Servicios Medicos Vespucio Ltda., Servicios de Entrenamiento en Competencias Clinicas Ltda., SharedClarity LLC, Shelby Surgery Properties Inc., Sierra Health Services, 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Vinod Rai said public sector banks still have a role specially in the creation of infrastructure in the country. New Delhi: Brushing aside clamour for privatisation of state-owned lenders, Banks Board Bureau chief Vinod Rai said public sector banks still have a role specially in the creation of infrastructure in the country. Expressing concerns over a spate of frauds in public sector banks (PSBs), several experts, including Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian and former Niti Aayog chairman Arvind Panagariya, have made a case for the privatisation of government-owned lenders. Rai, however, said that PSBs still have a role to play especially in supporting the infrastructure sector. "PSBs have a role to perform and in India if PSBs had not been there, infrastructure would not have got the kind of support that we have. Whether it was road, ports, airport, power, telecom, all these sectors were supported majorally only by PSBs," Rai told PTI in an interview. "We may say that market cap of private banks is as high as that of public sector banks', but they have been jostling in the retail space. They have never got into infrastructure space," he said. If infrastructure has to grow within the country, the needed support would flow from PSBs, he said. Following the massive Rs 13,000-crore fraud at Punjab National Bank, industry associations like Ficci and Assocham have been making a strong case for the privatisation of PSBs to avoid such fraudulent activities in future. Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian recently said that time had come for rethinking on the ownership of PSBs in India as part of radical reforms in the banking sector. "I think we are now coming more and more to the view that if you want this problem (spate of frauds in PSBs) not to recur in the future, then we can't throw money in a black hole. Panagariya has also pitched strongly for PSBs' privatisation, saying that political parties serious of forming government in 2019 should include the proposal in their manifesto. The chairman of the country's largest lender SBI is among those who have opposed the demand, underscoring that sale of public lenders is not a cure-all solution to their problems. Kamal was surprised when ace Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan told him that he had watched his Paapanasam. Nolan is in India for the event on Reframing the Future of Film event in Mumbai. The actor turned politician took to his social media handle to share his interaction with Nolan. Met Mr. Christopher Nolan. Apologized for seeing Dunkirk in the digital format and in return I am sending Hey Ram in digital format for him to see. Was surprised to know he had seen Paapanaasam. Reframing the Future of Film is an event by the non-profit Film Heritage Foundation, which has organized it to discuss the importance of restoration of the film format. The cause is very close to Nolans heart as he has been a keen supporter of the save film campaign which advocates films from becoming extinct because of the digital format. Nolan continues to be amongst a handful of noted filmmakers who remain committed to shooting in the film format in the west despite the advent of digital technology. He is in India to attend the three-day summit along with his wife Emma Thomas. Nolan has a huge fan following in India as well with his blockbusters like Inception, Memento, The Prestige, Interstellar and Dunkirk having done well here. Other popular celebs from south spotted at the event were cinematographers Santosh Sivan, who is currently working with Mani Ratnam on the multi-starrer Chekka Chivantha Vaanam and Ravi K Chandran. It looks like Rajinikanth, who is gearing up to launch his party, has started getting vocal on many issues. In his latest rant on the TN government, the Superstar slammed it for being a silent spectator when the people of Thoothukudi have been protesting against the Sterlite factory. In his message he said, "The people are affected by various diseases due to the Sterlite factories and are suffering more by protesting for 47 days. It is perplexing that the government that gave permission for setting up the factories remains a silent spectator without taking any action at all." Rajini had also taken on the Central government on the Cauvery issue recently. Chennai: Veteran film director C. V. Rajendran, who made memorable films in association with Thespian Sivaji Ganesan, superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, passed away in Chennai on Sunday. He was 81. He was suffering from ailments for the past few years and was hospitalised recently. He breathed his last at a private hospital at Manapakkam in the city at 8 am on Sunday, sources said. He is survived by wife Janaki, a daughter and a son. His body has been kept for public homage at his residence at Arcot Road. The last rites will be held in a couple of days after the arrival of his son, who is in the US, sources said. Chinnappadas starring Sathyaraj was his last film as director. He had produced Once More and Vietnam Colony. Winner of multiple awards including the Tamil Nadu governments coveted Kalaimamani, he was honoured last year by the Nadigar Thilagam Fans Association for completing half-a-century in cinema. It looks like, of late, senior actor Prakash Raj has been putting filmmakers patience to test. It is believed that the 53-year-old troubled the makers of Rangasthalam and was one of the main reasons for its delay. According to a source, He called the production house and told them that he is coming for the shoot. So the makers then rushed Aadhi Pinisetty (from Chennai), Ram Charan, Samantha and the others to the set, where they kept waiting. But Prakash didnt turn up and they ended up wasting money and other actors time too. Even the makers of upcoming film Goodachari are waiting to hear from him on the dates. The film has been completed except for Prakashs scenes. Three days of work is pending and whenever he gives the dates, the remaining film will be shot, says a source from the unit. Notably, the actor has eluded his commitments several times in the past as well. He inconvenienced the units of both Bharat Ane Nenu and Mahanati. The makers of Mahesh Babus film even wanted to replace him but couldnt because they had already filmed a couple of shots with him. On the other hand, the Mahanati team tweeted about his unreasonable absenteeism in a more satirical way. Tough to get him on sets.. but once here, no Caravan, no playback, no break. #legendary #prakashRaj #somuchtolearn #mahanatisets (sic), read the post. Priya Prakash Varrier, whose wink act took the country by storm recently has been noted by all filmmakers. While her Malayalam debut Oru Adaar Love is yet to hit the theatres, she has been approached by Bollywood production houses. Closer home too, efforts to bring her to Tollywood are in full swing. Apparently, the producers of VKA Films, which recently made Ego, say that they have been in talks with Priya for quite some time to cast her in the Telugu version of the Malayalam film. Whether the filmmakers have met the actress or not is yet to be known, although the talks are heading in a positive way. Also, it would be interesting to see whether the filmmakers will come up with a fresh story. An official (from the production house) who doesnt wish to reveal much, adds, All we can say is we are in talks with her and the Malayalam director Omar Lulu. Will she, wont she? Time will tell! The girl has been sent for a medical examination and treatment. (Photo: Representational/File) Ghaziabad: An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a family acquaintance, who she had accompanied to a religious function, following which the man was beaten to death by her family and locals at the Chaman Vihar colony of Tronica city, the police said on Saturday. The incident happened on Friday night when Jitendra, a scrap dealer, had taken the girl to a religious function (Mata Ka Jagaran). "But instead of dropping her back home, he took her to his shanty and raped her," Ghaziabad Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna said, adding, the incident occurred around midnight. Jitendra had also threatened the girl with dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident, he said. But she narrated her ordeal to her family members following which her brother and some locals went to Jitendra's place and caught him, the officer said. They tied the man using a rope and thrashed him brutally before dumping him on a road nearby, Krishna said. The girl's father informed the police abut the alleged rape around 1 am. After preliminary inquiry, the police found out that the accused was beaten black and blue and rushed him to a nearby health centre where the doctors declared him brought dead, the officer added. The girl has been sent for a medical examination and treatment, the officer said. The SSP said four people were booked for beating the accused to death and two of them have been arrested. Two others would be nabbed soon, he said. Thiruvananthapuram: The police forensic team on Saturday collected evidence from CCTV visuals at Madavoor, near Attingal, about the car used by four assailants who had hacked to death a former RJ on Tuesday. The hatchback came as a crucial piece of evidence as it was caught on CCTV cameras. Later, it was found at Adoor and the rent- a-car operators who gave the vehicle to the assailants were arrested. The police probe team has fanned out to various cities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The former radio jockey Rajesh, 36, alias Rasikan Rajesh was hacked to death at his recording studio at Madavoor around 1.30 a.m. on Tuesday by a gang of four who came in a hatchback in the wee hours of Tuesday. The RJ was having an affair with a Qatar-based woman whom he met while working at a radio station in that country. The affair had created problems in the family and her husband had threatened to eliminate him. Bengaluru: A wanted murder accused opened fire at policemen while they were chasing him at Banashankari early on Sunday morning. A special team from the Thalaghattapura police station fired in retaliation and arrested the accused and his accomplice. The arrested have been identified as Paramesh alias Parmi, 30, a resident of Kambathahalli, and his associate, Santosh, 29. Paramesh is a rowdy sheeter for the last eight years and was booked for several cases of murder, attempt to murder, assault and robbery. He had gone underground for the last two years. The main accused, Paramesh, was arrested by the Thalaghattapura police in 2010 for his involvement in the murder of Ashwath Shetty. He served jail a term of one-and-a-half years before coming out on bail. He was involved in nine cases of crime in the city, while Santosh was involved in two cases. In the shootout, head constable Suresh and constable Naneminath were injured in their hands and legs. They were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where they are currently being treated. Inspector Shivaswamy and Sub-Inspector K.R. Srinavas had a miraculous escape, though the rowdy fired at them from a close range. The Thalaghattapura police had formed a special team to trace the accused. On Sunday morning, they got credible information that the accused was travelling in a car. The police team rushed to the spot and accosted Paramesh and Santosh at Banashankari 6th Stage. As soon as the police intercepted their car, Santosh got down from the vehicle holding a long machete in his hand. When head constable Suresh and constable Neminath tried to arrest him, Santosh attacked them. To defend themselves, Inspector Shivaswamy fired a round in the air and asked the accused to surrender. But Paramesh shot two rounds at the inspector, who was fortunately not hit. Shivamurthy immediately shot Paramesh in the leg and contained him. Meanwhile, Santosh tried to attack the others and Sub-Inspector Srinivas shot him in the leg. All the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The Thalaghattapura police have registered a case. Rescue operations are underway in the area and police personnel are attempting to pull out those feared trapped under the rubbles. (Photo: ANI) Indore: At least 10 people were killed after a four-storeyed building collapsed in Sarwate area of Indore late on Saturday evening. Rescue operations are underway in the area and police personnel are attempting to pull out those feared trapped under the rubbles. The building, which hosts a hotel and lodge, collapsed around 9:20 pm, following which police personnel were deployed for rescue operations. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each, to the families of those who died, Rs 50,000 each, for those injured. Earlier, he tweeted that he is keeping a close watch on the rescue operations. He also called an urgent meeting with authorities to take stock of the situation. As per Indore Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Harinarayan Mishra, a car rammed into the building, which is believed to be extremely old. Soon after the collision, the building collapsed, leaving ten dead and three critically injured. According to the police, nearly 20 people are feared trapped under the debris. The building housed MS Hotel, a lodge-cum-eatery and several other shops. There were 25 rooms in the hotel. (With ANI inputs) According to reports, the animal lifted the infant, son of Rama Krushna Nayak of the village, while he was sleeping near his parents inside their house. Bhubaneswar: In a shocking incident, a monkey on Saturday morning reportedly snatched a 16-day-old baby boy from his parents and fled to jungle at Talabasta village under Banki police limits in Odisha's Cuttack district. The body of the infant was found in a well near his home on Sunday after a search operation was launched to trace the child, according to media reports. According to reports, the animal lifted the infant, son of Rama Krushna Nayak of the village, while he was sleeping near his parents inside their house. "At around 6 am, my sister-in-law had just gone to wash her face while her husband was still sleeping beside the baby. The monkey sneaked into the room and took away the baby," Ramakrushna's younger brother's wife said. On being informed, forest officials and fire personnel reached the spot and launched a search operation to trace the baby. The forest department had formed three teams to trace out the infant. The infant's father had resorted to Adhia Puja (prostration) before the village deity praying for safe return of his son. Several persons were injured in attack by monkeys in the area few days ago. The local residents expressed displeasure over alleged inaction of the Forest Department despite repeated complaints in this regard. Chennai: Chemist shops across the state will down their shutters on Tuesday from 6am to 6pm to protest against the delay in the formation of Cauvery River Management Board in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association announced to join the agitation with the Traders Association VANIKAR Sangagalin Peramaipu against the central governmnt authorities who failed to form the Cauvery River Management Board as against the Supreme Court orders. "It is high time authorities acted on the Supreme Court's order and resolve the long pending problem on Cauvery water issue. Water scarcity and dependency on ground water affects the farmers and business subsequently. We extend our support to the traders association on this and will strike medical services on Tuesday," said S Ramachandran, President of Tamil Nadu Chemists' and Druggists' Association. Around 33, 000 medical shops in the state are expected to down their shutters from 31 district association affiliated to TNCDA will join the strike with their respective traders association on Tuesday. However, pharmacies in the hospitals will be open. In case of emergency needs of medicines, drug controller of Tamil Nadu can be contacted. The government or private hospitals can contact the drug controller in case of emergency requirements of medicines on the day of the strike. "Local pharmacies will arrange for the availability of medicines in such situations. All precautions will be taken to avoid any life loss or any emergency managements," said K K Selvan, secretary, Tamil Nadu Chemists' and Druggists' Association. The Supreme Court had given a six-week deadline to the Centre to formulate the CMB, which ended on Thursday. (Photo: DC/File) Chennai: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Sunday announced shutdown across Tamil Nadu on April 5 over the formation of a Cauvery Management Board and also sought the support of the ruling AIADMK in the protest. DMK Working President MK Stalin, who convened an all-party meeting in Chennai early on Sunday said that the party would stage a black flag demonstration against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Tamil Nadu on 15 April over the Cauvery issue. He said the party has also planned to take out a Cauvery rights retrieval walk from delta area. According to ANI reports, Stalin and some party members were detained during a protest against the Centre following the meet. A senior farmers leader earlier on Thursday said the betrayed farmers of the state would not allow the prime minister to enter the state. Earlier on Saturday, the Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court for a contempt action against the Centre, after it failed to form the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), as per the apex court order. Also Read: CMB row: TN files contempt against Centre; Govt seeks SC clarification The AIADMK government will mention the matter before the Supreme Court on Monday, advocate for Tamil Nadu government, Uma Pati said. The Supreme Court had given a six-week deadline to the Centre to formulate the CMB, which ended on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Centre filed a clarification petition before the apex court and pleaded to clarify whether it can modify the composition of Cauvery Management Board (CMB). The Center also sought more time from the Court for implementing the February 16 order due to the Karnataka polls. The Supreme Court in its much-awaited verdict on the decades-long dispute increased Karnataka's share of water and directed the state to release 177.25 tmc to Tamil Nadu. Following the verdict, the Supreme Court on February 16 had ordered the Central government to set up the CMB and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee within six weeks. The protesters have demanded the company to initiate fresh proceedings to acquire the contentious land as per the Land Acquisition Act-2013. (Photo: ANI) Ahmedabad: About 50 farmers were on Sunday detained by police as thousands of cultivators protested the move of a Gujarat government company to take possession of land at a village in Bhavnagar district for a proposed lignite plant. However, the local head of a farmers' group alleged that the police manhandled the protesters, including women and children, and in the process, at least five people were injured. The Gujarat Power Corporation Limited had acquired 3,377 acres of land from nearly 1,250 farmers across 12 villages under Ghogha taluka in Bhavnagar about two decades ago, to set up its proposed lignite plant. However, all these years the land remained in the possession of farmers who were cultivating it. The farmers have now been opposing the company's bid to take possession of the acquired land. The company had sought police protection for its task to take the possession of the land when the clash erupted, Bhavnagar Superintendent of Police Dipankar Trivedi said. "We detained around 50 people and fired about 50 teargas shells, and also baton-charged the protesters near Badi village," he said. Narendrasinh Gohil, a local farmer leader and member of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, a cultivators' body, claimed that the farmers were carrying out a peaceful protest. "As we carried out a peaceful protest march against the company's move to take possession of our land, a large number of policemen were deployed to prevent us. The farmers and their families, including women and children, came out in thousands to protest this (taking over possession of land)," he said. The police manhandled protesters, including women and children, and in the process at least five persons were injured, alleged Gohil. At least 10 out of the 50 protesters detained by the police were women, he claimed. The protesters have demanded the company to initiate fresh proceedings to acquire the contentious land as per the Land Acquisition Act-2013. This was the third time the farmers resisted the company's move to take possession of the land. The farmers from the affected villages had earlier filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court against the move, saying the company will have to initiate a fresh procedure to acquire the land, as per section 24 (2) of the Land Acquisition Act-2013. The Act states that an agency will have to initiate a new procedure to acquire land if it did not take its possession for more than five years after acquiring it. The farmers' lawyer, Anand Yagnik, said, "The high court has completed the hearing but not passed the order, as the Supreme Court recently asked courts not to pass an order until inconsistent judgments in the matter are settled by its constitutional bench". "No interim relief was granted to us in the matter," he added. Srinagar: Eight militants were killed in separate encounters with security forces in southern parts of the restive valley early on Sunday. Two Army jawans were also killed in the encounter, J&K DGP SP Vaid said in a press conference. Among the slain are top commanders of militant organizations, officials said. One report yet to be confirmed by the authorities said that Naveed Jath alias Abu Hanzalla, the Lashkar-e-Taiba commander from Pakistan who escaped from a Srinagar hospital where he had been taken under police escort from the City's central prison for treatment recently in among them. Other reports mentioned the names of some of the militants killed in the clashes at Dragad in Shopian as Sadam Paddar, Zeenat ul Islam, Naveed, Rayees, Ahmed and Yawar Ahmed. Another militant identified as Rouf Khanday was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Dialgam village of Anantnag. His accomplice reportedly surrendered during the operation, police said. As the news about the killings spread, people in large numbers took to streets to mourn and protest across the Valley. Soon they clashed with security forces who fired live ammunition into protests crowds and stone throwing mobs at places. At least, two protesters were killed and scores injured, Vaid said. Life has come to a standstill in most parts of the Valley following an alliance of key separatist leaders issued a shut down call for two days from Sunday. Clashes and stone-pelting by irate crowds is going on at dozens of places in six of the ten districts of the Valley, police sources said. The police asked people not to lend ear to rumours about the identity of slain militants as only one of them has been identified, so far. The authorities have suspended train services in Kashmir and snapped mobile internet services in Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama district in the south of the Valley and 4G and 3G services on mobile phones in summer capital Srinagar and some other parts of the Valley "as a precautionary measure." The Sena, the oldest member of the NDA, shares power with the BJP in the Union and Maharashtra governments. (Photo: Facebook) Mumbai: The Shiv Sena would contest around 60 seats against its alliance partner, the BJP, in the next month's Assembly polls in Karnataka, party MP Sanjay Raut said in Mumbai on Sunday. Earlier, the Sena had fielded candidates against the BJP in the elections held in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat in 2017. "Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had already announced that our party is going to contest elections independently and as a part of it, we have decided to go solo in Karnataka as well. We will contest around 50-60 seats but will support the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which represents the Marathi people living in disputed areas between Maharashtra and Karnataka," he told reporters. In a party resolution, Thackeray had announced that Sena would contest the 2019 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on its own without a truck with the BJP. The Sena, the oldest member of the NDA, shares power with the BJP in the Union and Maharashtra governments. Maharashtra has been demanding handing over of Belgaum, Karvar and around 800 villages and hamlets currently in Karnataka, claiming that they are dominated by Marathi-speaking people. The issue, festering since 1960 when the Centre adopted Linguistic Policy for the formation of states, is pending before the supreme court. Raut also appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to campaign for the BJP in the disputed areas in Karnataka. "In every speech given by Maharashtra governor, the state government mentioned resolving the issue with Karnataka. If Fadnavis campaigns in this disputed area for the BJP, it would send a wrong message in Maharashtra as this act would be perceived contradictory to the official stance of the state government on the pending issue," he said. Raut had recently demanded Belgaum and other border areas be declared as a Union Territory. However, his comments did not go down well with a section of people who filed a police complaint against him. Referring to the controversy, the Rajya Sabha MP said, "I was talking in the interest of 20 lakh Marathi people who reside there". Appealing political parties from Maharashtra to press for resolution of the Belgaum issue, the Sena leader said he was not bothered about a police case against him. According to officials, the move is aimed at preventing farmers from using fertilisers and pesticides indiscriminately and also to ensure that farmers do not incur additional financial burden. Hyderabad: The sale of fertilisers and pesticides in Telangana is all set to be regulated by state government from the ensuing kharif season in June. The state government has issued directions to all fertiliser shops not to sell fertilisers and pesticides to farmers without a prescription by agriculture officials. According to officials, the move is aimed at preventing farmers from using fertilisers and pesticides indiscriminately and also to ensure that farmers do not incur additional financial burden. In case of any pest attack on their crops, the farmers have to approach agriculture officials, who would inspect the fields and prescribe the required quantity of fertilisers and pesticides based on which the farmers are allowed to purchase. The government has wa-rned fertiliser shops of se-vere action, including the cancellation of licences, if they sell fertilisers without a valid prescription. At present, there is no monitoring mechanism on the usage and sale of fertilisers and pesticides. The farmers directly approach shops and explain the condition of crops to dealers. The dealers suggest fertilisers and pesticides on their own and ask the farmers to use them to get rid off pests and ensure a good harvest. There are complaints of dealers forcing farmers to purchase more than the quantity required and in some cases selling brands of only four or five companies to make profits. While the dealers are doing brisk business, the farmers are suffering losses as fertilisers and pesticides prescribed by dealers without inspecting the fields or without knowing the actual problem fail to deliver the desired results. Besides, it is also affecting the soil fertility, and quality of crops resulting in losses for farmers. Agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said the government has recently recruited agriculture extension officers to cover all the mandals. Each officer has a jurisdiction of three mandals. They will visit the agriculture fields, he said. Arijit Shashwat is the son of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. (Photo: ANI) Patna: Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat, who was arrested in Patna on Sunday in connection with a case related to the recent communal clashes in Bhagalpur, was sent to 14-day judicial custody. Arijit's arrest came barely a few hours after a Bhagalpur court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Shashwat against whom an arrest warrant was issued on March 24. Shashwat is the son of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. "We had information that Shashwat was at the famous Hanuman temple in the vicinity of Patna junction. A police team reached the spot and arrested him and he has been sent to Bhagalpur", Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Manu Maharaj told news agency PTI. On his arrest, Shashwat told reporters "I have given myself up to police in deference to the court order. I have been wrongly accused of evading arrest. I was not absconding as I have not committed any crime. If raising slogans in praise of 'Bharat Mata' and 'Sri Ram' is a crime then I may be called a criminal. Shashwat has been named, besides eight others, in one of the two FIRs lodged at Nathnagar police station of Bhagalpur following communal riots that broke out on March 17 after some people objected to playing of loud music during a procession led by him. It had been taken out allegedly without permission to celebrate the New Year as per the Hindu calendar. Several persons, including two police personnel, were injured in the clashes that witnessed heavy stone-pelting, arson and exchange of fire. The alleged delay in arrest of Shashwat had invited strong criticism from opposition parties in Bihar, especially the RJD-Congress combine, which accused the Nitish Kumar government of soft-peddling the matter while Choubey had dubbed the FIR against his son as a piece of garbage. Also read: Ready to pay any price: JD(U)'s strong message to BJP over Bihar violence Reacting to Shashwat's arrest, ruling JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said it was a fitting reply to the Opposition while Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said the whole episode showed the "helplessness" of Kumar before the BJP. Police swung into action soon and dispersed the stone-pelting mob by arresting some people from the two sides. (Photo: YouTube screengrab) Jodhpur: Tension prevailed in Jaitaran town of Rajasthan's Pali district on Saturday as communal clashes erupted after a religious procession on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti was pelted with stones, police said. About a dozen people including some policemen have been injured in the violence that followed the stone-pelting, they said, adding six vehicles and some shops were set ablaze. Prohibitory order under section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed in the area to keep the situation under control, District Collector Sudhir Kumar Sharma said. According to the police, the incident happened when the Hanuman Jayanti procession was passing through the main market of Jaitaran town. Suddenly, some persons started pelting stones on the procession which disrupted it. This enraged the other side and they also started pelting stones," they said. This escalated to violence and arson in the town and about half-a-dozen vehicles, including passenger buses, shops and a small mall, were set ablaze, they added. Police swung into action soon and dispersed the stone-pelting mob by arresting some people from the two sides. Senior officials including IGP Hawa Singh Ghumaria and the District Collector Sharma are camping in the town. "We have been talking to some senior persons from both the sides to douse the tension and ensure peace in the town," Sharma said, adding all efforts are being put in to restore law and order. Srinagar: At least, twelve, three Army jawans and a civilian were killed in three separate encounters in Jammu and Kashmirs southern Shopian and Anantnag districts on Sunday. Three more civilians were killed and scores others were injured in security forces actions during subsequent clashes in the twin district. Director General of Police, Shesh Paul Vaid, termed the killing of twelve militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahedin as one of the biggest successful counter-offensives against terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley in recent times. Vaid told this newspaper that three Army jawans lost their lives and four others were injured while fighting a group of militants holed up in a cluster of private houses at Kachdoora in Shopian. He said that at nearby Dragad the owner of the house in which seven militants had been trapped too was killed. He has been identified asMushtaq Ahmed Padroo. All seven militants were killed in Dragad encounter. There has been heavy stone pelting near the encounter sites. There was no option but to use force, the police chief said adding that one civilian was killed and six others were injured, three of them seriously, in security forces firing. While a protester Zubair Ahmed Bhat was killed on the spot in the security forces firing, two of the critically injured civilians Iqbal Manzoor Bhat and Mehrajuddin Bhat succumbed to in hospitals, the police and hospital sources said. Vaid also said, Pellet shotguns too have been used resulting into injuries to about 25 people but all of them are stable. A number of J&K police and CRPF personnel too were injured in stone pelting. Other reports put the number of injured in clashes between 90 and 100. Reporters covering the clash at Kachdoora said that two houses caught fire during fighting and with that the exchanges intensified. Later the corpses of three militants were found lying under the debris. The officials said that the operation was called off at twilight but the search of the debris will resume on Monday morning. We had inputs about the presence of four to five militants in the area. We will search the debris again tomorrow and see if any more bodies are lying there, said an Army official. The militants killed at Dragad have been identified as Adil Ahmed Thoker, Nazim Dar, Ubaid Shafi Malla, Yawar Itoo, Rayees Ahmed Thoker, Zubair Turay,and Ashfaq Malik of Pinjura- all residents of Shopian district. Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhatt, Corps Commander of Armys Srinagar-based 15 (Chinar) Corps, said at a hurriedly called press conference at the headquarters of counterinsurgency Victor Force at Awantipora, about 33-km south of here, said that two of the slain militants Ishfaq Malik and Rayees Thokar were behind the murder of Lieutenant Umar Fayyaz Parray. The young Muslim Kashmiri Army officer of 2 Rajputana Rifles was kidnapped and subsequently brutally killed by militants in Shopian in March 2017. The gory incident had evoked a nationwide outrage and a pledge from the Central government that terrorism will be eradicated from the Valley at any cost. 22-year-old Parray posted in frontier Akhnoor area of Jammu region was on leave to be part of the marriage celebrations of his cousin in Batpora village of neighbouring Kulgam district when kidnapped by masked gunmen. The killing of militants and civilians set off protests and clashes at places in the twin districts of southern Kashmir, neighbouring Pulwama and Kulgam districts, summer capital Srinagar and some other parts of the Valley. At places, the security forces fired teargas canisters to quell protesters and stone-pelting mobs at places, the witnesses said. DGP Vaid said, We caught one militant alive and one was killed in Anantnag encounter. Elaborating, he said, I would like to make a special mention about the Peth Dialgam encounter where our SSP Altaf Khan made a special effort, which is unheard of in any part of the world. He called the family members of one of the militants. They spoke with him for 30 minutes, to convince him to surrender. Khan himself tried to persuade the militant that he was not fighting jihad. He added, But he (militant) did not heed the advice of his family or the police officer and instead he fired on the security forces. Ultimately, they (security forces) were left with no option but to shoot him down. A statement issued by the police here added that the searches at Peth Dialgam started and location of militants was zeroed in, thesecurity forces made repeated requests on loud speaker asking them (militants) to surrender, as per the SOP (Standard Operation Procedure). It added, On this, one of the terrorists (name withheld) came out of the house and surrendered before the forces. He has been taken into custody. It is pertinent to mention that the family of the militant who surrendered at the encounter site also helped the police in motivating him to come out of the house and surrender. Life came to a standstill in most parts of the Valley following an alliance of key separatist leaders called Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) issued a shut down call for two days from Sunday. The authorities suspended train services in the Valley and asked the mobile phone service providers to snap internet services on these "as a precautionary measure." Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, expressed grief over the death of two civilians. She has also sympathised with those injured during these operations, an official release said. It added that the Chief Minister who is camping in Delhi also paid tributes to the three Army jawans who were killed during these operations. She has conveyed her sympathies with the bereaved families and prayed for peace to the departed souls. One more body found, toll is 20 The police late Sunday night said that four persons killed in the fire fight at Kachdoora in Shopian were militants whereas the identity of the fifth person whose body was found at the site is being ascertained. It said in a statement here, " The total number of militants killed in Kachdoora encounter have found to be four whereas about the fifth one person the police os ascertaining facts (sic)." RSS leader Arijit Shashwat being taken away by police after his arrest, in Patna on Sunday. (Photo: PTI) Patna: Arijit Shaswat who is accused of inciting communal tension in Bhagalpur was sent to 14 days judicial custody on Sunday. Shaswat, son of Union minister Ashwini Choubey who had been on the run despite warrant issued against him was arrested late Saturday night from Mahavir temple in Patna and was produced at the residence of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate A.R Upadhyay on Sunday. Speaking to reporters in Patna after he was arrested, Arijit Shaswat said that he was innocent and wrongly implicated in the case of stoking communal tension in Bhagalpur on March 17. He said he had surrendered willingly. The Bhagalpur police had registered a case against him and eight others on March 17 for taking out a procession without prior permission and stoking communal sentiments. Police said that few of his supporters were found flashing weapons during the procession. Union minister Ashwini Choubey, while defending his son, had called the FIR as a piece of garbage. Earlier in July 2017, VK Singh had travelled to Erbil, Iraq to locate and bring back the 39 Indians reportedly kept in Mosul as hostages of the ISIS. (Photo: PTI/File) New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. (retd.) V.K. Singh on Sunday left for Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of the 38 Indians who were confirmed to have been killed in the war-torn country. In order to conclusively verify the identity of the body suspected to be that of the 39th missing Indian in Iraq Raju Kumar Yadav from Bihar the Government had recently sent a second DNA sample of Yadavs brother to the Iraqi Capital Baghdad. The Government had last month confirmed the deaths of 38 of Yadavs co-workers who were massacred earlier by terror group ISIS near the Iraqi city of Mosul when it was under ISIS occupation. The Minister left at around 1 pm from the Hindon airbase and is expected to return with the bodies on Monday, a Government official was quoted by news agencies as saying. According to reports, the MoS is expected to bring back the bodies by tomorrow. Gen. (retd.) Singh will bring back the mortal remains in a special plane. The first stop on the way back would be Amritsar where 27 bodies of those from Punjab and four from Himachal Pradesh would be handed over to the relatives. The aircraft will then travel to Patna and then to Kolkata. Hyderabad: The Indian Medical Association has expressed its strong opposition to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill which is coming up for debate in the Lok Sabha on April 2, 2018. The IMA believes that while the bridge course for AYUSH (Ayurveda, unani etc) doctors has been removed, the government has not completely done away with it. Allopathic doctors suspect that the government has left loopholes and a back door entry has been allowed for these doctors to practice allopathy. While the bridge course that was part of the NMC Bill, allowing Ayush doctors to learn modern medicine and practice, has been done away with, it has been left up to state governments to decide how to deal with the problem of doctors in rural and periphery areas. Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, national president of the Indian Medical Association, explained, The issue of crosspathy has to be tackled as there are provisions which will empower AYUSH doctors to practice. This is not acceptable to us at all. At the same time, the quota of private colleges has been increased from 15 per cent to 50 per cent. This increase will lead to exorbitant rise in fees, which is not acceptable. If the bill is forced upon us by the government, the entire medical fraternity will observe Allopathy Mukta Bharat by withdrawing their services. There will be mass agitation across the country with immediate effect. The IMA also contends that many vital issues have not been included in the NMC bill. Issues like violence against doctors and hospitals, amendments to the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, and non invocation of section 304 and 304 A have not been decided for years. Hyderabad: Members of the Shia community took out processions to commemorate the birth anniversary of Moula Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad, on Sunday. The processions were taken out from Darulshifa in the Old City to the Moula Ali Shrine in the Malkajgiri area. Community members decorated the Dabeerpura area for the occasion. Several youngsters wore red shirts or kurtas to symbolise the birth of Moula Ali. The Shias believe that Moula Ali was born inside the Kaaba, in Mecca. Which is why the day is also called Jashn-e-Moulood-e-Kaaba, which means a celebration of the birth inside the Kaaba, says Hamed Hussain Jaffery, the president of the Telangana Shia Youth Association. About 13 processions were taken out on the occasion. They passed through Darushifa, Chaderghat, Barkatpura, Tarnaka and Lalapet before reaching the Moula Ali shrine. The rush of devotees is expected to continue until the annual Urs, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday. Hyderabad: In the case of a deception in which a travel agency at Banjara Hills tried to take advantage of a family of four from Mahbubnagar, the consumer forum came to the rescue. The family had booked a Bahamas cruise ticket for four nights, which was a part of their trip of 17 nights and 18 days. The complainant, Mr Krishna Sanjeev Kumar, had to pay nearly Rs 4 lakh for each member for the entire US trip. This brought the total up to Rs 14 lakh and this had been paid to the agency on March 10, 2016. The complainant had forwarded the scanned copies of the passports and US visas of all four members for verification. He received all the documents back after verification three days prior to the flight and boarded from Shamshabad airport on May 19, 2016. However, after reaching Port Canaveral in Orlando, the family was in for a rude shock as they tried to enter the cruise to Bahamas and were stopped by the officials stating that the two children could not be a part of the cruise as they were holders of a single entry US visa as opposed to the parents who had multiple entry visas. Despite repeated pleas, the rules were not bent and the complainant stated that the opposite party should have known the rules and informed them beforehand. With no option, the parents contacted their relatives residing in Tampa, which was four hours away from the point of departure of the cruise, and asked them to care for the children for four days. The complainant stated that despite paying such a hefty amount, his children could not enjoy the cruise which was supposed to be an integral part of their family trip. Moreover, the tickets were non-refundable. Although the complainant's family tried to approach the opposite party for a refund, they evaded the calls and messages of the family. The complaint said that he had to bear a heavy loss of money, mental agony and damages only because of the defective service of the opposite party and the improper verification of the travel documents. The opposite party contended that the tour package they booked had amenities such as hotel accommodations, meals, transfers and others as per the tour itinerary. The tour excluded specifications of visas and they had also reduced the cost of the visas as the complainant had obtained it himself. They further stated that the verification was done for the passport and tour details, as promised, but not for the visas. They added too that they are not liable to pay a refund for the complainant's fault in not ensuring that they had valid visas for the tour schedule. The forum noted that the opposite party could not shirk their responsibilities. They stated, If the opposite party had checked the visas of the complainants before they boarded the cruise, they would have faced no problems. As a responsible and well reputed organisation, they should cater to the needs of their client. Since the opposite party could not provide a peaceful journey to the complaints, the forum ruled in favour of the family and asked Thomas Cook to pay a sum of Rs 1 lakh, which was the cruise ticket charges and Rs 50,000 as reasonable compensation. Members of Kannada Okkuta Karnataka led by Vatal Nagaraj stage a protest at SBM Circle in Bengaluru on Sunday against demand for Cauvery Management Board by Tamil Nadu. (Photo:KPN) Bengaluru: Tamil Nadu border at Attibele on April 5 to counter a bandh called in the neighbouring state over the Cauvery river water issue. President of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha Vatal Nagaraj on Sunday staged a dharna along with members of the federation, expressing his displeasure over the bandh in Tamil Nadu, which has been called by DMK chief Stalin. During the dharna, Vatal said that the Cauvery Management Board is against the interests and sentiments of Karnataka. The protesters burnt an effigy and demanded that the union government should not form the committee. Tamil film stars, like Rajanikanth and Kamal Haasan, have spoken in favour of forming the committee, and their movies should be banned in Karnataka, the protesters said. In Tamil Nadu, DMK-led opposition parties on Sunday called for a state-wide shutdown on April 5 seeking constitution of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) by the Centre. DMK working president M.K. Stalin, after a meeting with friendly opposition parties, sought the support of all sections of society, including farmers and traders, for the bandh. Tamil Nadu Congress president Su Thirunavukkarasar, VCK chief Thirumavalavan, state secretaries of the CPI (M) and the CPI K Balakrishnan and R Mutharasan, respectively, were among the leaders who took part in the meeting. A "Cauvery Rights Retrieval Yatra," will be held following the bandh, the DMK leader said. In widespread protests that followed the encounters, many civilians were injured.(Photo: Habib Naqash) Srinagar: At least 12 terrorists, three Army jawans and a civilian were killed in three separate encounters in Jammu and Kashmirs southern Shopian and Anantnag districts on Sunday. While a protester, Zubair Ahmed Bhat, was killed on the spot in the security forces firing, two critically-injured civilians Iqbal Manzoor Bhat and Mehrajuddin Bhat succumbed in hospitals, the police and hospital sources said. Mr Vaid also said: Pellet shotguns too have been used, resulting into injuries to about 25 people, but all of them are stable. A number of J&K police and CRPF personnel too were injured in stone-pelting. Other reports put the number of the injured in clashes at between 90 and 100. Reporters covering the clash at Kachdoora said two houses had caught fire in the fighting and with that the exchanges intensified. Later, the corpses of three militants were found lying under the debris. The officials said the operation was called off at twilight but the search of the debris will resume on Monday morning. We had inputs about the presence of four to five militants in the area. We will search the debris again tomorrow and see if any more bodies are lying there, said an Army official. The militants killed at Dragad have been identified as Adil Ahmed Thoker, Nazim Dar, Ubaid Shafi Malla, Yawar Itoo, Rayees Ahmed Thoker, Zubair Turay and Ashfaq Malik of Pinjura - all residents of Shopian district. Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhatt, commander of the Armys Srinagar-based 15 (Chinar) Corps, said at a hurriedly-called press conference at the headquarters of the counter-insurgency Victor Force at Awantipora, 33 km south of here, that two of the slain terrorists, Ishfaq Malik and Rayees Thokar, were behind the murder of Lieutenant Umar Fayyaz Parray. The young Muslim Kashmiri Army officer of 2 Rajputana Rifles was kidnapped and subsequently brutally killed by militants in Shopian in March 2017. The gory incident had evoked nationwide outrage and a pledge from the Central government that terrorism will be eradicated from the Valley at any cost. The 22-year-old Lt. Parray, posted in the Akhnoor border area of Jammu region, was on leave to be part of the marriage celebrations of his cousin in Batpora village of neighbouring Kulgam district when he was kidnapped by masked gunmen. The encounters set off protests and clashes at places in the twin districts of southern Kashmir, neighbouring Pulwama and Kulgam districts, Srinagar. Hyderabad: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to take over the investigation into the Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) racket busted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Visakhapatnam. The DRI sleuths had seized fake notes of Rs 2,000 denomination with a face value of Rs 10.20 lakh from the Howrah-Hyderabad East Coast Express two days ago. The Union government has set up a terror funding and fake currency cell in the NIA to focus on cases of counterfeit currency. Intelligence agencies suspect fake currency notes cases are directly or indirectly linked to terror funding and other anti-national activities. Post-demonetisation, the Central and state law enforcement agencies detected many cases of fake currency in the two Telugu states. Officials say that Malda district in West Bengal is a key destination for pumping fake currency into the country through criminal networks. The money is coming in from Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates, the officials said. In the latest case busted by the DRI, the accused had planned to exchange the notes during the forthcoming elections in Karnataka. According to a senior official of the NIA, an organised syndicate distributes fake currency throughout the country. Generally, the currency is exchanged in the ratio of 1:2 locally or 1:3 in the border areas. The borders being porous and the fence small, the person from the neighbouring country throws wads of FICN into the Indian side, said an official. Altogether, fake Indian currency notes of face value of Rs 21.54 crore was seized by security agencies after demonetisation, of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, the Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Ahir, said recently in the Lok Sabha. The seized currency includes new Rs 2,000, Rs 500, Rs 200 notes and Rs 100 notes. Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: A newborn, who had been snatched away by a monkey from its mothers side on Saturday at Talabasta village of Banki in Cuttack district, was found dead on Sunday inside a well near the house, the police said. The police and forest department officials could not trace the 16-day-old boy during their day-long searches on Saturday. The family members of the new born first spotted the body floating in the 15-feet-deep well and retrieved it with the help of villagers, police said. The eyewitnesses said the body bore an injury mark and was probably inside the well for over 24 hours, although it had not bloated. We are waiting for the autopsy report to ascertain the cause of death of the baby, which had a premature birth under Cesarean section, said investigating officer Priyabrat Rout. It appeared the newborn might have slipped from the clutches of the monkey and subsequently died after falling into the well, but the investigation is in progress and is taking all possibilities into consideration, the police said. The number of payments made through online transactions increased by Rs 89.68 crore as compared to the previous year. Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) collected Rs 1,320.26 crore in the form of property taxes in the 2017-18 financial year, against a target of Rs 1,400 crore. The amount collected was Rs 115 crore more than the amount collected in 2016-17, which was Rs 1205.73 crore. Though the number of people paying property taxes reduced from 12,85,933 to 12,18,335, the total amount increased. The number of payments made through online transactions increased by Rs 89.68 crore as compared to the previous year. Rs 199.43 crore was collected from 3,08,339 people through online transactions. Serilingampally Circle collected a record Rs 137 crore, the highest among all 30 circles of the GHMC. The GHMC received 1,21,019 applications under its building regularisation scheme, of which it verified 76,324 applications. It collected Rs 35.24 crore as property tax for 28,859 assets. Eight circles were able to achieve the property tax collection targets set for them. Circles in the West Zone and the Central Zone are known for achieving their targets. However, three of the eight circles that achieved their targets last year are in the East Zone, and two are in the South Zone. The Abids circle had the lowest collection; it failed to meet its target. Meanwhile, the Charminar-5A and Charminar-5B circles achieved 105.76 per cent and 105.22 per cent of their targets respectively. As part of its early bird offer, in which taxpayers are offered a five percent rebate for early payment of their taxes, the GHMC collected Rs 368.3 crore. Officials are requesting citizens to avail of the offer for the 2018-19 financial year as well. It is valid until April 30, 2018. To ensure that agricultural sop is not used to repay loans by default, the government has opted for order cheques. Hyderabad: The state government is spending a large amount of money on printing the cheques for the distribution of Rs 4,000 per acre agricultural sop to 60 lakh farmers in the state in April and May. Banks are charging Rs 110 to print each cheque. whi-ch amounts to Rs 66 crores for printing 60 lakh cheques. The second instalment of Rs 4,000 per acre will be distributed in October for which another Rs 66 crore is required for printing. According to an official, the banks have sought Rs 110 per cheque towards printing charges because they have to print the name of Telangana government, the name of Rythu Bandhu scheme, name of farmer, his/her unique ID number, amount, name of village and digital signature of agriculture commissioner in a separate column. The banks told the government that printing of all these details would be expensive and the government has to pay Rs 110 to print each cheque. The government has placed orders with Andhra Bank to cover 756 villages, SBI 1,439 villages, Canara Bank 162, Corporation Bank 143, IOB 151, Syndicate Bank 235, Telangana Grameena Bank 230 and AP Grameena Vikas Bank 186. The government has placed an order with eight banks for printing of cheques on a war-footing by April 19 the date when Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao would launch the distribution of cheques. Ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs will distribute the cheques in their respective districts and constituencies from April 20 to May 31 in a phased manner. In the first phase, the cheques will be distributed to around 20.93 lakh farmers. Order cheques are being printed so that the farmers are not required to deposit the cheque in their account and can encash them in any of the banks. Explaining the rationale for opting for order cheques, an official said the move is to ensure that the banks do not recover previous loan arrears, if any, of farmers when they deposit the cheques in existing accounts. If a farmer owes loan arrears in Andhra Bank, he can encash the cheque in SBI or any other PSB. The recent fracas due to 'CBSEleaks' has created huge disappointment and angst among stakeholders. The entire episode, with the Board primarily repudiating any leak of question papers, to further deciding upon the re-conduct of examinations in two subjects has upset the apple cart for students, parents and teachers alike. At the outset, the picture has been austere as a majority of citizens have geared up to fight the unfairness through protests, marches and signature campaigns which only showcase the widespread displeasure and throws light upon the neglect of deterrent measures that could have been availed to avoid such ignominy. Studentspeak The anxiety levels of students in the 10th grade is significantly higher than the rest, due to the phenomenon we call the Board Exams. It is a milestone in the education of every Indian student and the morale of youngsters across the nation has received a blow, with their entry into the future being marred by this temporary bleakness. The experience has brought forth feelings of deception and desolation, especially after students have spent the last year being unceasingly reminded of the Board Exams. Systematic study, innumerable timetables, mock tests, preparatory and pre-board exams and the relentless pursuit of perfection had become 'focus words' in the lives of approximately 28 lakh students, who have attempted the Class 10 and Class 12 exams. Now, college admissions have to be put on hold, competitive exams may be deferred and the thought of students from other boards having successfully completed their assessments on time seem to weigh heavily on the CBSE student fraternity. They are to appear for the exam again, an undoubtedly intimidating task. Students have felt let down by all the unfairness, after having undergone tremendous stress and strain owing to months of dedicated hard work and countless hours of study and practice. More so, there is anxiety as uncertainty looms large against their future plans. Parentspeak Board exams are taken very seriously in India. The entire family goes into a 'switch off/ shut down' mode to gear up for these exams, as it is believed to be the foundation stone of a promising future. The 'Board exams' are an important milestone as the results conclusively decide what stream of education a child can pursue. Parents work in absentia from office and stay home during study breaks to boost the confidence of their wards. Last minute advice on concrete preparation for the exams, novel formulae that would ensure success are imparted at this time by friends and family. Parents are now distraught by the leakage of question papers, for they feel it will be difficult to get their children to work with the same rigor. Schoolspeak Schools have been reeling under pressure ever since the CBSE announced 'REVERT', by thrusting the CCE aside and returning to days of yore. With the 'Board exams for class 10', school authorities applied various stratagem to facilitate a system of education that was unheard of for the CCE natives. They had to metamorphose into hybrids overnight and unlearn whatever they had been used to. Fragmented learning and appearing for formative assessments were the norm. Educators have had to recreate a cognitive atmosphere that was reflective of the sudden seriousness that had to be attached to the system, for the student in grade 12. The diligence quotient, meticulousness and gravity towards academia were to be the same for both grades 10 and 12. The constant study drills and rigorous schedules were nightmares for many a student. However, the Board brought smiles to the faces of the student and teacher fraternities who thanked their stars for having obtained relatively 'trouble - free' question papers. Overview It has been a real disgrace as the lawmakers have had to get involved to probe into the wrong doings of a few avaricious miscreants. If anyone has to be blamed it is the Board, for not having taken cognizance of the times in which we live. Hackers and unethical citizens who are looking to make a quick buck have sent shock waves and led the nation towards questioning the credibility of a National Board like CBSE. It could be any other Board tomorrow. This unfortunate string of events calls for a speedy investigation, extreme punishment to malefactors and competent security measures to ensure such mishaps do not occur again. The Board's decision to conduct a re- examination in the subjects - Maths and Economics seems to be a fair decision to negate the unfair advantage gained by a few students who chose to find a shortcut to imminent success. The incident has warranted a change in examination procedurals and the HRD Ministry has to work upon creation of a 'no - compromise' secure framework for the same. Enhancement of the security apparatus - physical / digital, vigilant methodologies and stringent laws for the offenders may perhaps solve the concerns related to the examination process which indeed was long overdue. The writer is a Trustee, Delhi Public School Bengaluru: If new-age politics is all about winning over social media, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah definitely seems to be scoring over his rivals with timely tweets to rebut the allegations hurled at him. A day after BJP national president, Amit Shah wondered what he (Siddaramaiah) had done with Central funds to the tune of Rs 2,19,506 crore allocated to Karnataka, Siddaramaiah took to Twitter to issue a point-by-point rebuttal to the BJP chief. Terming Mr Shahs statement a lie, the CM said the Central funds were not a special grant to the state. All states receive it. Funds so received go into our state Budget. I have presented five Budgets with a total outlay of about Rs 9,00,000 crore. This outlay is funded with Finance Commission grants, our own tax revenue and borrowings, he explained. Training his guns on Mr Shah, the CM said, "You ask where the money has gone? The answer is it has gone into irrigation, schools, hospitals, roads and highways, railway lines, crop insurance, farm loan waiver and so on. An account for every rupee is presented before the legislature. Ridiculing the opposition BJP, he wondered why the party had been 'asleep' for five years since he assumed power and was posing questions now? "Did they sleep through 15 Legislature sessions when the accounts were presented, debated and approved? Please stop fooling people. Repeating a lie does not make it the truth," he lashed out and added that by asking silly questions, the BJP president was only insulting his own party leaders in the two Houses, Jagadish Shettar and K.S. Eshwarappa. The CM asserted that the devolution of central funds to states is the constitutional duty of the Centre and the funds are a right of all states. "The Finance Commission decides the formula for fund sharing and states get the funds. It is not a gift of the Congress led UPA or BJP led NDA government. This has been the practice since 1950," he added. At least once upon a time, the problem was known and the solution apparent. This time, whatever this is and wherever it ends, its already obvious some things will need to be changed around. But where? And how? When it was the troika, 58(2)b had to be got rid of simple. It was eventually got rid of and a problem was solved: the civilian presidency ceased to be a source of constitutional instability. Sure, the preferred method for removing a PM has moved on to 62/63, but thats a different kind of problem: 58(2)b got rid of entire Parliaments and forced fresh elections; 62/63 sends home one chap. It matters more when that chap is Nawaz, the actual source of power in his eponymously named party, than a Gilani or Raja Pervez, selected for the job by a party boss, but its still a different problem. And maybe not a problem rooted in direct constitutional imbalances. If the civilians fix the honest and trustworthy stuff, adjust 62(1)f and clean up a bunch of the other clauses, that would still leave a trial-court conviction as an ouster route. To block that route, the PM would have to get immunity from prosecution while in office, along the lines of what the President has, but that would be massively controversial and an endless rabbit hole. History suggests that when the system wants its man, the system gets its man. The cost to the democratic system of granting sweeping immunity to the PM could be higher than the cost of losing a PM every little while in an era of continuity. But there are also over-corrections that can be found in attempting to fix the problems of the past; over-corrections that now are threatening to create massive distortions of their own. Take this business of a crusading court. Right at the top, a balance of sorts was originally struck: mandatory retirement versus job security. If youre a politician, youre terrified of a judge for life. But if youre a judge, the last thing you want is a politician who controls your fate. So a system of automatic elevation to the top job was enforced: the senior-most justice becomes CJP. Loosen the dominance of the CJP in the appointment process and give a joint parliamentary committee a role in the selection. But while a reasonable effort, the timing was wrong and the consequences disastrous. Iftikhar Chaudhry was presiding in Courtroom No 1 and he, slayer of Musharraf, wasnt going to let a few politicians reduce his power. The new judges appointment process in the 18th was thundered against and Parliament bullied into transferring to the CJP virtually all power in the superior judiciary appointment process. It was a disaster because to overrule Parliament, the court had to suggest it believed it has the power to judge the constitutionality of constitutional amendments effectively, a judicial veto. The other route, reducing the courts powers, is also now a non-starter. The Senate? Ugly as the chairman vote was, its not a pivotal post. The bigger problem apparent is in the election of senators themselves. So maybe its time to switch to direct elections or ditch the secret ballot. This recurring nightmare with the PM? Maybe its time to go back to term limits and switch Parliament to a four-year term. A maximum of two terms and the Nawaz problem of sticking around forever would disappear. And if a four-year parliamentary term, by last July, the country would have been heading into a general election instead of a fifth parliamentary year. The system will have to be rejigged if it is to deliver anything more than bare continuity, if that. So as the up, down, up, down, round and round the merry-go-round goes on, it could be time to think about the things that may have to be changed around. And how. By arrangement with Dawn With their very survival at stake before the formidable election machine of the ruling BJP, the Opposition is trying to forge unity with remarkable political intelligence. By meeting top Opposition leaders, including former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in New Delhi recently, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee seems to have scuttled attempts that could have divided the Opposition and helped the BJP. Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao (or KCR) of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had earlier tried to get her support for a united front of regional parties, fuelling speculation about a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front. However, by approaching the Congress, Ms Banerjee has demonstrated that her focus is on an inclusive front. In New Delhi she not only met the Opposition leaders, she also invited disgruntled BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and Shatrughan Sinha who are openly critical of the leadership and governance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah. Ms Banerjees carefully orchestrated approach towards Opposition unity to ensure a direct contest between the BJP and the Opposition seems to square with what Mr Shourie described in an interview to NDTV as the Yashwant Sinha formula. Ms Banerjees approach seems to accept rather than ignore some basic political realities. It recognises that the Congress alone can mount a direct challenge to the BJP in some states for example, in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Karnataka. It also recognises that the party has a pan-Indian organisational network. Therefore, it accepts the necessity of including it in the bid to challenge the BJP across the country. However, it also recognises that the dominant parties in several other states are regional, and not national. Because they alone are in a position to take on the BJP in their respective states, they too must be brought onto a common national platform. However, not many of them will accept an Opposition front centred on the Congress. Therefore, a two-stage orchestration of Opposition unity is proposed. First, getting the regional parties together, and in the second stage, forging a pre-electoral alliance between the front of regional parties and the Congress. A likely sticking point in bringing the regional parties together is who would be its leader say, KCR, Ms Banerjee, Naveen Patnaik or N. Chandrababu Naidu. To overcome this problem, the Opposition is likely to follow what Yashwant Sinha has called the collegium approach. The suggestion is that parties in the Federal Front meet by rotation in the different states. The leader of the dominant party in the state can be the convenor of the Federal Front meeting in his or her state. After a series of such meetings as a confidence-building measure, the front can elect a convenor through consensus to run its secretariat. This could be an elder statesman, someone who is not a contender for any post after the election. In this manner, ego-clashes or one-upmanship could be avoided. In the second stage, the Federal Front will have to forge a pre-electoral understanding with the Congress. Wherever the Congress is the dominant party of challenge to the BJP, it would have to accommodate the relevant regional parties through seat adjustments. Equally, wherever the Congress is not in a strong position but has a significant presence, the Federal Front would give it a due share of seats. This approach to Opposition unity is significantly different from the 1977 model, in the aftermath of the Emergency. Then a large number of non-Left Opposition parties had merged their identities into the Janata Party. Since the new party could not be registered in time, the merging parties contested on the symbol of the Bharatiya Lok Dal of Charan Singh. In the current experiment, no party will give up its identity or election symbol. They would contest individually but in a concerted manner. In 1977, the candidates for most of the North Indian seats were believed to have been selected under the leadership of Charan Singh and the rest by Morarji Desai. This time around, the dominant party in a particular state could play that role. This will not be an easy task in states where there is more than one major challenger to the BJP such as in Delhi (Aam Aadmi Party and Congress), Haryana and Punjab (Congress and AAP), Uttar Pradesh (Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress) and Odisha (Biju Janata Dal and Congress). However, while the operationalisation of Opposition unity may be difficult, the arithmetic is simple. In the 2014 general election, the BJP got 31 per cent of the votes while 69 per cent were divided amongst the rest. Even if half of the latter can be consolidated through direct contests, an effective challenge can be mounted against the BJP. The biggest pitfall for Opposition unity would be an attempt to declare a prime ministerial candidate in advance. The BJP would have a field day claiming that it was a Modi versus a Nobody contest. The Opposition leaders seem to have decided not to fall into this trap. The leadership issue, after all, needs to be addressed only after securing a majority in the next Lok Sabha. The programme of the Opposition would have to be enunciated in broad terms, avoiding jumlas or meaningless sloganeering. Some Opposition leaders have suggested that their agenda could focus on the issues agitating the public mind protecting the Constitution and safeguarding democratic institutions, addressing agrarian distress, employment generation, ensuring womens safety and security and protecting the rights of minorities and dalits. This would help not getting bogged down in details and promises that cannot be kept as in the case of Candidate Modi. At this stage it is too early to join the disparate dots to create a neat picture. It is difficult to predict, for example, how many regional parties would join the Federal Front and what the attitude of the Congress to such a formation might be. However, what cannot be doubted is that the West Bengal chief minister has taken a cautious but a sure-footed step in the direction of ensuring Opposition unity. The arrival of spring is signalled by clocks going forward for summer time. But instead of bright sunshine and daffodils we have had showers, and snow-covered trees. The Easter weekend promises more snow and even more traffic chaos than normal on this long weekend when everyone hits the highway. It looks like that we are going to return to winter every few weeks! Having just completed writing a book, it has been the best time to be in London, with rain and snow and very little temptation to go anywhere. Great to be indoors, to write and read. Now one understands why the UK has so many authors! Nothing like a cold and windy day to make you do productive work indoors! Time to get a nice log fire blazing as it seems we may never have a summer again! But the bad news for couch potatoes, or laptop addicts or authors is that too much sitting can seriously derange your body metabolism! Just in two weeks! According to new reports, life on a sofa can be bad for the waistline. The only good news is that one can get back to being healthy again if one can just increase the amount of exercise, within a fortnight! But for me it will be only when they create a treadmill with a laptop attached! The real excitement here is about the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Fifty-five countries will be represented and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend. The last time an Indian Prime Minister attended was in 2010. There is much interest in the PMs visit, as he retains a fan base in the UK, but more importantly the UK is now looking at all its friends outside Europe. It will need them after Brexit, and relationships will have to be built stronger. We remember Mr Modis last visit three years ago when the Wembley Stadium was packed out. This time might be the last we see the Queen as head of the Commonwealth and questions are being raised if it will be Prince Charles the next time? Or some other head of state? So almost as a run-up to CHOGM, Friends of India in Parliament got together for a dinner at the Taj. MPs and peers from all political parties were there. High commissioner Yash Sinha used the occasion to tell some home truths to the hosts about Indias expectations from the UK. The occasion was also pulled together by Virendra Sharma, the MP for Ealing and Southall but it was heartening to see the cross-party interest in India as every MP I spoke to wanted to visit. After all, many have a substantial population of Indian origin in their constituency! But the constituents better watch out, as MP Bob Blackman revealed he understands Hindi and Gujarati and so if anyone wants to keep a secret, dont think the goras only know angrezi. Last Thursday, March 29, marked the day we start the countdown of one year before we Brexit. There is still a raging debate in Parliament and outside as to whether it is a done deal or can it be somehow reversed. Arguments on both sides continue and we will not know till later what kind of deal we have. Then Parliament gets to vote on it and it could very well throw it out. If this happens in December, then we will have to scramble through a brand new deal, and time is running out. And honestly, it does seem that a divorce is far more complicated than a marriage! And so the Remainers are still looking around for an excuse to halt Brexit in its tracks. In the meantime, Cambridge Analytica has reared its head here as well. It is alleged that the Vote Leave campaign broke the rules on spending limits by organising a donation of 650,000 to the coffers of another organisation, BeLeave, as they could not accept it. It so happened that the two people running the two outfits were a gay couple and they fell apart. The whole story has come out and Cambridge Analytica was involved in one way or another influencing the vote. Does this mean the referendum result was illegitimate? Who is responsible? Lawyers are ready to take the matter to court. By the time we end up it is quite likely that this mysterious firm fixed just about every election you can think of! Including that of President Barack Obama. Meanwhile, London remains a place where you can always find interesting places to visit, but still, it is rare to stumble across a well-preserved ruin indoors on a rainy afternoon. This is the Roman Temple of Mithras, seven metres below the pavement level, situated in a very modern building the home to Bloombergs European headquarters. This is the location for an ancient river Walbrook as well, which marked the limits of the Roman city of Londinium. And in the 3rd century AD, a Roman Londoner set up the fascinating Temple of Mithras. Unfortunately, not much is known about the cult to Mithras. But, based on the existing information, a short sound and light show has been created inside the ruins about what the cult could have been about. Outside, they have displayed a variety of large and small artefacts recovered from the site in the 1950s when the building was being constructed. I often think that in India we have a variety of cultural heritage in ruins everywhere that we rarely use or visit because we have rules about its preservation. And here a private company has stepped in to make a magical experience. Why cant we do this in India too? TESS, roughly the size of a refrigerator with solar-panel wings, is equipped with four special cameras to survey 200,000 stars that are relatively near the sun and thus among the brightest in the sky, seeking out those with planets of their own. (Photo: NASA) The search for worlds circling stars far beyond our solar system will intensify in the coming weeks with NASAs launch of a spacecraft scientists hope will enlarge the known catalogue of so-called exoplanets believed capable of supporting life. NASA plans to send the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, into orbit from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set for blast-off on April 16 on a two-year, $337-million mission. The latest NASA astrophysics endeavour is designed to build on the work of its predecessor, the Kepler space telescope, which discovered the bulk of some 3,500 exoplanets documented during the past 20 years, revolutionizing one of the newest fields in space science. NASA expects TESS to detect thousands more previously unknown worlds, perhaps hundreds of them Earth-sized or super-Earth-sized no larger than twice as big as our home planet. Such worlds are believed to stand the greatest chance of having rocky surfaces or oceans and are thus considered the most promising candidates for the evolution of life, as opposed to gas giants similar to Jupiter or Neptune. Astronomers said they hope to end up with about 100 more rocky exoplanets for further study. The new probe will take about 60 days to attain it's highly elliptical, the first-of-a-kind orbit that will loop TESS between Earth and the moon every two and a half weeks. Keplers positioning system broke down in 2013 about four years after its launch, and though scientists found a way to keep it operational it has nearly run out of fuel. So its perfect timing that well be launching TESS to continue the great activity of looking for planets around stars other than our sun and thinking about what it might mean for life in the universe, Paul Hertz, NASAs director of astrophysics, told reporters at a news briefing in Washington on Wednesday. TESS, roughly the size of a refrigerator with solar-panel wings, is equipped with four special cameras to survey 200,000 stars that are relatively near the sun and thus among the brightest in the sky, seeking out those with planets of their own. Like Kepler, TESS will use a detection method called transit photometry, which looks for periodic, repetitive dips in the visible light from stars caused by planets passing, or transiting, in front of them. But unlike Kepler, which fixed its glare on stars within a tiny fraction of the sky, TESS will scan the majority of the heavens for shorter periods and focus much of its attention on stars called red dwarfs, which are smaller, cooler and longer-lived than our sun. One reason is red dwarfs have a high propensity for Earth-sized, presumably rocky planets, making them potentially fertile ground for closer examination, said David Latham, TESS science director for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Also because red dwarfs are so small, and their planets orbit more closely than the Earth does to the sun, the dip in light from a planetary transit of a red dwarf is more pronounced compared with a larger star, Latham said. Its easier to find interesting planets around smaller stars, he said. Measuring dips in starlight can determine the exoplanets size and orbital path. Further observations from ground telescopes can supply its mass and ultimately the planets density and composition whether largely solid, liquid or gas. Martin Still, the TESS programme scientist for NASA, said more than 50 rocky, Earth- or super-Earth-sized planets have previously been identified, and NASA expects to increase that number through the new mission. The most favourable discoveries will undergo closer scrutiny by a new generation of larger, more powerful telescopes now under development that will search for telltale signs of water and the kinds of gases in their atmospheres that on Earth are an indication of life, Hertz said. TESS itself will not be able to find life beyond Earth, but TESS will help us figure out where to point our larger telescopes, he said. 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. Yevgeniy Nikulin, 30, of Moscow, entered his plea in the US District Court in San Francisco, after having fought his extradition following his 2016 arrest in Prague. Russian man on Friday pleaded not guilty to charges he hacked three US technology companies, potentially compromising personal details of more than 100 million users, including on LinkedIn, after being extradited from the Czech Republic. Yevgeniy Nikulin, 30, of Moscow, entered his plea in the US District Court in San Francisco, after having fought his extradition following his 2016 arrest in Prague. His case had turned into a battle over whether he should be sent to the United States or Russia, where a Moscow court had in November 2016 issued an arrest warrant for his alleged theft seven years earlier of $3,450 via a site called Webmoney. The US Department of Justice accused Nikulin of illegally accessing computers belonging to US-based social media firms LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring in 2012, including by using the credentials of LinkedIn and Formspring employees. LinkedIn, now owned by Microsoft Corp, has said the case was related to a breach that might have compromised information of at least 100 million users. Computer hacking is not just a crime, it is a direct threat to the security and privacy of Americans, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. This is deeply troubling behaviour once again emanating from Russia, he continued. We will not tolerate criminal cyber-attacks and will make it a priority to investigate and prosecute these crimes, regardless of the country where they originate. Nikulin faces nine criminal counts, including causing damage to a protected computer and aggravated identity theft. A federal public defender representing him did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nikulin has denied wrongdoing in comments to Czech media. The decision by Czech Justice Minister Robert Pelikan to extradite Nikulin defied Russia, which had also sought his extradition. Courts in the Czech Republic, a US ally and part of the European Union, had said extradition to both countries was permissible, and the decision was up to Pelikan. Prime Minister Andrej Babis has said he favoured extradition to the United States, but Pelikan said President Milos Zeman, who often takes a pro-Russian stance, had urged extradition to Russia. It was apparent that the United States requested extradition for a suspicion of very serious criminal activity, which was not the case of the Russian request, Pelikan told Reuters in a phone interview. The decision was closely watched because Babis needs Zemans support for a new government after his minority cabinet lost a vote of confidence last month. Zeman has promised Babis another try at installing a government. 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. The United States and South Korea kicked off a low-key joint military drill Sunday as a diplomatic thaw over North Korea gathered pace. (Representational Image) Seoul: The United States and South Korea kicked off a low-key joint military drill Sunday as a diplomatic thaw over North Korea gathered pace. Tension on the flashpoint peninsula have showed signs of easing in recent months after the isolated, nuclear-armed North proposed summits with the South and their "imperialist enemy" the US. The annual Foal Eagle drill -- a series of field training exercises involving some 11,500 American and 290,000 South Korean troops -- began early Sunday, Seoul's defense ministry spokesman said. The drill -- which was delayed to avoid clashing with February's Winter Olympics in the South -- will be held for a month in April, about have the time it usually lasts. 2018's drills feature fewer strategic weapons like a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Seoul army said earlier. The deployment of such powerful weapons at past drills has frequently drawn an angry response from the North. The two allies are also set to stage the annual Key Resolve drill -- a tabletop exercise using mainly computer-based simulations -- for the usual duration of two weeks beginning late April. Pyongyang, which habitually slams the joint army drills between the South and the US as a rehearsal for invasion, has remained relatively quiet on the issue in recent weeks. The Foal Eagle drill started the same day as a historic concert by South Korean pop stars in Pyongyang, which will be staged late Sunday as a peace gesture ahead of inter-Korea summit in March. Eleven South Korean acts -- including popular K-pop girlband Red Velvet -- are set perform in the North Korean capital -- the first such concert for more than a decade. The flurry of reconciliatory moves comes after the Pyeongchang Winter Games, which the North used to mount a charm offensive, sending athletes, cheerleaders and even leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister as a delegate. Kim, who last week met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on his first overseas trip as leader, also met Olympics chief Thomas Bach in Pyongyang on Saturday, thanking him for helping to bring about a "dramatic thawing" of tensions on the peninsula. Kim is set to hold a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27 at the border truce village of Panmunjom -- the third time ever that any leaders of the two rivals have met. Rebel fighters pray before they are evacuated outside Harasta in eastern Ghouta, in Damascus. (Photo: AFP) Amman: The group in control of the last rebel bastion near Damascus appeared on Sunday to have agreed a deal for its fighters to make peace with the government or quit the eastern Ghouta enclave, Syrian state media said on Sunday. Jaish al Islam, most of whose members are drawn from the area, has been defending the city of Douma against a month-long onslaught by government forces. If confirmed, its surrender or departure for rebel-held areas in northwest Syria would herald an end to large-scale conflict in the enclave. State television and Syrian newspapers said information indicated that, under the deal, the group would hand over heavy and mid-sized weapons and acknowledge the restoration of state sovereignty over Douma. Jaish al Islam had no immediate comment on the reports. The government lost control of Douma, the largest urban centre in the eastern suburbs of Damascus remaining in insurgent hands, in the early phase of Syria's civil war, which is in its eighth year. If confirmed, the agreement with Jaish al Islam would mirror others reached by insurgents following heavy bombing of areas under their control by government forces and Russian jets that has led to hundreds of casualties among civilians. Late on Saturday, negotiators reached a deal to evacuate wounded Jaish al Islam civilians and fighters to Idlib in the northwest. A group of stranded fighters from another insurgent group, Failaq al Rahman, left Douma on Sunday, state media said. On Saturday it concluded a week-long evacuation of thousands of its fighters from areas it had controlled in other parts of the enclave. Seeking A Way Out Opposition sources say Jaish al Islam officials have been desperately trying to strike a deal that would bring Russian military police into Douma, and let the group keep a role in maintaining internal security but under the state's overall jurisdiction. Russia, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, has told the group it accepted such an arrangement but the Syrian government remained against it, a senior opposition source familiar with the talks said. The Syrian army last week warned the insurgents to surrender or face a military assault to drive them out. The Syrian army command said on Saturday it had regained most of the towns and villages in eastern Ghouta and was pressing its military operations in Douma. The city's fall would seal the rebels' worst defeat since 2016. The once bustling commercial hub on the outskirts of the capital was the main centre of street protests in the Damascus suburbs Assad's rule that ignited the conflict more than seven years ago. Defence analysts say a major goal of the government's campaign was to complete a security belt around the capital, where for years rebels dug into an elaborate network of tunnels and well-fortified positions had resisted countless offensives to seize the enclave. Fishermen from both countries are frequently arrested for straying into each others territorial waters while fishing along the Sir Creek area of Gujarat in the Arabian sea. (Photo: AFP/ Representational) Karachi: Pakistani authorities have arrested 52 Indian fishermen for allegedly straying into the countrys territorial waters, an official said on Saturday. The latest batch of Indian fishermen was arrested on Thursday night by the Pakistan Maritime Security Forces, he said. Eight fishing boats were also seized. A judicial magistrate sent the 52 Indian fishermen to judicial remand, the official said. They will be lodged in the Malir jail in Karachi, he said. Rajesh, 28, couldnt stop crying as policemen lined up the fishermen to take them to the jail. Most of us come from a village in Dandi near Gujarat coastal area and we didnt know we had strayed into Pakistani territory while fishing at night, he said. Another frail-looking middle-aged man being bundled into the vehicle kept on saying that the governments of both the countries need to do more for the poor fishermen who spend years in jail for no fault. Fishermen from both countries are frequently arrested for straying into each others territorial waters while fishing along the Sir Creek area of Gujarat in the Arabian sea. A constable guarding the Indian fishermen said that he felt sorry for them as they squatted on the floor in the heat waiting for the long ride to jail. On Friday, they were handed over to the Docks police station and then made to appear before a judicial magistrate who sent them to jail. These fishermen spend years in jail before any goodwill gesture on part of the government comes as a relief for them. The last batch of Indian fishermen arrested was on January 20 when 17 of them were sent to the Landhi jail. Since November, the number of Indian fishermen caught for illegally fishing in Pakistani waters has crossed 200. Wesley prayed before reading scripture from the Bible in the book of Mark, chapter 16. The passage explained that very early in the morning, after Christ's crucifixion and when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and two other women were on their way to the tomb, where Jesus' body was laid, to anoint his body with spices. While on their way, they wondered who would roll the stone away from the entrance. "They saw that the stone, that was very large, had already been rolled back," Wesley read. A man in a white robe said to them, "'Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised. He is not here... go and tell his disciples,'" Wesley read. Wesley explained how "the cross has become a symbol for Christians, a symbol of Christ's victory over death, and therefore our victory over death." Wesley invited the congregation to take a minute or two and look at a cross he'd brought down to the park and offer a prayer to the Lord. "He has graced us with life, he has graced us with salvation from sin, he has graced us with an open invitation to be with him for eternity. ... Eternity for us is with God because he gave us his only son, that we who believe will have eternal life," Wesley said. SALT LAKE CITY LDS leaders added more diversity in church leadership to a church with 16.1 million members worldwide, announced a new Young Women general presidency and delivered messages on meekness and sacrifice during the Saturday afternoon session of the faith's 188th Semiannual General Conference. President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, announced a new Young Women general presidency, five new members of the Presidency of the Seventy and eight new General Authority Seventies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After the announcements, six speakers also asked church members to engage in temple work and encourage and help Young Women to contribute. After the first Asian-American and first Latin American apostles, Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares, took their places in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the morning session, leaders announced five new members of the Presidency of the Seventy in the afternoon. Three of them are from outside the United States Elder Terence M. Vinson of Australia, Elder Jose A. Teixeira of Portugal and Elder Carlos A. Godoy of Brazil. Two Americans, Elder Carl B. Cook and Elder Robert C. Gay immediately replace Elder Gong and Elder Soares in the Presidency of the Seventy. Elders Vinson, Teixeira and Godoy will replace Elders Craig C. Christensen, Lynn G. Robbins and Juan A. Uceda effective Aug. 1. Eight new general authorities were called Elders Steven R. Bangerter, Matthew L. Carpenter, Jack N. Gerard, Mathias Held of Colombia, David P. Homer, Kyle S. McKay, Juan Pablo Villar of Chile and Takashi Wada of Japan. President Oaks said the additional callings announced Saturday afternoon brought the number of LDS general authorities to 116, with nearly 40 percent born outside the United States. Sister Bonnie H. Cordon was called and sustained as the new general president of the churchs Young Women auxiliary, with Sisters Michelle D. Craig and Becky Craven as first and second counselor, respectively. Sister Cordon had been serving as the first counselor in the Primary general presidency. Sister Lisa Harkness is the new first counselor in the Primary general presidency. After the callings, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles encouraged church members to seek the Christ-like quality of meekness, calling it an essential quality that all people should strive to incorporate in their lives because the prophet Mormon identified it "as the foundation from which all spiritual capacities and gifts arise." "Meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer," Elder Bednar said, "and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness and strong self-restraint." He said meekness attenuates arrogance and is strong, active, courageous, restrained, modest and gracious. "A meek person is not easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others," he added. The meek have a settled, calm demeanor and are empowered by the spirit with disciplined self-restraint. They also are spiritually mature and awake, obedient and compassionate. He said President Nelson and President Eyring modeled meekness, and their willingness to follow a prophet, with their immediate and heartfelt responses to President Monsons final general conference message a year ago, when he called on church members to study, ponder and apply the truths of the Book of Mormon. "Meekness is strong, not weak," he said. "Active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not easily provoked, pretentious or overbearing and readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others." He said believers can develop meekness through desire, the righteous exercise of moral agency and striving to retain a remission of sins. He promised those who sought to become meek would have God to guide, protect and walk with them. A woman's leader asked Mormons to help all members contribute to the work of the church and feel valuable, especially the Young Women. Teenage Mormon girls have much to contribute to the church and should feel like the valuable resources they are, said Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, who was released at the start of the session after five years of leading the churchs international Young Woman organization. "Every young woman in the church should feel valued, have opportunities to serve and feel that she has something of worth to contribute to this work," she said, adding that they are "equally needed and essential in accomplishing the work of the Lord in their families and in his church" as the Young Men who are Aaronic Priesthood holders. She said each church member should know how much he or she is needed. "Each person has something important to contribute and has unique talents and abilities that help move this important work along. Our young men have Aaronic Priesthood duties described in the Doctrine and Covenants that are rather visible. It may be less obvious to the young women of the church, their parents and their leaders that, from the time they are baptized, young women have covenant responsibilities to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that (they) may be in, even until death.'" Ward councils and others should see teenage Mormon girls as valuable resources they can call on for help, Sister Oscarson added. "Our young women can be called upon to provide service and minister to the needs of ward members with their mothers or other exemplary sisters, she said. They are capable, eager, and willing to do so much more than merely attend church on Sundays!" Helping the Young Women help in the work of the church can prepare them for their futures, too, she said. "As we consider the roles that our young women will be expected to assume in the near future, we might ask ourselves what kind of experiences we could provide for them now that will help with their preparation to be missionaries, gospel scholars, leaders in the church auxiliaries, temple workers, wives, mothers, mentors, examples and friends." She also called on young women to step forward. "I encourage you young women to raise your hands to volunteer and to put those hands to work when you see needs around you," she said. "As you fulfill your covenant responsibilities and participate in building the kingdom of God, blessings will flow into your life and you'll discover the deep and lasting joy of discipleship." Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve encouraged Mormons to participate in family history and temple work in one of the faiths 159 temples. He said performing ordinances for the dead heals Gods children on earth. "As church members, we do have a divinely appointed responsibility to seek out our ancestors and compile family histories," he said. "This is far more than an encouraged hobby because the ordinances of salvation are necessary for all of Gods children." A member of the faiths temple and family history executive council, Elder Renlund said Mormons are to identify their own ancestors, perform vicariously for them the saving ordinances they didnt receive in life, and then their ancestors may choose to accept those ordinances. He shared 11 healing blessings he said flow from temple work, though he said that when members do Gods work and are blessed, the blessing may not be the one they expect. "It is breathtakingly amazing that, through family history and temple work, we can help to redeem the dead, he said. But, as we participate in family history and temple work today, we also lay claim to healing blessings promised by prophets and apostles." The 11 blessings he listed are: "increased understanding of the Savior and His atoning sacrifice; "increased influence of the Holy Ghost to feel strength and direction for our own lives; "increased faith, so that conversion to the Savior becomes deep and abiding; "increased ability and motivation to learn and repent, because of an understanding of who we are, where we come from and a clearer vision of where we are going; "increased refining, sanctifying and moderating influences in our hearts; "increased joy through an increased ability to feel the love of the Lord; "increased family blessings, no matter our current, past or future family situation or how imperfect our family tree may be; "increased love and appreciation for ancestors and living relatives, so we no longer feel alone; "increased power to discern that which needs healing and thus, with the Lords help, serve others; "increased protection from temptations and the intensifying influence of the adversary; "and increased assistance to mend troubled, broken, or anxious hearts and make the wounded whole." Elder Taylor G. Godoy, a General Authority Seventy from Peru, suggested three ways sacrifice can be the key to successful, meaningful days. First, personal sacrifice strengthens and gives value to that for which someone sacrifices. Second, all are blessed when one makes a sacrifice for another. Third, any sacrifice is small compared to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. "May we fill our days with that impulse and the strength that personal sacrifice and the sacrifice that we make or receive from others give us. And in a special way, may we enjoy the peace and rejoicing that the sacrifice of the Only Begotten offers us," he said. Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, a General Authority Seventy from Fiji, also focused on saving ordinances. "I promise that participating in ordinances and honoring the associated covenants will bring you marvelous light and protection in this ever-darkening world," he said. Brother Devin G. Durrant, first counselor in the Sunday School general presidency, said parents have a joyful and sacred responsibility to teach their children. "We never stop being their parents. We never stop being their teachers. We are never released from these eternal callings," he said. After President Oaks had announced the new callings and the church membership sustained them, a woman yelled three times from a corner of the balcony, "Stop protecting sexual predators." After the disruption, staff escorted her out of the Conference Center. President Nelson is expected to speak multiple times during the conference, which includes one more session for priesthood holders today at 6 p.m. MDT at the 21,000-seat Conference Center across from Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. Sunday sessions are at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. MDT. Those interested can watch the conference live on DeseretNews.com, which also will provide summaries of each of conference talks soon after they end and news coverage of the conference throughout both days. Deseret News reporters and web producers will be live tweeting through all conference sessions using the hashtag #ldsconf. The 188th Annual General Conference convenes at the end of a week in which church leaders reinforced their denunciations of all forms of abuse, changed church policies about bishopric and stake president interviews, donated $1 million to ease hunger in Africa and announced the open house and dedication dates for the highly anticipated Rome Italy Temple. After the conference, the approximately three dozen messages from church leaders will be available on demand on LDS.org, the general conference YouTube channel and the Gospel Library app in more than 80 languages. PROVO The Utah State Hospital hit its first benchmark Saturday after settling a lawsuit requiring the facility to reduce wait times for mentally ill individuals requiring treatment before they are able to face criminal charges. Six months after the clock started ticking on the hospital's mandate to reduce the wait, representatives on both sides of the lawsuit are reporting remarkable progress. "It's a whole different world," said Aaron Kinikini, legal director of the Disability Law Center, the non-profit advocacy group behind the claim. Where mentally ill Utahns before were being warehoused for as much as six months in jail cells waiting for a spot in the hospital, now they are spending fewer than 60 days on the wait-list. In another year, that wait time must be down to just two weeks. A special report by the Deseret News last May highlighted the lengthy wait times which are considerably longer than those in other Western states and the toll it was taking on mentally ill Utahns and their families. Less than a month after the investigation was published, the Utah State Hospital the only facility in the state able to provide competency restoration treatment for mentally ill or deficient defendants settled the lawsuit that had been dragging through federal court since September 2015. The Disability Law Center's claim alleged that because the wait times were so long, the state was holding people in custody longer than is constitutionally allowed. Dallas Earnshaw, Utah State Hospital superintendent, said several changes have been made to reduce the wait times, but one of the biggest steps forward has been the addition of a 22-bed competency restoration unit that opened in the Salt Lake County Jail in October. The beds are a needed addition to the 100 spots in constant demand at the Utah State Hospital in Provo. "When you look at all the different components of everything we've been working on, it's been very helpful to be able to meet our mandate," Earnshaw said. The department has also sought to increase its efficiency wherever it can, like calling up and requesting a new court date as soon as someone has been restored to competency rather than waiting for the next date on the calendar, Earnshaw said. If someone can't be restored to competency and is instead going to be placed in a civil committment, he or she is moved as soon as possible into the hospital's civil unit in order to open up a bed. To continue reducing the wait, the hospital was granted $2.7 million by the 2018 Utah Legislature, which will allow for the addition of 24 beds. But as the state continues to grow, and its citizens' mental health needs along with it, Kinikini believes further funding and expansion will be needed. "The concern going forward is I think it's going to take just a persistent commitment to funding. You know, you might need to add another 25 beds to the forensic unit, because when people are waiting in this kind of pipeline system it's because they're waiting for a bed at the hospital, so it's the sickest people there that are still waiting," Kinikini said. "The state needs to be prepared; If they need to add another 25 beds then they're going to grit their teeth and write a check, I guess." Beds in the unit that the Department of Human Services has leased from the jail are used to treat mid-level patients those who require more treatment than the department's outreach team can provide but who don't need the full resources of the hospital. While the patients are still in a jail, Kinikini acknowledges, efforts have been made to soften the area and make it feel more rehabilitative and less like a correctional facility. "It's in a jail, but all the cell doors are open," Kinikini explained. "When I went there the patients were playing a ball game with the rec therapist. It's as hospital-like as I think you'd to be able to make a jail look." The Deseret News was granted a tour of the unit this month. At the time, the all-male unit housed 15 patients and was preparing to receive another. Since the unit opened, 25 patients have been treated. Nine of them have been restored to legal competency. In the competency restoration unit, residents are referred to as patients, not inmates or prisoners. Doors to patients' cells are kept open throughout the day, allowing them to move about as they please. A few soft couches and a television have been added to the common area, and art supplies and puzzles are set out on a game table. Completed drawings and puzzles are displayed on a wall in a meeting room From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and for half the day on Saturdays, patients participate in competency restoration classes, group therapy and individual therapy. Don Rosenbaum, director of forensic services, said the changes to the unit are a deliberate attempt to put a focus on treatment. "We wanted to set up a program where we were able to keep people engaged in the learning process, but at the same time be able to assess them as they interact with others and be able to treat them," Rosenbaum said. The unit is run by employees from the Department of Human Services, including a full-time psychiatrist, nurses and technicians, in addition to a team of sheriff's deputies who have been specially trained to work with the patients. Deputy Dustin Hunzeker, a seven-year employee in the jail, is one of the deputies who have agreed to spend three years working in the unit in an attempt to keep trained, familiar faces working with the patients. Each of the deputies has completed crisis intervention training, become familiarized with common mental illnesses and learned that what may appear to be disruptive behavior may actually be a reaction to psychological manifestations. When he eventually leaves the unit, Hunzeker believes the training he has received will continue to serve him, and could benefit deputies throughout the jail. "I've always been patient, and then I came here and found I could be more patient," Hunzeker said with a smile. SALT LAKE CITY Reflecting the ever-increasing diversity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members worldwide sustained Elder Gerrit W. Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares to the faiths senior leadership Saturday morning. Elder Gong becomes the first Asian American LDS apostle, Elder Soares the first South American apostle. As members of the LDS Churchs Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the men will lead a growing church membership of over 16 million people who speak more than 180 different languages. Elder Gong, former president of the Asia Area and member of the Presidency of the Seventy, has served as a general authority since 2010. Elder Soares, former president of the Brazil Area and also a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, has served as a general authority since 2005. The historic, unprecedented calling of a man of Asian descent and a South American to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostle prompted rejoicing by Latter-day Saints from their respective communities. I felt surprisingly emotional upon hearing Elder Gongs name announced as a new member of the Quorum of the Twelve, said Sang Kim, a Yuba City, California, resident who was born in South Korea. It was a complete shock. I had always paid close attention to Elder Gongs conference talks, partly because I could relate to him in so many ways. And here we are an apostle of God who looks like me. Its just amazing to me. A native of Santa Catarina, Brazil, Guilherme Berg is a fifth-generation Latter-day Saint. Raising his hand to sustain his compatriot, Elder Soares, was an unforgettable moment. It is very exciting to hear that a Brazilian was called to serve as an apostle, said Berg. I dont know him personally, but I know he is a great man and will be an excellent servant of the Lord. Brazil is one of the churchs great success stories. Having a Brazilian serving in the Twelve helps ensure future success in the South American nation, he added. Elder Soares will be part of this great work and help the church in Brazil and worldwide. I am very proud and excited to have someone from my home country represent the church as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bergs fellow Brazilian Eduardo Galvao called Elder Soares a great, humble man who will inspire Mormon Brazilians during ongoing political and economic challenges. We have a leader that will understand our needs and personally bless the lives of our people, said Galvoa. Gratitude is the word. Vietnam native Dien Nguyen is thrilled to see a fellow LDS Asian take his seat among the other apostles. Its absolutely awesome news, said Nguyen, a convert living in Taylorsville, Utah. Its exciting to see this diversity and the churchs outreach in a different part of the world. But Ngyuen added he was eager to sustain anyone called to the Twelve by President Russell M. Nelson. Elder Gong a Rhodes Scholar who worked in high-level positions at the U.S. State Department and for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. served the assistant to the president for planning and assessment at Brigham Young University for nine years before being sustained as a general authority at age 56. Elder Gongs ancestors left south China in the 19th century to find work in the United States. His mother, Jean, was converted to the LDS Church while a teenager living in Hawaii. Her faith was strengthened while attending BYU when she stayed with the family of Gerrit de Jong Jr., the first dean of the school's College of Fine Arts and Elder Gongs name sake. His mother went on to Stanford University, where she met his father as they both furthered their education. Elder Gong was born in Redwood City, California, on Dec. 23, 1953, to that foundation of faith and learning. He married Susan Lindsay in January 1980. They are the parents of four children and three grandchildren. Elder Soares served as the director of temporal affairs in Brazil during the decade before his call as a general authority age age 46. He also served as a stake president and mission president in Portugal. Elder Soares was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 2, 1958. He first learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when his aunt sent missionaries to his home in 1963. His parents began attending branch services with a few others on the upper floor of a bakery, according to an article published in the LDS Church News. Even today, Elder Soares remembers the warmth of the members, mingling with the smell of fresh bread baking at mid-meeting. "I still have great memories of that time," he said. His parents were baptized after a few months and he followed when he turned 8. Elder Soares married Rosana Fernandes in October 1982. They are the parents of three children and three grandchildren. OGDEN Ogden leaders want to draw more commercial flights out of the Ogden-Hinckley Airport, and they're hoping a name change could help get the ball rolling. If the idea gets approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Ogden-Hinckley Airport will become the Ogden-Salt Lake Regional Airport. As we are out with internet and various things like that, it gives us closer proximity. (It) lets people know that its close to the Salt Lake market, and that we are not that far away, Tom Christopulos, Ogdens director of community and economic development, said. Getting the airport's name out there as a secondary airport is something they've been working on for several years. "People could relate it more to the Salt Lake area and maybe find out more about Ogden and where Ogden is and what it is close to," said resident Robin Mackenzie-Nielson. "I think it would be beneficial." City leaders have their eye on smaller carriers like SkyWest. Ogden does have flights to the Phoenix area through Allegiant, which recently discontinued flights to Orange County, California, and Las Vegas. Resident Darren Storey said he'd like to have another option for travel. "I'd welcome it," Storey said. "Like I say, I travel to Vegas a couple of times a year and I would much rather fly if it was convenient." Christopoulos said while it's not as big as Salt Lake City International Airport which sees hundreds of flights a day, in Ogden they are hoping to increase the number of flights by between two and six flights a day. "Most of our emphasis now after what we've been working on is what we call the 55-seat, the 75-seat aircraft, the secondary flight that would augment the flight for convenience to what goes on in Salt Lake," Christopoulos said. Those living by the airport don't seem to mind the idea. Not even Dennis Spencer, who has dealt with the noise for 17 years. "It would be easier here, if it was going to the place where you needed," Spencer said. The hope is that the name change would bring more revenue to the airport, helping it to rely less on subsidies. "Primary airports, big ones like Salt Lake City, they have plenty of ability to get gate revenue and everything else," Christopoulos said. He said small airports, whether it's St. George or Cedar City or Ogden are trying to take the burde off taxpers by having revenues greater than expenses. Currently Ogden subsidizes the airport at about $500,000 a year, he said, which is not uncommon for smaller airports. With operations up 68 percent in flight operations, or the number of takeoffs and landings the airport sees, revenue has gone up, Christopoulos said. With the change in the name, he hopes to continue the airport's upward trajectory and reduce the amount of money it receives from the city. Contributing: Viviane Vo-Duc PROVO A psychology professor at BYU has found that insomniacs may be getting more sleep than they let on. "New technology lets us look at all the regions of the brain and ask where there are differences between insomniacs and good sleepers," said Daniel Kay, clinical psychologist, sleep researcher and lead author of a study published in a special virtual issue of Sleep, the benchmark international journal for sleep and circadian science. "We've found preliminary evidence that there may be regional differences in the brain parts of the brain that remain awake when objective measures say they're asleep," he said. Approximately 12 percent of the population has "clinically significant insomnia," Kay said. And, according to the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, most everyone experiences at least a short bout of insomnia at some point during their lives. As people age, sleep seems more difficult to accomplish, as about 30 percent in older generations have significant sleep disturbances such as sleep apnea, nightmares or other problems, for whatever reasons. "We are so motivated to stay awake and there are so many exciting things to do in wakefulness, people just don't want to go to sleep," Kay said. "What ends up happening is that we are so motivated to work and do the things we enjoy, I think sleep gets neglected, particularly on the weekdays. And then we try to catch up on the weekends and that variability contributes to disturbances." He suggests people try to have as regular a sleep schedule as possible for the best sleep health. Data collected over the years, Kay said, has helped researchers discover the role of conscious awareness in the clinical definition of sleep, which is measured by brain wave patterns that can be observed. For example, when a person's brain shows low-amplitude, mixed-frequency waves and their eyes are moving or rolling around rapidly, the person has achieved sleep clinically. The problem Kay has is that not everyone defines sleep in such an objectively measured way, but instead, probably associates sleep with a loss of awareness at some point and waking up refreshed. "Science defines it one way and everyday people define it a different way," he said, adding that with something like insomnia, which is self-reported, it's hard to know how much sleep a person is actually getting. But most people are getting at least some sleep, even when they might think they're not. "If a person weren't sleeping ever, we would see some pretty severe consequences," Kay said, adding that as a psychologist he's "willing to listen to patients and question the science," which may or may not be capable of detecting exactly what a person is complaining about. His research has identified that some regions of the brain can be more active than others, even in sleep, meaning that whole brain doesn't sleep. Kay has always been interested in sleep and recalls offering supposed dream interpretations to friends in high school. "I'm fascinated with the idea that we spend one-third of our lives sleeping and it remains an enigma as to why we do that," he said. "There are obviously better uses of our time, so to speak." He's interested in how the brain functions during sleep and how that might impact what people do and how they do things during the day, maybe even compensating in ways for a perceived lack of sleep. Kay plans on finishing his clinical hours to get official licensure and opening the first behavioral sleep medicine clinic in Provo later this year. Insomnia and sleep disturbance, he said, can be treated, and the American College of Physicians recently recommended that cognitive behavioral therapy be the first line of treatment, as about 80 percent of people who follow instructions they are given are able to see improvements to their sleep. And while it works, Kay said, there are few physicians trained to offer cognitive behavioral therapy in the right ways. The Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine lists only one qualified therapist in the state of Utah, though Kay knows of at least one more. The point is, because there aren't enough people trained to help many patients get medications, which work but have associated risks including addiction and dependency. Kay's latest research, performed with co-authors from the University of Pittsburgh and the Medical University of South Carolina, suggests there might be other ways of dealing with insomnia in cases where traditional therapies aren't effective. "It may be that only certain areas of the brain are not getting the restorative benefits of sleep," he said, adding that further research, including data from more patients, is needed to confirm his findings. Hopefully, Kay said, clinicians like himself will soon be able to apply regional approaches instead treating a person's whole brain in terms of lost sleep. The modifications made to the Melchizedek Priesthood quorums are the will of the Lord, said Elder Ronald A. Rasband in his priesthood session remarks on March 31. "As stated by President [Russell M.] Nelson, this is a matter that has been prayerfully discussed and considered by the senior brethren of the Church for a long time," he said. "The desire was to seek the Lord's will and strengthen the quorums of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Inspiration was received and this evening our prophet made known the will of the Lord. 'Surely, the Lord God will do nothing but He revealeth His secret unto His servants, the prophets!' "How blessed we are to have a living prophet today." Traveling the world affords Elder Rasband opportunities to witness elders and high priests working together. He said his interactions with priesthood holders remind him of the hymn "Behold! A Royal Army." _Behold! A royal army,__With banner, sword, and shield,_ _Is marching forth to conquer_ _On life's great battlefield._ _Its ranks are filled with soldiers,__United, bold, and strong,_ _Who follow their Commander__And sing their joyful song._ The adjustments to the Melchizedek Priesthood quorums will unify the "mighty army" of brethren, Elder Rasband said. "These adjustments will help elders quorums and Relief Societies harmonize their work. They will also simplify the quorum's coordination with the bishopric and ward council. And they allow the bishop to delegate more responsibilities to the elders quorum and Relief Society presidents so the bishop and his counselors can focus on their primary duties particularly presiding over the young women and the young men who bear the Aaronic Priesthood." Speaking to the high priests, Elder Rasband said they will continue to play an essential role in the work. They may be presided over by an elder as their quorum president, which is already happening in branches in some regions of the world. "What a joy it will be for all Melchizedek Priesthood holders to have the blessing of teaching, learning and serving shoulder-to-shoulder with all the members in their ward," he said. "Wherever you are and whatever your circumstances may be, we invite you prayerfully, faithfully, and joyfully to accept new opportunities to lead or be led and to serve unitedly as a body of priesthood brethren." Stake high priests quorums will continue to function under the direction of stake presidencies, noted Elder Rasband. The quorum will now consist of high priests currently serving in the stake presidency, ward bishoprics, stake high councils and the functioning patriarch. Ward and stake clerks and executive secretaries are not members of the stake high priests quorum. So what is the role of the stake high priests quorum? "The stake presidency meets with members of the high priests quorum to counsel together, to testify, and to provide training. Stake meetings, as outlined in Church Handbooks will continue with two adjustments: "One, wards and stakes will no longer hold priesthood executive committee meetings." Elder Rasband said. Sensitive ward issues could be addressed in an expanded bishopric meeting. Less-sensitive matters can be addressed in the ward council. The stake priesthood executive committee meeting will now be called the "high council meeting." "Two, the annual meeting of all ordained high priests will no longer be held. However, the stake presidency will continue to hold an annual meeting of the stake high priests as announced today." Elder Rasband said a ward could have more than one elders quorum if there is an "unusually large number of active Melchizedek Priesthood bearers." Each quorum should have a "reasonable balance" in terms of age, experience, priesthood office and strength. The restructuring will yield a "multitude of blessings," he testified. In each quorum there will be a greater diversity of gifts and capacities, increased flexibility and mentoring, and increased shepherding of those in need. SALT LAKE CITY In three remarkable, history-making sessions of a general conference, the new leader of the LDS Church was sustained Saturday in a solemn assembly, the first-ever Asian-American and Latin American apostles were named, and the structure of priesthood quorums were changed around the world. President Russell M. Nelson put an unforgettable stamp on the church on the same day millions of Mormons simultaneously stood where they were around the world and sustained him as the 17th leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during its 188th Annual General Conference. First, he changed the face of senior church leadership by calling Elder Gerrit W. Gong, an Asian American, and Elder Ulisses Soares of Brazil as new members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Then Saturday night, President Nelson announced a restructuring of the priesthood quorums in all 30,500 congregations around the world, describing an immediate combining of two bodies that had been operating and meeting separately high priest groups and elders quorums into a single body called the elders quorum. It is the biggest change of its kind since the church discontinued stake seventies quorums in 1986. President Nelson and other leaders said the changes would increase unanimity, simplify communication, provide for mentoring and make priesthood holders more effective ministers. "We have felt a pressing need to improve the way we care for our members and report our contacts with them," President Nelson said. "To do that better, we need to strengthen our priesthood quorums to give greater direction to the ministering of love and support that the Lord intends for his Saints." The flurry of news on Saturday included a new Young Women general presidency and changes in the Presidency of the Seventy that brought more diversity to one of the church's senior leadership groups. In addition, the 18 speakers provided sermons on the role of women in church, meekness, temple work, forgiveness and repentance. 'Living mouthpiece' The solemn assembly was a public manifestation of Mormons' willingness to sustain President Nelson as their anointed leader and God's prophet and to follow his counsel as they would Peter or Moses, said Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve. "Following the prophet in a world of commotion is like being wrapped in a warm, soothing blanket on a freezing cold day," he said. President Nelson is "the Lords living mouthpiece for all humankind," added Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Twelve. The solemn assembly is an ancient practice restored by Joseph Smith, said President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve. He characterized it as gift from God to the church because it was part of an orderly way to transition from one leader President Thomas S. Monson, who died Jan. 2 to a new chapter in church history. "This divinely ordained process leads to another divinely called prophet," Elder Stevenson said. "Just as President Monson was one of the grandest inhabitants to grace this earth, so is President Nelson. He has been profoundly prepared and specifically tutored by the Lord to lead us at this time." The solemn assembly drew unusually large crowds to the 21,000-seat Conference Center on Saturday morning. All overflow venues on Temple Square were filled. Many enjoyed audio of the session outdoors. During the solemn assembly, groups stood one at a time to sustain the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. The order was the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve, all Melchizedek Priesthood holders stood, all members of the Relief Society, Aaronic Priesthood holders, Young Women and finally, all church members stood as one to sustain their leaders. The callings of Elder Gong, 64, and Elder Soares, 59, were unveiled as President Henry B. Eyring read the names of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the solemn assembly. Historic reality The two men will represent an increasingly diverse church in the Quorum of the Twelve, the first Asian American and Latin American in the 188-year history of the church. "I think this is the most significant step toward more diversity the senior church leadership has taken since 1978, since the priesthood revelation," said Patrick Mason, the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University. The callings have been decades in the making as a young global church has developed, Mason said. Today, more than 58 percent of the 16.1 million Mormons live outside the United States. "I think we forget the global church began just 50 or 60 years ago," he said. "Today's announcement is a sign we'll start start seeing the fruits of the development of the global church with more international leaders moving into senior leadership." One historian said the last time similar changes happened in the apostleship was in the 1800s and early 1900s when apostles included John Taylor and James Talmadge of England, Anthon H. Lund of Denmark and Charles A. Callis of Ireland. "Those callings reflected the early growth centers of the church," said Keith Erekson, director of the LDS Church History Library. "What we see today is the current demographic reality of the church, that it's growing among different nationalities, ethnicities and languages." Even more diversity was reflected when President Oaks announced changes to five seats in the seven-member Presidency of the Seventy (three of which will be effective in August) and an addition of eight new General Authority Seventies. He said the additional callings, which included a number of international representatives, brought the number of LDS general authorities to 116, with nearly 40 percent born outside the United States. Emotional reaction In the 1800s, Elder Gong's ancestors immigrated from China, a nation special to President Nelson's heart. Elder Gong served as special full-time missionary in Taiwan, assistant to the U.S. ambassador in Beijing, China, in 1987 and in the church's Asia Area Presidency for five years. He was called as a General Authority Seventy in 2010. "I'm so happy," Sarah Nelson, a digital marketer for BYUtv, wrote on Twitter. "I burst into tears, and I can't stop crying. My heart is full. This means so much to me as an Asian/brown member of this church." Asia is home to 1.1 million Mormons. Brazil is home to more than 1.35 million Mormons and tens of thousands of American missionaries have served there. That made today's announcement about Elder Soares, who was born there, like a lightning bolt to many who consider the country a special place in the church, Mason said. Elder Soares has served in many callings, including president of the Portugal Porto Mission and as a General Authority Seventy since 2005. "I dont think Ill be able to stop crying today," added Fernando Camilo, a Brazilian. "Having an apostle from my country is an indescribable feeling. I so love Elder Soares. Hes a kind, gentle apostle of the Lord." Priesthood change President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, called the priesthood restructuring "a revelatory event," and Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve said, "We are moving forward with unanimity in what is in reality one more step in the unfolding of the Restoration." With the move, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Twelve said, "There will be an increase in mentoring and unanimity as a new elder and an experienced high priest share experiences, side-by-side, in quorum meetings and assignments." He also said it should liberate bishops and branch presidents to act as shepherds in their congregations. Erekson called the change a tremendously significant event and pointed out that modern LDS scripture began with a priesthood organization of two elders, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. "From that day forward," he said, "there have been various changes to the priesthood. Mason agreed, saying, "These things happen periodically, roughly every generation or two, both as needs change and as leaders study revelations and work out how they should apply in the contemporary church. They said the best modern comparisons are the discontinuance of stake seventies quorums in 1986 and the expansion of international quorums of seventies in the 1990s. Practical impacts Erekson marveled at the breadth of the change across more than 170 countries and tens of thousands of congregations. "This may be the largest batch of releases in church history, almost a quarter million people," he said, of those who will soon be released from high priest group lederships and elders quorums. Men who attended the priesthood session reacted positively. "I think it's going to be a lot easier to make assignments," said Ross Whatcott, 89, a high priest from Bountiful, Utah. His grandson, Jeffrey Whatcott, 28, an elder from Provo, said, "It's going to be cool to have the high priests kind of chime in with all their experience and all their knowledge of the gospel. It will kind of be like grafting in a really healthy, strong experienced branch with a younger elders quorum. I think it will increase everybody's testimony, everybody's service and I'm excited for it." For Brad Albrecht, 22, of Tucson, Arizona, the announcement reminded him of his youth. "When I was 13, my home teaching companion was the bishop," he said. "We went out together and I just like watching him and learning from him. Now I'm in a young married student ward and I still feel like I have a lot to learn. Now with the fact that some of the older, more experienced members of the high priest group will be able to intermingle with the younger elders like myself, I'll be able to continue to learn from that." President Nelson said the move had been under consideration for many months, an indication that its origins preceded his presidency, which began Jan. 14. Understanding names President Oaks asked Mormons to cease referring to men as "the priesthood." "We should always remember that men who hold the priesthood are not 'the priesthood,'" he said. "It is not appropriate to refer to 'the priesthood and the women.' We should refer to 'the holders of the priesthood and the women.'" He announced a new Young Women General Presidency (see accompanying story) and the outgoing president, Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson said Mormons should realize how much their teenage girls have to contribute to the church. She asked them to help the Young Women feel like the valuable resources they are. "Every young woman in the church should feel valued, have opportunities to serve and feel that she has something of worth to contribute to this work," she said, adding that they are "equally needed and essential in accomplishing the work of the Lord in their families and in his church" as the Young Men who are Aaronic Priesthood holders. She said they are capable, eager and willing to provide service and minister with their mothers and other women. "As we consider the roles that our young women will be expected to assume in the near future, we might ask ourselves what kind of experiences we could provide for them now that will help with their preparation to be missionaries, gospel scholars, leaders in the church auxiliaries, temple workers, wives, mothers, mentors, examples and friends." The general conference concludes Sunday with sessions at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. MDT. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Drought is tightening its grip across a wide swath of the American Southwest as farmers, ranchers and water managers throughout the region brace for what's expected to be more warm and dry weather through the spring. A federal drought map released Thursday shows dry conditions intensifying across northern New Mexico and into southwestern Arizona. Every square mile of Nevada and Utah also are affected by at least some level of dryness. On the southern high plains, Oklahoma is ground zero for the worst drought conditions in the United States. The exceptional drought in the Panhandle an area dominated by agriculture has more than doubled in size. Many farmers rely on precipitation to help water their crops as pumping groundwater is the only other option. "We're in the irrigation period and it really would be fantastic to get some precipitation out in those areas," said Cole Perryman of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Crop conditions around the region are declining as extreme drought spans from Kansas and Oklahoma to California. In New Mexico, about three-quarters of the winter wheat crop is in poor to very poor condition as meaningful moisture has been scarce since last fall. Along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico, the irrigation allotment will be less than half of what farmers received last year. Water orders will begin next week and officials with the local Irrigation district are encouraging growers to use their surface water as soon as crops demand it. "As we get later in the release season, the possibility of us running out of surface water and shutting down gets larger," Phil King, a consultant with the district, said in a notice to farmers. "So it's sort of a use it or lose it type situation." In Arizona, there's concern for ranchers as the poor range conditions have left stock tanks dry. On the Navajo Nation, a drought emergency was declared in early March and residents have started hauling water for their sheep and other livestock. "It's been one of the drier years we've had," said Arizona state climatologist Nancy Selover. She warned of the increased chance for dust storms this spring. But officials aren't expecting any cuts to the water delivery systems that serve much of Arizona's population. Arizona residents have been living with a continuous drought declaration for years, said Tom Buschatzke, director of the state's Department of Water Resources. Part of that is due to the situation within the state's own boundaries but also what's happening along the Colorado River, which supplies water to about 40 million people and 6,300 square miles of farmland in seven states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. "It's getting to the point where the debate will continue to ramp up about whether this is really a drought or whether this is the new normal, what's the expected future," Buschatzke said. "There's certainly lots of data pointing to this being the new normal." SALT LAKE CITY Jennifer Doudna, who co-invented a gene editing technology that could transform how numerous genetic conditions are treated, says the process not only raises many hopes, but also brings concerns about "designer babies." Doudna, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California-Berkeley, is one of the authors of a 2012 paper describing a defense mechanism used by bacteria as the basis for a technology allowing for the precise, detailed editing of organisms' DNA, including that of humans. That technology, called CRISPR Cas9, has been used successfully to meticulously change specific genetic traits in multiple species, including monkeys, mice and certain plants. Doudna and other scientists have said CRISPR Cas9 can revolutionize the fight against genetic disease in humans. But she has also warned that its wide-ranging capacity to alter genes will inevitably lead to various ethical dilemmas about a range of issues including the eventual prospect of "CRISPR babies," or so-called designer humans pre-selected to have certain traits even before they are born. Doudna, who recently gave a lecture at the University of Utah, talked with the Deseret News about scientists' efforts to use CRISPR Cas9 to defeat genetic disease and the moral considerations arising from the technology. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. DN: You mentioned a few years ago that you had called for a pause on certain clinical uses of CRISPR Cas9... . In your view, how well has that moratorium been honored generally across the world and what is your assessment of how the conversation on ethics has been going? Doudna: (Scientists) who had been part of that original conversation (about) molecular cloning, they helped us to think about how one might call for the scientific community to essentially ... refrain from any kind of use of human embryo editing. (What I mean is) changing the DNA in human embryos and then implanting those embryos so they could lead to a pregnancy and a "CRISPR baby." That original call for a moratorium on that kind of application has actually held. ...However what has happened, and I think this is really a sign of what's coming in the future, is there's been very active efforts at the research level to use CRISPR Cas9 gene editing in human embryos, including in viable human embryos, meaning embryos that could in principle be implanted. So that means that increasingly, any technological barriers to doing that kind of work are being removed. I think that it means the day in which it will be possible, technically, to use this technology in human embryos for the purposes of creating a CRISPR-modified person is approaching quickly. And I think that that really indicates that we need to be having these kind of discussions and figuring out how we're going to grapple with this technology that is so powerful. DN: What are these ethical dilemmas that could potentially be presented when we get to that point? Doudna: There really are three areas that I think about. One is the human embryo editing. We could call it germline editing. It basically just means making changes that are heritable in DNA in humans, that can inherited by future generations. And just to be clear, that's distinct from the idea of using gene editing in an adult, or a patient, in cells that are not part of the germline (in which affected genes are) not eggs or sperm, so the changes to DNA would not be passed to future generations. And I think most people feel that that kind of (non-germline) application is really not ethically fraught. It's something that would affect one person and it needs to be treated as one would treat any other kind of therapeutic for safety and effectiveness, but doesn't affect future generations. (The second ethics question) is applying the CRISPR Cas9 technology in agriculture. And that raises the whole question of how do we define genetically modified organisms, or GMOS. That (has) led to really a fascinating ongoing debate/discussion in many countries about how do we define GMOs and (when) CRISPR Cas9 (is) used in plants, does that lead to plants that we would consider ... GMO. ...I think the third area of (ethical) application is something called gene drive. And that simply means using this technology in a way that drives a genetic trait very quickly through a population, for example a population of insects like mosquitoes that would lead to, for example, either preventing mosquitoes from being able to transmit disease or even prevent mosquitoes from being able to reproduce. Again there's this sort of pros and cons. This could have an incredibly positive impact on human health if we could prevent mosquito-borne diseases from being spread, like Dengue virus, Zika, etc. But it also raises the possibility of unintended environmental consequences and how do we control something like that once it's unleashed. DN: Who needs to be around the table for ethics conversations like this, and how well is the scientific community doing in getting these particular groups to the table? Doudna: I think that the more that this kind of discussion can happen with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, the better. And it turns out it's a big, big challenge, because first of all there's just the fact that there's just some technical details that have to be explained so that people can kind of understand, first of all, what is this technology. And even without getting into the weeds about how it works they need to understand at least at a basic level what it is we're talking about. And then it's really about kind of helping different kinds of stakeholders to get together, and I'm talking about people who whether they're clinicians, or people that work in various industries like in the agriculture industry, (or) people who are affected by genetic diseases in their families. I routinely hear from people who ... are grappling with profound issues having to do with genetic disease and they really want to understand what is this going to mean for their future or their kids' future. Then it's really just a challenge I think to try to find venues where people can come together and discuss ideas that frankly lead to very different points of view. DN: Just in terms of pure capacity to move this into clinical settings, for example to help patients with illnesses brought on by genetics, can you give me an idea of how close we are to that? Doudna: One thing to point out is that right now there are already something like four clinical trials already happening in China and the U.S. to use the CRISPR Cas9 genome editing technology in patients that have cancer. And the idea there is really to harness the patients' immune system to target cancer and use gene editing to give the immune cells the right genetic information so they can go after the tumors efficiently. So those are already starting. What I think we're going to see going forward, maybe as soon as in the next 18 to 24 months, is probably multiple clinical trials that will begin for specific kinds of genetic diseases, and I think the earliest targets will probably be eye diseases as well as blood diseases. And the reason there is that these are tissues that are easier to deliver these editing molecules into than for other systems. . DN: What is the scope of the kinds of illnesses that CRISPR Cas9 can address long term? Doudna: There's something like 7,000 known human disorders that stem from a single mutation in the DNA so a single gene that's affecting a person's health. So those are the most likely targets for this anytime in the near future, because it's much harder if you have a disease or a trait in somebody that results from say 100 or 500 genes that all contribute a little bit. So I think that disorders where there's a well-known mutation that could be corrected are going to be the earliest targets. Microsoft has issued a new security patch to fix the earlier security update that was released in January to tackle "Meltdown" vulnerability found in microchips from Intel and other chip-makers. The flaw "CVE-2018-1038" was found in the first patch that was issued to protect Windows 7 x64 or Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 systems from the "Meltdown" vulnerability. Security researchers disclosed two flaws - "Meltdown" and "Spectre" -- on January 3 that affected nearly every modern computing device containing chips from Intel, AMD and ARM Holdings. "This update addresses an elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows kernel in the 64-Bit (x64) version of Windows. This vulnerability is documented in CVE-2018-1038," Microsoft said on its support page on Friday. "Users must apply this update to be fully protected against this vulnerability if their computers were updated in or after January 2018 by applying any of the following updates," the company added. After chip-maker Intel confirmed a potential security flaw in its chips, Microsoft issued emergency updates to supported versions of Windows in January. Following the news of the bugs getting out, all major tech players such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, including Intel, released security patches to help protect users from potential data theft. Des Cosgrove of SuperValu Bundoran, the main sponsor of this years Darkness into Light event in the town, has called on the government to do more in support of mental health services around the country. The launch in Bundoran is one of a number of such 5k events around the county taking place in May which will raise funds and awareness for Pieta House in Donegal. Des Cosgrove of SuerValu Bundoran, the main sponsor for the Bundoran walk, along with his volunteers in the Great Northern Hotel. INDD 290318 Pieta 4 MVB Mr. Cosgrove said there is a huge onus on the Government to provide a proper mental health service. As great as all these voluntary services are, they should be an enhancement to what the Government provides, he said. At the moment they are the main providers. There are over 500 deaths by suicide in Ireland and these are just the ones that have been documented. If this was on our roads there would be total outrage. We all know some family that has been affected. I am calling on the Government here today, even more, I am demanding that proper facilities be made available. The launch was attended by Dominick Gallagher of Pieta House in Letterkenny. The centre provides specialised treatment programmes for people who have suicidal ideation or who participate in self-harming behaviours. Mr. Gallagher said that since the centre opened last May, over 280 people had used it, and they spanned an age gap from under ten years to over 70 years of age. 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. There is just one week to go until The Oriel Centre at Dundalk Gaol welcomes one of Irelands most respected Eurovision winners, Charlie McGettigan, to its stage on Saturday 7th April 2018. Charlie joined forces with Paul Harrington to win the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland with Brendan Grahams great song Rock n Roll Kids. It was the first winning song ever to be performed without orchestral accompaniment, as McGettigan's guitar and Harrington's piano were the only instruments needed. It was also the first time in the contest when a song scored over 200 points. He started his musical career in the 1960s and down the years has toured and recorded with artists such as Maura OConnell and Eleanor Shanley. His songs have been recorded by De Danann, Mary and Frances Black, Ray Lynam, Daniel ODonnell, Sandy Kelly, Hal Ketchum and many more. Support on the night comes from Louth musicians Ciara Callaghan & Breifne Holohan. Ciara is best known for her vocals with Drogheda band Fuzz Gigolo, a 5 piece LO-FI Rock n Roll band that have graced the stages of numerous festivals and venues throughout the North East and Dublin including recently supporting The Pale in Dundalk. Breifne as both a composer and musician has won a number of awards including the Bill Whelan International Music Bursary for Young Composers and is a member of the Irish Composers Collective and the Collaborative Artists Company. Ciara and Breifne make a very welcome return to the Oriel Centre stage and expect to hear their own bluesy twist to modern day crowd pleasing classics at this intimate gig. Tickets for this gig are 20 and advance booking is advised. For further information, contact the Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol on 042 9328887 or go to www.orielcentre.ie. Thanks to a swift response by the Mexican government, a potentially dangerous confrontation by hostile fisherman towards Sea Shepherd was averted on March 30. A temporary restraining order issued against the fisherman on March 28 by the Attorney General's office was ratified by a judge on April 5. Protesting fishermen, led by one of San Felipe's fishing cooperative leaders, held a demonstration on March 26 where they threatened to burn Sea Shepherd ships if they were still in the Gulf by, March 30 at 14:00 hours. Sea Shepherd is currently in the Gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez, for Operation Milagro III to protect the near extinct vaquita porpoise and the endangered totoaba bass. The campaign is in partnership with the government of Mexico. At the demonstration, the fisherman and their leader took a small local fishing boat, known as a "panga," painted Sea Shepherd's name on it and burned it in the streets of San Felipe. The act served as a warning that they would do the same with the anti-poaching organization's ships, the M/Y Sam Simon and M/V Farley Mowat, if they did not exit Mexican waters. The demonstration ended with the leader promising to attack the Sea Shepherd crew with 200 pangas on March 30. When that date arrived, Mexican Navy vessels acted as escorts for the Sam Simon and the Farley Mowat in case a clash occurred. Meanwhile, on shore police screened fishing boats before allowing them to launch in to the sea. However, no more than 60 pangas managed to assemble in the harbor and none set sail towards Sea Shepherd. No one was hurt on either side and no property damage occurred. Restraining Orders Placed on Fishermen On April 5, a Mexican judge ratified a restraining order to the fisherman and their group leader, forbidding them to speak, threaten and harass campaign leader and Sam Simon Captain Oona Layolle and the Sea Shepherd crew aboard the Sam Simon and the Farley Mowat. The fisherman have been ordered not come near the ships and land base. "Sea Shepherd very much appreciated the effective measures taken by the Mexican government to quell what was potentially a very explosive and violent situation," said Captain Paul Watson. Illegal poachers who set the banned gillnets that trap the vaquita, totoaba and other marine animalsare angry that Sea Shepherd is working with their government to remove these nets and remove the animals caught in them, be they dead or alive. The totoaba bladders fetch $20,000 a kilo in China, a price that has attracted individuals tied to organized crime and drug smuggling to the trade. This illegal fishing has caused the vaquita numbers to dwindle down to less than 30, leaving the world's tiniest porpoise on the brink of extinction. In March, Sea Shepherd found several dead vaquita floating in the Gulf. The poachers' animosity toward Sea Shepherd is further intensified because the conservation society uses drones to locate the illegal fisherman and the promptly notifies the Mexican authorities of their coordinates, which has led to arrests. "Sea Shepherd is not in the area to oppose legal fishing activities," said Captain Layolle. "Sea Shepherd's actions are focused on illegal fishing and the only fishermen who have any reason to be angry with the Sea Shepherd ships are those whose illegal activities are being disrupted and shut down by Sea Shepherd crews." At 7:45 p.m. PST Monday, the Sea Shepherd vessel M/V SHARPIE came upon an illegal gillnet within the Vaquita Refuge in the Northern Sea of Cortez, Mexico. The gillnet was entangled in a longline. As the ship's crew began to separate the illegal fishing gear, they noticed live totoaba bass in the net, embarking on an unprecedented rescue operation. It is the height of totoaba bass spawning season in the Upper Gulf of California, when the endangered fish migrate directly to an area inhabited by the vaquita porpoise. The vaquita is currently the most endangered marine mammal in the world, and continues to be threatened as bycatch in the illegal totoaba trade. Tensions are rising in the Upper Gulf of California. Poachers have become more aggressive towards Sea Shepherd vessels, using firearms to shoot down drones and incendiary objects to intimidate the crew. Thanks to the addition of armed Enforcement Agents, and an emboldened pact with Mexico's Environment and Fisheries Ministries, Federal Environmental Attorney's Office and Federal Police, security has drastically improved, allowing Sea Shepherd to continue its important work protecting the Vaquita Refuge. The totoaba bass is highly sought after due to its valuable swim bladder. Much like shark fins or rhino horns, totoaba bladders are sold in Asian markets as medicinal quackery. One totoaba bladder can sell for upwards of $10,000 in Asia. Although poachers in the Gulf of California see only a fraction of the street price, they do well by local standards, which has consequently pushed the vaquita porpoise to the brink of extinction as a tragic side effect. All seemed normal the evening of March 25 as the Sea Shepherd M/V Sharpie patrolled the protected vaquita area looking for illegal activity. The ship's captain, Fanch Martin from France, spotted a net by deciphering the ship's sonar data, a new method developed by Sea Shepherd in recent months. "It was a challenge to maintain the ship's position in the strong current while the crew pulled the net and saved the fish quickly and efficiently, while at the same time keeping the longline tight enough so it would not entangle my propeller," said Captain Fanch, adding, "The coordination of the crew and the authorities on board was intense. Everyone was involved and focusedit was an all hands on deck moment, and the crew did an amazing job, with the extraordinary outcome of saving every single totoaba in that net; this has never happened before." The M/V Sharpie's bosun, Willie Hatfield, who coordinated the deck activities stated, "This is a quintessential moment for Operation Milagro, saving a whole school of spawning critically endangered totoaba at once means so much." After the two intense hours it took to save all the fish and remove the illegal fishing gear from the Sea of Cortez, he added. "As we were leaving, we saw a skiff coming to retrieve the net. "Those fish were five minutes away from death and we saved themit was a miracle." Sea Shepherd operates two former Island Class U.S. Coast Patrol ships in the area protecting the vaquita as part of Operation Milagro IV, the M/V Sharpie and M/V Farley Mowat. Each ship hosts five enforcement officers from the government of Mexico on board, with the ability to make arrests, prevent poaching in the Refuge and assure the proper disposal of dead totoaba fish. The officers were essential in saving the totoaba, as they tirelessly helped the Sea Shepherd crew, both in keeping the fish alive while being freed from the net, and ensuring the vessel's safety from armed poachers. To date, Sea Shepherd has removed 596 pieces of illegal fishing gear from the Sea of Cortez since starting its effort to protect the vaquita porpoise in 2015, saving 2661 animals in the process. That accounts for more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) of nets removed, which is the distance from Earth to outer space and the height of nine Everest mountains. Sea Shepherd works with members of its partner network to ensure these illegal nets will be recycled responsibly and never find their way back into the ocean. (Photo: LWF / Albin Hillert) The Lutheran World Federation has welcomed a recent resolution by the German Catholic bishops' conference to make it possible for Catholic-Lutheran married couples to receive the Eucharist together. This development follows the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation in 2016. Then, the LWF and the Catholic Church expressed it as a joint pastoral responsibility to "respond to the spiritual thirst and hunger" of many of their members "who yearn to receive the Eucharist at one table, as the concrete expression of full unity." At the on Feb. 22, the Catholic bishops agreed to provide an orientation that would help local Catholic priests and their bishops to formally decide on a case-by-case basis to open the Eucharist to Protestant spouses. In Germany this would include Lutherans, Reformed and members of united churches. The Catholic bishops said in a statement that they "have a special responsibility in view of the...high proportion of mixed denominations in Germany." The handout wants one for the specific case of the denominational marriage Give assistance and greater clarity and security to the pastoral and pastoral community Spouses create. Here is the German Bishops' Conference in a special Responsibility in view of the already mentioned high proportion of mixed denominations in Germany. We will publish the document, which can still be incorporated, in the coming weeks. I may add that we had an intense debate on this subject in the Assembly and did not make the decision easy. LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge, "For us Lutherans this is a hopeful step on the journey towards the shared Eucharistic table, to which we are called by our Lord Jesus Christ." He said this resonated with the Joint Statement signed by the LWF and the Catholic Church in Lund: "Many members of our communities yearn to receive the Eucharist at one table, as the concrete expression of full unity," said Junge. "We acknowledge our joint pastoral responsibility to respond to the spiritual thirst and hunger of our people to be one in Christ. [...] This is the goal of our ecumenical endeavors, which we wish to advance, also by renewing our commitment to theological dialogue." The LWF's assistant general secretary for Ecumenical Relations Rev. Kaisamari Hintikka said, "We are grateful to hear about this decision, which is made in the spirit of pastoral ecumenism. "At his meeting with Pope Francis in December, LWF President Panti Filibus Musa, referred to pastoral ecumenism and said in that context, the Eucharist is not only a goal, but a provision for our faith journey and a crux of our relationship." (Screenshot from BBC)Pope Francis delivering his 2017 "urbi et orbi" address on East Sunday, April16, 2017. Pope Francis has in his traditional Easter Sunday "urbi et orbi" address "to the city and the world," called for an end to conflicts in Syria and the Holy Land, both which seem intractable during another religious celebration of the Jewish feast of the Passover. Writing in Crux, Vatican observer John L. Allen Jr. said, the address "generally offers a quick summary of a given pontiff's top diplomatic and political concerns, and for those familiar with Pope Francis's agenda, it's no surprise that Syria took top billing again this year." Francis call for peace in the Holy Land for peace in the Holy Land came two days after 15 Palestinians were killed on the Israeli-Gaza border, and he noted that the conflict there "does not spare the defenceless". "Today we implore fruits of peace upon the entire world, beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria, whose people are worn down by an apparently endless war," said Francis. "This Easter, may the light of the risen Christ illumine the consciences of all political and military leaders, so that a swift end may be brought to the carnage in course, " said the Pope. He urged "that humanitarian law may be respected and that provisions be made to facilitate access to the aid so urgently needed by our brothers and sisters, while also ensuring fitting conditions for the return of the displaced." Estimates on the death toll produced by the seven-year-old war in Syria vary, a 2016 study by the Syrian Center for Policy Research asserted that almost 500,000 have died, including both combatants and civilian casualties, while almost two million have been injured. As of February 2018, more than 5.5 million Syrians had fled the country and 6.1 million are internally displaced, together representing half the country's population. In referring to the Holy Land, citing it as the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and to Yemen and the entire Middle East on Sunday, the Pope prayed "that dialogue and mutual respect may prevail over division and violence." Separately, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit on April 31 decried both the violence and the denial of the right to nonviolent and peaceful protest on the border between Israel and Gaza. The protest, the largest seen in Gaza in years, coincided with Palestinian Land Day, which remembers the confiscation of Palestinian-owned land in Israel in 1976. The protest also coincided with the Jewish feast of the Passover when Jews celebrate their liberation by God from slavery in ancient Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses. The Israeli Defense Force said it had identified at least 10 of the 15 fatalities as members of terror groups and Israeli also accused the Hamas group in Gaza of using children as human shields in the protests it led. "This has become a critical situation for people's lives and people's dignity in Gaza," Tveit said. 'EXTREMELY DIFFICULTS CONDITIONS IN GAZA' He noted, "The events the last days shows that it is urgent to respond to the extremely difficult life conditions in Gaza with constructive and just solutions." The WCC head said, "We call on the Israeli government to guarantee human rights, the freedom of speech and the need for just peace and decent living conditions for all people." During his address in front the St. Peter's basilica Pope Francis also spoke on Africa. "We invoke on this day fruits of hope for those who yearn for a more dignified life, above all in those areas of the African continent deeply affected by hunger, endemic conflicts and terrorism," he said. "May the peace of the risen Lord heal wounds in South Sudan and the strife-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo, and open hearts to dialogue and mutual understanding. "Let us not forget the victims of that conflict, especially the children! May there be no lack of solidarity with all those forced to abandon leave their native lands and lacking the bare essentials for living." He also alluded to the Korean Peninsula at a time when the leaders of North and South Korean are readying to meet on April 27. The meeting could help set the stage for a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, and Francis urged dialogue and peace. "We implore fruits of dialogue for the Korean peninsula, that the discussions under way may advance harmony and peace within the region," he said. "May those who are directly responsible act with wisdom and discernment to promote the good of the Korean people and to build relationships of trust within the international community." On Ukraine, Francis expressed hope that "steps taken to favor harmony may be consolidated," and in Venezuela, where a long-running political stalemate is driving an economic implosion, Francis prayed for "fruits of consolation." (Photo: Peter Kenny / Ecumenical News)Two key symbols of Judaism, the Western Wall, and for Islam, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, stand side by side in Jerusalem as seen on Feb. 11, 2016. The World Council of Churches has joined other global Christian leaders in expressing grave concern for the Middle East region and the wider international community at the decision of President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "Such a step breaks with the longstanding international consensus, and almost seven decades of established American policy, that the status of Jerusalem remains to be settled," said the WCC which represents more than half a billlion mainly, Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant Christians worldwide. In a statement from its Geneva-headquarters Dec. 6, the WCC said the move "also pre-empts a negotiated resolution of this most difficult issue in any final peace agreement, which must be achieved between Israelis and Palestinians themselves." The head of churches Christian patriarchs in Jerusalem also lamented Trump's decision to recognize the ancient city as Israel's capital, while calling for its international status be retained. "We are certain that such steps will yield increased hatred, conflict, violence and suffering in Jerusalem and the Holy Land," the leaders said in a letter to Trump, "moving us farther from the goal of unity and deeper toward destructive division." Thirteen heads and patriarchs signed the letter. They represent various branches of the Christian faith, including Greek, Syrian and Armenian Orthodox churches; Episcopalians, Roman Catholics and Lutherans. Some of them are Palestinian, and most share space in the revered Holy Sepulcher Church in Jerusalem's Old City. Most Christian tradition holds that the church is located at the site of the Crucifixion and burial of Jesus, the Los Angeles Times reported. "Our solemn advice and plea is for the United States to continue recognizing the present international status of Jerusalem," the churchmen said. "Any sudden changes would cause irreparable harm.... In this coming Christmas, we plea for Jerusalem not to be deprived from peace." The council said that along with all Christians around the world, the churches that belong to the WCC, look to the Holy City of Jerusalem as the "location of the foundational event at the origins of our faith." The churches' council said it recognizes Jerusalem as a city of three faiths (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) and two peoples (Israelis and Palestinians). "We also recognize the central significance and acute political, social and religious sensitivity of the status of Jerusalem in any final and sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians." The churches' council said it shares the concerns expressed by King Abdullah II of Jordan that the measure of Trump's administration will have serious implications for security and stability in the Middle East. "It will undermine the efforts of the American administration to resume the peace process and fuel the feelings of Palestinian Muslims and Christians alike. Together with King Abdullah, we also stress that 'Jerusalem is the key to achieving peace and security in the world.'" While Scandinavian Noir is well established in English-language publishing, Switzerland has until now been a blank space on the map of popular crime fiction. Swiss author Peter Beck is trying to change all that with his gritty new hero Tom Winter. Clare ODea went to investigate. The mild-mannered, casually-dressed man I meet in Bern train station does not look like he could have anything to do with exploding helicopters, death-defying car chases, cold-blooded murder, high finance intrigue and obscene luxury. Yet this is the world that Swiss author Peter Beck has created in the first of his three financial thrillers, Damnation. The only thing Beck has in common with his protagonist, a former special forces commander and head of security with a Swiss bank, is his nationality and a taste for espresso. Becks face lights up when he talks about Tom Winter. But the character didnt come to him in a single flash of inspiration. Almost like a recruitment process, Beck looked hard for the right hero. His approach was clearly influenced by his background in psychology and corporate development. I wanted him to be free to investigate internationally so that ruled out a commissar-type protagonist. I considered an Interpol connection but I didnt want my character to be in a bureaucratic setting. I also didnt want a guy in a suit. I thought a lot about what the character should embody. It was a deductive process, and finally I arrived at the idea that he would be the head of security at a Swiss bank. Winter, Tom Winter Winter bears all the key hallmarks of protagonists in the genre: unbeatable hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship skills, a beguiling way with women, and an ability to get out of impossibly tight situations without losing his nerve. But he is also a cat owner and a man of simple tastes who has built up a web of useful relationships. In Damnation, Tom Winter criss-crosses the globe looking for connections on the trail of an investment consortium which could be involved in the death of one of the banks wealthiest Arab clients. The investigation is personal because Winters girlfriend and colleague was also killed in the attack. The conspiracy turns out to be greater and more nefarious than Winter suspects, and he finds himself up against ruthless adversaries who are planning a breath-taking feat of financial disruption and physical destruction. Insider knowledge As we stroll around the authors home town of Bern, where some of the action in Damnation takes place, Beck points out a non-descript entrance on a shopping street. Thats just how I imagine the exterior of Winters bank would look like. Becks insider knowledge of the Swiss setting adds authenticity to his writing. Beck has drawn on Switzerlands leading role and reputation in the world of high finance. With deals passing through Swiss banks that can shape the destiny of entire countries, there is plenty of juicy material to be reimagined in the pages of a thriller. The other signature of Becks work is the inspiration of Anglo-American literature. He has always read in English and counts Le Carre, Grisham and Giminez among his influences. When Beck got a two-book deal for his financial thrillers with a London publisher, it was a dream come true for the Swiss writer. Power asymmetry As is usually the case, Becks path to publication was no overnight success story. Sitting in a fashionable Bern cafe with an overabundance of cushions, he reveals the struggle he went through. Damnation was written in 2008 and 2009 after Beck was made redundant. During the months he was waiting for his new self-employed business to take off, he turned to writing. When I finished the first manuscript I sent it out to the top ten German publishers but I didnt get any response. The power asymmetry in publishing is cruel. Undeterred, Beck sent it out to the next ten on the list, still to no avail. An apparent breakthrough came when Beck was taken on by a big agency in Zurich, but this wasnt the happily-ever-after Beck was expecting. Two years went by and the agency couldnt sell his books. Then the young agent who was in charge of me went out on her own and I left with her. She tried again in Germany and found a publisher in Cologne that took the first book. That was 2012 and Becks first two books were brought out in German to popular acclaim. He still had his eye on the UK but his agent didnt work in that market. They parted company and he began the hunt for a London representative. Eventually Becks new agent got him a two-book translation deal with Point Blank, the crime imprint of Oneworld Publications, which had great success in recent years with two Man Booker winners. The publisher got the award-winning translator Jamie Bulloch on board and Damnation, the first book in English is about to be launched in April 2018. Crossing over Since he first came up with the concept of the Winter series in 2008, Becks dream was to cross over into English. Im a long-distance runner. I dont give up easily. That tenacity is one more thing Beck has in common with his resourceful hero. Beck has come a long way since he compulsively read all 75 of Simonets Maigret novels as a teenager. He always loved writing and got enough encouragement at different stages of his career, from his school days to his years in academia, and later as an MBA student and business executive, to believe he could one day become an author. With his business hat on, he identified a niche. I love Scandinavian noir and Scottish crime fiction too. I asked myself why there was no Swiss noir? The Swiss brand is that they are boring, theyre clean. I wanted something in the thriller or noir style. I did not see any other domestic thriller writers in German in Switzerland. Literary echoes When the interview was over, I took my leave of Beck close to the Swiss parliament building, a scene that felt curiously familiar. Later I remembered why and found the relevant passage in Damnation when Tom Winter shows his love interest, Egyptian businesswoman Fatima Hakim, around Bern on a warm August day. They strolled to the huge square in front of the federal parliament. Children skipped around screaming in the delight, running through the water features and trying to avoid the fountains that sprayed vertically into the air. Underneath here are the Swiss gold reserves, said Winter. Look, thats the national bank. Can you see the house number? The national bank is Number 1, Fatima said in surprise. Not the parliament? That shows you the priorities in Switzerland. A few pages later, the two are being shot at on a glacier. Im glad to report that my journey home was uneventful. Clare ODea An Irish-Swiss journalist based in the bilingual town of Fribourg, Clare ODea is the author of the 2016 non-fiction book, The Naked Swiss: A Nation Behind 10 Myths. Nominated for the 2017 Hennessy New Irish Writing Awards, Clare also writes fiction and translates books from German and French. Her career as a journalist spans three countries and two decades. From 2005 to 2015 she worked for swissinfo.ch. Hundreds of Catalan independence supporters marched in Berlin on Sunday to demand the release of ex-regional president Carles Puigdemont, who was arrested in Germany last week and faces extradition to Spain on rebellion charges. Huddled under umbrellas in the rainy German capital, the protesters walked from Brandenburg Gate to the justice ministry, carrying banners that read Free Puigdemont and the Catalan political prisoners and Spain is not a democracy. In an audio message from prison, Puigdemont addressed the protesters urging them not to let their guard down in the face of a state which is acting in an increasingly authoritarian way. It was their right to decide on their future, he added. Many of the protesters also waved Catalonias blue, yellow and red separatist flag as they took part in the rally organised by the German branch of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), a grassroots pro-independence group. What we want to say is simply: free our elected Catalan politicians, said 34-year-old marketing worker Monica Zaldivar, who accused the Spanish government of using the courts to go after Catalan leaders instead of trying to find a political solution. For me, its about democracy in Spain, she said. One of the organisers, Ferran Cornella, told AFP he estimated the crowd to number 400 or 500 people, while police gave a tally of over 300 demonstrators. Meanwhile, in Catalonia dozens of members of the radical Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDR) blocked a highway linking Catalonia with France erecting barriers at tolls, television images showed. Puigdemont was arrested by German highway police last Sunday as he was travelling from Finland back to Belgium, where he has been living in self-imposed exile since Catalonias failed independence bid last October. The detention came two days after a Spanish judge issued European arrest warrants for Puigdemont and other fugitive separatist leaders. They have been ordered to stand trial for rebellion, misuse of public funds and disobeying the state for organising last years referendum on Catalan independence, which Madrid deemed illegal. Puigdemonts arrest has sent tensions soaring at home, triggering a wave of protests in the wealthy northeastern Spanish region. German judges have ordered Puigdemont to remain in custody in the northern town of Neumuenster as they mull Spains request for him to be handed over. They have 60 days to make a decision. German media say the request has been complicated by the fact that rebellion, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in jail in Spain, is not a crime under German law. In a tweet on his official account Sunday, Puigdemont was quoted as saying that the October 1 independence referendum, held exactly six months ago, marked the start of a new era from which there is no turning back. burs-mfp/har/boc Privacy Settings This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit. NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using. Before 1968, San Antonios downtown featured a River Walk with a few brave restaurants and a reputation so seedy that local military commanders had declared it off limits. Most businesses that backed onto the river ignored the waterfront altogether. Visitors to the Alamo had few options for hotels nothing new had been built since before World War II. Hosting the HemisFair 1968 Worlds Fair taught the San Antonio business community how to make big projects happen. It was the generator of how to work together to get something done, said Tom Frost, a fourth-generation banker and an original HemisFair backer. HemisFair bulldozed a historic neighborhood but left a legacy of other buildings, including the Convention Center and the Tower of the Americas, the iconic spire designed by architect ONeil Ford that soars 750 feet from its base to the top of its mast. It made the River Walk respectable and it triggered hotel construction, launching a major hotel chain and an innovative construction project that became famous. Frost credits HemisFair for building San Antonios hospitality industry. Some 1,000 hotel rooms and 2,000 motel rooms sprang up as a result of HemiFair, according to Banking on Tradition: The 130-year History of the Frost National Bank, by Tom Walker, published in 2000. Suddenly, the city had 7,000 rooms of lodging. One of the things that was uppermost in our minds was the fact that we did not have the tourist facilities in this town that we needed to support the Alamo and whatever else we had, said Frost, chairman emeritus of Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc., 90, who sat on HemisFairs executive committee. Yes, (the city) was 250 years old, but the biggest thing was to provide the facilities for the tourists. In time for HemisFair 68, brothers Sam and Philip Barshop used $45,000 in borrowed money to launch their first La Quinta some of the first motels to target corporate travelers. By the time the company went public in 1974, it had grown to 200 properties. A year before the fair opened, construction mogul H.B. Zachry stepped in to build the Hilton Palacio del Rio in 202 days. The Palacio del Rio made national headlines for its modular method of construction, in which the rooms were built off-site, transported over and assembled like Legos. Conrad Hilton even came down to see the feat, which made national headlines. Restaurants Casa Rio (1946) and Lung Jeu (1956) were the only establishments on the river at the time. But in anticipation for HemisFair, public dollars were spent extending the river east to create the spurlike shape. Business owners, whose buildings mostly faced the street, began readjusting so they had a presence on the river. David Straus, founder of the River Walk Commission, Marshall Steves, an Alamo National Bank director, and some others started buying buildings and opened them up to the River Walk, Frost said. That finally created the wining, dining and shopping mecca originally envisioned by its planners in the 1920s. That was a thing that happened that we didnt have in our plans, Frost said. HemisFair also revolutionized San Antonios convention industry. Frost recalled how when the Texas Bankers Association would convene in San Antonio, some 200 to 300 members strong (not counting the spouses who came along), there were no hotels that could host the banquet. The group had to split the event between two hotels. Famous local caterer Rosemary Kowalski, the RK Groups chairman emeritus, had a much smaller business before the Worlds fair. HemisFair was the impetus that changed our company along with the city of San Antonio, Kowalski said. A few years before the fair, Kowalski was asked to serve parties for potential corporate sponsors who came from New York and California. Since the budget was slightly above zero, the parties werent much, Kowalski said. We served raw vegetables with broccoli dip and some wine. But the corporations signed on for HemisFair anyway. Kowalski also catered the fairs gala dinner that Texas Gov. John Connally hosted for visiting dignitaries including the Prince of Monaco and Princess Grace. It also marked the opening of the convention center. This was the inaugural event of the developing convention business in San Antonio and the accompanying growth of The RK Group, Kowalski said. HemisFair helped launch other businesses. With three restaurants dotting San Antonio, the group of Italian restaurants that share the name Paesanos have become an institution in the Alamo City. Paesanos beginning didnt start at HemisFair, but the fair did introduce co-founder Joe Cosniac to the Alamo City. He came south from his native Canada for HemisFair to run a Belgian waffle concession. Cosniac sensed that the city was ready to grow, and returned in 1969 to open the first Paesanos restaurant on McCullough Avenue with his business partner Nick Pacelli. San Antonio had just 400,000 residents and was just on the cusp of developing into a major metropolitan area. I think the city and South Texas were very excited, Cosniac said. I love and embraced the Hispanic culture with its heritage that it brought to the city it definitely was a vibrant opportunity. In the 1933 Jefferson High School yearbook, the Monticello, there is an In Memoriam for Arthur Morton and Harry Morton. Can you tell me who they were? David W. Hildebrand Remember the column about the 1921 death of Harold Joske (Jan. 14, 2017)? This is a little like that a mystery story where young men from a wealthy family die tragically under circumstances not fully known to the public, then or now. A full page in the 1933 Monticello is devoted to the memorial youve seen. Beneath a photograph of the opulently designed school, then only a year old, is this brief text: In Memoriam of Arthur Morton and Harry Morton. The boys died just before the beginning of the 1932-1933 school year. Some facts about what happened to the Mortons were published at the time, but well probably never know exactly how or why. Arthur, 15, and Harry, 14, frequently described in the press as millionaires sons, had been spending the summer with their parents and three younger brothers at the familys palatial, $300,000 summer house set on 3,500 acres about 10 miles northwest of San Marcos. This was the former Blanco-Parke Ranch, which had recently been bought by the millionaire-by-marriage. The property included several outbuildings. The boys father, Arthur Hunter Morton, was a former traveling salesman and newspaperman who married San Antonio debutante Zilla Naylor in 1917 and took over management of the extensive Naylor interests in San Antonio and several ranches throughout Texas, according to Associated Press reports that were published statewide and in papers from out of state. At their summer home, the two brothers had been sleeping in a little stone house about 75 yards from the main house. At about 7:30 a.m., Sept. 8, 1932, their father, just arising, heard shots fired and rushed to the smaller building, a four-room cottage the boys had occupied by themselves all summer. He got there in time to see Harry as he staggered through the door and fell to the ground, bleeding from wounds to the chest, side and neck, about 25 yards from the brothers sleeping quarters, according to the press reports. Arthur was inside, shot once through the forehead and already dead. Harry was taken to a hospital in San Marcos, but died about 10 minutes after he arrived, having lost copious amounts of blood through the neck wound that had severed his jugular vein. The boy was reported as having been unable to speak since his father first reached him. Both brothers had been found still clad in night clothes. There were three bullet holes in the screen above a cot on the sleeping porch, splotched in some places with blood. Inside, investigators would find a blood-stained bandanna, a revolver with four exploded shells in the cylinder (sometimes reported as two or three) and a hand axe with a blood-stained sheath that had been cut in one place. Justice of the Peace A.M. Ramsay went to the ranch and within a few hours issued a verdict of accidental death, surmising that the boys had scuffled over a .38 caliber pistol with a hair trigger that caused it to keep firing as long as there was pressure on the trigger. There seems to have been no formal inquest. It was Ramsays stated theory that The older boy (Arthur) had a new gun, over which the brothers struggled and accidentally shot each other, with the bullet that caused Arthurs head wound passing through Harrys fingers. When Ramsays verdict was made known, the management of the San Marcos News called the Texas Rangers to come from Austin. One was Capt. Frank Hamer, soon to become famous for ending the long crime spree of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Hamer told the press that he and Ranger George M. Allen had learned a little through their investigation, but the Rangers did not release their findings. The San Antonio papers published far fewer details than other Texas papers, which provided more information about the evidence and the Rangers involvement. The brothers, said the San Antonio Light, Sept. 9, 1932, were the best of chums and almost inseparable. The Morton familys San Antonio residence was on W. Kings Highway in Monte Vista. Both boys had attended Jefferson High School the previous year and are identified in the 1932 yearbook as cadets in different companies of the schools Junior ROTC unit. Arthur Naylor Morton and Harry Albert Morton were buried next to each other in the family plot at Mission Burial Park South. Judson Independent School District faces an estimated $13 million budget shortfall next school year and has joined several other districts in San Antonio in asking tough questions about spending, staff cuts and the possibility of seeking a tax rate increase. District administrators have already begun identifying positions for elimination through attrition or contract non-renewals, as well as those that could be put on hold through hiring freezes, Jose Elizondo, Judson ISDs chief financial officer, told trustees Tuesday. An itemized list of positions potentially on the chopping block will be presented to the board next month, he said. The $13 million figure, which could change as Judson continues crafting its budget, is based on the assumption that property values in the district will increase by 3 percent, according to the presentation. The funding difficulties have arrived as Judson prepares to add new expenses next school year, including the opening of two new elementary schools and the addition of the senior grade level at Veterans Memorial High School. The expected deficit was announced during a week in which some of Bexar Countys biggest districts, including North East and San Antonio ISDs, acknowledged major budget shortfalls due to falling enrollment. Other districts, including South San and Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISDs, are considering holding tax ratification elections, asking voters to approve property tax rate increases. Compared to the others, Judsons enrollment has dipped more gradually since peaking at 23,292 students during the 2014-15 school year. By the current year, the district had expected to reach 24,000 students based on demographic trends, but growth has instead flattened to slightly more than 23,000 students for 2017-18. Elizondo presented revenue scenarios from a possible tax hike, but said, We dont really want to go there if we can possibly avoid it. From the administrations point of view, and Im not sure about the board, but the property tax rate increase is kind of the last thing that we would like to do, he said. Trustee Jose Macias agreed, arguing in a Facebook post after the meeting that the district should consider other options ahead of staff reductions or property tax hikes. He said in an interview that the district should explore reallocating expenditures, reducing work days for certain employees and possibly going out for small bonds in the future to fund infrastructure improvements. A workforce reduction is detrimental, especially since were already thin in some areas, Macias said, adding that it is important to not damage employee morale. However, the budget crunch has initiated a close review of district spending, including not only staffing but also energy use and travel expenses. An audit of Judsons workforce efficiency and retention is slated for completion in August. Elizondo said the board will have the chance to review the elimination of any positions, adding that the district always tries to place employees elsewhere in the district through attrition. But, he said, there will be some individuals potentially that they may not want that other position. A candidate seeking the Republican nomination to succeed Lamar Smith of San Antonio in the U.S. House says more black Americans die from abortion than any other cause. We wondered about that. State Rep. Jason Isaac of Dripping Springs, asked what policies hed pursue to address safety and inequalities facing women and people of color, opened his reply: I will work to end abortion, which is the leading cause of death for black Americans and kills as many as 1,000 black children every day. That question and Isaacs full reply appear in a voters guide published before the March party primaries by the League of Women Voters of Texas and League of Women Voters Austin Area. Katie Tahuahua of Isaacs campaign, asked the basis of his claim about black deaths, responded by email that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease caused the deaths of the most U.S. black residents in 2015 (75,249). She noted that the year before, according to CDC figures representing data from 47 states, over 200,000 black babies were aborted. Upshot: This is far more than the leading reported cause of death for black Americans, Tahuahua wrote. Well unpack those figures. But its worth noting for starters that Isaacs characterization of abortions as killing babies is disputed. Abortion rights advocates, noting the Supreme Court legalized abortion in every state in 1973, typically refer to unborn fetuses. Also, the CDC doesnt say abortions kill babies; it defines a legal induced abortion as an intervention performed by a licensed clinician (e.g., a physician, nurse-midwife, nurse practitioner or physician assistant) that is intended to terminate an ongoing pregnancy. In addition, an unknown share of aborted pregnancies wouldnt have resulted in live children, due to the natural risk of miscarriages and stillbirths. We confirmed from a CDC table pointed out by Tahuahua that heart disease killed the most black residents (75,249) in 2015 and also was the leading cause of death for all Americans. Lesser causes of death for black Americans included cancer, stroke and diabetes, the table indicates. The table doesnt list abortion as a cause. Our own search of CDC-posted statistics led us to a table stating that nationally in 2015, 6,907 black infants died. Among the tables 15 listed leading causes of death, disorders related to short gestation and birth weight accounted for the most deaths, 1,513, nearly 22 percent of the total. The table lists congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities as the second-most prevalent cause, accounting for 930 deaths, nearly 14 percent of the total. The table doesnt list abortion as a cause. Tahuahua said Isaac got to his declaration of more than 1,000 black child deaths a day because the CDC reports that 35% of aborted babies are black. For our part, we confirmed that the CDC says that in 2014, there were 652,639 legal induced abortions nationally. Apply the 35 percent figure offered by Isaac and it looks like black women obtained 228,423 abortions, for a rate of 626 a day. Then again, Tahuahua noted, the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit that promotes reproductive health and abortion rights, separately estimated 926,200 U.S. abortions in 2014 which, if you apply Isaacs methodology, signals that black women obtained 324,170 abortions, for a rate of 888 a day. The Guttmacher count of abortions appears in a January 2018 institute Fact Sheet that also says that white patients accounted for 39 percent of U.S. abortion procedures in 2014, blacks for 28 percent, Hispanics for 25 percent and patients of other races and ethnicities for 9 percent, according to an institute survey of abortion patients. Applying the institutes 28 percent figure to the institutes abortion count suggests that black women obtained 259,336 abortions, for a rate of 711 a day. We circled back to Isaac about our findings. He replied by email: Youre correct that the CDC identifies heart disease as the #1 cause of death for black Americans; however, were abortion considered a cause of death, it would be the #1 cause by far. Our ruling Isaac told the voters guide that abortion is the leading cause of death for black Americans and kills as many as 1,000 black children every day. Opinions about this claim likely divide over Isaacs definition of a fetus as a child and by Isaacs reasoning, we find this claim has an element of truth in that black women in 2014 accounted for about 711 U.S. abortions a day. In fact, however, heart disease was the leading cause of death for black and other Americans in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency didnt list the abortion procedure among causes of death. We rate this claim Mostly False: The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. If you need confirmation that our Republican administration is getting too invasive by adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census, just listen to the voices of Republicans. Not the voices of 2018 Republicans. I mean the Republicans who raised a mighty stink 18 years ago when the administration of Democratic President Bill Clinton oversaw the decennial U.S. census count. This came at a Y2K time when GOP distrust of the federal bureaucracy had begun to congeal into paranoia; when a knock at the door from a part-time census counter was dreaded by Republicans like a midnight raid from the Thought Police. Some prominent Republicans practically encouraged constituents to throw away the long form, a questionnaire sent to about one-sixth of U.S. households (and demanding considerably more personal information than the short form sent to all Americans). Trent Lott, then the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, said that if he got a long form in the mail, he might decline to answer some of the questions. George W. Bush, then the governor of Texas and the GOP presidential front-runner, said, I can understand why people dont want to give over that information to the government. If I have the long form, Im not sure I would either. The questions that chafed Republicans the most were pretty innocuous such as inquiries about household income and home plumbing facilities and had actually been on the form for decades. But they contributed to a GOP backlash against the long form, which already suffered from lower response rates than the short form. The long form is a helpful census supplement. But its the short form that really counts when it comes to providing population data that determines which states gain or lose congressional seats and how nearly $700 billion from 132 federal programs gets distributed. So Republicans should be able to grasp the concerns that many people have expressed since the Commerce Department announced last Monday that the short form would become more invasive; that it would for the first time since 1950 include a question asking census respondents if they are citizens of the United States. If Republicans hated letting Big Brother know about the state of their plumbing facilities, they should understand why the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country might worry about revealing their citizenship status on the short form; particularly when the occupant of the White House, Donald Trump, talked as a candidate about deporting all undocumented immigrants. Given Trumps hawkish border stance, it would be easy to see this new short-form question as just another brick in the (border) wall that the president continually promises, but will never build. If youre not sympathetic to the fears of undocumented immigrants, however, keep in mind that the true damage of the new census language will be done to states such as Texas, which, in a 2014 Pew Research Center Poll, trailed only Nevada in percentage of undocumented immigrants. Nonetheless, Texas is not among the 12 states planning to sue over the change in the census form. Thats because Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a loyal Republican in a blood-red state, would rather cost this state federal funding and congressional representation than get in Trumps Twitter cross-hairs. Paxton dismisses all concerns about the new census as hysterical claims. Scaring undocumented immigrants out of participating in the census would be the fulfillment of a goal openly carried by U.S. conservatives for decades. In 1989, the U.S. Senate passed an immigration bill including an amendment from Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby then a conservative Democrat and now a conservative Republican. Shelbys amendment instructed the Commerce Department to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census count. This proposal violated the U.S. Constitution, which states that congressional apportionment should be based on the whole number of free persons living in the country. After the abolition of slavery, the 14th Amendment altered that language to the whole number of persons in each state. Shelby wanted to deprive states such as Texas from gaining congressional seats. His plan met with hosannas from GOP titans such as Bob Dole and Alan Simpson. Dole said counting undocumented immigrants for congressional reapportionment just does not make any sense and violates the constitutional principle of one man, one vote. By that logic, it makes no sense to count children in the census, since theyre not allowed to vote. By that logic, it would have made no sense to count women before they were given the right to vote in 1920. Shelbys amendment ultimately died in a House-Senate conference committee. But the spirit of his scheme lives on in the 2020 census form. STAMFORD Journalism students at Stamford High recently attended the Columbia Scholastic Press Associations 94th annual spring convention. The students were accompanied by journalism teacher Jon Ringel and English teacher Ryan Hough. Students explored the university and the surrounding neighborhood while having discussions with and learnig from presenters and other journalism students. The three-day event featured more than 350 sessions, and included presenters ranging from professional editors to college professors and high school teachers. Presentations were based on a variety of topics from ethics to newspaper and yearbook. For some students, this was a new experience. But for others, it has become an annual trip. Lalith Goli, an SHS junior, who attended the Fall Scholastic Conference at Columbia, says this experience gave him a more holistic view of the campus, as well as the atmosphere. He said he explored the Columbia Library and the streets of Morningside Heights. I thought the campus was really amazing, especially the library, he said. It made me want to go to the school. Scott Krupa, an SHS senior, said this convention the third hes attended was inspiring. With the heart of the trip revolving around journalism and media, Krupa enjoyed learning from professionals about things that are refined to what you actually care about. The tragedies and events that have occurred in schools across America increased the relevance and importance of this years convention. Students of journalism or other media classes are given outlets to express their opinions and perspectives on issues affecting them, and the convention allows them to explore and gain more resources to help their reporting. Despite the tragic shooting, students from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School still attended the conference. Ringel, who led one of the sessions, noted the significance of this years event. Ive been a presenter there for the last four years, but this year really felt special, he said. For every applicant it accepts, K9s for Warriors picks up all costs but transportation. On its eight-acre campus, the veterans spend every moment with their assigned animals. They stay in apartments on the grounds, and theyre even encouraged to share the queen-size beds with their dogs. Practicing commands is crucial, the organization teaches, but so is bonding. Ruark and the others followed the park session with lunch at Chilis, where the four dogs snoozed under the table. She said shed turned to K9s for Warriors in part to again feel comfortable in places like restaurants. Im hoping to be able to function more, she said. Thats the kind of goal for which VA clinical psychologist Louanne Davis sees the animals potential as a complement to conventional therapies. One symptom of PTSD is hyperarousal, which can include a constant feeling of being on guard. A dog might provide a sense of calm and safety that helps veterans re-engage with the world, she said. Yet, she cautioned, we dont know the extent to which this might be good in the short run but not so good in the long run. Given the potential that a veteran might come to depend on the dog for a sense of security, my goal would be to eventually wean them off. -- The creator of films like Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception, The Prestige, Memento and The Dark Knight trilogy, Hollywood filmmaker, Christopher Nolan, is in India to promote film preservation and restoration, a cause he is absolutely passionate about. Nolan lead the discussion on Reframing the Future of Film alongside visual artiste, Tacita Dean in an event hosted by filmmaker and archivist, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, also the founder of Film Heritage Foundation yesterday. During a conversation, the master director, Christopher Nolan, shares the importance of shooting on celluloid film and passing on the knowledge to the next generation.Extremely passionate about shooting on film- physical celluloid - as opposed to digital platforms, hes one of the exceptional defenders of this form. A visionary filmmaker, who has brought futuristic cinema to the big screen, he insists hes a traditionalist as far as filmmaking is concerned. Ask him how does he reconcile with the interesting contradiction and he says, The film is on medium, so its not of the past its just a way of telling a story. So you can use it for whatever you want it for. With Dunkirk, for example, we tried to tell a story in an ambitious and a different way. We used interesting techniques, interesting structural techniques and approaches. Thats also of relevance to a traditionalist in terms of working methodology.On preserving the technical knowledge thats required to work on a film with celluloid, Nolan believes that the new generation needs to be encouraged. Its about going to the labs and making sure that the knowledge is being passed on as the projectionists and technicians get older. Whats happening in America is Alamo Drafthouse, the theatre chain that runs projection workshops every year, like Shivendra (Singh Dungarpur) has been running them here its all about passing on that knowledge while there are still people there to hand it down. Its very important this is done and in the future, there will be an audio-visual component to this. We have to start getting recorded testimonies from people, who understand this technology well and get it in book form. But at the moment its really about getting people to experience and getting them to hand these equipments.Speaking about the difference between the mediums for a moviegoer, Nolan lays the emphasis on the experience rather than the technical aspects of it. He believes in the magic that films lend to the experience of watching a movie for any moviegoer. Everyones not technically knowledgeable enough to quantify. The point is can you tell the difference between a film print and a digital print? What do you enjoy watching? And of us, who work in this profession and see different formats every day, most of the people I talk to fully understand it. You just enjoy watching a film print more. Its more emotionally involving. Its more fun to watch and a nicer thing to look at. So trying to apply rigorous technical logic to it is unnecessary, he said.The filmmaker, whose films are known to be modern-age classics, refrains from being on social media, having an email account or even using a cell phone in the digital age. Laughs Nolan, I dont need to worry about my Facebook data. No, Im not terribly interested in that kind of a life. We may live in a digital age. But we live in an analogue world. And one of the things we all love about celluloid film is its a good analogy for the way the eyes see. It has a relationship with real life. For that reason, its powerful storytelling too. I dont have a cell phone but thats not really relevant to my choice of medium. They are different questions says Nolan adding, One of the problems with digital semantically is, the word digital is meaningless at this point in our culture. What does it even mean? Its used to describe everything and everything using digital technology. My films use massive amounts of digital technology. We all use digital technology that doesnt mean anything anymore.Speaking about his criteria on choosing his stories and making them on the big screen, Nolan says, I tend to be instinctive in my choices. Its all about a story that grabs me. Reacting to Quentin Tarantinos statement where he said that hed stop making films the day hes asked not to shoot films on celluloid film, Nolan says, Its more important for me too present myself as a practical filmmaker than I think Quentin cares about. But the reality is that he told me a few years ago, and when I heard it I realised that it would be very difficult for me to muster any enthusiasm for waking up early in the morning and going to work if there werent a real film camera on the set.On his take on Indian cinema, Nolan shares, I have watched Indian cinema but not enough. But what Ive seen, Ive very much enjoyed. I intend to watch more and more. And part of the reason I wanted to come here other than my cause is I wanted to meet people in the Indian film industry and engage with the greatest film culture in the world. Im excited to learn more about it.The 47-year-old filmmaker, who arrived with his producer-wife Emma Thomas and acclaimed visual artist Tacita Dean, in Mumbai on Thursday, met with several Bollywood actors, cinematographers and producers. He is being hosted by Dungarpur, whose non-profit Film Heritage Foundation is presenting the four-day Reframing the Future of Film event in the city. A Bhagalpur court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Union minister and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat, facing arrest in a case relating to communal clashes in the district. Bhagalpur (Bihar): A Bhagalpur court on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Union minister and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat, facing arrest in a case relating to communal clashes in the district. Additional District and Sessions Judge Kumud Ranjan turned down the bail plea filed by the 38-year-old Shashwat. The court pronounced a one-line order that Shashwat's plea is rejected, his lawyer Viresh Kumar Mishra said. Shashwat had moved the court after an arrest warrant was issued against him a week earlier. "We are conducting raids in Bhagalpur and other parts of Bihar to trace Shashwat," Bhagalpur SSP Manoj Kumar said. He said Shashwat's mobile phone has been switched off. Kumar said "if required, we may initiate action against Shashwat under sections 82 and 83 of Criminal Procedure Code, relating to declaring a person as an absconder and attachment of his property". The arrest warrant was issued against Shashwat and eight others after they were named in an FIR filed at Nathnagar police station of Bhagalpur in connection with the clashes that broke out between members of two communities on 17 March. Shashwat had unsuccessfully contested 2015 Assembly polls from Bhagalpur town on a BJP ticket. He lost to Congress's Ajit Sharma. Heavy stone-pelting and even exchange of fire was witnessed during the violence in which several persons, including two policemen, were injured. The clashes had followed a skirmish between residents of Nathnagar and those participating in a procession, taken out on the new year as per the Hindu calendar. The procession was led by the Union minister's son. The locals had objected to playing of loud music during the procession. The violence was also the first in a series of minor communal riots witnessed in several districts of the state. Communal passions have have peaked in Aurangabad, Nalanda, Samastipur, Sheikhpura and Nawada districts following the Ram Navami festivities. The Opposition has criticised the Nitish Kumar government as the administration has failed to arrest Shashwat. Notes of discord have also emerged within the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine over the issue. The BJP has blamed the recent spurt in communal flare-ups on the RJD, though JD(U) leaders like KC Tyagi and Shyam Rajak have issued statements asking Shashwat to surrender. The chief minister has cautioned people against getting swayed by communal passions, especially whipped up by rumours on social media. On Monday, Shashwat had said he would not surrender as he was "not a fugitive". The young BJP leader has charged the local police with acting as per the directions of a local MLA, apparently from the Congress and lodging a "fabricated" case. The biopic is being directed by filmmaker Teja, and stars NTR's son Nandamuri Balakrishna who is also a TDP MLA In the news for its launch, is the biopic on late actor-politician NT Rama Rao (popularly known as NTR). The biopic is being directed by filmmaker Teja, and stars NTR's son Nandamuri Balakrishna who is also an MLA for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). As Firstpost reported on 29 March 2018, the film's team had gathered at Ramakrishna Studios in Hyderabad to shoot a special teaser. Its release is timed for Vijayadashmi, a few months before the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls. The biopic comes even as Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu is readying for the 2019 polls with a slogan focused on Telugu pride something his father-in-law NTR was considered an icon of. After the TDP's exit from the NDA, Naidu has launched an all-out war on the BJP-led central government for denying the state what has been enacted and promised. In fact, such federal concerns form the ideological plank of TDP since its inception. NT Rama Rao even called the centre 'a myth'. NTR had galvanised the opposition against the (ruling) Congress regime, chanelling the anger of Telugu people at the way then chief minister T Anjaiah had been treated by the Congress leader at the time, Rajeev Gandhi. Similarly, Naidu is now vehemently critical of how the allegedly authoritarian Narendra Modi dispensation has let down the people of Andhra Pradesh. With Naidu going back to the political idiom of NTR, the biopic assumes even greater significance given the closely entwined relationship between films and politics in South India. Read on Firstpost The fading legacy of NTR, Andhra Pradesh's most colourful leader The biopic itself treads tricky ground. In the latter part of NTR's life, Naidu had revolted against his father-in-law and "overthrown" him. (He portrayed his rebellion as a sacred effort to save the TDP, a narrative that was widely accepted by the electorate.) Furthering the complicated web, Nandamuri Balakrishna's daughter, Brahmani, is married to Naidu's only son Nara Lokesh, a minister in his cabinet. The consensus in political circles is that this match has only consolidated Naidu's position. In fact, Naidu previously faced down competitors from within NTR's family, who also wished to take on the mantle of the late leader's legacy: NTR's son N Hari Krishna's attempt to appropriate his father's political standing came to naught. Similarly, NTR's second wife Lakshmi Parvathi's assertion of being his political successor was also summarily rejected by the electorate in united Andhra Pradesh. The political party launched by her, in NTR's name, was rejected at the hustings and later, disappeared. Telugu superstar Junior NTRs plans to position himself as the true heir to his grandfather did not fructify (although he never attempted to do so within the political arena; his father is N Hari Krishna). Junior NTR did not campaign for the TDP in the 2014 elections, which the party won; at the time there were reports of a growing rift between Chandrababu Naidu and him. Thus, Naidu became the unquestionable leader of the party. How the Teja-directed biopic will depict the controversial aspects of NTR's life is now the subject of intense debate. Lakshmi Parvathi has threatened to move court if Naidu is portrayed as a hero in the film. Meanwhile, TDP legislator Bonda Uma has declared that Lakshmi Parvathi would indeed be the "villain" in the film. "She is a villain in real life and she will be villain in the film too. She distanced NTR from (the) people and everybody knows this," he was quoted as saying. Critics point to the time of Naidu's revolt against NTR, when even those legislators who had won on the strength of the latter's charisma, abandoned him right when he sought their support. The NTR biopic starring Balakrishna is being produced with the "blessings" of Naidu, which makes it unlikely that NTR's anguish will be adequately portrayed. Questions about whether or not this biopic will be true to history are, therefore, understandable. To show a complete picture, the NTR biopic will certainly have to chronicle the internal developments within the TDP that led to the revolt. Lakshmi Parvathi's role in NTR's life will also have to be included. Also read NTRs story is so vast, it would take six films to encompass it all, says director Teja at launch of upcoming biopic Meanwhile, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has announced his intention of making a biopic on the late leader, called Lakshmi's NTR. RGV will reportedly show Lakshmi Parvathi in a more positive light again, a difficult endeavour since Naidu attributed his rebellion against his father-in-law to NTR's relationship with Lakshmi Parvathi. NTR's family had sided with Naidu at the time. One must note here that Lakshmi Parvathi is now a leader of the YSR Congress, led by Naidu's arch rival YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Varma's film is expected to be a counter to the Teja-Nandamuri Balakrishna project. Thus, the TDP and YSR Congress are set to clash over these films too. NTR's daughter D Purandareswari a vocal opponent of Naidu was formerly a minister in the Congress government, but is now part of the BJP. With the BJP also becoming hostile towards Naidu, it may be anticipated that the party will have its own take on the film-related row. What may be sacrificed amid political compulsions, is a true and impartial assessment of NTR's life and politics, which left an indelible impact on the Telugu people. The writer is former MLC in Telangana; former editor, The Hans India; and professor Journalism, in Osmania University Shah said the public is disappointed with the state government, with one of the main issues being corruption. Stepping up his attacks against the Congress government in Karnataka, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Saturday likened Congress and corruption to fish and water, and said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has worsened things in the state. Speaking at a press conference in Mysuru as part of his two-day visit to the region, Shah said the public is disappointed with the state government, with one of the main issues being corruption. "Across Karnataka, wherever I went, people want to replace Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in the state," he said. He also expressed confidence in the BJP's victory in the upcoming Assembly election in the state. Shah claimed there is a "storm of corruption" in the state. "If the Congress comes back to power, this storm will turn into a tsunami," he predicted. He also called the Karnataka government a "corruption ATM". "In short, the Karnataka government is a corruption ATM for the Congress party," he said. In BJP-ruled states of India, Shah said, basic necessities like water and electricity reach people's homes, and accused Siddaramaiah of not ensuring state revenues reach the rural masses. "IT revenue generated in Bengaluru is not percolating to the rural masses in the state. Implementation of central schemes is the weakest in Karnataka and development indicators have been showing a downward trend," Shah said. The BJP president also touched upon the issue of farmer suicides in the state and criticised Siddaramaiah for calling it a "conspiracy". "Why would anybody give up their lives for a conspiracy? It is the most insensitive remark I've heard," he said. Shah also dismissed the JD(S) as a contender, saying it won't be able to form a government in Karnataka. "JD(S) is not in a position to form government. It cannot bring about change, as it is limited to certain pockets in the region," he said. Shah arrived in Mysuru on Friday for a two-day tour of the region. He began his tour of the old Mysuru region on Friday, covering the districts of Mysuru and Chamarajanagara, where BJP had not won even a single seat in the previous election. He will interact with silk farmers at Channapatna in Ramanagara district and visit Mandya district as well on Saturday. He will also be visiting the Sri Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple in Melukote in Mandya. On Friday, Shah claimed that Siddaramaiah and the JD(S) will get the "biggest shock of their lives" from the old Mysuru region in the upcoming polls. He said the BJP, if voted to power, would make efforts to hunt down the killers of RSS and BJP workers in Karnataka, and hand out severest of punishments to them. "I would like to tell the people of the state that Siddaramaiah's time has come to an end. Soon after the BJP forms the next government under Yeddyurappa's leadership, it will make all efforts to hunt down the killers (of RSS and BJP workers) from any corner of the world," he said. With inputs from PTI BJP leader Subramanian Swamy hit out at the government, led by his own party, over the disinvestment of Air India, saying it was potentially another scam in the making. New Delhi: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday hit out at the government, led by his own party, over the disinvestment of Air India, saying it was potentially another scam in the making. The former Union minister said he would watch the developments and file a private criminal law complaint, if he found culpability in the disinvestment process. The proposed sale of Air India is potentially another scam in the making. Selling family silver is not divestment. I am watching who is doing what and will, if I see culpability, file a private criminal law complaint, he tweeted. The government had, on 28 March, unveiled the plan to sell up to 76 percent stake in Air India and transfer the management control to private players, thus kicking off the ambitious strategic disinvestment process for the debt-laden national carrier. The move has come under criticism from the Opposition, with Trinamool Congress (TMC) attacking the Centre over the issue. "I'm sorry to read in the media about the government inviting expression of interest for selling Air India, the jewel of our nation. We strongly oppose this and want this order to be withdrawn immediately," TMC chief Mamata Banerjee had said. "This government must not be allowed to sell our country," the West Bengal chief minister had tweeted, hours after the disinvestment plan was unveiled. TMC MP Derek O'Brien had also slammed the move. He had tweeted: The proposed disinvestment of Air India is still being examined by the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Transport Tourism & Culture. Stakeholders are being called. Views heard. Report still some time away. How come these moves from Govt? https://t.co/mnUYBEMyNf Derek O'Brien (@derekobrienmp) March 28, 2018 O'Brien, who is chairing the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, has subsequently indicated through his tweets that the matter will be raised in Parliament, when the House resumes on Monday. Parliament reopens on Monday. This conversation about Air India now needs to move beyond tweets," he had tweeted. The TMC leader also re-tweeted Swamy's tweet on Saturday. Reuters A cellphone application blocked by the Colombian commerce regulator said on Thursday it has not shared Colombian users data with Cambridge Analytica, the political consultancy that has been accused of violating Facebook users privacy to influence elections in Britain and the United States. Colombia, which will hold presidential elections in May, on Wednesday blocked access to the Pig.gi app, which gives users free top-ups in exchange for receiving ads and completing surveys. The app has more than a million downloads in Colombia and Mexico combined. The regulator said the app might be connected to Cambridge Analytica, accused by a whistleblower of improperly accessing data to target U.S. and British voters in recent elections. A representative for the app told Reuters in an email on Thursday that Pig.gi did not have a relationship with the consultancy in the Andean country and that it has not shared any data gained from surveys of Colombian users with Cambridge Analytica. Pig.gi also said it had not yet been informed of the ban by the Colombian regulator. Pig.gi users have the choice to share their opinions consensually in exchange for internet connectivity coins. Their opinions are always anonymized before they are sent in accordance with Colombian and Mexican law, the app said in a statement posted on its Facebook page. The app cut ties with Cambridge Analytica in Mexico after the data scandal broke, saying it had shared results of two election polls of Mexican users with the consultancy and other partners. The commerce regulator said it would comment when its investigation had concluded. Facebook said on Wednesday it would end its partnerships with several large data brokers who help advertisers target people on the social network. The company says the information of about 50 million Facebook users wrongly ended up in the hands of Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica has denied Facebook data was used to help to build profiles on American voters and build support for Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Suppose it's April 2015. Someone asks you, "Is Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) a good stock to buy?" At the time, the big pharma company's sales and earnings were falling as a result of its "patent cliff" -- loss of patent exclusivity for multiple drugs. How would you respond? It's easy for me to answer the question, because I wrote back then that I viewed Pfizer as a solid income play but not a great growth pick. As it turned out, that response was right on the money. Over the last three years, the S&P 500's performance has beaten Pfizer's gains two to one. But Pfizer kept on paying a nice dividend throughout the period. Of course, it was also an easy prediction to get right, considering the challenges that Pfizer faced at the time. There are different dynamics for the big drugmaker in 2018 than there were in 2015, though. Is Pfizer a buy now? Positives Let's start by looking at the positives Pfizer has going for it -- and there are quite a few. Pfizer's biggest positive of the past is still a big plus: The company continues to pay out a very attractive dividend. Right now, the dividend yield stands north of 3.8%. There are many investors smiling every quarter when they get their dividend payments. Those smiles shouldn't fade anytime soon, either. Pfizer uses only a little more than half of its free cash flow to fund the dividend program. When asked in November what the company's capital allocation priorities were, Pfizer CFO Frank D'Amelio put the dividend at the top of the list. Pfizer also claims several drugs with strong momentum. Ibrance posted sales growth of 46% last year, with revenue totaling $3.1 billion. Market research firm EvaluatePharma projects that Ibrance will rank among the five best-selling cancer drugs in the world by 2022, with sales of more than $7 billion. Sales for Eliquis increased even faster than Ibrance in 2017 -- up 47% to $2.5 billion. And that's just Pfizer's share. The company splits revenue for the anticoagulant with partner Bristol-Myers Squibb. Xeljanz wasn't far behind. The arthritis drug saw sales jump 45% to $1.3 billion last year. Pfizer also has quite a few other drugs with solid sales growth that isn't quite as spectacular as that for Ibrance, Eliquis, and Xeljanz. More winners could be on the way. Pfizer thinks that over the next five years it can win approval for up to 15 new drugs or new indications for existing drugs with the potential for annual sales of at least $1 billion. By comparison, the pharma company only had five launches of blockbuster products between 2011 and 2016. It's worth noting that some of Pfizer's opportunities stem from acquisitions. The 2016 buyout of Medivation gave the company prostate cancer drug Xtandi. The acquisition of Anacor allowed Pfizer to pick up promising eczema drug Eucrisa. Pfizer is likely to make more acquisitions to fuel growth. Thanks in part to a big tax benefit last year, the company claims a cash stockpile of around $20 billion. And it could have additional money to fund acquisitions if efforts to sell its consumer healthcare business are successful. Negatives Some of the negatives of the past continue to plague Pfizer, however. The drugmaker is still dealing with the loss of exclusivity for a number of drugs. Two of the biggest challenges for Pfizer are declining sales for blockbuster drugs Enbrel, which lost patent protection in major European markets a couple of years ago, and Viagra. The company also faces headwinds for its sterile injectables business gained with the 2015 acquisition of Hospira. Product shortages caused by capacity constraints and technical issues have held back sales growth for the business unit. Pfizer's pipeline looks pretty good overall, but the company will arrive late to the party in one key area. Pfizer and Germany-based Merck KGaA's EMD Serono subsidiary are partnering on Bavencio. The PD-L1 inhibitor won approval last year for treating metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma and bladder cancer. Bavencio is being evaluated in late-stage studies targeting several other types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer. The problem is that there are already several powerful PD-1 inhibitors on the market for treating many of those same indications. And Roche has first-mover advantage over Pfizer and EMD Serono with its PD-L1 inhibitor, Tecentriq. Adding it all up Do the negatives for Pfizer outweigh the positives? I don't think so. The impact from the loss of exclusivity for key drugs should diminish over the next few years. Pfizer expects to make significant headway in 2018 with resolving product shortages plaguing its sterile injectables business. Despite facing competition, Bavencio should still be relatively successful. And Pfizer hasn't ruled out pursuing other immunotherapy opportunities. Pfizer won't generate awe-inspiring growth over the next few years. But it should be to achieve respectable growth that's well above levels from the last few years. Combined with that still-awesome dividend, I think Pfizer will be able to give investors a nice total return. Is Pfizer a buy now? I'd say it is. Finally, Johnson's presidency evokes nostalgia and, among some young Americans, renewed yearning for an era when government was seen as a potential force for good. The man and the era fused in Johnson's conviction that political action could bring useful things to all sorts of people. For several decades, Johnson's reputation suffered along with those of the institutions he embodied, the liberalism he championed and the activist government programs that defined his career. Today, in an era defined by widespread dissatisfaction with the institutions of American governance - only about 40 percent of Americans approve of the president, and more than 80 percent express disapproval of the Congress - Johnson's unusual effectiveness as a policymaker has rehabilitated his reputation. Fifty years ago, Johnson's presidency seemed a failure. Under siege from rightist critics of his liberal agenda and an antiwar left hostile to his strategy in Vietnam and disdainful of his brand of transactional politics, Johnson ended his campaign for reelection and left the White House in disgrace. A half-century later, Johnson's achievements - voting rights, the social safety net, more open immigration policy - have reemerged as the pivotal battlegrounds of American politics and, ironically, defending them has become the agenda of the left that once drove him from power. In the process, Johnson has come to take a much more honored place among former presidents. Fifty years after Johnson's withdrawal, Americans perhaps have learned what French President Charles de Gaulle once tried to explain: "This man Kennedy is America's mask. But this man Johnson, he is the country's real face." Bruce J. Schulman is Huntington professor of history at Boston University and the author of "The Seventies." He wrote this for The Washington Post. Whether you have a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weeklys Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Thrings partner Mike Westbrook advises on how the provisions of a partnership agreement and a partners will interact. Mike Westbrook Partner, Thrings Mike WestbrookPartner, Thrings Q A farming partnership deed, signed by both partners and witnessed by a third party states: Neither party shall, without the consent in writing of the other partner, assign, mortgage, or charge his share or interest in the partnership. The question is: Can the will of one partner override or overrule a partnership deed, when there was no written consent from the other partner? The partnership deed was dated in 1964; the deceased partners will in late 2003. The partner died in 2014. In his will he left his wife a lifetime interest in the farm, which is the point of the question. A The interaction of a partnership agreement and arrangements that take effect on death under a will must be considered very carefully. When a partner dies, various issues arise, including: Does the partnership continue? If a general partnership only has two partners (whether or not there is a written partnership agreement), the partnership will come to an end on the death of one of them. What specific provisions in the agreement come into effect on the death of a partner? It is typical to find an option allowing surviving partners to buy the share of a deceased partner, or more rarely, a trigger for an automatic transfer of a partners share to the remaining partners. Was the farm a partnership asset? For example, did the partnership agreement state the farm was a partnership asset and did the farm accounts reflect this? What is the exact wording of the will? See also: When a widow is not included in the will Based on the limited facts in the question, it appears there were only two partners. On the death of the first partner, the partnership governed by the 1964 agreement most likely ended and the share of the deceased partner would have passed to the deceaseds personal representatives. Assuming there were no option provisions (or if there were, these were not exercised), the assets/liabilities representing the partnership share would have passed in accordance with the will. In response to the specific query, the provision in the partnership agreement referred to in the question typically applies while a partnership is ongoing and the partners are alive. It is designed to prohibit a partner assigning, charging or otherwise disposing of their share to a third party without the other partners knowledge, so requiring their agreement. The act of making the will does not constitute an assignment or charge for the purposes of the partnership agreement because a will, although validly made when properly executed, does not come into effect until a persons death. So the making of the will in 2003 would not have required the consent of the other partner. Further, typically, provisions that prohibit assignment do not usually apply on the death of a partner, and therefore do not usually override the provisions of a will. To determine exactly what happens on death, the interaction between the partnership agreement and the will must be considered. If there is an option for surviving partners to acquire a deceased partners share, this is usually at market value at the date of death. There is then a mechanism for payment to the deceaseds personal representatives, so the deceaseds estate receives the cash value of the partnership share. If an option is not exercised, the deceaseds estate is due the assets representing the deceaseds share in the partnership. However, the partnership share is not necessarily the same thing as the farm, although, the outcome may be the same. It would be necessary to understand the partnership set up and the precise wording of the agreement and the will to give a conclusive view. Do you have a question for the panel? Outline your legal, tax, finance, insurance or farm management question in no more than 350 words and Farmers Weekly will put it to a member of the panel. Please give as much information as possible. Send your enquiry to Business Clinic, Farmers Weekly, RBI, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. You can also email your question to fwbusinessclinic@rbi.co.uk. Gathering usage data such as player progress in games is invaluable for teams. Typically, entire teams have been dedicated to building and maintaining data pipelines for collecting and storing tracking data for games. However, with many new serverless tools available, the barriers to building an analytics pipeline for collecting game data have been significantly reduced. Managed tools such as Googles PubSub, DataFlow, and BigQuery have made it possible for a small team to set up analytics pipelines that can scale to a huge volume of events, while requiring minimal operational overhead. This post describes how to build a lightweight game analytics pipeline on the Google Cloud platform (GCP) that is fully-managed (serverless) and auto scales to meet demand. I was inspired by Googles reference architecture for mobile game analytics. The goal of this post is to show that its possible for a small team to build and maintain a data pipeline that scales to large event volumes, provides a data lake for data science tasks, provides a query environment for analytics teams, and has extensibility for additional components such as an experiment framework for applications. The core piece of technology Im using to implement this data pipeline is Googles DataFlow, which is now integrated with the Apache Beam library. DataFlow tasks define a graph of operations to perform on a collection of events, which can be streaming data sources. This post presents a DataFlow task implemented in Java that streams tracking events from a PubSub topic to a data lake and to BigQuery. An introduction to DataFlow and its concepts is available in Googles documentation. While DataFlow tasks are portable, since they are now based on Apache Beam, this post focuses on how to use DataFlow in conjunction with additional managed services on GCP to build a simple, serverless, and scalable data pipeline for storing game events. My lightweight implementation of the GCP Reference Architecture for Analytics. The data pipeline that performs all of this functionality is relatively simple. The pipeline reads messages from PubSub and then transforms the events for persistence: the BigQuery portion of the pipeline converts messages to TableRow objects and streams directly to BigQuery, while the AVRO portion of the pipeline batches events into discrete windows and then saves the events to Google Storage. The graph of operations is shown in the figure below. The streaming pipeline deployed to Google Cloud Setting up the Environment The first step in building a game data pipeline is setting up the dependencies necessary to compile and deploy the project. I used the following maven dependencies to set up environments for the tracking API that sends events to the pipeline, and the data pipeline that processes events. The administrator has been notified and will resolve the problem ASAP. Global software giant Microsoft is pushing for the adoption of emerging technologies in India as the country is heading for massive digitisation. The company believes that the ownership of data should always be with the user or the organisation that owns it. Anant Maheshwari, president at Microsoft India, talks to Bibhu Ranjan Mishra how privacy and security are embedded in the companys products. Edited excerpts: You have a big focus on pushing for artificial intelligence (AI) in India. How much of it is being embraced on the ground? We have been working with agencies in ... About 60 farmers were detained and 10 were injured after the police fired tear gas shells to control the crowd in Bhavnagar's Padva on Sunday. The farmers were protesting against Gujarat Power Corporation Limited for taking away their land. Raising slogans, the local head of a farmers' group alleged that the police manhandled the protesters, including women and children, and fired tear gas shells and used baton. Addressing the media, The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bhavnagar said, "700 police personnel were deployed, 40 tear gas shells were fired. We will talk with the farmers on the issue." According to reports, The Gujarat Power Corporation Limited had acquired over 3,000 acres of land from about 1,200 farmers across 12 villages under the Ghogha taluka in Bhavnagar around 20 years ago, to set up its proposed lignite plant. However, the company had not moved to build the plant in the area. The land had remained in the possession of the farmers who were cultivating it and recently took to opposing the company's bid to take possession of the land. Children who received extra nutrition through government-run programmes from the time they were in their mothers wombs until age three were 11% more likely to acquire a graduate degree than those who received them between ages three and six, according to a new study published on January 1, 2018, in the Journal of Nutrition. These early life beneficiaries of supplements, supplied through the Integrated Child ... 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 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation left Kolkata on Sunday morning to visit the violence-hit areas of Asansol in West Bengal, ignoring the state administration's ban on entering the area. BJP President Amit Shah set up a four-member committee comprising party Vice President Om Mathur, former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain and MPs Roopa Ganguly and B.D. Ram to take stock of the situation of West Bardhaman district's Asansol-Raniganj area where a clash broke out between two communities following a Ram Navami rally. The state government has beefed up security and issued prohibitory orders in the area. Told about the order prohibiting visit to the areas, the committee said it did not know about any such ban by the state government. "We are not told about any ban on visiting the areas. Why do we need permission to go to a place within the country? We are not trying to enter another country by crossing the border," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said. A person was allegedly hacked to death while a Deputy Commissioner of Police lost a hand after getting hit by a bomb during a clash between two groups centring on a Ram Navami procession organised by Sangh affiliates in Raniganj on Monday. Several shops and houses were vandalised and set ablaze during the clashes. The police stopped local MP and BJP leader Babul Supriyo from visiting the area a few days back, saying it would add to tension in the area. A 16-day-old boy was snatched by a monkey from his home in Odisha's Cuttack district on Saturday, prompting authorities to launch a massive search operation. According to The Times of India report, the newborn was found dead on Sunday morning in a well in the backyard of the house. TOI reported that the 16-day-old baby was then sent for post-mortem in a nearby hospital. The baby was sleeping next to his mother at their home in Talabasta village when the monkey snatched him, sources in the forest department, which is involved in the rescue mission, said. The mother saw the monkey fleeing with her baby and raised an alarm. Thereafter, the villagers reported the incident to the authorities. Forest department and fire services personnel reached the village and launched a massive operation to trace the baby. A forest department official engaged in the rescue operation said, "As the child has trouble crying, we cannot hear his voice. It has, therefore, become difficult for us to trace him in the forest." He said 30 forest department personnel in three teams led by Sangram Keshari Mohanty, the ranger of the Damapada Forest Range, are combing the nearby forest along with the villagers. Several people were injured in attacks by monkeys in the area a few days ago. Locals alleged inaction on the part of the forest department despite repeated complaints in this regard. Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat was arrested in Patna on Sunday in connection with a case related to the recent communal clashes in Bhagalpur, police said. The development came barely a few hours after a court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Shashwat against whom an arrest warrant was issued on March 24. Shashwat is the son of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. "We had information that Shashwat was at the famous Hanuman temple in the vicinity of Patna junction. A police team reached the spot and arrested him and he has been sent to Bhagalpur", Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Manu Maharaj said. On his arrest, Shashwat told reporters "I have given myself up to police in deference to the court order. I have been wrongly accused of evading arrest. I was not absconding as I have not committed any crime. If raising slogans in praise of 'Bharat Mata' and 'Sri Ram' is a crime then I may be called a criminal. Shashwat has been named, besides eight others, in one of the two FIRs lodged at Nathnagar police station of following communal riots that broke out on March 17 after some people objected to playing of loud music during a procession led by him. It had been taken out allegedly without permission to celebrate the New Year as per the Hindu calendar. Several persons, including two police personnel, were injured in the clashes that witnessed heavy stone-pelting, arson and exchange of fire. The alleged delay in arrest of Shashwat had invited strong criticism from opposition parties in Bihar, especially the RJD-Congress combine, which accused the Nitish Kumar government of soft-peddling the matter while Choubey had dubbed the FIR against his son as a piece of garbage. Reacting to Shashwat's arrest, ruling JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said it was a fitting reply to the Opposition while Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said the whole episode showed the "helplessness" of Kumar before the BJP. Equating the Congress with corruption, BJP National President Amit Shah on Saturday cautioned the Karnataka voters against re-electing the ruling party on May 12 as it would result in more graft in the southern state. "If the same party (Congress) is re-elected and forms the government, then corruption will turn into a tsunami wave," Shah told the media here on the second day of his visit to the state's old Mysuru region. Claiming that the people wanted to oust the corrupt Congress from power, the party chief said the ruling party had turned the state government into an 'ATM' of corruption for itself. "The Karnataka government is nothing but the 'ATM' of corruption for the Congress," Shah said. Noting that 3,500 farmers had allegedly committed suicide across the state over the last four years due to agrarian crisis, Shah it was unfortunate Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had termed the death of so many farmers as a conspiracy. "It's a pathetic and insensitive statement by the Chief Minister," he said. Blaming the Congress for ignoring the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Shah regretted that the grand old party had prevented the Modi government from giving constitutional status to the OBCs by blocking an amendment bill in the Rajya Sabha. "Siddaramaiah says he is an OBC leader and that his government was doing a lot for the OBCs. If it were so, why did he fail to convince his party on not stalling the constitutional amendment," the BJP leader said. Appealing to the people to vote for the BJP in the ensuing assembly election, Shah said the state would development rapidly under its chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre. "If the people in the state are looking for change, it's only the BJP under Yeddyurappa's leadership is capable of providing it," claimed Shah, adding the regional party Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) would not be in a position to form the next government in the state. Vote count is on May 15 after single-phase polling on May 12. The US governments Supreme Court battle with Microsoft over whether technology companies can be forced to hand over data stored overseas could be nearing its end, after federal prosecutors asked that the case be dismissed. President Donald Trump on March 22 signed a provision into law making it clear that US judges can issue warrants for such data, while giving companies an avenue to object if the request conflicts with foreign law. This case is now moot, the US Department of Justice said, citing the newly passed legislation, in a 16-page court filing on ... At least 27 Taliban militants were killed in operations launched by the security forces in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province in the last three days, according to local officials on Sunday. They added that the operations were ongoing to eliminate the militants from Wardoj and Yamgan districts of the province, which has been under the group's control for a year. Badakhshan governor Ahmad Faisal Bigzad said in a statement that security forces had made good progress so far, according to TOLOnews. "Our security forces are advancing step by step and clearing the villages in order to prevent civilian casualties and are creating check posts in the operations," said Bigzad. The officials further said that around five villages have been cleared in Badakhshan province. "In the past two days seven key members of the enemies including a Tajikistani citizen were killed and 17 others were wounded," said Mohammad Naeem Majidi, an army commander in Badakhshan. A number of Afghan provincial council members meanwhile stressed that a number of civilians have also suffered during the clashes between the security forces and Taliban militants. "We welcome the start of the operation and it is necessary that Wardoj and Yamgan district must also be cleared of insurgents. There is no doubt there are civilian casualties in the operation but it is not clear whether the casualties are caused by the security forces or the Taliban, but you can see wounded civilians in the hospital and I hope that the security forces obey all war rules and regulations in order to decrease civilian casualties," said Abdullah Naji Nazari, a provincial council member. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seven Mexican police officers have been killed in a prison riot in Mexico on Sunday. According to media reports, The deceased officers had gone to La Toma prison situated in the mountain town of Amatlan de Los Reyes in Southern Mexico to restore the law and order in the prison and shift some of the dangerous inmates to separate cells. As per the Veracruz state government in Mexico, the inmates tried to set fire to some mattresses and the smoke would have filled the room thus suffocating the officers to death. The authorities have not yet released any details about any injured prisoners. Investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of death. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assyrians Celebrate 6768th New Year in North Iraq Hundreds of people joined the Assyrian community in Duhok in celebration of the Assyrian New Year on Sunday with live musical performances and traditional dance. Rudaw's Peshawa Pahlavi said Christians across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq travelled to Duhok for the Aketo festival, marking the 6768th Assyrian New Year. "We have a great feeling and we hope our Iraqi and Kurdish nation lives a happy life every year," said one attendee, wearing their traditional Assyrian clothing. He said his traditional clothes, which date back to more than 600 hundred years, shows the rich history of Iraq. The Aketo festival marks the rebirth of nature in the spring, securing the life and future of the people for the coming year. Traditionally a twelve-day festival, it begins on the first new moon after the spring equinox and is celebrated by Assyrians worldwide by holding festivals, parties, parades and other cultural activities. In ancient Assyria, the Medes (Kurds), Arabs and Persians would come from all over the empire to either the religious capital of Babylon or the political capital of Nineveh in modern day Iraq to participate in the celebrations. Aketo is one of the oldest and most important recorded religious festivals in the world. Posted 4/1/18 The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri thank the thousands of Missouri deer hunters who donated 289,292 pounds of venison to the states Share the Madhya Pradesh's Special Task Force (STF) on Sunday detained two agents and 48 aspirants for their alleged role in leaking a Food Corporation of India (FCI) examination paper. The 50 people were taken into the custody for questioning. In addition, handwritten question papers and answer sheets were seized from them. This comes days after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class X Mathematics and Class XII Economics question paper leaks led to widespread protests. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One militant was killed and one arrested alive in an encounter, which took place between the police and the terrorists in Dialgam area of Anantnag. The encounter began in the early hours of Sunday and ended with one militant being eliminated and a newly-recruited militant arrested. Meanwhile, another encounter is currently underway in Kachdoora area of Shopian. Further details are awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid an increasing number of cyber attacks in the recent past, the ASSOCHAM suggested the constitution of a computer emergency response team (CERT) to cater specifically to the process outsourcing (BPO) sector. The chamber noted that although the government and BPO industry are taking a variety of initiatives in the cyber security domain, there lies a need to constitute a separate organisation to minimise cyber attacks in the BPO landscape. Furthermore, the ASSOCHAM said the government should mandate BPO sector-specific policies and procedures to address the security requirements. It can engage industry bodies, academia and law enforcement agencies to develop and define standards, mechanisms, and guidelines which are in sync with requirements of the BPO sector, it recommended. "There is a need to promote cybersecurity as a social responsibility in BPO organisations, and promote cybersecurity on a war footing with collaboration between the government, industry, and academia, over and above all the work that is already being done," said ASSOCHAM secretary general D.S. Rawat. Rawat further highlighted the presence of a lax implementation of security measures to keep a check on cyber frauds but the same should not be seen as an industry-wide problem. He also suggested that the expenses incurred on training, conferences, awareness programmes and other cybersecurity initiatives for residents should be included within these organisations' corporate social responsibility (CSR) budgets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Sunday announced to observe a shutdown across Tamil Nadu on April 5 to press for their demand of formation of a Cauvery Management Board (CMB). The DMK has even sought support from the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). "DMK announces shutdown across the state on 5 April, we seek support from ruling AIADMK. We will show black flags to the Prime Minister and Union Minister when they visit. Will also take out Cauvery rights retrieval walk from the delta area", said DMK working president MK Stalin after attending all-party meeting. Meanwhile, the AIADMK has announced to hold a hunger strike across the state on April 3 to urge the central government to form CMB. The six-week time frame directed by the Supreme Court to set up a CMB had ended on March 26, after which the state government stated that they would re-approach the apex court. The Supreme Court had on February 16 pronounced its verdict on the vexed dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The apex court directed Karnataka to release 177.25 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water to Tamil Nadu. This reduced Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery water by 14.75 tmcft from the 192 tmcft allocated by a tribunal in 2007. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin was detained on Sunday amid a protest against the Centre over the constitution of a Cauvery Management Board (CMB). Earlier in the day, DMK announced to observe a shutdown across Tamil Nadu on April 5 to press for their demand of formation of the CMB. The DMK even sought support from the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) for the protest. The six-week time frame directed by the Supreme Court to set up the CMB ended on March 26, after which the state government stated that they would re-approach the apex court. The Supreme Court had on February 16 pronounced its verdict on the vexed dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The apex court directed Karnataka to release 177.25 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water to Tamil Nadu. This reduced Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery water by 14.75 tmcft from the 192 tmcft allocated by a tribunal in 2007. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Carrying things could sound like an ordinary work, but is actually a very important part of any production and distribution process in all industries. "Daifuku" company is a leading provider of material handling systems. It develops, manufactures and provides a full range of automation and logistics solutions and services to match any needs. Daifuku's Shiga office in the center of Japan is the company's biggest and main factory in the world. This huge facility includes an exhibition hall under the name "Hini Arata Kan". It is a full-scale demo center where visitors can experience material handling systems and equipment firsthand. "Daifuku has been developing "Storage and Control Systems" and "3D automatic running systems" since 1966. The Storage and Control Systems handles the commodity that is necessary to the production process, while the 3d automatic running systems transport items to a large distribution center. Compatibility with the latest models is important and we can ensure that with the high function as we have been manufacturing these machines for more than 50 years," said Koichi Takamitsu of Daifuku. "VR Lab" is where visitors can try using VR (virtual reality) to see how the products are actually transported and installed. VR provides a 360-degree view of the automatic running, unmanned transportation car, and the installation process. This "Storage and Control system" can carry things very fast. Its speed could reach about 500km/h. This is the "clean-room FA systems". During the process of manufacturing semiconductors, there is a huge need for a clean environment. The system consists of a wireless charging device and a roller with no friction in order to prevent unnecessary things from coming out in the air due to friction from the parts of the equipment. During the visit, the exhibition staff guide visitors with a detailed description of the products in multiple languages such as English, Chinese, and Korean. "In recent years, the number of visitors from overseas has been increasing, and we make it possible for them to understand the process thoroughly, we received visitors from over 90 countries. We would like to focus on "Omotenashi" of Japan (the spirit of hospitality), and we hope visitors will look at the original products of Daifuku and use them," added Takamitsu. Making the ordinary work "carrying things" more sophisticated contributes hugely to various industries around the world. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Cambridge Analytica scandal has prompted calls for India to adopt more robust data protection laws for its citizens. Leading community social media platform, LocalCircles, conducted a survey to check citizen perception on data privacy in India. According to the study that received more than 19,000 votes, even the definition of what is private information is hazy in the Indian law. Globally, privacy laws deal with the regulations, storage and use of personal information of individuals. In the first poll, 89 percent citizens voted in favour of India having a law that prevents any individual, public or private organisation from accessing and sharing certain predefined data attributes, without a written authorisation from them. Only nine percent voted against it. The government had appointed the BN Srikrishna Committee for framing data protection rules. It is expected that data security and privacy is likely to be an important aspect of the upcoming National Telecom Policy 2018. Citizens on LocalCircles also weighed in to identify what should be considered as private information and identified 18 information parameters. These parameters include the iris/retina scan, fingerprint scan, DNA, PAN card information, Aadhaar details, Passport details, Date of birth (DOB), bank account details, credit ratings, salary/compensation, performance at work, Voter ID card details, medical records, mobile phone details, residential address, family details, Debit/Credit card details, and Income Tax paid details. 59 percent people said that all these 18 attributes should be covered under the privacy law. 10 percent said that only the iris/retina scan, fingerprints and DNA should be considered private information. Meanwhile, 14 percent said it should include these three plus the Aadhaar, PAN, Passport, Voter ID and DoB details. Further, 17 percent said it should include the above eight parameters and bank details, debit/credit card details, income tax details and medical records. 250 million Indians are a part of the social media giant, Facebook. Earlier last week, Minister of Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad sent out a word of warning to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, over the allegations of the data breach. "Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, you better know the observation of IT Minister of India. If any data theft of Indians is done with the collusion of Facebook systems, it will not be tolerated. We have got stringent powers in the IT Act including summoning you in India," Prasad had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US media company Fox News host Laura Ingraham has announced that she was taking a week off, amidst backlash over mockery of a teenage survivor of the Florida school shooting David Hogg. The week-long absence was pre-planned, CNN reported, citing Fox News spokesperson, as saying. Ingraham made the announcement while signing off her show 'the Ingraham Angle'. "A blessed Good Friday and Passover to all of you. I'll be off next week for Easter break with my kids," the anchor said. Ironically, the "pre-planned" vacation coincided with growing controversy over her social media post, wherein she derided David Hogg, for "whin[ing]" about being rejected from several colleges. Hogg, one of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students, organised the March For Our Lives. "David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA...totally predictable given acceptance rates.)," Ingraham tweeted, along with a link to a story on the right-wing news site Daily Wire that said Hogg was rejected by four colleges. The tweet prompted at least several advertisers to drop her show. According to the reports, 14 companies - including the Rachael Ray-partnered dog food brand Nutrish, the travel site TripAdvisor, Office Depot and the streaming service Hulu - have said they will no longer advertise on Ingraham's show. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) giant on Sunday announced that it is shutting down its URL shortening service, goo.gl. According to The Verge, new and anonymous users won't be able to create links through the goo.gl console after April 13, but existing users will be able to use the service for another year, after which it will be discontinued completely. "We launched the URL Shortener back in 2009 as a way to help people more easily share links and measure traffic online. Since then, many popular URL shortening services have emerged and the ways people find content on the Internet have also changed dramatically, from primarily desktop webpages to apps, mobile devices, home assistants, and more. To refocus our efforts, we're turning down support for goo.gl over the coming weeks and replacing it with Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL)," said on its blog. FDLs are smart URLs that allow one to send existing and potential users to any location within an iOS, Android or web app. "Starting May 30, 2018, only projects that have accessed URL Shortener Application Program Interfaces (APIs) before today can create short links," the statement from Google said in a note for developers. Firebase software engineer Michael Hermanto told The Verge that since 2009, the ways in which people share information on the web has changed, while additional URL shorteners have grown in popularity. He noted that Google is refocusing its efforts by replacing it with Firebase Dynamic Links, which allow users to specific locations in iOS, Android or web apps. Existing users will be able to create shortened URLs and export data from the goo.gl console through March 30, 2019. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Army's ocean sailing expedition from Mumbai to Minicoy, the southernmost part of Lakshadweep Islands, is now in its return leg. Lieutenant Colonel Karunakaran and other sailors had cast off from Kochi on March 31 and are expected to reach Mumbai by April 9 for flagging in. The expedition was planned by Lieutenant General Micheal Mathew VSM & BAR, Commandant College of Military Engineering, Pune to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the College of Military Engineering. The expedition has already covered a distance of approximately 1300 Nautical Miles out of 1800 Nautical Miles successfully on four Seabird Class Sailboats which are open and rudimentary in nature (about 21 feet in length and 7 feet wide). These are 18th-century Scottish design boats meant for harbour sailing and have minimal inboard stocking capacity with no toilets or modern amenities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The pro-Khalistan secessionists based in the United Kingdom and other foreign countries demanding an independent Sikh state are working on the behest of Pakistan, allege experts in India. They call it a desperate attempt by Islamabad to hamper peace and harmony in the country, where the country's constitution gives equal rights to its people. Professor Parikshat Manhas of Jammu University said, "We cannot give a special status to one religion or one place, within one region of our country and denying that to all other religions. Our constitution allows us to respect each religion in an equal manner". He added, "We are not in a position where we can say that one religion has a special status and others don't have and that is totally a laughable thing, if some radicals are thinking of providing that status, I think that is not appropriate". According to the experts, a group of radical Sikhs based in the UK, who are working as stooges of Pakistan-based militants, including Wadhwa Singh of Babbar Khalsa International are demanding to have a sole objective to conduct acts of terror against the Indian state. Manhas said, "Pakistan's agenda is to have, to build-up, to propagate, to fuel anti-India sentiment around the world and also within our country, that is in India also, an international organisation also wherever they get space or time, they try to fuel anti-India policies to build anti-India sentiment". "Similarly they use European countries also as their launching pads. They see to it as any disgruntled element or any disgruntled citizen of the country, they will try to influence them and try building anti-India sentiment and now also a lot of NRIs, especially one of them who was UK based, has been arrested and he was actually being funded and supported through various Pakistani agencies only", added Manhas. Recently, a group of pro-Khalistan Sikhs issued a diktat to ban entry of Indian officials in gurudwaras in the UK and Canada. However, the move was widely condemned by the Sikh diaspora. Punjabi media channels in the UK and Canada have repeatedly condemned it on various debates and discussion platforms, calling it a part of a bigger and nefarious plot created and shaped in the territory of Pakistan. Gurmeet Singh Babloo, Chairman of Bhagat Singh Youth Front said, "It is saddening to know that people are doing such things that are against the principles and values of gurdwaras. It is a place where people, cutting across all religious lines, come together and sits under one roof to eat community meal (Langar). When everybody can eat together then how can you say that one cannot enter especially Indian diplomats? Only a few people talk like this and it is very disappointing". A group of British Sikhs along with Kashmiri separatists recently held a meeting to conduct an anti-India campaign during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK later this month. They have been planning to hold anti-India protests outside the venue of Commonwealth Summit on April 18. The heads of 53 Commonwealth nations, including Prime Minister Modi, will attend the summit from April 16-20 in London and Windsor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The family of a 30-year-old Hyderabadi who died in a road accident in Dubai has urged the government to support them in the transportation of body from Sharjah to India. Mohammed Aziz who went to Sharjah on a visit died in a road accident on March 22. Speaking to ANI, Khaja Bee, mother of the deceased, said, "My son left for Sharjah, Dubai on 12th March to visit one of our relatives. Later on 22nd March, he died in a road accident." "However, we got to know that my son has expired in road accident on 30 March. Our relative from Dubai confirmed us Aziz's death over phone," she added. The family has said to have requested Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Sushma Swaraj and the Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates to felicitate transportation of Aziz's body so that family can perform last rites. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Homegrown gaming experience hub, Mystery Rooms, announced the company's plans to invest Rs. 30 million in 2018 towards opening of over 25 new stores, and hiring approximately 100 employees. Mystery Rooms is already available in 15 cities and within the next quarter, will be launched in Noida, Mumbai and Lucknow. "Adventure gaming is on the verge of becoming a national phenomenon and at Mystery Rooms, we take pride in bringing the concept of real-life escape games to the country and spread it over 15 national cities," said Sapna Bhutani, CEO and co-founder, Mystery Rooms. "By 2019, Mystery Rooms aims to have presence across 25 cities, and we will be investing Rs 30 million towards expansion," Sapna added. Mystery Rooms offers six interesting games including The Hurt Locker: A bomb defuse challenge, Lock Out: A prison break challenge, Abduction: A final hour and Cabin in the wood, among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The nation is draped in festive fervor on account of the Christian festival of Easter on Sunday. As the clock struck midnight, devotees, who had gathered in churches across India, celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ, three days after his crucifixion, according to Christian mythology. Carols and hymns were sung in praise of the lord, along with a musical depiction of the life and re-birth of the Christian god. Also known as Resurrection Sunday, Easter is celebrated on account of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by the Romans. It marks the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. On this day, Christians around the world gather for Midnight Mass. The day is usually spent in the presence of one's family and friends. A traditional feast is prepared containing several meat delicacies, marking the end of the 40-day fasting period. Another well-known tradition in the West is the gifting of Easter eggs, which symbolise fertility and new birth according to ancient scriptures. On Easter, many individuals take part in an Easter egg hunt comprising of eggs filled with chocolate or candy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Malaysia's newly drafted anti-fake news law, which is proposed to clamp down on fake news, has fuelled concerns among the people on fears of media censorship. With the general elections scheduled to be held in August and a massive financial scandal, plaguing Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, most mediapersons have questioned the government intent in introducing the anti-fake news bill that was taken up in the country's parliament earlier this week. The proposed Anti-Fake News Bill 2018 will give the government sweeping and authoritative powers to penalise those who are found guilty of creating or spreading fake news, along with a jail term of up to six years and fines as high as USD 130,000, according to CNN. The bill is expected to be passed without any hiccups as Najib's ruling party and its coalition hold a majority in the 222-seat Malaysian parliament. According to the anti-fake news law, the bill defines fake news as "news, information, data, and reports which is or are wholly or partly false, and an offender as somebody who by any means "knowingly creates, offers, publishes, prints, distributes, circulates or disseminates any fake news or publication containing fake news." The new law targets international media which means that if the offender, when caught, need not be either a Malaysian national or in Malaysia, as long as the fake news concerns about Malaysia or any Malaysian citizen, thus giving the Najib government an "extra-territorial reach." Many lawmakers have criticised the anti-fake news bill saying that the law is being used by the Malaysian government to clamp down on dissent ahead of the general elections. Zaid Ibrahim, a former minister in charge of Malaysian legal affairs, criticised the necessity of the bill. "This law is necessary for Najib, but not the country. He needs this to put fear in people, that they can go to jail if they criticize him," he told CNN. The Malaysian Prime Minister's brother, Nazir Razak, who is the chairman of the CIMB banking group, has also slammed the proposed anti-fake news law and took to social media to call for its deferment. Also, the Malaysian Bar Council has also urged the bill to be withdrawn, with its president George Varughese saying the organisation is "deeply troubled" by the proposed law, and calling it "legislative overkill." Varughese asserted that while the anti-fake news bill criminalises fake news, it not clearly defined, adding it could be used to suppress freedom of expression in Malaysia. He also added that the proposed law does not deal with a situation if the Malaysian government publishes fake news. "The wording of the provisions is sufficiently wide for an action to be brought challenging 'correct' or 'incorrect' views on, for example, economy, history, politics, science and religion," he said in a statement. "Malaysia already has a plethora of laws that can be used to control media and individual freedoms. There is no need for this law. All that this act is intended to cover is already in other legislation. These include the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the Internal Security Act 1960, the Sedition Act 1948 and the Official Secrets Act 1972," Varughese explained. According to him, the current laws allow the Malaysian government to arrest and detain individuals without trial, classify government documents, shut down publishers and punish fake news with criminal charges. However, Malaysian law minister Azalina Othman said in February that the government is prioritising the bill because "fake news threatens national security." He also rejected claims that the proposed law would be a tool used by the authorities to crack down on dissent, saying "it would protect all parties, government and opposition alike." For the unversed, the Najib government has clamped down on those who have "violated the country's media freedom" with criminal and civil suits. Popular Malaysian artist Fahmi Reza was jailed and fined earlier this year for portraying the Malaysian Prime Minister as an evil clown, while political cartoonist Zulkiflee S.M. Anwarul Haque, known popularly as Zunar, has been slapped with sedition charges, travel restrictions and a ban on nine of his comic books. According to Steven Gan, the editor-in-chief of a prominent online news site, Malaysiakini, he has criticised Malaysia's anti-fake news law as "draconian". He alleged that the Najib government is using the law to defend itself in the upcoming elections. In its 18 years of existence, the news site has been earlier taken to court, threatened with shutdown and raided by police several times. The term "fake news" has gained popularity in South-East Asia after it was coined and popularised by US President Donald Trump in 2016. Malaysia's neighbour, Singapore is also planning a new legislation to tackle online fake news and has set up a parliamentary select committee to discuss on the issue. The committee has also called on representatives of major technological companies including Google, Twitter, and Facebook to provide statements. Also, many countries in the South-East Asian region are also in the fore for "suppressing" fake news in recent times. Myanmarese officials have used sweeping powers to prevent international coverage of the Rohingya crisis. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has slammed Rappler, an online news publisher for spreading fake news. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has also used the term "fake news" for slamming the country's media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Members of Sikh community and Kashmiri separatists in the UK are gearing up to launch an anti-India campaign backed by Pakistani-origin British MP Lord Nazir Ahmed. Heads of 53 Commonwealth nations, including Prime Minister Modi are due to arrive for the "Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting" from 16 to 20 this month. The Sikh Federation UK recently announced that it will join a protest demonstration with other UK-based groups against Prime Minister Modi outside one of the venues of the 'Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting'. The release of British national Jagtar Singh Johal, arrested in Punjab for targeted killings, would be a major demand issue in the protest. Further, Kashmiri separatists have hired several open roof tourist buses with signage of "Free Kashmir" and "Modi not welcome". Women and children are planned to be specially brought in to board these sightseeing buses which will pass through important places including the Parliament, White hall, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly and Buckingham palace. The organizers have disclosed that journey cost of these buses will be paid by Pakistani-origin British MP Lord Nazir Ahmed. A London-based Pakistani, Javid Iqbal, wrote on Facebook, "The 3 days ride of buses are completely free of charge and paid by his honourable lord Nazir Ahmed. The skies above London will be filled with flying balloons for Kashmir to be seen from across London and streets by convoy of the buses and vans. Good opportunity to get children involvement in a friendly protest manner to high light Kashmir issue to international community by releasing balloons from buses tops in London city. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Madhav on Friday told Tibetans living in exile that they are not refugees and India is their land. Addressing the event to mark the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's arrival in India, Madhav said, "India has always played an affectionate and endearing host to all those who chose its lands as a temporary home and spiritual abode. Jews came, Parsees came and many others too landed in India seeking refuge. India has welcomed them with open arms and with an open heart." He added: "Refugees end up not only as stateless people but even identity-less. They are forced to lead miserable lives. But that has not been the case with the Tibetan refugees, thanks to the care taken by Holiness and his administration right from the beginning. Friends we don't want to use the word refugee (for you). This is your land. At the most, you are in exile and Tibet is waiting for you." The BJP leader said, "His Holiness says that the blood of Tibetan exiles in India is made of the rice and dal and roti that they ate all these years. Thus this land belongs as much to you as is it to us." Madhav termed The Dalai Lama as personification of truth, love and peace. "Holiness is a personification of truth, love and peace. On this 60th annual day of exile, we wish our Tibetan brothers and sisters happiness and peace, and success in all their endeavours through peace, democracy, dialogue and accommodation," he concluded. Union MoS Culture Mahesh Sharma, Members of Parliament Shanta Kumar and Satyavrat Chaturvedi were also present at the 'Thank You India' event along with functionalities of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). The event was organized by the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala marking the beginning of the 60th year of his exile in India on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The governor of Siberia's Kemerovo Region, Aman Tuleyev on Sunday tendered his resignation, days after a blaze in the city's Zimnyaya Vishnya (Winter Cherry) shopping mall claimed 64 lives. "Kemerovo Region Governor Aman Tuleyev requested Russian President Vladimir Putin to dismiss him at his own request," the regional administration's press service said in a statement, citing TASS. Tuleyev said that his decision to resign was "a correct decision" taken under the present circumstances. "It is impossible to remain at the governor's position with such a heavy weight on the shoulders. This would be morally wrong," he said. Tuleyev, 73, served as Kemerovo governor since 1997. There were earlier rumours that the 73-year-old governor was to resign owing to his poor health. On Tuesday, a large number of people gathered in front of the Kemerovo municipal building, protesting against the negligent behaviour of the authorities leading to an outbreak of fire at Zimnyaya Vishnya mall. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the hospital morgue on the same day, where the deceased had been kept for post-mortem. He held an unplanned meeting with the members of a civic action group at Kemerovo, assuring them of severe punishment to those responsible for the massive fire hazard. About 4,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the mall and raised doubts over the official figures of those who died, alleging that the number was much higher than 64 and demanded the resignation of Kemerovo Mayor Ilya Seredyuk and Tuleyev. On March 25, the massive fire at the shopping mall started on the fourth floor of the mall and consumed an area of about 1,600 square meters. As per local officials, a child may have lit a foam ball in the children's play area, which might have caused the outbreak of the fire and trapped the children within a theatre hall situated in the mall. Reportedly, the fire alarms did not go off while all the emergency exit doors were locked. The Russian investigative committee informed that the alarms were out of service since March 19 and no manual alarms were kept in place of the automatic alarms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korea and the United States on Sunday began their joint military drills as scheduled, according to defence officials, amid a reconciliatory mood on the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks. As per Yonhap news agency, over 11,500 service members, including those from outside South Korea are planning to participate, along with at least 300,000 South Korean troops in the four-week 'Foal Eagle' training. The military drills generally begin either in late February or early March for around two months. However, due to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games held last month and earlier this month, it had to be postponed this time. The duration of Foal Eagle training has been truncated to a month, which no major US strategic assets such as nuclear submarines and supercarriers to show up. The defence authorities of both countries have underscored that there is no major change in the number of participating soldiers, programme and the 'intensity' of the military exercise. Both South Korean and American Marines are conducting a massive Ssangyong (double dragon) amphibious landing drill in the Korean Peninsula up till April 8. The landing drill involves the USS Wasp, the US Navy's 40,500-ton multipurpose amphibious assault ship, carrying F-35B stealth fighter aircraft and the USS Bonhomme Richard, which is another vessel of the same class. These ships are also known as "quasi-aircraft carriers." Further, on April 23, the joint forces will also commence a two-week Key Resolve command post-war game, where over 12,000 US troops will be mobilised. Earlier, North Korea had called on to the US and South Korea to suspend their frequent military deals for the sake of initiating a dialogue between the two Korean countries. Pyongyang added that such bilateral military drills could be a 'source of catastrophe' for the Korean Peninsula. However, the United Nations Command of the US has informed the North Korean military about the schedule of the drills while saying that it was a part of 'regular training' and not 'defensive' in nature. The drills are expected to wrap up ahead of the third inter-Korean Summit scheduled to be held on April 27, in the border village of Panmunjom, located along the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which acts as the de facto border between the two Koreas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pralhad Joshi, who has been booked for making a communal remark in a speech, on Sunday defended himself saying Sadarsofa's conditions are similar to Pakistan and that is why he said so. "I have received some complaints in this area, on the basis of that I had made the statement. I have full faith in the judiciary and will fight it out," Joshi told ANI. The BJP MP had earlier allegedly compared Sadarsofa area of Hubbali in Karnataka to Pakistan, during his speech in the district. Following it, an FIR has been registered against him under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between religious groups) and 298 (uttering, words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Exodus 12 describes the selection of the Passover Lamb, the requirements for the Passover Lamb, how to eat the Passover Lamb, and the symbolism of the blood of the Passover Lamb. The New Testament tells us that the sinless Christ is our unblemished Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. The word blood is found twenty-seven times in the book of Exodus. Nineteen of those refer to the blood of the sacrificial lamb, six of which are in chapter 12. Exodus 12 describes the symbolism of the blood of the sacrificial lamb and the New Testament certifies that it is a picture of Christs sacrificial blood to be shed at the right time. (1 Peter 1:2, Hebrews 9:13-14, Romans 5:8) Hebrews 10:29 adds a word of warning to the picture, How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (NASU) Exodus 12:7, 22 paint the picture, They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. (NASU) It seems to me that the double mention of the basin which serves as the container for the sacrificial blood is an indication of the unlimited supply, which will never run dry. The New Testament tells us that Christs sacrificial blood is sufficient to cover the sins of the whole world, i.e. every person. (John 3:16-17, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13, 1 Timothy 2:4, 1 John 2:2, 1 Timothy 4:10) The fact that the sacrificial covering blood must come from the basin is testimony that there is only one way to being made right with God. Christ is the only way. The teaching that all rivers lead to the same ocean is simply not true. Any attempt to cover over your sin except with the blood of Christ is an insult to God and doomed to fail. Verse 7 and verse 22 speak of applying the blood. The blood is of no use unless it is taken out of the basin and applied to your life. None of us wants to dirty our own house. Blood is very difficult to remove. It would take a lot of faith for me to be willing to take a hyssop branch and use it to smear blood on my front door. Christs sacrificial blood is sufficient to cover every sin of every person who has ever lived or will live. There is a ready supply but it must be applied by faith, otherwise I am still lost in my sins. These two verses give clear instruction about where the blood is to be applied. It is to be applied in such a way that the rest of the world can see it. Nowhere does the Bible speak of closet Christians. The Bible always speaks of public faith in Christ. Jesus said that if we deny Him in front of men, He will deny us in front of the Father. Romans tells us that confession with our mouth results in salvation. Revelation says that the mark of the Beast can be on the forehead or hand but the sealing of the Christian is on the forehead. The blood of Christ cannot be applied in secret. Secret faith is no faith at all. Scores of mourners, including Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, on Saturday lined the streets of the British city of Cambridge for the funeral of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. Eddie Redmayne, who gave an address at the service, played Professor Hawking in the 2014 film 'The Theory of Everything' and had won the Best Actor Academy Award for the same. Felicity Jones played his wife, Jane Hawking. A host of famous faces showed up at Hawking's funeral, who died peacefully at his home on 14 March, at the age of 76. Hawking's ashes will be interred at Westminster Abbey later in the year, among some of the greatest scientists in history, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, reported Al Jazeera. Hawkings work ranged from the origins of the universe itself, through time travel and probing black holes in space. He achieved international renown after the publication of "A Brief History of Time" in 1988. The scientist was mourned by his children Robert, Lucy and Timothy, and they were joined at the funeral by guests including playwright Alan Bennett, businessman Elon Musk and model Lily Cole, according to the reports. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commander of the Army's Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lieutenant General AK Bhatt on Sunday said two terrorists responsible for killing Indian Army Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz when he was visiting his family on a holiday had been eliminated in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district. Addressing a joint press briefing with Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S.P. Vaid, Bhatt said, "Out of the seven terrorists killed, two terrorists were involved in the killing of Indian Army Lt Ummer Fayaz." "Among the militants killed are Ishfaq Malik and Rayees Thokar. They were responsible for his death," Bhatt added. He further appealed the youth not to get lured by weapons and added, "Anybody who uses weapons will be dealt with in the same manner we dealt with the terrorists today." Speaking to ANI, Bhatt also praised the security forces on the ground for their work. "Excellent synergy has developed between the police, the Army, the CRFP and the troops on the ground. We had been looking for the terrorists who killed Lt Ummer Fayaz, today we neutralised them. All terrorists killed today were locals," he said. On May 11, a bullet-riddled body of Lieutenant Fayaz was found in Shopian district of south Kashmir hours after he was abducted by militants from a wedding procession. Lieutenant Fayaz, was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifles and had applied for leave to attend a cousin's wedding in Shopian. The autopsy report showed marks on his body, indicating that the officer had resisted the suspected militants who had abducted him. He was fired at from a close range, and the bullets had hit his head and stomach or chest region. Locals said two masked men entered the house at 8 p.m. The men asked Lt Fayaz, who was unarmed, to accompany them, and warned the family not to inform the police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Shesh Paul Vaid on Sunday said all the seven terrorists killed in an encounter with the security forces in Shopian's Dragad were locals. Addressing a press briefing, Vaid said, "All seven terrorists killed in Shopian's Dragad have been identified as locals and their bodies have been claimed by their kin." The DGP said that a huge cache of weapons were also recovered from the killed terrorists. He further said, "Two army jawans lost their lives in an encounter in Shopian. We caught one terrorist alive and one was killed, in Anantnag. Two army jawans lost their lives in the ongoing operation. Few J-K police, the CRPF, and the Army personnel have suffered injuries." Talking about the terrorist who was killed, Vaid revealed that Anantnag's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) made efforts to convince him to shun violence, but to no avail. "Anantnag SSP made a special effort. He spoke to his family members to convince him to leave the path of violence, but the terrorist did not listen," he said. Two separate encounters took place Sunday morning, one in Dragad and another in Kachdoora villages. Two civilians in total lost their lives, while 25 others sustained injuries. Talking about the encounters in Jammu and Kashmir, Vaid told media, "Encounters at two places (Anantnag and Dragad) have concluded. The encounter is underway at Kachdoora. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Walong (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], Mar 31 (ANI): Welcome to India's eastern-most administrative circle, Kibithu, nestled in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. ANI visited the area to take stock of the situation - specifically, the state of infrastructure on the Chinese side. While standing close to the old bunkers and looking towards the Chinese side, the expansive building with red roof stands prominent. It is one of the many smaller buildings perched on the plains called 'Tatu'. Standing on the western bank of Ngi Chu River, Tatu is a complex with well laid-out structures and roads. After understanding the issues from an officer in uniform, one realises that in recent times, the entire West Bank of Ngi Chu has been spruced up with the Tatu plains' left half being a military infrastructure and the right half being the two separate blocks of houses laid in a planned manner for people to live. The two blocks, as told, are villages with the block having 70 houses with blue roofs named Sama village and the other block of 20 houses with blue roofs on the edge, towards China, named as Sapchu. Ngi Chu is the river as named in China. She becomes Lohit after it crosses the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The planning behind this whole military complex is visible as it has training areas for soldiers and barracks for them and more people to live. New Tatu Camp (the huge land is called Tatu plains) came into being after the Old Tatu Camp (OTC) was washed away during flash floods. The three blocks of OTC still stand prominently with one of them missing its roof. The well made three-storey building, with cream-coloured walls, is the New Tatu Camp (NTC) of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) right opposite India's Kibithu area of the Eastern Arunachal Pradesh. Keeping the NTC in centre, it is flanked on both sides with two plain areas. The one on the left, having white targets neatly lined up, is the Small Arms Firing Range and on the right flank is the plain ground that has a massive base of concrete at the centre. This big block, due to its sheer size, emanates thought of it coming up as the Helipad. The NTC contains the main administrative building housing the offices and abodes of about 60 to 70 PLA soldiers. Sepoy Pushp Singh posted at Kibithu since two years tells, "The Chinese soldiers train there but mostly they are not seen". There is Small Arms Range on the left of the NTC, a physical training area with ropes and obstacles laid below the range and the possible Helipad on the other side. Also jutting out from the ground are the two structures, which attract attention. On preening through binoculars, it becomes clear that Grey Tower made of iron planks with white antennae on the four sides at the top is a clear evidence of the way telecommunications have been a prominent part of the Chinese plan for this complex of Tatu, which is normally put together with the Rima Military complex. Rima is placed on the eastern side of Ngi Chu, which beyond Dichu Pass is named Lohit River. The other circular and green-coloured two-storey building is the Observation Post of the Military Establishment. This joint layout of the huge military buildup is called as the Rima-Tatu Military complex. Communication, whether road or telephone and mobile, has been a big problem for both civil and military. Whereas strong signals of the Chinese mobile network are available even many kilometres inside the LAC. Once you leave Walong towards Kibithu, the Chinese network coverage spills over into Indian side, changes between Indian and Chinese network sporadically. Everyone at Walong warned us not to select the Chinese network as it leads to complications. To understand the LAC, here it comes down to Dichu, which is the only perennial pass in this area from the left hill complex. It picks gradual height from here, rises to the right side and goes up to the Trijunction, where the boundaries of Myanmar meet with that of China and India. Don't look for pillars or wires to separate borders here. The armies, on both the sides, guard their respective areas on the basis of what they perceive is their land. Speaking to ANI, Subedar Netar Singh says, "We are mandated to maintain the sanctity of LAC and for it, we are always prepared." The spirit of Indian soldiers overpowers the vagaries of weather and terrain. The motivated soldiers and their spirited conduct in this area will invariably draw attention towards them. The focus on the Indian side of the infrastructure and communication network needs a focused and determined work. The sooner this is put into practice, the better it will be. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday held a meeting here in connection with the implementation of seventh pay commission in the state. The two met with the three-member expert committee constituted for this purpose. Speaking to media after the meeting, Sarma asserted that the latest pay commission will be implemented as early as possible. "Tripura CM is working hard on the issue of implementing seventh pay commission for the government employees. The idea is to clear it as early as possible," Sarma said. The implementation of the latest pay commission within three months of the formation of the government was one of the poll promises made by the Bharatiya Janata Party during the electioneering in Tripura. Currently, the salary of the government employee is as per the fourth pay commission. Under this, if the salary is Rs 20,000, it would increase to Rs 35,000 if the latest pay commission gets implemented in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three soldiers and 11 militants were among 16 killed in the Kashmir Valley on Sunday in fierce fighting whose victims included those who had abducted and murdered Lt Ummer Fayaz in May last year. In one of the worst rounds of armed clashes between the security forces and miliants in recent years, the fighting took place in two places in Shopian district and a third spot in Anantnag district in southern Kashmir. During the fighting, a large number of civilians poured out of their homes, leading to more trouble. The Army, the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force said a total of 11 militants, three soldiers and two civilians lay dead at the end of the day. One militant was killed in Dialgam in Anantnag district while one person was arrested there, a police officer said. Seven militants were killed in Dragad village of Shopian district and three in Kachdoora village in the same district. "Three Army soldiers were martyred in these operations," a police officer said. Two civilians were also killed in Shopian -- one at Dragad and another at Kachdoora. Addressing a joint press conference at Awantipora in Pulwama district, Lt Gen A.K. Bhatt, Commander of the Army's Srinagar-based 15 Corps, said: "Today is a very special day for all our security forces. "We have killed eight terrorists in two operations... A third operation against terrorists is still going on in Kachdoora village (in which three militants were killed)." Gen Bhatt said two terrorists responsible for killing Lt Fayaz when he was visiting his family on a holiday had been eliminated. "I appeal to youths not to get lured by weapons. Anybody who uses weapons will be dealt with in the same manner we dealt with the terrorists today." He said Sunday's was the biggest anti-militancy operation in the Kashmir Valley in a long time. Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S.P. Vaid said that at Dialgam, a Senior Superintendent of Police made a special effort to persuade the terrorists to surrender. He summoned the family members of the two terrorists in a bid to persuade them to give themselves up. "Instead of surrendering, one of the holed up terrorists opened fire and the security forces had no option but to kill him. "The other one we caught alive. Operations are carried out most professionally by the security forces. "Two Army jawans have been martyred in the operation while some others belonging to the Army, CRPF and police have been injured." The officer said two civilians were also killed in the fighting. "One was the house owner in Dragad village where the terrorists were holed up and the other was injured in clashes in Kachdoora. "Six civilians sustained bullet injuries and we hope they get well soon." The police chief said all the seven bodies of local militants killed in Dragad have been claimed by their families. He identified the killers of Lt Fayaz as Ahmad Malik and Rayees Thokar, both of whom were among those shot dead in Dragad. The police chief said four to five militants were trapped in Kachdoora where the security forces were still battling the militants. "It is painful for all of us to see the loss of young lives. I appeal to parents to ensure children do not get lured by guns." Inspector General of Police S.P. Pani said Internet services had been suspended in all four south Kashmir districts. "Train services were also suspended as a precaution." Srinagar city, he added, was by and large peaceful. Authorities have ordered closure of all colleges and schools in the Valley on Monday as a precaution. --IANS sq/mr/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) said its forces killed 22 Al Shabaab militants in Somalia on Sunday. The army deployed in Somalia under African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) killed the terrorists when they attempted to attack bases at Quoroyole, Buulo Mareer, and Golwen in Lower Shabelle Region of Somalia, UPDF deputy army spokesperson Col. Deo Akiiki said in a statement statement, Xinhua reported. Four UPDF soldiers were killed and six others sustained minor injuries in the morning battle, the statement said. "Eight of their vehicles that included two vehicle-borne improvised explosives were destroyed," Akiiki said, adding that rifles, rocket propelled guns, recoiless guns and sub-machine guns were also captured. Uganda is one of the countries which contribute peacekeepers to AMISOM. Other countries include Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti. AMISOM was created by the African Union's Peace and Security Council in 2007 with an initial six-month mandate on a peacekeeping mission. The mandate was extended as terrorists loyal to al-Shabaab continued attacking different countries in the east African region, with strong bases in Somalia. In February, the troops contributing countries agreed not to pull out of the war-ravaged Horn of Africa state as this would "lead to a reversal of the gains made by AMISOM." --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Arab Parliament strongly condemned on Saturday the recent Israeli "brutal" crackdown on unarmed Palestinian protesters that left a number of them dead and wounded. "This brutal crime is a blatant violation of the international law and the international humanitarian law," Arab Parliament Speaker Mashaal bin Fahm al-Salami said in a statement, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities to protect the Palestinian people, Xinhua reported. At least 15 Palestinians were shot dead and over 1,200 others were injured on Friday as Israeli forces opened fire towards scores of Palestinian protesters marking the 42nd anniversary of the Land Day through a rally at the borders between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The Israeli deadly crackdown on Palestinian protesters has been rejected by many states regionally and internationally. On Friday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli use of violence against Palestinian unarmed protesters and urged the international community for earnest and urgent efforts to find a comprehensive and just settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "Egypt condemns the use of violence against unarmed civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories, stressing its strong rejection of the Israeli occupation forces' use of excessive force against peaceful rallies that marched to mark the Land Day," said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's statement. The Palestinian demonstrators demanded the right of return for the Palestinian refugees who fled or forcibly driven out of their towns and villages when Israel was created in 1948 with Western support. Israel is blamed by the international community for the deadlock of the peace process with the Palestinians due to its settlement expansion policy on Palestinian occupied territories. The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital in the light of the UN-proposed two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders. The United States is the number-one backer of Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced plans to move Washington's capital in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputable holy city of Jerusalem despite regional and international uproar. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A brace from Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Sunday helped Arsenal earn a 3-0 win over Stoke City, keeping the club in the fight for a berth in the Europa League next season. Stoke City, second-to-last in the Premier League table, held Arsenal to a scoreless deadlock, in part thanks to the Gunners' modest performance until the final stages, reports Efe. Arsenal finally overcame Stoke's resistance, finding the back of the net in the 75th minute on a penalty successfully converted by Aubameyang, who struck again 11 minutes later to pave the way for the win. Alexandre Lacazette, who was brought in at the hour mark to replace Danny Welbeck, secured Arsenal's win, also from the 12-yard spot, with one minute to go before the second-half stoppage time. The Gunners hold the sixth spot in the Premier League table with 51 points, five behind Chelsea, which is taking on Tottenham Hotspur. Stoke City, which was handed a third defeat in a row, holds the 19th spot with 27 points, three points shy of the safe zone. --IANS gau/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following a visit to the violence-hit areas of Raniganj and Asansol, a BJP delegation on Sunday accused the West Bengal government of lack of initiative in handling the unrest and demanded strict action against the culprits. The BJP also strongly criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for going to Delhi at a time when parts of Bengal were facing communal tension. "Almost seven days have passed since the violence but there have been no initiatives either from the state or the ruling party to help out the victims. They also showed complete lack of will in handling the unrest," BJP Vice-President Om Mathur, who led the four-member party committee to the affected areas, told reporters here. "When such a big incident happened in Bengal, the Chief Minister is sitting in Delhi for five-six days, looking for political benefits. The BJP strongly condemns this and demands immediate and strict action against those involved in the violence," he said. Mathur said there should not be one-sided action against a specific community. "The actions of the government should not be one-sided. I have heard that people from a certain community are being charged under the Indian Penal Code and harrassed. Surely, the people of Bengal will give the Trinamool Congress the punishment it deserves at the right moment," Mathur claimed. He urged the state government to start a relief fund for the affected, compensate for losses and provide proper shelter to those who lost their homes in the violence. Echoing Mathur, BJP's Spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain claimed the Mamata Banerjee government is causing pain to the people of Bengal while the BJP is "giving them the remedy". "When Bengal is burning with communal tension and police is playing the role of a spectator, instead of helping the state's people she is holding meeting with leaders in Delhi. Instead of leading Bengal, she is dreaming about leading Delhi. People of Bengal will not forgive her for this," he added. Defying prohibitory orders, the four-member BJP team visited parts of Asansol in West Bardhaman district that witnessed large-scale violence and arson during a Ram Navami procession about a week ago. A person was allegedly hacked to death while a Deputy Commissioner of Police lost a hand after being hit by a bomb during a clash. Several houses and shops were also vandalised. The committee said it would prepare a report based on ground-level feedback and send it to the party leadership for scrutiny. --IANS mgr/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nativity Rising Artists will present Kaili Kimbrow playing works for harp, organ and choir on a t 10:30 a.m. on April 22 , known as Good Shepherd Sunday . This performance is part of Nativitys monthly Rising Artists series that features Chattanoogas most accomplished young musicians playing works for solo instruments and organ. Nativity also presents a Mini-Concert series with organist and music director Kristopher Schwinn. She will play works by Bach, a fantasia on Lowell Masons Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices and Alphonse Hasselmans virtuosic concert etude, La Source (The Wellspring).This performance is part of Nativitys monthly Rising Artists series that features Chattanoogas most accomplished young musicians playing works for solo instruments and organ. Nativity also presents a Mini-Concert series with organist and music director Kristopher Schwinn. Kaili Kimbrow began playing the harp at age 12 and has performed in the United States, Canada, France and Germany. She has studied harp in the United States and Canada under notable harpists Dr. Laura Brandenburg, professor at Texas Christian University, Elizabeth Volpe Bligh, Principal harpist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Howell, former harpist with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and currently studies with Ellen Foster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Kaili was a 2016 Music Festival Scholarship winner at Southwestern Adventist University. Currently, she is working toward degrees in both Harp and Organ Performance at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee. Kaili is a member of the American Harp Society and is a very active solo, orchestral and chamber musician. Performance venues have included the Morten H. Meyerson Symphony Center, American Church of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. Currently she is principal harpist of the Southern Adventist University Symphony Orchestra. This free performance takes place during the worship service and is followed by a reception. Childcare is provided. Union Minister Ashwini Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat, accused of inciting communal violence in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, has surrendered after evading arrest for over a week, police said on Sunday Arijit surrendered at around 12.30 a.m. outside the famous Mahavir temple near the Patna railway station. He shouted slogans like "Jai Shri Raam", "Bharat Mata Ki jai" before surrendering, district police official Rakesh Dubey said. Arijit will appear before a Bhagalpur court on Sunday. Last week, a case was lodged against Arijit, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, on charges of taking out a procession without prior permission, inciting communal sentiments and roaming with arms on the streets of Bhagalpur. He had moved a bail plea in a civil court, following which the court on March 27 sought the case diary from the police to ascertain his role in the communal flare-up on March 17. The court then issued an arrest warrant against Shashwat. Choubey has already described the FIR as "a piece of garbage" that was registered by "corrupt police officers in Bhagalpur". Arijit unsuccessfully contested the last assembly polls as the BJP candidate from Bhagalpur, considered a stronghold of Choubey, who was elected MP from Buxar in 2014. --IANS ik/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation on Sunday visited the violence-hit areas of Asansol in West Bengal ignoring the ban imposed by the state administration and accused the state government of "completely failing to stop the violence". In spite of being stopped by police a few times, the four member team, along with their security personnel, entered the areas that was most severely hit during the clash a week ago and accused the Bengal government of failing to stop the violence. "We have met the affected people and listened to their problems they went through during the time of clash. It is a complete failure of the state government to stop the violence. (Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee is roaming around in Delhi but kids here are getting tortured and murdered," said BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, who was part of the team. "We have come here for peace. We will prepare a complete report and submit it to the party president as directed," he added. BJP President Amit Shah set up a four-member committee comprising party Vice President Om Mathur, Hussain and MPs Roopa Ganguly and B. D. Ram to take stock of the situation current situation in West Bardhaman district's Asansol-Raniganj area where a clash broke out between two communities following a Ram Navami rally. The state government had beefed up security and issued prohibitory orders in the area. It also clarified it would not be able to provide ample police protection and pilot cars to the BJP delegation as it would violate the model code of conduct issued in the state since Saturday for the impending rural elections here. Police accused the BJP delegation of violating the prohibitory orders and said legal action would be taken against them. "They have violated the CrPC 144 imposed in the area by entering there. We would take actions against them according to law," Superintendant of Police, Asansol-Durgapur, L. N. Meena said. A person was allegedly hacked to death while a Deputy Commissioner of Police lost a hand after getting hit by a bomb during a clash between two groups centring on a Ram Navami procession organised by Sangh affiliates in Raniganj on Monday. Several shops and houses were vandalised and set ablaze during the clashes. Police stopped Union Minister Babul Supriyo, who is the local MP, from visiting the area a few days back, saying it would add to tension in the area. A Congress delegation led by state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury was also barred from entering Asansol while Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sujan Chakraborty and his associates were stopped by police from going to Raniganj on Saturday. A civilian was killed and 50 others were injured as they clashed with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Sunday after security forces shot dead 11 militants in the region, police said. Of the 11 militants, 10 died in two gunfights in Shopian while another was killed in Anantnag district. The news of the militants' killings triggered civilian protests. Police said a youth, identified as Zubair Ahmad of Gopalpora in Kulgam district, was injured in clashes in Shopian's Kachdoora village where three militants were killed. He was taken to a hospital in a critical condition where he died, a police officer said. Doctors at the Shopian district hospital said nine of the injured were referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment. Clashes erupted in Dragad, Sugan and some other places while youths also resorted to stone pelting at security forces in old city areas of Srinagar. Police issued a statement saying most of the militants were yet to be identified -- after speculation that LeT commander Naveed Jatt alias Abu Hunzullah was among the slain militant commanders. Belonging to Pakistan, Jatt had escaped from a Srinagar hospital with the assistance of other militants after two policemen who accompanied him for check-up were killed on February 6. Authorities have suspended Internet services in south Kashmir. Rail services have also been suspended between Bannihal town of Jammu region and Baramulla town in the Kashmir Valley. Separatists have called for a Valley-wide shutdown on Sunday and Monday against the killings of militants and the civilian. --IANS sq/him/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Medicos across the country will observe a token strike from noon to 2 p.m. on Monday to protest against the National Medical Commission Bill 2017, the IMA said on Sunday. The Indian Medical Association (IMA), with more than two lakh doctor-members, has warned that all practitioners of modern medicine will withdraw their services if the government went ahead with the controversial bill. "If this bill is forced upon us, the medical fraternity in the country will observe an 'allopathy-mukt Bharat' by withdrawing their services," said IMA Secretary General Dr R.N. Tandon. The IMA, in a press release, said it had expressed its strong opposition to the bill and pointed out its several flaws. Though the government has addressed some of the issues partially, the major objections still remain, it said. The IMA is concerned over a system wherein AYUSH doctors can prescribe allopathic medicines. It believes the central government has allegedly enabled a back-door entry by not making the bridge course mandatory and by leaving it up to the states to decide. "If there remain provisions to empower AYUSH or even non-doctors to practise modern medicine through state mechanisms, it will be firmly resisted by the IMA and the medical fraternity," it said. IMA President Dr Ravi Wankhedkar said the issue of greater public concern is the percentage of medical seats to be left to the private managements. "On one hand, the government speaks of doctors for rural areas and on the other it provides increased quota for the urban rich. The bill will push medical education completely out of reach of the deserving," Wankhedkar claimed. The IMA lamented that states are being denied equal and adequate representation in the said bill. Other areas of concern are violence against doctors and hospitals, amendments in Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, exemption to single-doctor clinics from Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act and changes in the Consumer Protection Act. "Even after strong protests, the government has consistently ignored our difficulties and needs. The IMA and the medical fraternity have run out of all options but to withdraw their services," he said. --IANS mgu/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) on Sunday expressed hope that trade tensions between the US and China does not escalate as these nations are among the top destinations for Indian engineering exports. According to data compiled by EEPC, Indian engineering exports to the US, which the number one destination for such goods, had gone up by over 47 per cent and to China by 76 per cent during 11 months (April-February) of the last financial year ended March 31. "Our stakes are quite high in the unfolding global trade tensions between the US and China. We would not like to be caught in the cross-fire," EEPC Chairman Ravi Sehgal said in a statement here. He said rising import tariffs in the wake of US presidential action on steel and aluminium as also the complaint filed against India by the US in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) with regard to various export promotion schemes will be challenging issues for the Indian export sector. Last month, US President Donald Trump imposed import tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium, unfolding the prospect of an all-out global trade war. India's engineering exports to the USA between April-February 2017-18, have gone up to $21 billion, from $6.25 billion a year ago with a growth of 47.3 per cent, an EEPC statement said. "Though smaller in value terms, the engineering shipments to China witnessed an impressive expansion from $1.62 billion to $2.8 billion for the same period. China remains the fourth largest export destination for the Indian engineering exports. "Even from the monthly perspective, the US continued to be the top most exporting destination for India's engineering products in February 2018. Major items of exports to the US include products of iron and steel, industrial machinery, non-ferrous metals, automobiles." In this connection, industry chamber Assocham has said that an annual trade deficit of as much as $150 billion with the US alone does not allow India room to retaliate in the event of a global trade war being unleashed by recent protectionist trends in the developed world, since the country's imports are mostly of an essential nature. "We cannot flex too much of our importing muscle, even if our exports face consequences of trade war and are subjected to tariff barriers. "So, the best course would be to keep engaged with the major trading partners, without aligning ourselves too much into a single bloc," an Assocham statement said. The industry lobby suggested that in cases where exports are affected, India must engage bilaterally and use the channel of the WTO. It has also said that a full-scale global trade war will damage the Indian economy, impacting the country's exports and widening its current account deficit. Following a WTO mini-ministerial meeting held here last month, which was attended by over 50 countries, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said India would bilaterally take up the issue of recent protectionist measures imposed by America. --IANS bc/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who met multiple Oscar-nominated filmmaker Christopher Nolan to talk about celluloid films in the digital era, rues that film has lost its charm due to the growth of digitalisation. "The word film has suddenly lost its charm, for there does not seem to be any need to shoot films on film. It's all digital now," Big B wrote on his blog. He shared his thoughts as he reflected on a roundtable event held to debate and ascertain the importance of film heritage and its preservation. Nolan and visual artist Tacita Dean are here for the fourth edition of Reframing the Future of Film, hosted by Viacom18 in association with the Film Heritage Foundation. The 75-year-old cine icon pointed out how what was known as the "film industry", where celebrities were "known as "film stars", has now gone digital. "So, in the complete absence of that medium and that product, it would be quite in order to call ourselves 'robotic genes' or words of similar sound.... 'digi act' or 'digi digi'. Whatever... it would be an issue that would need consideration," he added. Big B also shared some photographs from the event where he met Nolan, who is here along with visual artist Tacita Dean on an invitation from the Film Heritage Foundation to talk about the virtues of shooting on film. He recounted how the early years of film were "a bit restrictive" for the artistes. "The film stock was the most important and costly product on set, and its most minimum use was the challenge for us. If we made the mistake of asking for another 'take' for the betterment of the film, the director, in most cases would reject the idea of a retake. "He would simply weigh it with commerce and retort: 'If you want another take, pay for it'." Big B said while shooting his debut film "Saat Hindustani", he was in a "terribly frightful challenge" to give a shot right in the first take as they were working with a limited budget and film stock. --IANS dc/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Even as five persons have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of 56 9mm pistols and 58 magazines from a Manipur Rifles camp, authorities have suspended four police officers including one from the IPS. Personnel Department authorities issued the order pm Saturday night to suspend Kamjong Superintendent of Police H. Golmin, who belongs to the Indian Police Service, and Manipur Police Service officers K. Ajit, H. Basulal and Bikramjit. The suspended officers cannot leave their stations without permission from the government. It is not yet known when the firearms and ammunition went missing. An FIR has been lodged. Police said five persons have been arrested in the case and two pistols seized from them. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who also holds the Home portfolio, said one pistol was seized from an unauthorised person while the origin of the second pistol is yet to be established since its serial number had been tampered with. On Saturday, Biren Singh said the National Investigation Agency had been asked to probe the case. The missing pistols are part of the 575 pistols bought by the government in October 2014. --IANS il/tsb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress Helen Mirren, 72, says getting her eyebrows tattooed on is the secret to her age-defying looks. "I'll tell you what I had done recently, which I love - I got my eyebrows tattooed," Mirren told dailymail.co.uk. "I was fed up of my brows barely being there and when one of my girlfriends got it done, I thought that they looked great. They are very lightly and delicately done - but it means that when I get up in the morning and I have no make-up on, at least I have eyebrows. It's made a huge difference," she added. She is no stranger to having inkings, after getting a tattoo of interlocking V's meaning "love thy neighbour" while "very drunk" in Minnesota. --IANS nn/rb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, one of the most suave celebrities of the industry, says he drew a part of his fashion sense from tracking Hollywood celebrities via film magazines. At the inaugural GQ Style Awards here on Saturday, Akshay received the GQ Legend honour, read a statement. He said: "I'd heard this saying that style is either there with you or it's not there with you. But you see, I bought my style with money while growing up. And that's a fact and many of us do it. "I used to save up money to buy international magazines only to tear out the pages that featured Hollywood celebrities, so I could follow their fashion sensibilities and use that as inspiration to work on my own fashion sense and style. And I see many actors doing that even today." The event celebrated achievers from a broad range of fields who are championing the narrative around urban culture and fashion. Among the actors, Jim Sarbh was named Style Maven, Shahid Kapoor was honoured with the Most Stylish Man title, while Alia Bhatt won in the women's category. Shahid said: "You know the thing with style is that some things always stay in style... So many years later when my daughter is as old as Alia is today and I am not dressed that well and she doesn't think I am so fashionable and she tells me, 'You know Dad, you need to change the way you dress', I am going to find this dusty little trophy lying somewhere and I'll tell her 'Many years back I got one of these. So, you can tell me what to wear when you get one of these'." --IANS rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A spokesperson from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Saturday expressed resolute support to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's lawful handling of "Hong Kong independence" activities. Flags of the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China are decorated to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in Hong Kong on July 1, 2017. [Photo: IC] The spokesperson made the comments targeting "Hong Kong independence" remarks made by University of Hong Kong associate professor Benny Tai Yiu Ting. "We resolutely hold and support the HKSAR government handling 'Hong Kong independence' activists' collusion with external separatist forces in accordance with the law, to safeguard China's sovereignty and security, as well as maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity, stability and the fundamental interests of its society," said the spokesperson. The spokesperson said that "we have taken note of University of Hong Kong associate professor Benny Tai Yiu Ting recently participating in a meeting of 'Taiwan independence' organization in Taiwan and blatantly preaching 'Hong Kong independence'," and "we also noticed that the HKSAR government expressed strong condemnation over the event." A handful of people in Hong Kong have colluded with outside separatist forces, blatantly preaching "Hong Kong independence," the spokesperson said. "This has exposed their attempt to split our country and has severely violated the Constitution of China, the Basic Law of the HKSAR and relevant laws in Hong Kong." "This is a challenge to the bottom line of the 'one country, two systems' principle," said the spokesperson. "We will not turn a deaf ear to or tolerate such kind of activities." TV personality Katie Price and two of her children feel "lucky to be alive" after getting carjacked in South Africa. "We are lucky to be alive, it could have been much worse," Price told a friend, reports thesun.co.uk. The incident was reportedly witnessed by Junior, 12, and Princess, 10 - her children with former husband Peter Andre. A source said: "The robbers seemed to be off their heads. They were screaming threats and ordering all the passengers not to move. Everyone in the car was terrified because they had no idea if they were just being robbed for money, if the gang might try to kidnap them - or worse. "One brave member of the team tried to stop them, but was hit in the face. After the thieves fled, Katie was left shaken and traumatised." The thieves also grabbed the keys to the vehicle and threw them in bushes so they could not be chased. They pounced as Price - who was shooting the second series of the show "My Crazy Life" - as she was being driven from Johannesburg to Swaziland on Thursday night. The vehicle pulled up on a darkened road in the town of Chrissiesmeer in Mpumalanga province at around 8 p.m. so the children could go to the toilet. The attackers were lurking nearby and are believed to have escaped in a VW Polo. There were members of the TV crew in another vehicle but it is not known if they were also caught up in the robbery, reports thesun.co.uk. Local tourist safety official Athol Stark said: "This was a group of opportunist robbers who saw people pull over and robbed them. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time." His team sent tow trucks to haul Price's vehicle to a hotel around 45 minutes away. He added: "We took them to a place of safety for the night. The next morning, when we realised she was someone big in the UK and was filming, we moved them to a secure, private location. "Katie and her children were still jittery. Once the gates were shut and security was on the door, they began to relax." Police chief Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, without taking any names, said: "A British tourist and her two children were the victims of a robbery when they stopped on a road to allow the children to relieve themselves by the road. "The car came to a stop in a very dark place and that is when three men attacked them. "They have taken items including cash and laptops and personal items and then took the car keys from the ignition and threw them into the bush and ran off leaving them stuck by the side of the road. "We received a call and went to help and were able to retrieve the car keys and assist those who were robbed. One man had an injury to his eye and was taken to hospital and treated and discharged. "Those involved did not wish to give statements but we have opened a docket for robbery and are investigating and are appealing for information and witnesses but there have been no arrests as of yet." --IANS nn/rb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Superstar Mahesh Babu says the song "I don't know" from his upcoming film "Bharat Ane Nenu" should be made into an anthem. "Let's make learning an everyday process, let's make 'I dont know' an anthem to achieve it," Mahesh Babu tweeted on Sunday. Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar has lent his voice for the number, which marks his debut single in Telugu language. This is not the first time the two are working together. Earlier, Mahesh Babu had sung in Telugu for Farhan's MARD initiative, which aims to raise social awareness against rape and discrimination against women. "Bharat Ane Nenu" is a political thriller film directed by Koratala Siva. It also features Kiara Advani. --IANS dc/rb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday took a swipe at the Central government for not doing anything to control the surge in price of petrol and diesel. "Diesel/petrol prices are rising and rising and rising. People are suffering. Kitchens are burning. Government is only talking," she said on Twitter. Petrol prices on Sunday hit a four-year high of Rs 73.73 a litre while diesel rates touched an all-time high of Rs 64.58 in the national capital, renewing calls for the government to slash excise duty on oil import. --IANS mgr/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh on Sunday left for Mosul in Iraq to get back the remains of the Indians killed there by the Islamic State terrorists. Though 39 Indians were killed as the Islamic State took over the city of Mosul in 2014, the mortal remains of 38 will be brought back as identification of one body is still pending, Singh said before leaving. The Minister is expected to return with the bodies by late Monday, following which he will travel to Amritsar in Punjab and Patna in Bihar to hand over the mortal remains of the victims to their respective families. A total of 27 persons from Punjab and four from Bihar were among the 39 killed. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had informed Parliament on March 20 that all 39 Indian construction workers kidnapped in 2014 from Mosul have been killed. The Minister had earlier said that she will not consider them dead unless there was proof in this regard, rejecting lone survivor Harjit Masih's claim that the 39 Indians taken captive by the Islamic State were shot dead. The Minister had said that the DNA samples collected from the missing Indians' relatives matched with 38 bodies, while the identity of the 39th body was yet to be fully confirmed since the DNA sample sent was from someone else in his family as both his parents are dead. --IANS ao/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There is no clash between the leaders in the Congress over the post of Chief Minister in Rajasthan, says state party chief Sachin Pilot as the party high command appointed veteran leader from the state Ashok Gehlot to a crucial post in the All India Congress Committee (AICC). "It's not an issue, and the credit for blowing it (reported differences between him and Gehlot) out of proportion goes to our opponents, who are busy cooking up stories," he says. "We are working as a team and there is no such clash in the party for the coveted post," Pilot told IANS in an interview. There have been reports of infighting between Pilot and former chief minister and strongman Ashok Gehlot over who will be the chief minister if the party wins the next elections due this year end. On Friday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi appointed Gehlot as General Secretary in charge of organisation and training, replacing Janardhan Dwivedi. Interestingly, however, Gehlot said in a newspaper interview that young leaders should learn to wait in queue and not try to jump it, remarks seen as a message to his younger rivals in the state unit of the party. Pilot, who is the president of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee, said that the party has a tradition in which, once it wins an election, the newly-elected MLAs meet and elect their leader. On his likely appointment as a general secretary, he said: "I am yet to get any information in this regard. What I know is that I have been sent here to lead the party. "When I took charge, there were only 21 MLAs. I, along with my team, have struggled hard to build the party and ensure that our party wins the Assembly elections." At 26, Pilot became the youngest MP. Five years later in 2009, he became the youngest Union Minister. Under his watch, the Congress this year won crucial by-polls to the Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary constituencies and the Mandalgarh assembly seat. But the credit, he said, goes to the workers. On Congress' electoral performance in the state, he said: "In the last four-and-a-half years, there have been by-elections in 22 seats and our party has snatched 20 of them, which speaks volumes about our growing credibility among voters." He held that the success of the Congress is not only because of the BJP government's failure. "We are winning because of our sustained efforts and for standing by the people. People believe in us." "Me, (Congress President) Rahul Gandhi and other workers have been trying continuously to represent what Congress stands for -- a democratic, secular party which stands by the people when they need it." On the recent aggressive campaign by the BJP to reconnect with grassroot-level workers, he said: "Those who sweat in peace times, don't bleed in war times. People who study round-the-clock are better prepared for exams and are better able to take the test." On the change of guard in the Congress leadership at the national level, Pilot said change is the only constant. "All presidents come with their vision. Rahul Gandhi has come with the vision of bringing in more young people into the party. More younger people will reflect the present India, they also reflect their dreams and aspirations and hence we will build a newer India making their dreams and aspirations as our foundation. "However, the experience of seniors who have worked for decades will definitely be recognised and used as and when required, unlike the BJP's Margadarshak Mandal, where seniors are being asked to sit aside." He declined comment on reports of seniors resigning after Rahul Gandhi's recent speech where he kept the stage vacant for youngsters. "Revamping and reorganising are the crucial tasks Rahul Gandhi is working on," Pilot said. Pilot also tore into the BJP's working model. The party has introduced many campaigns, such as Standup India, Digital India, Swasthya India and others -- but where is development, he wondered. "Are the youngsters getting jobs, are the farmers happy? Is the country growing economically? Changing the names of monuments, temple politics, gauraksha can never ensure development of the nation," he said. "The real agenda is polarisation and communalising people." He said that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje made 611 promises when she formed the government, and there is no clear picture on their fulfilment. "Even now, their government continues making promises with a view to garner more votes. "In the next few weeks, we will declare our agenda for the forthcoming elections; we won't be complacent or overconfident, rather we will be confident. Hence, we are travelling and meeting people to get their blessings." Talking about a recent event where Raje was shown black flags by some people in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pilot stressed that people are angry. "When you promise and don't deliver, this becomes an issue and then you start terrorising people. This is not democracy; start communicating with people and half the problems are solved. But here, the government is becoming revengeful and arresting people who marked their silent protest." (Archana Sharma can be contacted at arachana.g@gmail.com) --IANS arc/him/vsc/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit will preside over the opening ceremony of the Cultural Festival of Tibet event, a part of the year-long 'Thank You India' campaign organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), in New Delhi on Monday, it was announced on Sunday. CTA President Lobsang Sangay will also attend the inaugural ceremony that will continue till April 4. Apart from the exhibitions, film screening and performances by the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, the festival would also see panel discussion on "India and Tibet: Ancient Ties, Current Bonds". Sangay, his predecessor Samdhong Rinpoche, Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts former academic director Kapila Vatsyan and philosopher M. Sondhi are among the speakers. Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, BJP leader Ram Madhav and members of Parliament -- Shanta Kumar of BJP and Satyavrat Chaturvedi of Congress -- were present at the inaugural 'Thank You India' campaign along with Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama and CTA functionalities here on Saturday. The campaign is in mark of the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's arrival in India. After cancelling inaugural events in Delhi, the Tibetan government-in-exile started countrywide programmes from its headquarters in this Himachal Pradesh town. --IANS vg/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that there would be no deal to legalize the status of hundreds of thousands of "Dreamers", undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children. "No MORE DACA DEAL!" Trump said in an emphatic tweet Sunday morning. DACA refers to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an Obama administration program that shields Dreamers from deportation, Xinhua reported. Trump shut it down last fall but gave lawmakers six month to come up with a permanent solution. Though Congress has been unable to reach a consensus on the issue and stalled the progress, legal challenges to the Trump order has managed to keep DACA in place for now. The president tweeted a claim on Sunday that Border Patrol agents can't do their jobs properly because of "ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws" that allow people caught for illegally staying in the country to be released while awaiting a hearing, while urging Republicans in charge of the Senate to "go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws." In order to end debate and move forward to a vote on a measure or piece of legislation, Senate rules require 60 votes in the 100-member Senate, but Republicans now only control 51 seats, and GOP Senate leaders have opposed Trump's repeated call to change the longstanding rules. While stressing his signature promise, the border wall, Trump lashed out at Mexico for "doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S." "They must stop the big drug and people flows, or will stop their cash cow, NAFTA," the president said of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada, that Washington is trying to rewrite. --IANS ahm/ (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.) Newly appointed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik on Sunday said he is aware of the expectations the team management has from him as he is filling in the big shoes of Gautam Gambhir, adding that he is at a point in his career where he can cope with it. "What Gautam Gambhir has achieved for KKR is phenomenal. He's left a benchmark that every season they have qualified as bare minimum. "And being a leader of the team, the management will expect the same from me. I'm aware of the expectations. Whether there would be pressure, 'yes'. As a captain, you're expected to at least go to the playoffs, that's the least anybody can expect. I think I'm at a stage where I can handle it and get the best out of the team," Karthik said during KKR's jersey launch at the team hotel. KKR decided to let go of their former captain Gambhir who was sold to Delhi Daredevils for Rs 2.8 crore in the auctions earlier this year. Gambhir helped the men in purple win two titles in 2012 and 2014 after joining them in 2011 from Delhi where he spent the first three seasons. KKR finished in the top four for the first time in the very season before lifting the coveted trophy in the next year. Karthik, who was named Gambhir's successor raising a few eyebrows, helped India win the tri series in Sri Lanka with a whirlwind unbeaten eight-ball 29 in the final against Bangladesh. "It's been close to 10 days now since that innings, things have moved on, people have moved on. We have a new bunch of boys," Karthik said recalling the effort that catapulted him to unprecedented recognition last month. "It was a great game as I've said. When we play Bangladesh, it's a different kind of pressure. If you win, you are like 'okay you've won', but if you lose it's like 'wake up, what you doing' types. "We had a good start, it dipped in the middle. I just had to hit boundaries when I got in. I was lucky on that day. We had a good season, and for us not to win that game would not have been nice to end the series. It was a great feeling," the 32-year-old stumper added. Asked how he always keeps his cool, Karthik said, "I'm a normal human being. I do get angry. I've my moments. But I'm a pretty patient, that's a good thing to be a leader. "It's not about throwing your weight, but maximise your resources. The kind of players I've in front of me, there's no reason for me to get angry. It's going to be a pleasure working with them and getting the best out of them." Karthik hinted that he might promote himself in the batting order when they open their IPL-11 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore at home. "Obviously I will bat at different position than what I did in the Indian game. IPL is about dealing with tricky situation, handling pressure. It's just a week to go and I don't think I will treat myself any differently. Everybody is here to do their best and I'm no different. Everybody has a role to play," he said. While Karthik will be busy with his IPL assignment, his wife and India's squash ace Dipika Pallikal is eyeing a second gold at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. "One thing I've learnt from her is a lot of determination. She's worked really hard especially for the CWG. Four years back she won gold in Glasgow. As a player, the most important thing is to be able to repeat it and be consistent. She' worked really hard in the last four years to get a gold again. She's already in Gold Coast. It's very important two weeks in her life," he added. --IANS dm/gau/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Model-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wants better safety rules to protect vulnerable models from experiencing the same things she did at work. The 30-year-old model has been in the industry for 15 years and hopes the recent shift in attitudes towards sexual harassment in the work place will change so that models can eel safer on the job after admitting to feeling "unprotected" on set, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "There's definitely been instances where I've felt unprotected and moments where I found myself in situations that were uncomfortable. The fashion industry is so relaxed and casual, there's this expectation on models that the more up for it you are, the better, the further you will go along in your career," Whiteley told Harper's Bazaar Arabia magazine. However, she is glad that actions have been put in place to respect the model's dignity at shows but she is still shocked it took this long to bring about change. "For the first time some designers put private changing areas backstage at New York Fashion Week. I've done countless fashion shows where you're in a room, undressing, photographers flying around, people with iPhones, all the crowd and audience coming after the show and you're still half dressed, people are taking photographs of you while you're getting changed," she said. "It blows my mind that that's acceptable," she added. --IANS ks/nv/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has asked the Supreme Court to abandon its case against Microsoft over international data privacy after a law was signed to legally collect the data stored on foreign soil. The DoJ, in a court filing posted late on Saturday, said the new law signed by President Donald Trump last week (on March 23) answered the legal question at the heart of Microsoft's case. "So the case 'is now moot'," CNN quoted the DoJ as saying. Microsoft's legal battle began in 2013 when it refused to hand over emails stored on a server in Ireland to US officials. It argued that sharing data stored on foreign soil could violate international treaties and policies and there was no law to provide any clarity. The CLOUD Act, which was enacted on March 23 as part of the spending bill, established a legal pathway for the US to form agreements with other nations making it easier for the law enforcement to collect data stored abroad. Microsoft batted in favour of the new law, saying the CLOUD Act provides a legal clarity the company sought. Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer at Microsoft, said the inclusion of the CLOUD Act in the funding bill negotiated by congressional leaders of both parties was a critical step forward in resolving an issue that has been the subject of litigation for over four years. "The proposed CLOUD Act creates a modern legal framework for how law enforcement agencies can access data across borders," Smith wrote in a blog on March 21. "It's a strong statute and a good compromise that reflects recent bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, as well as support from the Department of Justice, the White House, the National Association of Attorneys General and a broad cross section of technology companies," he added. Smith highlighted that the law also responds directly to the needs of foreign governments frustrated about their inability to investigate crimes in their own countries. "Once passed, the US government will need to move quickly to establish with other like-minded countries new international agreements, similar to what has already been negotiated between the US and the UK," Smith added. Although the measure was supported by major tech giants, several privacy and civil liberties advocates criticised it. According to CNN, advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are wary. They opposed the CLOUD Act arguing that the law would not ensure the US sufficiently vets requests from other countries. "They fear the US could wind up handing over data to another country that will be used in bad faith," said CNN quoting a post written by representatives of the groups. --IANS sku/him/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) upturns decisions on compensation Contrary to its earlier decisions and those of high courts, the last week ruled if a victim of road accident fails to demand higher compensation, he would not get it even if he deserved it. The courts had a consistent view that there was no restriction the tribunal/court cannot award compensation amount exceeding the claimed amount. The court had stated in the past that the function of the tribunal/court is to award "just compensation which is reasonable on the basis of evidence". However, in its latest judgment under the Motor Vehicles Act, titled Shivawwa vs National Insurance, the apex court took a different view. The dependents of the deceased demanded Rs 800,000. The tribunal awarded Rs 320,000. The dependents failed to press for the higher amount in the appeals. The court found it as the reason for not enhancing the amount. It also chided the Karnataka High Court for casually allowing the insurers appeal and cancelling the compensation altogether on wrong premises. Financial bid not only criterion Even if the financial bid of a party in a tender is lower than its competitors, the employer is not bound to accept it as public interest should prevail, the stated last week while setting aside the judgment of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in the case, Municipal Corporation vs BVG India Ltd. It explained: A mere difference in the prices offered by the two tenderers may or may not be decisive in deciding whether any public interest is involved in the court intervening in such a commercial transaction". The Ujjain Municipal Corporation had invited online bids for door-to-door collection of solid waste from those who have five years experience in the field. There were three bidders. BVG offered the lowest bid. However, the corporation did not choose it because its experience and joint venture claim were doubted. The firm moved the High Court, which set aside the award of the contract to Global Waste Management Cell Ltd. On appeal, the Supreme Court stated that the High Court should not have gone into the bid as if it was an appellate authority. The High Court had increased the marks for the failed firm by revaluing the offers. The Supreme Court stated that the High Court violated the norms of judicial review laid down in a series of its judgments. Conflict of interest in buying shares The Supreme Court last week set aside the judgment of the Calcutta High Court and the former Company Law Board in a case in which a West Bengal-owned company declined to register 100 shares bought by a company which also had major shares in it. The court asked the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLT) to reconsider the question of registration in its judgment, Mackintosh Burn Ltd vs Sarkar & Chowdhury Enterprises. The CLB had taken the view that refusal to register transfer of shares was permissible only if the request was illegal. But under the Companies Act 2013, refusal to transfer without sufficient cause is another ground. In this case, the allegation of the state company was that the transfer would enable a rival in the business to buy shares and manipulate decisions. According to the Supreme Court, Refusal can be on the ground of violation of law or any other sufficient cause. Conflict of interest in a given situation can also be a cause. In the facts of the case, the allegation of the state company that the transfer is deceptive and mala fide should be considered by the NCLT, the court said. IT firms right to software denied The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of a computer firm challenging a Kerala notification declaring its computer system and network as protected systems under the Information Technology Act. The firm had also questioned the constitutional validity of Section 70 of the Act alleging that it granted excessive delegation of power to the authorities. The High Court had dismissed its writ petition and the Supreme Court also rejected its appeal in the case, BN Firos vs State of Kerala. The Kerala government and the Centre for Development of Imaging Technology had conceptualised a single window multiple agency bill collection system. The firm, with the application software from Microsoft Corporation of India, developed a suitable system and it was implemented in 13 districts. However, disputes arose between the firm and the Centre for Development over IP rights. This led to the writ petition invoking the provisions of the Copyright Act and the IT Act. The High Court held that the IP Rights in the software vested in the state government so as to entitle it to declare the same as a protected system. This view was upheld by the Supreme Court. NHAI fined over multiple suits The Delhi High Court has imposed a heavy fine on the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for rendering yeoman disservice to the object of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. The government firm appealed to the division bench against the imposition of Rs 40,000 as costs by the single judge bench. The division found that the single judge erred on the side of leniency and burdened the NHAI with Rs 50,000 more for indulging in unnecessary litigation. The judgment, NHAI vs Hindustan Construction Co, said: We have had repeated occasions to express our discomfort at the multitude of petitions and appeals under the Act. We do not intend to reiterate the same. In this case, the NHAI challenged three awards delivered by three different arbitration tribunals in its dispute with Hindustan Construction Co over four-laning of the Lucknow-Ayodhya highway. Gratuity denied after 22 years of daily wage The Supreme Court assailed the conduct of the Chhattisgarh government which kept an employee for 22 years as a daily wager on a salary of Rs 2,776 per month and denied gratuity after regularising him in the last three years. The High Court had upheld the government stand. In its judgment, Netram Sahu vs State, the apex court said: It was indeed the state which took 22 years to regularise his service and went on taking work on payment of a meagre salary the state had no justifiable reason to deny gratuity which was his statutory right under the Payment of Gratuity Act, a welfare legislation. It is the duty of the state to voluntarily pay the gratuity rather than to force the employee to approach the court to get his genuine claim. The court imposed costs on the government and ordered it to release the gratuity amount due to him. It added: It is really unfortunate that the genuine claim was being denied at every stage of the proceedings up to this court and dragged him in fruitless litigation for all these years. DMK-led opposition parties in Tamil Nadu on Sunday called for a state-wide shutdown on April 5 seeking constitution of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) by the Centre. DMK Working President M K Stalin, after a meeting with friendly opposition parties here, sought the support of all sections of society, including farmers and traders, for the bandh. Tamil Nadu Congress president Su Thirunavukkarasar, VCK chief Thirumavalavan, state secretaries of the CPI (M) and the CPI K Balakrishnan and R Mutharasan, respectively, were among the leaders who took part in the meeting. A "Cauvery Rights Retrieval Yatra," will be held following the bandh, the DMK leader said. The rally would see participation of all friendly party leaders, Stalin said, adding that it will begin from the Cauvery Delta region. The details of the "long journey," to secure the state's rights in the Cauvery issue will be announced later following consultations with leaders of friendly parties, he said. Police detain DMK Working President M K Stalin and leaders of various opposition who were protesting against the Central government government for not setting up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) at Valluvar Kottam. Photo: PTI Black flags will be shown to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet colleagues during their Tamil Nadu visit. This will be done to condemn them for not setting up the CMB, despite the order of the Supreme Court, the DMK leader said. Days ago, Stalin had said that during the proposed visit of Modi to Tamil Nadu on April 15, black flags will be shown to the prime minister. Tamil Nadu has been pushed to hold protest demonstrations and agitations seeking to implement the order of the top court on the Cauvery issue due to the "collective negligence of the central and state governments", a resolution adopted at the meeting said. Condemning the state and the Centre, the resolution said that the AIADMK regime, a "partner," of the central government has "bowed" before it. Both the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government had yesterday moved the Supreme Court on the issue of constitution and composition of the Cauvery Water Management Board in compliance with the February 16 verdict of the apex court on the vexed issue. In its February verdict, the top court had raised the 270 tmcft share of Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery river water. It had granted six weeks to the Centre to formulate a scheme to ensure compliance of its 465-page judgement, which modified the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal Award. The six-week period ended on March 29. Two Army jawans were on Sunday killed in separate encounters in south Kashmir in which eight militants, including "top commanders", were also gunned down, police said. Two civilians were also killed and dozens of others injured in clashes that broke out between protestors and security forces following three separate encounters in several parts of the region. The police said that an ultra had also surrendered before the security forces in Anantnag district. Security forces launched anti-militancy operations last night at three places simultaneously in south Kashmir following information about the presence of large number of militants there, a police official said. He said the militants had assembled at these places to hold meetings about their plan to carry out subversive activities, including targeting security personnel and political workers. While one militant was killed and another surrendered before the forces at Dialgam in Anantnag district, seven ultras were killed in a gunbattle at Draggad in Shopian district, the official said. He said that another gunbattle took place at Kachdooru Shopian and two Army jawans were killed in the encounter. Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police (DGP) S P Vaid confirmed the killing of eight militants. "One terrorist killed in Dialgam Anantnag after efforts of his family/ J&K Police failed to surrender, one caught alive. In Draggad Shopian 7 (seven) bodies of terrorists recovered including top commanders," he said on Twitter. The third encounter was on in Kachdoora area of Shopian where some civilians were trapped, Vaid said. "Encounter also going on in Kachdoora Shopian, some civilian trapped efforts to rescue them on," the DGP said. Clashes between protestors and security forces broke out soon after the news of militant killings spread in several parts of south Kashmir. The protestors at Draggad and Kachdoora hurled stones at the security forces who responded by opening firing, the official said. He said two civilians have died so far while dozens others were injured. Several of the injured were taken to hospitals here. One of the injured persons condition is stated to be critical, the official said. Reports of clashes have been received from other parts of south Kashmir and some parts in the city as well. Authorities have deployed police and paramilitary personnel in strength in the city for maintaining law and order. A police official, while giving details of the operations, said security forces had launched a search operation and cordoned the Draggad area of Shopian this morning following specific input regarding presence of militants in the area. He said as the searches were being conducted, the militants fired on the forces, which led to an encounter. In the ensuing gunfight, seven militants were killed, the official said, adding that identity and group affiliation of the slain militants is being ascertained. The operation is on and further details are awaited, the official said. Earlier this morning, a militant was killed while another surrendered before forces in Anantnag, the official said. Based on specific input, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Peth Dialgam area of Anantnag in the early hours, he said. The official said that the militants were detected and security forces made repeated requests on loud speakers asking them to surrender, as per the standard operating procedure. On this, the official said, one of the militants (name withheld) came out of a house and surrendered. He has been taken into custody, the official said, adding, his family also helped the police in motivating him to come out of the house and surrender. The other militant did not surrender and instead resorted to firing on forces which was retaliated and in which he was killed, he said. The slain militant was identified as Rouf Khanday, the official said, adding he had gone missing early this year and a photograph of him holding a gun was posted on social media in the last week of March. His body has been handed over to the family for last rites. Both militants were part of the outlawed militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen, the official said. This year, Spain extradited to the United States two Russians suspected of hacking, and another Russian, Aleksandr V. Vinnik, is being held in Greece with extradition requests from both Washington and Moscow. Yevgeniy Nikulin, 30, of Moscow, entered his plea in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, after having fought his extradition following his 2016 arrest in Prague. It then issued a separate arrest warrant for him over alleged theft from the WebMoney settlement system. The Justice Department indicted Nikulin in October 2016 for hacking LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring, a now-defunct social networking site, in 2012. LinkedIn has said the case was related to a 2012 breach that it previously said might have compromised the credentials of 100 million LinkedIn users, prompting it to launch a massive password reset operation. "Computer hacking is not just a crime, it is a direct threat to the security and privacy of Americans". "This is deeply troubling behavior once again emanating from Russia", US attorney general Jeff Sessions said in a release. Charges against Nikulin include computer intrusion and identity theft, and carry penalties that could result in more than a decade in prison and a million dollars in fines, according to prosecutors. Mr. Nikulin's extradition was confirmed on Friday by the spokeswoman of the Czech Ministry of Justice, Tereza Schejbalova. Nikulin has denied wrongdoing in comments to Czech media. Robert Pelikan, Czech Minister of Justice, told CNN that it was an "easy decision" to send Nikulin to America instead of Russian Federation because the American charges were more serious. Courts in the Czech Republic, an European Union country and US ally in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, ruled extradition to both countries was permissible, and the decision was up to Pelikan. Acting Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who is more Western leaning and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation friendly, had stated publicly that Mr. Nikulin should be sent to the United States. His extradition from the Czech Republic to the United States was a culmination of a year-and-a-half-long legal and political battle between the U.S. and Russian Federation, and the case reached the highest levels of politics in the Czech Republic, the USA and Russian Federation. Pelikan's decision was closely watched because Babis needs Zeman's support as he tries to build a new government after his minority cabinet lost a confidence vote last month. Terror groups in the Valley suffered a major setback as 11 terrorists were gunned down in counter-insurgency operations in three different areas in South Kashmir in which three Army jawans and two civilians were also killed. At a hurriedly called joint press conference of army, police and CRPF, Police chief S P Vaid said this is one of the biggest counter-offensives in recent times against terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley. The operations by security forces rendered a severe dent to militant groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashker-e-Taiba, officials said here. Three army jawans have lost their lives in the operations at Kachdooru in Shopian, officials said, adding three bodies of militants have been recovered from the debris so far. The operation has been called off at Kachdooru and the security personnel were search the debris tomorrow again, the officials said. Earlier, at a press conference called at Victor Force headquarters at Awantipura, around 33 kms from here, Corps Commander of XV Corps, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, termed it one of the biggest operations in recent times and said the death of Lt Umar Fayaz, who was brutally killed in Shopian last year, had been avenged. "Among the militants killed are Ishfaq Malik and Rayees Thokar. They were responsible for his death," Bhatt said. A civilian injured in the clashes during Shopian encounters, being to SMHS hospital in Srinagar on Sunday | Photo: PTI Fayaz, 22, was killed by militants in May last year. His body was found with bullet wounds in the Hermain area of Shopian district in south Kashmir. The DGP also made a special mention of an SSP's efforts to convince a militant to surrender during the Dialgam encounter. "I would like to make a special mention about the Dialgam encounter where our Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) made a special effort, which is unheard of in any part of the world. "He called the family members of one of the terrorists. They spoke with him for 30 minutes, to convince him to surrender," the officer said. "Unfortunately, he did not heed the advice of his family. During the talks, the district SSP tried to get him over. Instead he fired on the police leaving the police with no option other than to retaliate. He was killed. The other one was caught alive," he said. On the ongoing operations at Kachedoora, the DGP said there was information about the presence of four to five militants, but "we will be able to give a clear picture only after the debris is cleared". One civilian death was reported from Draggad and the other at Kachudoora, both in Shopian district, the police chief said. Violence broke out at the Kachedoora encounter site in which 25 civilians received pellet injuries while six others suffered bullet injuries, the police chief said. The DGP said that all the seven militants killed in the Draggad encounter were locals and their bodies have been claimed by their families. Inspector General of CRPF Zulfikar Hassan pointed out that people came in large numbers at the encounter site in Shopian. "The operations will not stop and we will have to take all offensive measures in case they do not refrain from throwing stones at the jawans engaged in the counter-insurgency operations," he said. It was painful to see young boys getting killed in this manner, the DGP said. "I urge all the parents to appeal to their children to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream," Vaid said. In a first, scientists have successfully 3D-printed optical-quality glasses at par with commercial products currently available on the market. In a study published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies, scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the US described successfully printing small test pieces from lab-developed ink. Since the refractive index of glass is sensitive to its thermal history, it can be difficult to ensure that glass printed from the molten phase will result in the desired optical performance, researchers said. Depositing the LLNL-developed material in paste form and then heating the entire print to form the glass allows for a uniform refractive index, eliminating optical distortion that would degrade the optic's function. "Components printed from molten glass often show texture from the 3D-printing process, and even if you were to polish the surface, you would still see evidence of the printing process within the bulk material," said Rebecca Dylla-Spears, a chemical engineer at LLNL. "This approach allows us to obtain the index homogeneity that is needed for optics. Now we can take these components and do something interesting," said Dylla-Spears, the project's principal investigator. The custom inks, aimed at forming silica and silica-titania glasses, allow researchers the ability to tune the glass's optical, thermal and mechanical properties, she said. Researchers printed small, simple-shaped optics as proof of concept, but the technique eventually could be applied to any device that uses glass optics and could result in optics made with geometric structures and with compositional changes that were previously unattainable by conventional manufacturing methods. For example, gradient refractive index lenses could be polished flat, replacing more expensive polishing techniques used for traditional curved lenses. "Additive manufacturing gives us a new degree of freedom to combine optical materials in ways we could not do before," Dylla-Spears said. "It opens up a new design space that hasn't existed in the past, allowing for design of both the optic shape and the optical properties within the material," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan have praised Tiger Shroff's performance in "Baaghi 2", calling him Bollywood's next action star. "Baaghi 2", directed by Ahmed Khan and also featuring Disha Patani, minted Rs 25.10 crore of the first day of its release. Akshay compared Tiger to Thai action hero Tony Jaa, best known for "Ong Bak" and "Tom-Yum-Goong" films, and said the actor is a "force to reckon with" in Bollywood. "Take a bow Tiger Shroff. Bollywood can proudly announce that we have our very own Tony Jaa in the industry. Your action is a force to be reckoned with. #Baaghi2," Akshay tweeted. Calling Akshay the original action star of Hindi films, Tiger said, "Thank you so much sir means the world coming from you! But we had you much before me and thank you for giving guys like me an opportunity to follow after you." Hrithik, who will star along side Tiger in an upcoming YRF project, lauded the 28-year-old actor for his performance in the film. "Tiger Shroff! You've done it! I'm now looking forward to working with the best action hero in the industry! Bravo! Keep flying high!" Tiger replied, saying he is equally excited to work with Hrithik. "Hrithik sir!! It will always be the other way around! I'm looking forward to working with my best hero in the country!" he tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tech companies around the world have had a long history of pulling elaborately planned pranks on April Fool's Day, and this year was no different. Right from giants like Google to startups Ola and Droom and even telecom operator Reliance Jio, each sought to pique the consumers' attention by offering scavenger hunts, a fresh platform, 'Juice' for smartphones and even 'hover' shoes. Google, which has pranked consumers for years with some quirky product teasers ahead of April 1, this time introduced, among others products, -- the 'Bad Joke Detector' for its Files Go app. It is claimed that the feature will identify bad jokes -- using 'a custom-built deep neural network' -- which were sent to users by their friends and family. Handset maker OnePlus shared a video featuring its co-founder Carl Pei, who talks about how the company plans to "re-imagine currency". Towards the end of the video features a gold coin with the OnePlus logo to make it seem much more convincing. Closer home, telecom operator Reliance Jio shared a video of 'Jio Juice' -- a new SIM card that would allow users to charge their phones wirelessly without carrying chargers and heavy power banks. The video has already been viewed over 2,600 times and received more than 2,300 likes. It was also re-tweeted over a thousand times. Uber Eats, the food delivery arm of cab aggregator Uber, offered the world's first anti-ageing ice cream that the company claimed works on eight signs of ageing and asked interested customers to pre-order. Uber's homegrown rival Ola, which pranked customers last year with 'Ola Wheels' for ultra-short commute inside corporate parks, said it was unveiling a hyperlocal venture ONN. The prank claimed that Ola Network (ONN) would see over one million of Ola's driver partners across 110 cities double up as on-ground reporters, sharing local city developments in real-time. The campaign has already garnered over 108 million impressions. To help commuters with their traffic woes, online automobile marketplace Droom offered a solution -- Droom Fly. The company claimed that these innovative hover shoes were capable of achieving a top speed of 80 km per hour, can fly up to an altitude of 1,000 feet and possess features like self-balancing, soft cushioning, fast-charging, and a battery life of up to five hours. Straight out of a science fiction bestseller, Droom offered these shoes at an introductory price of Rs 9,999. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court has taken note of a woman's plea that her husband, an Army man, has been languishing in jail for 27 years without a final decision on the death penalty awarded by a Court Martial for killing two of his colleagues. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A M Khanwilkar took note of the plea of Mithilesh Rai, wife of the jailed Army man Lance Naik Devendra Nath Rai and issued notice to the Ministry of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff and others and asked them to respond within four weeks. Rai, 60, whose mental health suffered due to the long incarceration, was awarded the death penatly by the General Court Martial (GCM) in 1991. The Centre confirmed the noose. The Army man appealed in the Allahabad High Court which, in 2000, upheld the conviction, but set aside the death penalty saying no special reason was accorded by the GCM which also did not do balancing of mitigating and aggravating circumstances. The Central government challenged the verdict in the apex court which, on January 10, 2006 remanded the case back to the High Court and asked it to decide it afresh. The high court dismissed the plea of Rai on May 8, 2007 due to non-prosecution as the lawyer could not appear. The plea for restoration was filed compounding the woes of Rai and his wife as the case files remained untraceable in the High Court Registry from 2007 and 2013 and finally, the case got revived. However, the high court, despite the specific order of the top court, transferred the case to the Armed Force Tribunal (AFT) to decide the case of Rai by scrutinising the 1991 findings arrived at by the General Court Martial (GCM), the plea said. The AFT, which adjourned hearing on four occasions, dismissed the plea of Rai for non-prosecution in 2015. Ultimately, the wife of the jailed Army man moved the top court through senior lawyer Shekhar Naphade and advocate Amartya Kanjilal seeking enforcement of the fundamental right to life. The top court has issued notice to the Centre and others recently. The Lance Naik was allegedly involved in the murder of two Army personnel on June 15, 1991 and was immediately taken into custody. His wife alleged that during last 27 years of incarceration, Rai has not been released even once either on bail, parole or furlough. The plea has sought quashing of the order of the sentence passed by the General Court Martial way back in 1991. Alternatively, the plea has sought Rai's release after awarding the jail term already undergone by him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Union Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh left for Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of 39 Indians, including 27 from Punjab who were massacred by terror group ISIS, authorities in Amritsar are making the required arrangements to receive the bodies expected to arrive by a special aircraft tomorrow afternoon, a senior official said. "All necessary arrangements have been made to transport the mortal remains of 31 Indians killed in Iraq, who hail from different places in Punjab and Himachal, to their native places when the bodies reach tomorrow," Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha said today. Last month, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had told Parliament that 40 Indians were abducted by ISIS from Mosul in Iraq in June 2014, but one of them escaped posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh. The remaining 39 were taken to Badoosh and killed, she had said. Of the Indian citizens killed by the terrorist organisation, 27 belonged to Punjab while four hailed from Himachal Pradesh. "As per the information we have received, the bodies are expected to reach the international airport at Amritsar at around 1:30 pm tomorrow," Sangha told PTI over the phone. According to the schedule, Union Minister Singh will reach Amritsar followed by Patna and Kolkata to hand over bodies to the relatives, officials said. Sangha said he held a meeting yesterday with various stake-holders involved in the process of smooth handing over of the bodies to the relatives. "Those who took part in the meeting included director of the Amritsar international airport, officials of the customs, immigration, CISF, police, IAF and bureau of civil aviation," he said. The Amritsar DC also spoke to his counterparts in other districts in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Arrangements for ambulances and other vehicles for ferrying the coffins to the native places have been made by the respective district administration with all necessary assistance extended by the authorities in Amritsar, he said. "As it is a sombre occasion and to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to the grieving relatives, we have made arrangements so that there is no chaos at the airport. The bodies will be brought out from a different exit passage," he said. Eight victims belonged to twin districts of Amritsar and adjoining Tarn Taran. Meanwhile, family members of the 39 Indians massacred by ISIS were still trying to come to terms with the grim reality. Dimplejeet Kaur, sister of Dharminder Kumar (27), said he was the sole bread winner supporting a large family. "All our hopes are dashed now; we are heart broken," she said. Kumar went to Iraq to earn for his family in 2014. He was a resident of village Talwandi Jhira in Gurdaspur district. Among the 39 Indians, most were from different places in Punjab like Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of budget session of the state Assembly over a week ago, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had promised adequate compensation by the state government for the families of the Iraq victims. He also demanded that the Centre also compensate the victims since the tragedy occurred overseas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The West Bengal government is revamping its intelligence wing to help avert incidents of violence in the state, a senior home department official said. Caught off guard during the recent Asansol-Raniganj violence, the state is also planning to strengthen its ground-level intelligence gathering mechanism, the official told PTI. The revamp has been necessitated owing to inadequate infrastructure in the present set up. "We are strengthening the local intelligence gathering mechanism so that such kind of incidents can be averted," the official said. After the Khagragarh blast in 2014, which unearthed a terror module of a Bangladeshi militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, the need for strengthening the local intelligence gathering mechanism was first felt. Following the incident two years ago, the state government had mooted the idea of setting up Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) in every police district of the state for gathering information at the grass root level which will help in gaining information about terrorists and subversive activities in the state. But apart from deputing officers in LIU unit, this special intelligence cell is yet to take off fully due to lack of office space and other infrastructure in most districts. "The officers for LIU have been deputed in most of the areas but due to lack of office space and infrastructure, their functioning is getting affected as they can't operate sitting in local police stations. In that case their identity will be revealed," said a senior police official, on condition of anonymity. Although the stress was initially laid on bordering districts, it was later decided that the LIU would be expanded to all districts. According to a senior police officer privy to the development, apart from the traditional posting of DIB (District Intelligence Branch) officer in each police districts, the local civic volunteers of the police will also be used to collect information. But the state police, following widespread violence in Purulia, Murshidabad, Raniganj and Asansol over Ram Navami celebrations, has decided to pull up their socks and ensure that this newly formed LIUs have all the facilities to function properly. According to the state home department official, there are specific inputs that the riots that took place in Bengal after 2016 were "pre-planned and are not sporadic incidents as projected by a section of political parties and media". "If you are witnessing one communal incident, then please keep it in mind that before this one incident we have been able to tackle more than 20 such small incidents which have not made headlines," he said. According to data complied by the Union Home Ministry, communal violence had sharply increased over the past three years in West Bengal. While the state recorded 27 incidents of communal violence in 2015, the number almost doubled by 2017 when 58 incidents of violence were recorded. Both West Bengal police and Kolkata police are also keeping a close watch on social media after communal clashes broke out last year in Basirhat area of North 24 Paraganas over an "objectionable" post on Facebook. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat was arrested here today over his alleged involvement in recent communal clashes in Bhagalpur, and remanded to 14-day judicial custody, the police said. The arrest came barely a few hours after a Bhagalpur court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Shashwat against whom an arrest warrant was issued on March 24. "We had information that Shashwat was at the famous Hanuman temple in the vicinity of Patna junction. A police team reached the spot and arrested him and he has been sent to Bhagalpur", Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Manu Maharaj told PTI. The police produced Shashwat at the residence of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate A R Upadhyay, who sent him to 14 days judicial custody, public prosecutor Satya Narayan Prasad Sah said. Shashwat is the son of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. On his arrest, Shashwat told reporters "I have given myself up to police in deference to the court order. I have been wrongly accused of evading arrest. "I was not absconding as I have not committed any crime. If raising slogans in praise of 'Bharat Mata' and 'Sri Ram' is a crime then I may be called a criminal." Shashwat has been named, besides eight others, in one of the two FIRs lodged at Nathnagar police station of Bhagalpur following communal riots that broke out on March 17 after some people objected to playing of loud music during a procession led by him. It had been taken out allegedly without permission to celebrate the New Year as per the Hindu calendar. Several persons, including two police personnel, were injured in the clashes that witnessed heavy stone-pelting, arson and exchange of fire. The alleged delay in Shashwat's arrest had invited strong criticism from opposition parties in Bihar, especially the RJD-Congress combine, which accused the Nitish Kumar government of soft-peddling the matter while Choubey had dubbed the FIR against his son as a piece of garbage. Reacting to Shashwat's arrest, ruling JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said it was a fitting reply to the Opposition while Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said the whole episode showed the "helplessness" of Kumar before the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Shiv Sena would contest around 60 seats against its alliance partner, the BJP, in the next month's Assembly polls in Karnataka, party MP Sanjay Raut said here today. Earlier, the Sena had fielded candidates against the BJP in the elections held in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat last year. "Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had already announced that our party is going to contest elections independently and as a part of it, we have decided to go solo in Karnataka as well. We will contest around 50-60 seats but will support the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which represents the Marathi people living in disputed areas between Maharashtra and Karnataka," he told reporters. In a party resolution, Thackeray had announced that Sena would contest the 2019 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on its own without a truck with the BJP. The Sena, the oldest member of the NDA, shares power with the BJP in the Union and Maharashtra governments. Maharashtra has been demanding handing over of Belgaum, Karvar and around 800 villages and hamlets currently in Karnataka, claiming that they are dominated by Martahi-speaking people. The issue, festering since 1960 when the Centre adopted Linguistic Policy for formation of states, is pending before the supreme court. Raut also appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to campaign for the BJP in the disputed areas in Karnataka. "In every speech given by Maharashtra governor, the state government mentioned resolving the issue with Karnataka. If Fadnavis campaigns in this disputed area for the BJP, it would send a wrong message in Maharashtra as this act would be perceived contradictory to the official stance of the state government on the pending issue," he said. Raut had recently demanded Belgaum and other border areas be declared as a Union Territory. However, his comments did not go down well with a section of people who filed a police complaint against him. Referring to the controversy, the Rajya Sabha MP said, "I was talking in the interest of 20 lakh Marathi people who reside there". Appealing political parties from Maharashtra to press for resolution of the Belgaum issue, the Sena leader said he was not bothered about a police case against him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala today accused the BJP-led government at the Centre and in Haryana of betraying farmers, youth and poor sections by not honouring the pre-poll promises. "The people have made up their mind to teach a befitting lesson to BJP in the next polls," Surjewala, who is MLA from Kaithal, was addressing 'Jan Aakrosh Rally' at Nissing here today. Surjewala alleged that the BJP and its leaders have lost people's support for its "anti-people policies". Criticising the Narendra Modi government for not waiving farm loans despite the farmers distress, Surjewala said, "I wonder what is the logic for writing off huge amount of loans for a few select industrialists, but not being bothered about the crores of distressed farmers". He claimed that the farmers have been duped by the BJP as they were not getting the promised 50 per cent profit on their farm production costs for their produces. Surjewala criticised the BJP leadership for its alleged failure to honour its pre-poll promises to youth, farmers and various other sections of the society. He said the Congress, if voted to power, would bring a loan waiver scheme for all small and marginal farmers in the country. Besides this, the Congress, if it comes to power, was committed to provide interest-free loans to tenant farmers, share croppers and farmers owning and cultivating up to two hectares of land, he added. Surjewala said that India's farmer was already reeling under the "lack of appropriate minimum support price (MSP)" and a cycle of indebtedness, the GST has further taxed the farmer and agriculture sector. "The BJP government imposed huge taxes on farmers, thereby increasing farm costs. Fertilisers, pesticides and farm implements earlier attracted 0 per cent tax in most states but under the GST, the BJP government imposed taxes," he further added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Trump says he's looking forward to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid nuclear tensions between the two nations. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a meeting on Friday that the IOC would cooperate with the North to prepare for its participation in the 2020 Tokyo and 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported. To seem like an elder statesman, Xi noted that China will continue to play a constructive role on the issue (of talks) and work with all parties, including North Korea, toward the thaw of the situation on the Peninsula. "Two months from now, the inter-Korean summit and North Korea and the US summit will be held", stated South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Wha. The "phased and simultaneous steps" sound like the old tactics of his father Kim Jong-il that involved gradual freezing and scrapping of the North's nuclear weapons in exchange for eased sanctions, economic aid and security guarantees by South Korea and the USA but saw North Korea renege on each of its promises. "But if the two sides deeply understand the historic significance and meaning of this summit and give their all, we will be able to solve all problems swiftly and amicably", Mr Ri added. They are technically still at war after the 1950-53 conflict ended with a ceasefire, not a truce. Kim also expressed willingness to hold the summits with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, it said. On his first trip overseas since taking power, Kim and his wife were greeted by an honour guard and a banquet hosted by President Xi Jinping, according to state media, which confirmed the three-day visit on Wednesday only after Kim had returned by train to North Korea. It shows that Kim, who was a victim of isolation in the world at the instance of USA, has a friend in Beijing. Kim Jong-un on tour? "China feels a little nervous" about these summits and that "it might be left out and not be in control of the direction of developments on the Korean peninsula", said Mr Zhao Tong, a researcher with the Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy in Beijing. The Japanese Government said it had been in touch with the North but declined to offer specific comment on the report. To Kim Jong-un, denuclearisation applies to the whole peninsula, which includes the South. Mr Trump wrote on Twitter: "Received message last night from Xi Jinping of China that his meeting with Kim Jong Un went very well and that Kim looks forward to his meeting with me". Defying the state government's prohibitory orders, a BJP delegation today visited violence-hit Asansol to take stock of the situation there after last week's Ram Navami violence. The four-member BJP delegation, led by its national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, visited Asansol amid tight security and were joined by the local BJP leaders at relief camps. After returning to Kolkata, Hussain blamed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for "having failed" to control the situation in the Asansol-Raniganj belt of West Burdwan district and said, "It (the government) has played the role of a mute observer." "We visited relief camps in Asansol and found that whatever had happened was wrong. It was a failure on the part of the state government," he told reporters. Hussain said the delegation will submit to BJP chief Amit Shah tomorrow a report on whatever they observed in Asansol. The delegation had been formed by the BJP chief. Besides Hussain, the delegation included BJP national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Om Prakash Mathur, Palamu MP and former director general of Jharkhand police Vishnu Dayal Ram and Rajya Sabha member Roopa Ganguly. "We want the administration to take strict action against the culprits responsible for the riots here," Mathur said. On the way to the coal town of Asansol, the delegation was first stopped by the police at Basra More and then near Kalipahari as prohibitory orders were in force in the area. The BJP leaders, however stuck to their plans and proceeded to Asansol. The Mamata Banerjee government had yesterday said it would not allow the BJP team to visit the coal towns of Asansol and Raniganj as prohibitory orders under section 144, CrPC were in force in the riot-hit towns. It had also said that with the dates for the panchayat polls announced and the model code of conduct being in force, it would not be able to provide ample security for the BJP delegation visiting Asansol. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had yesterday paid a visit to the violence-hit areas of Asansol and Raniganj. He had held a meeting with senior officials of the police and administration and appealed for peace. The Asansol-Raniganj belt had witnessed clashes between two groups over Ram Navami celebrations, resulting in the death of one person. Two police officers too were injured in the clashes. The internet services remained suspended in both the towns, a senior police officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leading European firm BSH Household Appliances, which sells its product range here under two brands - Bosch and Siemens, is planning to expand its India sales network and aims to have presence in up to 2,500 stores by the end of this year. As part of the strategy, the company plans to introduce more categories under its mass premium brand Bosch, which will help it to expand in tier II & III cities. Besides, the German firm will open the first experience centre of its luxury built-in appliances brand Gaggenau in Mumbai this year. "Right now we are available at 1,800 stores and idea is to go about 2,500 by the end of this year," BSH Household Appliances MD & CEO Gunjan Srivastava told PTI. Besides, the company has around 50 Bosch brand stores and 28 Siemens brand stores. "In the last 3-4 years, we have grown about 30-35 per cent year-on-year and we would like to continue this growth rate in next 3 to 5 years," he added. The company is launching a range of top loading washing machine under brand Bosch to expand its presence in the mass segment. "To expand out distribution network, we need more mass products. With the launch of top loading washing machine, we are now getting into that zone now. North is a market, where top load is very well penetrated. With top load washing machine, we are looking to expand our distribution network in tier II & III cities of the North and East states and then take it forward," Srivastava added. The company is also planning to launch new products under the Bosch brand. "At the luxury and premium end, we do not have any portfolio gap but at the mass premium end with Bosch, there is still lot of categories, we would be launching," he said. Bosch, which serves the mass premium segment, contributes two time more than brand Siemens here in the overall sales, and the company expects to continue the similar pattern for the coming years. On its luxury brand Gaggenau, Srivastava said: "We are also now looking for experience centre for Gaggenau in Mumbai later this year". BSH had introduced its luxury built-in appliances brand Gaggenau in January this year. Its prices will range between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 22 lakh. "This would be more expensive than any other brands in the country and the price positioning is completely in the way it is positioned across the world. In kitchen appliances, it would be the most expensive," he said. On being asked about the sales expectations, Srivastava said: "The idea is to establish the brand first and get the right audience in India... Our business expectation will start more from next year onwards. This year, its more about establishing the brand". As per its strategy, BSH is looking for five key cities here for brand Gaggenau, which includes - Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. BSH has a manufacturing unit in India at Pillaipakkam, Chennai where it manufactures washing machine. It also exports its washing machine production to ASEAN markets, Australia and New Zealand. "We are looking at to manufacture more and more products in Chennai. There are several projects, which are undergoing. Right now, we are manufacturing washing machine, but in course of time, we would manufacture more. There are lots of product in pipeline," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has rapped the Gujarat government for not taking adequate steps to regulate fishing activities in the state. The CAG found fault with the government over non- adoption of a uniform fishing ban period, and raised concern about the possible 'over-fishing' on the state's coast. The state fisheries department did not have a marketing policy, which is critical to its success, it noted. A report of the apex government auditor on functioning of the state fisheries department was recently tabled in the Legislative Assembly. The CAG expressed concern over the environmental issues associated with the fishing activity, in the wake of the United Nations' sustainable development goals, envisaged to save the marine life from unregulated or destructive fishing activities and promoting environment-friendly fishing. Though the Gujarat Fisheries Act of 2003 prescribed that "the state government may regulate, restrict or prohibit fishing in any specified area to conserve fish, no specific notification on the subjects/matters has been issued by the government as of May 2017," the CAG said. When the issue was raised during the audit, the state fisheries department said in September 2017 that the process of issuing such a notification had been initiated, it noted. "The reply is not convincing. Since the enactment of the Act in 2003, the notification had not been issued. Further, the reply did not give reasons for non-issuance of the notification though mandated by the Act," the CAG said. The audit report also expressed dissatisfaction over the 'non-adoption of a uniform fishing ban period' by the state government. As per the recommendation of a technical committee constituted by the Centre in 2013, fishing should be banned from June 1 to July 31 (61 says) on the west coast, the CAG noted. Though the Gujarat government consented to the recommendation, the "audit observed that the state was imposing a fishing ban for 67 days, starting from June 10 to August 15 every year." "Thus, the Gujarat government was not complying with the Government of India's directions for the adoption of a uniform fishing ban period," it said. The CAG also raised concern about the possible over- fishing, observing that though the berthing capacity of three major harbours was only 1,530 boats, as many as 10,048 were registered at Veraval, Mangrol and Porbandar harbours, having the fishing terminal divisions (FTDs). "As the limit of number of fishing boats registered at a particular FTD had not been fixed, there is a possibility of over-fishing by boats operating from these FTDs," the auditor said. It also expressed dissatisfaction over the fisheries department's various ongoing developmental works, such as up-gradation of FTDs and fish landing centres (FLCs), and the setting up of new fishing harbours. After the audit and field visits to some FTDs and landing centres, the CAG said, "The fact remains that the delay in execution of projects financed by the National Fisheries Development Board deprived the fishermen and the fishing community of better facilities at the FLCs and FTDs." It also said that the fisheries department failed to carry out works for the construction of nine new harbours as envisaged in the 12th Five Year Plan, "thereby depriving better facilities to the fishermen and fishing community". The CAG also noted that the department did not have a marketing policy, which, it said, is critical to its success. Instead, the department was assisting the small vendors and processing plant owners through various sub- schemes, it said. On the state government's efforts to boost 'brackish water aquaculture', the CAG noted that the department was able to map (identify) only 12,165 hectares of land for the purpose against the availability of over 89,000 hectares. "Besides, only 1,842.21 hectare of land was brought under the brackish water aquaculture from April 2012 to September 2017," the auditor said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A number of students, who appeared for this year's CBSE class XII examinations, staged a protest here today over question paper leak and re-tests and alleged that the board was jeopardising their careers. The students, numbering around 50 and wearing uniforms of their respective schools, congregated at a Garia locality in the southern part of the city to protest the leak of class 12 economics question paper and the board's decision of re-test. The board has announced re-examination of the Class 12 economics paper on April 25, while the re-test for the Class 10 mathematics paper is likely to be conducted in July. The protesting students held placards and blamed the CBSE for "jeopardising" their preparations for other examinations. "We do not want the board to hold the economics examination again. Why should we have to suffer for something which we were not responsible for?" asked a student who participated in the protest. A girl student said re-test means that the results would come out very late, which would affect their admission in colleges. "It will also affect our preparations for entrance tests to under-graduate courses in colleges and institutions across the country," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrity Cruises, one of the brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises, is planning to have eight luxury ships visiting Indian ports in 2018-19, a top company executive said. "Last year, our dedicated India sailings, offering a 5-7 night cruise from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi and back, received an overwhelming response. We are planning to have 8 luxury sailings which will visit Indian ports in 2018-2019, Tirun Travel Marketing CEO Ratna Chadha told PTI here. Tirun Travel Marketing represents Royal Caribbean Cruises' three brands --Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises in India. Further, Chadha said Azamara Club Cruises sailings will also visit various ports like Kochi, Mumbai and Porbandar. Azamara will also utilise Chennai and Mumbai as frequent embarkation ports, she added. "We plan to offer more such cruises this year as well. Broadly speaking, we hope to have as many as 20 itineraries for Celebrity Cruises visiting Indian ports by 2020," she added. Celebrity Cruises' 12 ships offer luxury vacations visiting all seven continents. Talking about preference, she said the most travelled destination by Indians in Asia was Singapore, largely due to its proximity to the sub-continent. "Indians, especially those going on a cruise for the first time, prefer shorter cruises and short-haul destinations such as Singapore and Hong Kong. "Royal Caribbean International's short-duration offerings to these destinations, such as 3 and 4 night cruises to Singapore, are the most popular choices among first-time cruisers looking to sample a cruise vacation," she added. It was followed by Europe and Alaska, as cruise travellers expressed increasing interest in travelling to lesser-known ports and regions in these places, she said. "For a well-travelled discerning guest, however, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises are the preferred choices as they offer highly personalised, unique and luxurious onboard experiences while taking travellers to the most exotic places, including Galapagos and Antarctica, she said. Historically, she said, Delhi, Mumbai and other tier I markets such as Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Kolkata have been the major centres for cruise travellers. However, tier-II cities such as Surat, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Chandigarh, among others, are gaining prominence. "They have the aspiration to seek valuable experiences, understand luxury and can truly appreciate quality service. In the future, the market from these regions promises to be a major driver in the growth of cruise tourism," she added. While the Indian cruise market is growing, it is yet to establish its prominence in the global cruising map, as underlined by the fact that currently, there is no major international cruise liner offering cruises from India, she said. "We aim to change this scenario by bringing to the forefront the enormous potential of India as a cruising destination. We are aggressively planning towards offering a variety of cruises to our patrons and include Indian ports on the global map," she said. With five major Indian ports witnessing a significant rise in passenger footfall and the government offering major incentives to cruise liners, like 25 per cent rebate in vessel-related charges for coastal cruise movement, India is fast emerging as a top destination for global cruise tourism, she said. As per industry estimates, about 1.5 lakh Indians make bookings on cruise liners annually. "While the figure is still only a small fraction of the global average of 23 million in 2016-17, Indian cruise tourism has reported a healthy double digit growth," she said. Various factors, including global recognition of Indian ports, the rising number of travellers from India and an enhanced focus of the government to provide capital investment to the ports revenue and employment generation have contributed to this positive scenario, she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre has released three months' salary for the employees of Hindustan Paper Corp's defunct Nagaon and Cachar paper mills amidst attempt to revive the units, an official release said. "Following the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministry for Heavy Industries & Public Sector Enterprises released three months' salary of the employees of Nagaon Paper Mill at Jagiroad and Cachar Paper Mill at Panchgram," a release from Assam Chief Minister's Office said. It, however, did not mention the months. The Centre has released the fund for paying the due salaries of the employees working at the two paper mills of the state, the statement added. "On the other hand, the process of revival for the paper mills has also started," the release issued last night, said. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has been pursuing the matter with the Centre and held discussions with the Prime Minister and Union Minister for Heavy Industries Anand Geete for releasing the salary of the employees as well as reviving the two units. Sonowal thanked the Centre for releasing salaries of the employees weeks ahead of the Rongali Bihu festival in the state, the release said. On February 1, the Assam government said that the Centre had decided to hand over the Cachar and Nagaon paper mills to a third party to revive the units at an estimated cost of Rs 1,800 crore. Assam Commerce and Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary had said that although the management is likely to be handed over to a third party for the revival package, the ownership will remain with the Centre. The two units have a total staff strength of around 1,500 and installed capacities of one lakh tonnes each per annum. The Nagaon unit's last production day was March 13, 2017 with an output of 270 tonnes against an installed capacity of 300 tonnes a day, while the production at Cachar Paper Mill has been stopped since October 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alleging that the Centre was trying to usurp the powers of the states, Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu today strongly objected to the terms and conditions set forth for the 15th Finance Commission for devolution of funds. "We strongly object to the terms and conditions set forth for the Fifth Finance Commission that suggest 2011 population be taken as the base, GST be enhanced and welfare schemes for the poor be reduced." "Already the subsidy component for the poor has been reduced by one per cent last year. This shows the Centre has no real concern for the poor", he said in a statement. The FFC conditions enable enhancement in the Centres revenue while slashing the states share in Central taxes. Moreover, the weightage proposed to be given to low income states would result in higher fund flow to non-performing states, he said. This would be detrimental to the southern states, Yanamala observed. The Centre claimed that devolution of funds rose from 32 to 42 per cent as per the 14th Finance Commission recommendation. But in reality the financial burden on the states increased by 30 per cent because the funding pattern for Centrally-sponsored schemes was made 60:40, he said. "The Centre is trying to usurp the powers of the states. Is this cooperative federalism," he asked. The Centre should consult with all states before formulating the FFC guidelines and do justice, he demanded. Finance ministers of all South Indian states would meet in Thiruvananthapuram on April 10 to discuss all these issues, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An 18-year-old British girl has reported her parents as Islamic State (ISIS) supporters who exposed her and her younger brothers to extremist propaganda, following which all four children are now in state-monitored foster care in the UK, according to court documents. Police intervened after the girl from a Somali-origin family in the Midlands region of England contacted the Childline charity to say that she and her three brothers, aged 10, 14 and 16, were kept at home, did not attend school and were kept socially isolated, only being allowed out once in every three weeks, The Sunday Times' reported. The 10-year-old boy also suffers from learning difficulties and has been so traumatised by the alleged physical and emotional abuse that he is unable to speak, court papers note. The details of the case emerged last week after a hearing in the family division of the UK High Court. The children have complained that their parents expressed support for extremist violence and have expressed anti-semitic, anti-British, homophobic and anti-white views in the home, which the children reject, the court judgment states. Dame Esther Rantzen, founder and president of Childline, said the case was horrific and applauded the teenage girl's courage. The parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons, deny the allegations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sixteen teen agers here participated in a workshop to express their feelings through dance and paintings in a British Council initiative. The workshop 'Teenage Times Remix Kolkata' was organised by ThinkArts (India) and Curious Seed of Scotland and supported by British Council India and British Council Scotland. The workshop was conducted by a Scottish choreographer Christine Devaney and two dancers from the Gaelic country on Friday. Devaney told PTI "we asked the participants to draw self-portrait among other things. We also asked them to express how they feel about themselves and their lives." She said the 'Teenage Times Remix Kolkata' was initiated at the Edinburgh Music Festival in the past when ThinkArts representatives "saw some of our works." Asked about the similarities faced by teenagers of two countries, she said, "They are under the same pressure of examinaton and pressure to think about future". Ruchira Das from ThinkArts said, "After Devaney had conducted a five-day workshop in October 2017 here in smaller form with teenagers, dancers, visual artistes, we applied for fund from British Council and the Teenage Times Remix Kolkata 2018 came off." "It is a residency programme where the performances have been devised entirely by the teenagers. They are celebrating teenage through dance," Das said. "We now intend to take the programme to different schools," she said. Devaney said the performances of the teenagers at the workshop at a city school, where they talked, danced and drew self-portraits in colours, had been filmed and would be posted in a video sharing website. Director, British Council (East) Debanjan Chakrabarti said, "we are delighted with this collaboration between ThinkArts and Curious Seed. This year, as we celebrate 70 years of the British Council in India, we hope this Scotland-India collaboration will inspire young people in both countries to know each other better. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There is an excellent chance that western Washington is going to be hit by a major lowland snow event. And yes, the mountains will be b... The Congress' new Gujarat team will ensure that it wins more seats than the ruling BJP on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home turf in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party's state in-charge Rajeev Satav has said. Led by Modi, the BJP had won from all the 26 parliamentary seats in Gujarat in the 2014 General elections. The Congress, however, will seek to carry forward the momentum from its impressive outing in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls to see to it that the BJP does not "repeat" its 2014 election performance in the state, Satav said. The BJP managed to retain power in Gujarat by winning 99 seats in the last year assembly polls, while the Congress increased its tally to 77 from 61 seats in the 2012 elections. The 43-year-old MP from Maharashtra also stressed that his priority will be to strengthen the party organisation in Gujarat along with new state Congress chief Amit Chavda and opposition leader in the state assembly Paresh Dhanani. Both Chavda and Dhanani are contemporaries of Satav. "It will be a straight fight between the Congress and the BJP...We will ensure that the Congress will get more seats than the BJP in the next general elections," said Satav, who was appointed in-charge of the party's Gujarat affairs last Friday. The Congress' during its campaign for the General elections will highlight the alleged poor performance of the BJP-led state and central governments, he said. Satav said the Congress is raising issues concerning people and undertaking mass contact initiatives for the polls. "The BJP has not been able to keep promises made to the people, while each of our MLAs is highlighting issues concerning people," he said. Satav also said party president Rahul Gandhi had given a glimpse of his "will break wall between party workers and leaders" statement in Gujarat by appointing Dhanani and Chavda to their respective posts. Gandhi had made the statement during the recently held Congress plenary session in an apparent bid to energise the party workers. "Both Dhanani and Chavda are more of workers than leaders. They are grounded and are always ready to listen to the people. I am sure this will reflect positively on our performance in the next general elections," Satav added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in last night's hotel collapse here rose to 10, with six more persons succumbing to injuries, police said. The lodge, located near the Sarvate Bus Stand here, collapsed last night as it was around 60 years old and in a bad shape, Choti Gwaltoli police station inspector Sanju Kamle told PTI today. We rushed 12 people to the hospital. Doctors there declared ten dead since last night, he said, adding, two women were among the dead. Two persons, who were injured in the incident, are being treated at the government MY Hospital. Asked whether the collapse was caused after a car crashed into the main pillar of the building bringing it down like a pack of cards, he said investigations are on. It will take another hour to remove the debris, Kamle said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Police has undertaken a study to ascertain why there are more road accidents in the national capital during important global events like the recent Solar Alliance Summit, an official said. The police was prompted to take up the study after over 20 accidents were reported between March 10 and 12 when a large number of personnel were drawn from different traffic zones and deployed in Lutyens's Delhi and south Delhi to ensure hassle-free movement of dignitaries for the March 11 International Solar Alliance Summit. The national capital had hosted dignitaries from 23 nations for the summit co-hosted by India and France at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. "The Delhi Traffic Police has undertaken a study to ascertain the cause of this phenomenon," the officer said. The traffic police has a strength of over 5,500 personnel. During the three days, March 10 to 12, personnel were drawn from other traffic ranges apart from the central and south ranges and deployed for the VVIP movement, he said. Personnel had "hectic shifts" at that time and it is being studied whether the shortage of staff in other areas of Delhi and the packed schedule were responsible for the high number of accidents, the officer said. "We usually see a spike in the number of accidents when there are conferences," he said. "The study will help us understand whether deployment of force for such events in Lutyens' Delhi impacts safety of motorists and pedestrians in other areas," the officer said. On the intervening night of March 10 and 11, two college students were killed and three others injured after a woman crashed here car into a divider in northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar. On March 11, three persons died in two separate road accidents in Dwarka and two others died after their vehicle was hit by a car in Dhul Siras area of Dwarka. In the another incident reported from Jaffarpur Kalan area of Dwarka, a DTC bus conductor travelling on a motorcycle died after being hit by a car. In 2016, 1,548 fatal accidents were reported in which 1,591 people lost their lives. In 2017, the number of such accidents was 1,474 and 1,505 people were killed, according to the Delhi Traffic Police statistics. Till March 15 this year, 239 accidents were reported in which 248 persons were killed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Authorities in Jammu and Srinagar have failed to meet the deadline set to complete the first phase of a project to digitise the land records in the two districts, and they now aim to complete the project by March next year. The first phase of the project, which officially began in April 2016 - was scheduled to complete by February this year. A revenue department official said the project moved slowly in Kashmir because work was put on hold in the Valley for six months in 2016 because of unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8 that year. More than 80 people were killed and many others injured in the unrest. The official said the delay in meeting the deadline was also because the first phase did not start on the scheduled date of October 5, 2015, "due administrative and procedural formalities". "The first phase of the project required more time and is likely to be completed by March 2019, while the computerisation of land records of the entire state is targeted to be completed by March 31, 2022," the official said. Jammu and Kashmir Land Records Management Agency - the nodal agency of the revenue department - had approved the implementation plan for digitising land records under the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme in 2015-2016. In the first phase, Jammu and Srinagar districts were taken up. In the second phase, 10 more districts - five in Jammu region, three in Kashmir and two in Ladakh - will be taken up. The second phase was scheduled for March 2018-March 2020. It will be taken up after the first phase is completed. The remaining 10 districts four in Jammu region and six in Kashmir would be taken up in the third phase from April 2020 to March 2022, the targeted date for the completion of the project. About the progress of project work from April 2016 to December 2017, the revenue department official said against the target of 666.49 lakh revenue document scanning, 164.61 lakh (58.77 in Kashmir and 105.84 in Jammu) have been completed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian troops deployed along the disputed Sino-India border in the Himalayan range of the Arunachal sector have increased their patrolling at a tri-junction of India, China and Myanmar to prevent a repeat of a Doklam-like standoff. Top Army officials said that the tri-junction, located around 50km from Walong, the easternmost town of India near the Tibet region, is extremely important for India to help it maintain its dominance in the nearby mountain passes and other areas. "After the Doklam standoff, we have increased our presence on India's side of the tri-junction as it is very important for us from the strategic dimension," a senior Army official said. He said Chinese troops did not enter the Tri-junction too frequently but had developed a road infrastructure near the area which could be advantageous for the mobilisation of army personnel. Walong, situated on the bank of Lohit river, had witnessed the bravery of Indian troops against Chinese aggression during the 1962 war between the two countries. The deepening of military engagement between China and Myanmar was another reason for India ramping up its presence at the tri-junction with thick rainforests on the Himalayan ranges. The official said Myanmarese border guarding forces did not patrol the tri-junction. "After the tri-junction in Doklam in the Sikkim sector, this is the most important tri-junction along the Sino-India border," he said. Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. The face-off ended on August 28. The area in Doklam where China tried to construct a road is a disputed territory claimed by both China and Bhutan. India sent its troops to stop the Chinese construction activity, saying it could be a threat to its strategic interests in the region. Since the Doklam standoff, India has deployed more troops and increased patrolling along the borders with China in the Tibetan region. Another official said Indian troops have also enhanced their presence in all the areas in the Lohit Valley near the tri-junction. "There are 18 mountain passes in the region and we have been carrying out long-range patrols to all these passes regularly," he said. He further said," We have been carrying out war rehearsals regularly. You have to be in an offensive mode to remain in an advantageous position." China has been laying new roads and improving its overall infrastructure along the nearly 4,000km-long border with India. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said last month that China had undertaken the construction of helipads, sentry posts and trenches for its army personnel near Doklam. Sources said China has been keeping its troops in north Doklam and significantly ramping up its infrastructure in the disputed area. In January, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat had said the time had come for India to shift its focus from its borders with Pakistan to the frontier with China, indicating the seriousness of the situation. The DRI has seized gold worth Rs 1.68 crore, which was smuggled into India from Myanmar, and arrested three persons here. The trio was held at Howrah Railway Station after they deboarded a train on Wednesday, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said in a press release issued today. DRI officials recovered 34 gold bars of foreign origin cumulatively weighing 5.6 kg and valued at Rs 1.68 crore from the accused, it said. Gold smuggled from Myanmar through Moreh in Manipur was being carried by the three on the Saraighat Express from Guwahati to Howrah. They disembarked at a station before Howrah and took a local train. Gold was concealed in their shoes. Two among the three were found to be habitual offenders and had earlier been booked in a case at Siliguri by DRI, the press release said. The recovered gold bars have been seized and and all the three apprehended persons arrested, it said. They were produced before a local court which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days. There has been significant seizures of gold bars of foreign origin smuggled from Myanmar through the Indo-Myanmar border adjacent to Moreh and also from the Zokhawthar border with Myanmar in Mizoram. In the financial year 2017-18, in the region spread over West Bengal and north eastern states, the DRI had seized more than 300 kgs of gold valued at about Rs 93 crore in the market, smuggled from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and even Bhutan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Theory of Everything" stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones joined Stephen Hawking's family and friends at the physicist's funeral at University Church of St Mary the Great in Cambridge, England. The renowned British physicist died peacefully at his home in Cambridge on March 14. He was 76 years old. According to the New York Times, 500 hundred people attended the church service and that thousands of people lined the streets of Cambridge, applauding when Hawking's hearse drove by. During the service, Redmayne, 36, who won the Oscar for his role as Hawking, gave a Bible reading from Ecclesiastes. Hawking, who had a rare motor neurone disease (ALS) that debilitated him throughout his life, was a fellow at Cambridge University for 52 years. Other celebs in attendance included Elon Musk, Cinderella's Lily Cole, James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, playwright Alan Bennett, and comedian Dara O Brian. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Shillong campus of the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) will soon offer two new foreign language courses within the next three months, Vice Chancellor Prof E Suresh Kumar has announced. The foreign languages to be introduced are Japanese and Mandarin. The Shillong campus is already offering certificate courses in German, Spanish, French and Russian languages, he said. From the next academic session, the Shillong campus would be offering undergraduate degree in all the six foreign languages, he said. The reason for starting Japanese language course is in view of the immediate job market as Japanese companies have already started setting up offices in India, the VC said yesterday. He said that people conversant in Japanese language would almost have a job ready for them in India besides getting an opportunity to work in Japan. The same was the case for Mandarin, he said. He also informed that EFLU, Shillong campus would be conducting tester session during which a student would be fully oriented about the aspects of his/her choice of course. This will help students choose the right subject for their future growth. He said professors from the university will be visiting schools and colleges across Meghalaya and North East to conduct such tester sessions. Additionally, he said the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and EFLU have agreed in principle to have exchange of faculties. He also proposed to train teachers of Meghalaya in a scientific and systematic manner. This, the VC said, has been appreciated by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and the modalities will be worked out soon. The university will also be launching USR University Social Responsibility in line with the CSR, under which it will develop mobile app and have free content for general masses in its website. Further, the universitys Shillong campus will adopt a nearby village on pilot basis during which it will train youths in language skills so that become employable or entrepreneurs. The university will also come up with a world class language lab. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six jihadists and two Egyptian soldiers were killed last week during a sweeping operation against Islamic State group militants in the Sinai Peninsula, the army said today. The army launched the campaign on February 9 after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who this week won a second term, gave it a three-month deadline to crush IS in the Sinai. Army spokesman Tamer Rifai in a statement said the six jihadists were killed in an exchange of fire in the north of the Sinai, as the army launched a raid against a "very dangerous terrorist cell". An officer and a soldier were also killed last week and two other troops wounded, he said. During the same period the army arrested more than 500 "wanted criminals" and prevented 169 people of various nationalities from infiltrating across the western border with Libya, the military said. Since the campaign was launched, more than 100 jihadists and at least 22 soldiers have been killed, according to official figures. Sisi won a second term with 96.9 percent of valid votes during this week's presidential election, in which he faced only one candidate, state media reported on Friday. The National Election Authority is scheduled to announce the full official result on Monday. In November Sisi, a former army chief, issued an ultimatum to the army to crush the jihadists after suspected IS gunmen massacred more than 300 worshippers at a Sinai mosque associated with Sufi Muslim mystics. Security forces have sought to quell attacks by an Egyptian jihadist group that later declared allegiance to IS since the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, following mass protests against him. The group has killed hundreds of soldiers, policemen and civilians, mainly in its North Sinai stronghold but also elsewhere in Egypt. The jihadists have also killed scores of Christians in church bombings and shootings. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a huge success for security forces, eight militants, including top 'commanders', were killed today, while one ultra surrendered in three separate encounters in south Kashmir, police said. While one militant was killed and another surrendered before forces in Anantnag district, seven ultras were killed in a gunbattle in Shopian district where another encounter is going on at a second place. Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police (DGP) S P Vaid confirmed the killing of eight militants. One terrorist killed in Dialgam Anantnag after efforts of his family/ J&K Police failed to surrender, one caught alive. In Draggad Shopian 7 (seven) bodies of terrorists recovered including top commanders, he said in a Tweet. Vaid said the third encounter was on in Kachdoora area of Shopian where some civilians were trapped. Encounter also going on in Kachdoora Shopian, some civilian trapped efforts to rescue them on, the DGP said. A police official, while giving details of the operations, said security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Dragad area of Shopian this morning following specific input regarding presence of militants in the area. He said as the searches were being conducted, the hiding militants fired upon the forces, triggering an encounter. In the ensuing gunfight, seven militants were killed, the official said. He said the identity and group affiliation of the slain militants is being ascertained. The operation is on and further details are awaited, the official said. In another operation in Kachdoora Shopian, the official said, the gunfight is currently on. He said the operation in its advanced stage and more details would follow. Earlier this morning, a militant was killed while another surrendered before forces in Anantnag, the official said. He said based on specific input regarding presence of militants, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Peth Dialgam area of Anantnag in the early hours. He said as the search started and the location of militants was zeroed in, security forces made repeated requests on loud speaker asking them to surrender, as per the standard operating procedure. On this, the official said, one of the militants (name withheld) came out of the house and surrendered before forces. He has been taken into custody, the official said, adding, his family also helped the police in motivating him to come out of the house and surrender. The other militant did not surrender and instead resorted to firing on forces which was retaliated and in which he was killed, the official said. The slain militant was identified as Rouf Khanday, the official said, adding he had gone missing early this year and his gun-wielding photograph had come on social media in last week of March. His body has been handed over to the family for last rites. Both militants were part of the outlawed militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Picture yourself reading a newspaper while floating effortlessly on salty cobalt blue water, giving you a feeling of being on top of the world at the lowest point of the earth. This is what the 3 million years old Dead Sea has to offer, said Hassan Madah, director of Israel ministry of tourism in India. He said one of the saltiest water bodies in the world will let a person float naturally and claimed that one can even read a newspaper in tranquillity while relaxing on the water. "As you go deeper in the water, your feet and legs are pushed up and you feel your body becoming lighter, making you float naturally on the mineral-rich waters of Dead Sea," he said recently. The Dead Sea, which is 428 metres below the sea level, is 9.6 times saltier than an ocean, making it impossible for plants and animals to survive, Madah said, adding people use the salt and the minerals from it to create cosmetics and herbal sachets. The Dead Sea, the lowest point of earth, is full of black mud which could be easily spread on the body, soothing the skin with its healthy ingredients, he said. "With a quality of providing healing power with awesome beauty of surrounding landscape, the Dead Sea is a place of tranquillity, health and inspiration for body and soul," Madah said. According to media reports, the Dead Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate -- about 3.3 feet per year --primarily due to diversion of water resources it relied upon, mineral extractions from it and hot and dry climate which makes it difficult for the lake to replenish itself. The Dead Sea, also called the Salt Sea, is landlocked between Israel and Jordan. Its eastern shore belongs to Jordan, and the southern half of its western shore belongs to Israel. The northern half of the western shore lies within the Palestinian West Bank and has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Around 40 kms from Dead Sea is the 3,000 years old city of Jerusalem, which is considered a holy city by Christians, Muslims and Jews, said 64-year-old tour guide Eli Meiri. The city has a history of being conquered, destroyed and rebuilt time and again, said Meiri, who has been taking tourists around the city for the last 20 years. Christians visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located on a site known for the death, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, while Muslims come to the city to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina, he added. Madah said Jerusalem in not only visited by Muslims, Christians and Jews but also by people of other faiths. "Jerusalem is a holy city but to visit a holy city you don't have to religious person. Hindus visit the place to feel thousands of years of glorious history, to see attractions of other religions Christianity, Islam and Judaism," he said. He said Israel was a booming tourist destination with a high number of tourists visiting from a number of countries, dismissing the notion that it was not a safe place for tourists. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Somalia's al-Shabab Islamic extremists today launched an attack on African Union troops in country's south, killing four Ugandan peacekeepers, said Ugandan army spokesman Brig Richard Karemire. Four others Ugandans were injured, Karemire told The Associated Press. At least 22 of the attackers were killed and the rest were repelled, he said. The attack started in the morning when two suicide car bombs exploded at the entrance to the heavily fortified base in Bulo-Marer, an agricultural town in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region, said Somali army Col. Ahmed Hassan. Nearly 100 fighters firing propelled grenades and machine guns attacked the base occupied by the Ugandan soldiers. "That attack was repulsed but several soldiers have lost their lives to the bomb," said Hassan. Residents reported explosions and sustained gunfire, sending hundreds of terrified villagers to the bush. "We had a frightening day but the situation is calm now," said Nur Yusuf, a local elder by phone saying that African Union and Somali troops were patrolling the town in the evening. Somalia's Islamic extremist group, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabab, which is fighting to impose Shariah law across Somalia, was pushed out of the capital, Mogadishu, and other major urban cities more than two years ago, but the group still carries out suicide attacks across Somalia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) About 50 farmers were today detained by police as thousands of cultivators protested the move of a Gujarat government company to take possession of land at a village in Bhavnagar district for a proposed lignite plant. However, the local head of a farmers' group alleged that the police manhandled the protesters, including women and children, and in the process at least five people were injured. The Gujarat Power Corporation Limited had acquired 3,377 acres of land from nearly 1,250 farmers across 12 villages under Ghogha taluka in Bhavnagar about two decades ago, to set up its proposed lignite plant. However, all these years the land remained in the possession of farmers who were cultivating it. The farmers have now been opposing the company's bid to take possession of the acquired land. The company had sought police protection for its task to take the possession of the land when the clash erupted, Bhavnagar Superintendent of Police Dipankar Trivedi said. "We detained around 50 people and fired about 50 teargas shells, and also baton-charged the protesters near Badi village," he said. Narendrasinh Gohil, a local farmer leader and member of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, a cultivators' body, claimed that the farmers were carrying out a peaceful protest. "As we carried out a peaceful protest march against the company's move to take possession of our land, a large number of policemen were deployed to prevent us. The farmers and their families, including women and children, came out in thousands to protest this (taking over possession of land)," he said. The police manhandled protesters, including women and children, and in the process at least five persons were injured, alleged Gohil. At least 10 out of the 50 protesters detained by the police were women, he claimed. The protesters have demanded the company to initiate fresh proceedings to acquire the contentious land as per the Land Acquisition Act-2013. This was the third time the farmers resisted the company's move to take possession of the land. The farmers from the affected villages had earlier filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court against the move, saying the company will have to initiate a fresh procedure to acquire the land, as per section 24 (2) of the Land Acquisition Act-2013. The Act states that an agency will have to initiate a new procedure to acquire land if it did not take its possession for more than five years after acquiring it. The farmers' lawyer, Anand Yagnik, said, "The high court has completed the hearing but not passed the order, as the Supreme Court recently asked courts not to pass an order until inconsistent judgements in the matter are settled by its constitutional bench". "No interim relief was granted to us in the matter," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Delhi-based "middlemen" and 48 candidates have been arrested by the Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) from a Gwalior hotel for allegedly "leaking" the question paper of a Food Corporation of India (FCI) examination for the post of watchman, an official said today. The exam was supposed to be held at various centres in Madhya Pradesh today and according to an STF release, the aspirants were asked to pay Rs 5 lakh each for the question paper. However, the STF official said she was not sure whether the exam was held as scheduled for the advertised post. "On a tip-off, Bhopal and Gwalior STF teams last (Saturday) midnight caught two agents and 48 aspirants for leaking the watchman recruitment examination paper of the FCI from Siddharth Palace hotel in Gwalior," an STF release said here tonight. The arrested agents are identified as Ashutosh Kumar and Harish Kumar, both residents of Delhi. The STF seized a hand-written question paper along with an answer sheet from the accused. "During interrogation, the candidates revealed that each of them was asked to pay Rs five lakh for the question paper with solved answers. They were asked to pay the amount after they are selected for the post," the release said. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has voiced his concern over the medium of film losing its importance in the digital world. The 75-year-old actor, who met renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan yesterday here to discuss about film preservation and restoration, said the cause deserves serious consideration and it is important that people from the film industry across the globe come together to save the medium. Nolan is in Indian on a three day trip along with visual artiste Tacita Dean to promote the cause of film preservation and restoration, "Prominent dignitaries from the world of cinema gathered here in round table to debate and ascertain the importance of film heritage and its preservation. The word film has suddenly lost its charm ; for there does not seem to be any need to shoot films on film. It's all digital now. "It was known as the 'film industry', they were known as 'film stars'. So in the complete absence of that medium and that product, it would be quite in order to call ourselves 'robotic genes' or words of similar sound -- 'digi act' or 'digi digi'-- It would be an issue that would need consideration," Bachchan wrote on his blog. The actor said celluloid film is the "original format" and it is necessary to bring it back into business. "It (film) had greater aesthetic value , and its preservation, an essentially for posterity of having an original , than one that has been manufactured digitally. Digital is a derivative of the original film print so how would you feel if a xerox copy of a Picasso were to be up at a museum for attention and appreciation. Film is the original, digital format is not and in time to come this format may retire too," he added. Bachchan also shared few pictures from the round table event, which was attended by Shah Rukh Khan and Kamal Haasan among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four members of the banned outfit, the Peoples Liberation Front of India (PLFI,) were today arrested from Nagda jungle in Khunti district of Jharkhand, police said. Arms and ammunition were also recovered from their possession, the police sid. The members belonged to the Tilkeshwar Gope-headed squad of the PLFI, police said. Acting on a tip-off, a police team headed by Additional Superintendent of Police (Ops) Anurag Raj conducted the raid and arrested Sukhdeo Singh, Chandra Kishore Gope, Akbar Gope and Arjun Ohdar, Superintendent of Police, Ashiwini Kumar Sinha said. Addressing a press conference here, Sinha said one double barrel gun, one rifle, 16 live cartridges of different bore, two receipt books of the organization, were recovered from them. Sinha said the ultras tried to escape on seeing the police team but were ultimately caught. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The newly-created arm of state-run gas major Gail India, Konkan LNG, will pump in around Rs 3,000 crore to double the capacity at its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Dabhol in the Konkan region of Maharashtra to 10 million tonne over the next three years. Konkan LNG, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Gail, had on March 30 received the first 1.2 lakh tonne shipment of the 5.8-mt LNG contracted from the first-ever long-term agreement with the US signed way back in 2011 and 2013. "We will be investing around Rs 3,000 crore in Dabhol terminal to increase its capacity to 10 million tonne from the present 5 mt, which is also underutilised now due to the terminal not being an all-weather facility. "So, to make the Dabhol terminal an all-season facility, first we will invest around Rs 700 crore to complete the abandoned and semi-finished breakwater. Rest of the investment will go into capacity expansion," Gail chairman and managing director BC Tripathi said. Gail created Konkan LNG recently after demerging it from Ratnagiri Gas & Power, which is a three-way joint venture it has with NTPC and Maharashtra SEB. The JV was created to run Dabhol Power which was abandoned by Enron Corporation early 2000 following its global bankruptcy. The entire project will take around three years to complete, and will be executed by Konkan LNG, Tripathi said, adding the work on the breakwater should be begin shortly. Currently the terminal can operate only about eight months in a year due to not having a breakwater. "We've finalised the tender for the breakwater which will be floated very soon and hope to begin work before the monsoons at the earliest or soon after the monsoons," petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here on Friday receiving the first shipment of 1.2 lakh tonne LNG from the US. Gail commissioned the Dabhol terminal in 2013 and the US vessel was the 78th berthing, Tripathi said. The company will get 22-24 shipments per annum till the breakwater is built. Once that is done the annual intake will be 80-90 ships. It had in 2011 and 2013 entered into two contracts of 20 years each, to lift 5.8 mt of LNG from the US, which is valued at around USD 32 billion. The gas will come the Dominion Cove Point project in Maryland (signed in 2011) and the Sabine Pass project in Louisiana (agreement signed 2013) from the US. The under-construction breakwater at the Dabhol terminal, was created in FY07 by the original Dabhol power plant promoter Enron Corporation which went bankrupt following which it abandoned the 1,200-mw power plant. The minister had claimed that the country could negotiate "a very competitive price from the US which offers one of the best prices of LNG," without disclosing the average price of the maiden shipment. "Pricing is a commercial matter that cannot be publicly discussed. All I can assure you is that we have managed one of the best prices which should help the end-consumers," he told PTI, adding industrial and residential customers in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat. But it can be noted that when the first shipment was loaded, the crude was trading over USD 81 a barrel, and on the day it arrived it was ruling under USD 70 a barrel. Crude and LNG prices are linked. Pradhan also said the beginning of the oil and gas shipments from the US will boost Indo-US trade and has the potential to raise it by USD 2-3 billion annually, considering massive spike in energy demand, making the country third largest in the world. Indo-US trade has been rising 11.4 per cent on average annually since 2000 when it had stood at a USD 20 billion and crossed USD 126 billion in 2017. It can be noted that Asia is the largest consumer of LNG in the world with around 70 per cent of consumption led by Japan, China and India. "Once this pipeline delivery begins, this will connect the state-run gas major's Kochi-Kuttanad- Mangalore-Bengaluru pipeline," Gail said. Describing the arrival of the first shipment and the conclusion of the long-term contract with the US-based Cheniere Inc as "a new beginning in the Indo-US energy partnership and trade," Pradhan said LNG supplies is linked to the Henry Hub index contract and also "will help achieve the vision of moving towards a gas-based economy". The charter-hired vessel MV Meridian Spirit arrived at the Dabhol facility on March 30 after sailing for 24 days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Veteran BJP legislator and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Babulal Gaur has advocated the introduction of a 'police commissionerate system' in major cities of the state to curb crimes against women. This system will vest magisterial powers in senior IPS officers in big cities and help in taking effective and quick decisions in dealing with crimes, he said. In the present system, such powers lie with district magistrates. Under the current system, the district police chief is a senior superintendent of police (SSP)-rank official. "There is a desperate need to introduce the police commissionerate system in Bhopal and Indore to check the growing crimes, especially against women," Gaur told PTI in an exclusive interview. The police commissionerate system will come handy in swiftly dealing with criminals, the 87-year-old former state Home minister said. "Under it, the inspectors general of police (IGs) and deputy inspectors general of police (DIGs) would be vested with the magisterial power," he said. "It is easy to extern (keeping away from the district limits) hardcore and habitual criminals under the police commissionerate system," Gaur said. Notably, the BJP-led state government has been facing criticism over the growing crimes against women. The Congress has planned to take out a march from Raisen district to Bhopal on April 5, to demand that the government take steps to check the spurt in crimes against women in the state. Right now, the government is seriously thinking about introducing the police commissionerate system in Bhopal and Indore, a government official said. Asked about instances of the public parade of criminals by the police, Gaur said, "Criminals deserve such treatment. In this way, they can be straightened." On March 25, the police had arrested and publicly paraded four men for allegedly raping a collegian in Bhopal, and several women bystanders had also slapped the accused. Later, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sought to justify such instances, asserting that "goondas" have no human rights and that the state government had zero tolerance for crimes against women. Madhya Pradesh, having the fifth highest population in the country, was on top in the number of rape cases registered, among all states, in 2016. There were 4,882 rape cases registered in the central state in 2016, out of the 38,947 across the country, as per the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). As per the report, there were 2,479 cases of rape of minor girls in MP, followed by 2,310 in Maharashtra and 2,115 in Uttar Pradesh. In 2015 too, Madhya Pradesh had recorded the highest number of rape cases (4,391) in the country, according to the NCRB. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Germany's foreign minister today said his country remained open to dialogue with Russia and hoped eventually to "rebuild trust", even as tensions soar following a wave of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions over a poisoning row. "Russia's behaviour in recent years has undoubtedly caused a lot of trust to be lost," Heiko Maas said in an interview with German daily Bild am Sonntag. "At the same time, we need Russia as a partner, to resolve regional conflicts, for disarmament and as an important pillar for the multilateral order," he went on. "That's why we are open to dialogue and hope to rebuild trust bit by bit if Russia is willing to do so." The comments came after Germany joined the United States and a string of other Western countries in expelling Russian diplomats over a brazen nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in England. Britain has said it is "highly likely" that Russia was responsible for the March 4 attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, both of whom remain in hospital. Moscow has angrily denied the accusation and vowed to match the expulsions one-for-one in a major escalation of the crisis. Maas defended Germany's decision to send four Russian diplomats home, saying Europe's joint response was important to show "solidarity with Britain, but also as a signal of unity". Altogether, more than 150 Russian diplomats have been ordered out of the US, EU members, NATO countries and other nations in the largest such coordinated expulsions in recent memory. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Buoyed by bagging of tenders for electric buses from three state transport undertakings (STUs), Goldstone Infratech Ltd (GIL) plans to spread its presence across India by tapping both government and private customers in the next five years, according to a top company official. The company, which manufactures electric buses through a technical collaboration with China's BYD Auto Industry Co Ltd, also expects to fully utilise capacity of 2,100 units a year across its two plants in India by 2019-20. "We have a complete plan to address the market 360 degrees, not just one segment of the market or one territory of the market. We are going across the country, across customers -- STUs and private," GIL Managing Director N K Rawal told PTI. Bullish on electric buses gaining traction fast in India, he said although right now it is only STUs, more and more private players are beginning to show interest. "Gradually, this will percolate to that level also," Rawal said, adding the company has initiated talks with big corporate houses to supply electric buses for their fleet. On the potential for electric buses in India, he said the bus market in the country is huge at about one lakh units annually. "Even if we are talking about some portion of that converting into electric buses year-on-year, it is a huge number. In two years, a Rs 10,000-crore market for electric buses would be easily there," Rawal added. Commenting on product portfolio expansion, he said,"We have plans to bring different products as the market matures across different segments and on the basis of customer requirements." Currently, Goldstone BYD offers two range of buses -- eBuzz K7 (9 metre) and eBuzz K9 (12 metre) in India. These models cover up to 250 km at a speed of 70kmph on a single complete charge that takes about 4 hours. One segment the company is keen to address is inter-city travel with long range electric buses, he added. GIL has two assembly plants, one near Hyderabad with an annual capacity of 600 units and another upcoming plant at Bidur in Karnataka with a capacity of 1,500 units annually in the first phase, giving it a total capacity of 2,100 units per year. When asked by when the company expects to fully utilise the capacity, he said,"Right now it is dependent on government policy but we think that this number may come in 2019-20. It could come as soon as that." The initial orders will come from STUs, he added. GIL has bagged orders to supply 100 electric busses to Telangana, 150 to Bengaluru and 40 to Mumbai. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's reasons for agreeing to a cost escalation by the Russian side for refurbished aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov should not be made public in national and diplomatic interest, the Defence Ministry has said in the Delhi High Court, challenging an order of the Central Information Commission. Challenging the order of the CIC, which had asked the government to give the reasons why it had agreed to the hike, the defence ministry through a writ petition claimed the Inter Governmental Agreement between India and Russia bars the disclosure of such details and would come under the RTI Act's exemption clause of Section 8(1)(a). "...the IGA in clause 9 specifically states the sides ...not to disclose the contents of the present agreement as well as all the correspondence and information related to its implementation without mutual consent...," it said. The ministry saidany further information related to payments made by India or acceptance of upward revision in cost and time was not only bound by the clauses of the IGA but would also constitute a breach of parliamentary privileges and be prejudicial to the interest of the country. The deal for purchasing the ship, rechristened INS Vikramaditya, was signed in 2004 by the then NDA government at USD 974 million. The cost was raised to the final price of USD 2.35 billion in 2010. Information Commissioner Amitava Bhattacharya had conducted detailed hearings and heard all arguments before ordering the disclosure of information last year on a plea of activist Subhash Agrawal about cost escalation and others issues. The court has now asked Agrawal to appear before it on the matter on April 5. The CIC had also directed the defence ministry to disclose reasons why the country chose a refurbished warship in place of purchasing a new one and the net final cost including the expenditure on the modifications, renovations and remodelling done on the now 30-year-old ship and dates of payments made by India. The ministry said if the details were disclosed, "cardinal relation of India and Russia" will be affected due to the violation of the agreement which will be detrimental to the relationship with a foreign state and be "prejudicial to the interest of the state". "The Information Commissioner failed to consider that no information bound by the IGA can be disclosed without the prior approval of the government of Russia," the ministry said. It said bringing to the public domain the details of the fittings, fixtures and ammunition that were used for repair, re-equipping, renovation of the warship and thereby disclosing the capability of the ship would be "prejudicial to national security and expose war preparedness of the country". It said certain aspects of action taken on a CAG report on the subject were deemed to be classified and their disclosure would constitute a breach of national security. Information Commissioner Bhattacharya had noted that the Navy was trying to put the onus of the disclosure on the defence ministry whereas the ministry made it clear that the reply was to be furnished by the force. He had directed the Navy to disclose file notings, correspondence and documents related to the acceptance of cost-revisions demanded by the Russians. The commission asked for the disclosure noting that there was a larger public interest in the information which was withheld by the ministry and the Navy on grounds of national security. Bhattacharya also directed the ministry to disclose the reasons why India chose to opt for a refurbished warship in place of a new one. The case relates to an RTI application filed by activist Agrawal who had demanded a range of information on the acquisition of the 44,500-tonne aircraft carrier. The ship was originally commissioned by the erstwhile USSR on December 20, 1987, and was decommissioned in 1996. After being inducted into the Navy as Vikramaditya, the ship is now a floating 284- metre long airfield. It is a 20-storeyed steel mega-structure floating in the sea from keel to the highest point. The ship can carry over 30 aircraft including state-of-the-art MiG 29K or Sea Harriers, Kamov 31, Kamov 28, Sea King, ALHDhruv and Chetak helicopters. With 22 decks and a capacity of 1,600 personal, the ship can sustain itself on sea for 45 days up to a range of over 13,000 km. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Weeks before they were to appear for their exams, children of around 3,000 employees of railway and coal ministries in Delhi received a personalised letter from Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, along with a copy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's book 'Exam Warriors', asking them to take lessons from it, sources have revealed. The railway ministry sources said Goyal bought the copies of the 208-page book himself and sought details of the employees whose children were to appear for exams in coming months. He sent out around 3,100 copies to the employees, including railway and coal ministry PSUs, the sources said. They said Goyal bore the expenses for the books. In the letters addressed to the employees and their children by name, Goyal said "in recent times, the competitive nature of exams is causing more stress than satisfaction, and is taking its toll" and recommended the prime minister's book as a ready reckoner on how to deal with it. "In his unique style, Prime Minister Modi has simplified complex issues into 25 simple mantras. The book helps students gain self-confidence and teaches them how to focus on the task at hand. It also guides parents on helping children discover their true potential... Prime Minister Modi speaks about honesty, forming bonds with our teachers, handling adverse situations to see them as opportunities and making a contribution to society," he said. Recently, Goyal had met a girl who had run away from her home because she failed in an exam, but was rescued at a railway station. He gifted her the book and spent time talking to her. "I am delighted to present this book to you as a personal souvenir for reading and encourage you to take out time for assimilating its lessons. I am confident that this will help everyone succeed not just in exams, but also in life. Wish you all the best, for your exams, and to quote Prime Minister Modi, 'let us be warriors, not worriers'," he said in the letters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The process of filing petitions for H-1B, considered as the most sought-after work visa among highly skilled Indian professionals, begins on Monday amidst unprecedented scrutiny by the Trump Administration. A strong indication is coming from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency which is responsible to process all H-1B visas, that there will be zero tolerance by it for even minor errors. Chatter at various social media platforms and groups indicate that immigration attorneys this time expect a much high rate of rejection. The is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. The H1-B visa has an annual numerical limit cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year as mandated by the Congress. The first 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries with a US master's degree or higher are exempt from the cap. Days ahead of the start of the H-1B visa application process for the fiscal year 2019, beginning October 1 this year; USCIS warned that all duplicate applications would be subject to rejection. In previous years filing of duplicate petitions, by companies, so that applicants could have greater chance in getting through the lottery had become a normal practice. USCIS has also said that it will reject H-1B petitions requesting an earlier employment start date or a start date of "As Soon As Possible" or "ASAP." Expecting a huge rush of application beginning tomorrow and greater scrutiny of all petitions, which would require much more man hours, USCIS has also temporarily suspended premium processing. "We will announce the start date for premium processing in the near future," USCIS said. As of now, USCIS has not indicated if it plans to go for a computerised draw of lots as has been the case in previous years after receiving several times more than the Congressional mandated cap of H-1B visas. "Complete all sections of the form accuratelyThe petitioner should include a copy of the beneficiary's valid passport," USCIS said. If the applicant is seeking an extension of stay or change of status, he/she should include evidence to establish that the beneficiary will maintain a valid nonimmigrant status through the employment start date being requested, USCIS said in its filing tips. Given the general campaign against highly skilled Indian professionals, the applications by Indian companies are likely to face a greater scrutiny of all these petitions. As in the previous years, Indian companies would have to pay much more fee per application than those from other countries. On an average they are required to pay USD 6,000 to the federal government per H-1B application. And by then time the successful applicant appear before the American diplomatic missions - embassies and consulates for a formal visa interview and stamping on their passport, they would have to be ready with details of the social media profile, emails and phone numbers in the last five years. On Friday, the State Department issued a formal notification in this regard which would come into force after 90 days. Ahead of the H-1B visa filing process, USCIS said this work visa should help US companies recruit highly-skilled foreign nationals when there is a shortage of qualified workers in the country. "Yet, too many American workers who are as qualified, willing, and deserving to work in these fields have been ignored or unfairly disadvantaged. Employers who abuse the H-1B visa program may negatively affect US workers, decreasing wages and opportunities as they import more foreign workers," it said. Protecting American workers by combating fraud in our employment-based immigration programs is a priority for USCIS, it said, adding that it is furthering its efforts by enhancing and increasing site visits, interviews, and investigations of petitioners who use the H-1B visa programme. "These efforts will help assist in the prosecution of program violators and ensure that American workers are not overlooked or replaced in the process," USCIS said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today claimed that the Haryana government has released Delhi's share of water ahead of the scheduled hearing in the Supreme Court over the issue of water crisis in the national capital. Chief Spokesperson of AAP's Delhi unit Saurabh Bharadwaj said the Delhi government has moved the Supreme Court in the matter and they have now learnt that their Haryana counterpart has released the share of water. "We have learnt from sources that the Haryana government has today released Delhi's share of water which would normalise the situation in Delhi within 24 hours," he said. However, he did not reveal the source of this information. On March 26, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear a plea filed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) which has alleged that Haryana has reduced by one-third the supply of water to the national capital, which has led to a water crisis here. The DJB has sought apex court's direction to the neighbouring state to release the full 450 cusec of water per day meant for Wazirabad reservoir in Delhi. The jal board has claimed that Haryana was supplying Delhi only 330 cusecs of water per day as against 450 cusecs per day which was agreed upon between the state and the Union Territory. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BPO major Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) is scouting for acquisitions in South America and Eastern Europe as it looks to further strengthen its capabilities to support clients across geographies like North America, UK and Europe. The company, which recently bought AxisPoint Health for USD 14 million and acquired majority stake in Element Solutions (USD 5 million), is also open to opportunities that can help build new capabilities in areas like digital, analytics and automation and artificial intelligence. "We are interested in expanding our footprint to South America and Eastern Europe. These can give us near-shore capabilities and language diversity to support clients in North America and UK and Europe," HGS CEO Partha DeSarkar told PTI. He added that HGS has leveraged acquisitions to grow its footprint and add capabilities. HGS bought a healthcare platform company, Colibrium in March 2015. Besides, it had also acquired a significant part of MphasiS' BPO business in India in September 2015. "HGS continues to evaluate various acquisition options that are in line with our strategic focus be it for building new capabilities in areas such as digital, analytics and automation and AI or for gaining access to markets," DeSarkar said. He added that HGS' strategy is to look at small to medium acquisitions, mainly to acquire new capabilities, strengthen offerings and enter into new markets. HGS -- which serves brands across nine verticals -- has over 46,000 employees across 69 delivery centres in seven countries. For the quarter ended December 2017, HGS' consolidated revenue stood at Rs 975.7 crore, while its net profit was about Rs 49 crore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate talks with Pakistan, Union minister Jitendra Singh today said the decision to hold or not to hold a dialogue with Islamabad is purely the Centre's prerogative. The BJP yesterday hit back at the PDP for its remarks that delay in resumption of a dialogue between India and Pakistan has the potential of undermining the Agenda of Alliance of the PDP-BJP government and said such remarks could lead to mistrust and add to confusion among the people. "The decision to hold or not to hold talks with Pakistan is purely the Centre's prerogative and only the Government of India is in a position to take a call on this," Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, told reporters on the sidelines of the BJP State Working Committee meeting at Suchetgarh, near here. Asked to comment on Mehbooba's statement that India should hold talks with Pakistan at the earliest, Singh said he "is not qualified to answer whether or not and when India should hold talks with Pakistan because he is not privy to the sensitive inputs and confidential reports, based on which, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs take a view". He, however, said, any decision in this regard is beyond the purview of the J-K government. Without naming any political party, Singh said even going by the ideological positions taken by Kashmir-centric political parties espousing demands such as autonomy, these parties have also, in their policy documents, left the management of foreign affairs to the central government. Lauding the security forces for eliminating eight militants in a single operation in the Kashmir valley today, Singh said, "Our security forces are doing a commendable job and the nation is eternally indebted to them. "We are approaching the last phase of militancy," he said, claiming the common man in Kashmir, particularly the youth, has already moved ahead. On the deliberations at the BJP State Working Committee meeting, the minister said the coalition government in the state has completed three years in office, even though it was being claimed by the opposition parties, particularly the Congress and the National Congress, that this government will not last even three days. He said the working committee meeting, held every three months, was a part of the BJP's traditional curriculum offering an opportunity to review the activities and experiences and to chalk out the future road map accordingly. At a function yesterday organised by a group of Kashmiri Pandits owing allegiance to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba said that war was never an option. Reconciliation is the mantra which we need to follow and therefore, I request Modi ji to engage with Pakistan, she said. In a statement, BJP spokesperson Anil Gupta yesterday said, "The BJP has refuted the repeated claims being made in the media by Sartaj Madani, PDP vice president, that dialogue with Pakistan was the first and last condition for forging alliance with the BJP." Madani had on Friday said that delay in resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan has the potential of undermining the Agenda of Alliance (AoA) of the PDP-BJP government. He had said the AoA was a commitment to the people to resolve the Kashmir problem through "reconciliation and dialogue". The AoA, which formed the basis for PDP-BJP forming a government in Jammu and Kashmir, was an express commitment to the people of the state on resolution of Kashmir problem through reconciliation and dialogue, he had said. Madani also said that a delay in resumption of sustainable dialogue and revival of peace initiatives between India and Pakistan were causing worries and had the potential of undermining the AoA. Gupta responded by saying that such "selective quoting from the AoA can lead to mistrust and add to confusion among the people". The BJP spokesman said he coalition government was formed without any pre-conditions to provide a stable and representative government that would work towards providing smart governance, ensuring self-sustaining and balanced development across the three regions of the state and to create conditions to facilitate resolution of all issues of J and K. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in the last night's hotel collapse here rose to 10 with six more people succumbing to injuries, even as the district administration ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. While eyewitnesses claimed that a car crashed into a pillar of the 60-year-old hotel building, following which it collapsed, the civic authorities said such a possibility could not be ruled out as of now and a detailed probe was being conducted into it. The Madhya Pradesh government announced a compensation for the kin of the deceased, and the injured people. The three-storey hotel-cum-lodge, located near the Sarvate Bus Stand in a congested commercial area, came crashing down around 10 pm yesterday, Choti Gwaltoli police station in-charge Sanju Kamle told PTI. "We rushed 12 people to the government Maharaja Yashwantrao (MY) hospital. Doctors there declared 10 dead since last night," he said, adding that two women were among the deceased. Two persons, who were injured in the incident, were being treated at the MY Hospital. Kamle said the hotel building, having around 15 rooms, was nearly 60 years old and in a dilapidated condition from inside. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief over the death of people in the incident. He announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those injured in the mishap, an official of the Public Relations Department said. The government will also bear the expenses of the injured people, the official said. Indore Municipal Corporation commissioner Manish Singh was asked why the building was not declared as dangerous and no steps taken to evacuate the premises in time. To this, Singh said, "The hotel building was old. Its construction technique was also old. But its owner had tried to make it look spic and span by keeping it well painted and decorated from outside." "It has come to light that some repair work was going on inside the building for the last few days and that just before the mishap, a wall of the building collapsed following which the entire structure came crashing down," he told PTI. He said the civic body was trying to find out as to how much illegal construction had been done in the premises by its owner. While it was yet clear how the structure collapsed, eyewitnesses claimed that a car rammed into a pillar of the hotel, following which there was a loud sound and the building came crashing down like a pack of cards. The civic commissioner said this version could not be ruled out as of now and a detailed investigation was on into it. He also said that two buildings adjoining the hotel also suffered damage and their residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Collector Nishant Warwade said a detailed inquiry into the incident will be conducted by an additional district magistrate (ADM)-rank official. The incident was also captured on a CCTV, the video of which has gone viral on social media. The CCTV footage, which is of a few seconds, purportedly shows the building collapsing and some two and four-wheel vehicles getting trapped under the rubble. Following the collapse, there was a huge cloud of dust and debris in the area, as per the footage. Four of those who died in the mishap were identified as Rakesh Rathore (26), Raju Sen (40), Anand Porwal (27) and Harish Soni (65). The identities of the other six deceased, including the two women, were yet to be established. According to a police official, names of about 40 guests were mentioned on some recent dates in the hotel's register, and seven to eight employees were working there. However, it was not yet clear as to how many people were present in the hotel at the time of the mishap, he said. The rescue operation was hampered for a while because of the huge crowd of onlookers gathered near the site last night, and the police used mild force to disperse them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Under the CBI lens for alleged quid pro quo in receiving a loan from ICICI Bank, Videocon Group Chairman Venugopal Dhoot has said he knew all the 12 members of the panel that had cleared the loan amount and asserted that personal ties between two people do not always result in criminal acts. Reports have alleged quid pro quo between Videocon Group and the bank's CEO Chanda Kochhar as well as her family members with respect to extending a loan worth Rs 32.50 billion, an issue that has snowballed into a controversy even as the lender has come out in defence of Kochhar. It was alleged that Videocon Group pumped money into NuPower Renewables, a firm owned by Deepak Kochhar, husband of Chanda Kochhar. To a specific question on Chanda Kochhar's conduct, Dhoot said there was "nothing illegal". She was only one of the 12 members of the committee which cleared the loan (of Rs 32.5 billion) to Videocon Group, he said, claiming that he knew all 12 members, and former bank Chairman K V Kamath, the head of the committee, used to have lunch with him. Personal ties between two people do not always result in criminal acts, Dhoot said in an interview aired on Marathi television channel ABP Majha. Asked about the preliminary enquiry started by the CBI in this matter, Dhoot said the agency probes every allegation submitted to it, including "bogus complaints". The CBI has questioned a few officials of ICICI Bank as part of the preliminary enquiry (PE) to find out if any quid pro quo was involved in the bank giving Rs 3,250 crore loan to the Videocon Group in 2012. The PE has named Videocon Group promoter Venugopal Dhoot, Deepak Kochhar and unknown persons, according to CBI sources. Separately, Dhoot told PTI that loans sanctioned by ICICI Bank were based on the merit of projects in the oil and gas sector. "There was no quid pro quo from ICICI Bank to Videocon as ICICI Bank has under the consortium arrangement (with other lenders and leader bank being SBI) and which is less than 10 per cent loan to Videocon Group... the sanction by the ICICI Bank has been done on the merit of the projects and therefore, there is no question of any quid pro quo," he said. When NuPower Renewables started, Dhoot said he had invested around Rs 2,50,00 in the company but immediately sold the entire investment. He also denied reports that his group had invested Rs 640 million in NuPower Renewables. "This is not correct and we deny as we have not invested Rs 640 million in FCD (fully convertible debentures) of NuPower Renewables," he said and also denied allegations of transferring around Rs 3.25 billion from Mauritius route to Deepak Kochhar's company. In his interview to the channel, Dhoot said he had agreed to invest Rs 2,50,000 in Nupower Renewables as Deepak Kochhar was an "old acquaintance". ICICI Bank was headed by K V Kamath at that time, Dhoot said, claiming that he did not know if Chanda Kochhar was associated with the bank then. According to Dhoot, he got to know Deepak Kochhar through his friend and IAS officer, former Maharashtra chief secretary Sharad Upasani. He had no contact with either Deepak Kochhar or Chanda Kochhar after the return of the stake, he said. ICICI Bank had loaned $100 million through its Canadian subsidiary to Videocon, which was repaid in full with interest, Dhoot said, adding that there were enquiries by the Enforcement Directorate in the matter, but it did not find any wrongdoing under the foreign exchange management laws. "It is a circle of time where people face a difficult time. It is like the 'agni-pariksha' (litmus test) gone through by Sita and I am sure I will pass it this time," said Dhoot, who is known to have a keen interest in mythology. India has blacklisted some of the UAE-based shipping recruiting agencies, which abandoned Indian seafarers stranded in Dubai for last 22 months. The UAE-based agencies that employed Indian seafarers onboard various vessels, including Shah Al Arab Marine Agency, Enjaz 1 & 2, MV Azab, Sharjah Moon, Alco Shipping Services LLC and Azwa, have been blacklisted by Directorate General of Shipping under the shipping ministry. "It has been reported to this Directorate that Indian seafarers are stranded at Dubai for last 22 months due to abandonment by the owners / recruiting agencies....The seafarers are distressed, not paid wages for months not repatriated from after completion of contract," as per a communication by Directorate General of Shipping to Protector General of Emigrants, Ministry of External Affairs. The Indian mission abroad has also conveyed that despite all efforts Shah Al Arab Marine Agency, Alco Shipping Services LLC, Aiamn, Dubai and Alco Shipping Services LLC continue to recruit Indian seafarers, it said. It has also been brought to the notice of the directorate that some registered RPSLs (Recruitment and Placement Service Licensed) have also sent seafarers to the vessels - Enjaz 1, Enjaz 2, M T Dharma, MV Azab, Sharjah Moon, MT Ocean Prestige and Ocean Grace. Since these listed companies/recruiting agents have been found to be habitual defaulters in terms of payment of seafarers wages & basic provisions, it has been decided to blacklist the recruiting owners/ agencies, Directorate General of Shipping said. It also directed all registered RPSLs who have recruited and placed Indian seafarers on these vessels/ ship-owners to immediately withdraw Indian seafarers and repatriate them. "RPSLs are also cautioned not to recruit and place seafarers on the ... said vessels/ agencies. The immigration authorities are also requested not to give immigration clearance to the seafarers for boarding above," DG Shipping said. Welcoming the step, CEO, Indian National Shipowners Association (INSA), Anil Devli told PTI, "It has been found that often some agencies recruit Indian seafarers and abandon them, leaving them in distress without proper means. The action by the government will go a long way in identifying such recruiting agencies". In the current instance, while many are stranded in Dubai, some could be brought back after interventions. However, the exact number of such seafarers could not be ascertained. The government move will also caution Indian seafarers to conduct thorough checks on the credibility of shipping companies before joining them, he added. Devli also said that currently about 50,000 Indian seafarers are on waters across the globe. INSA was incorporated on December 2, 1929 to deal with the problems affecting the growth and development of Indian Mercantile Marine and was later registered as a non-profit making company. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi is committed to investing further in the Indian market but also keeping a sharp eye on "eventual profitability", as the US-based cab aggregator ramps up operations in the country. Speaking to PTI, Khosrowshahi said India is already among the top three markets (besides the US and Latin America) for Uber and accounts for 10 per cent of its trips globally. "For me, India is a core market that we are going to really focus on going forward. I'm really excited by the opportunity ahead for Uber in India in the years to come," he said. "I can tell you that India is a key component of our growth plan. In fact, it is one of our healthiest markets in terms of growth rates. We have over 3 lakh active drivers and we currently do over 10 million weekly trips. We think, we can increase that by 5X or 10X over the next 10 years," Khosrowshahi added. Khosrowshahi emphasised that this expansion will require investment, "but as you mature, you also want to combine that investment with eventual profitability". "We think we're on a good road there, we just don't have a specific timeline in mind (for hitting profits). If anything, we're leaning forward in India," he said, adding that the company is confident about its competitive position in India. Uber has been pumping in substantial funds to fuel its growth in India. In 2015, Uber announced an investment of $ 1 billion in the country to expand its services. It has also set up a response and support centre in Hyderabad with an investment of $ 50 million. Asked about a merger with Ola was on the cards, Khosrowshahi said the company will "look at any deals that can add value to its partners and shareholders, but we believe in controlling our own destiny in India". There have been reports about Uber and rival Ola joining forces in the Indian market. The speculations got stronger after SoftBank - an investor in Ola - joined Uber as an investor committing over $ 1 billion. Apart from India, the two now also compete in the Australian market with Ola recently launching its services in Perth and Sydney. According to sources, the two have help multiple rounds of discussions, including one just before Khosrowshahi's visit in February this year but the two parties are yet to strike a deal. Both, Ola and Uber have declined to comment on whether the two are engaged in merger discussions. An Ola spokesperson said the company is always actively looking for opportunities for expansion of its footprint. "Ola will always be an active and integral part for decades to come. SoftBank and all other investors are committed in realising this ambition," the spokesperson had added. Last week, Uber announced a deal to sell its Southeast Asian operations to rival Grab for a 27.5 per cent stake in the combined entity. Prior to the Grab deal, Uber exited two markets -- China and Russia. Talking about the challenges in the Indian market, Khosrowshahi said the company needs to do more to get the app working for all Indians. "Outside the US, we know that many riders have lower-end devices and are in areas with poor networks. Historically, we've not done a great job building for riders with those needs. That is changing, and we are committed to doing more," he added. The top executive, who took over the reins of Uber in August last year, said the company is investing heavily in research and resources in the Indian market to build solutions for the local market. He cited the example of 'Call to Ride', a feature being piloted in Pune that lets people make a voice call to book rides (instead of the usual practice of booking rides through the app) from popular locations by providing a code displayed on a sign at a booking point. The company is also actively exploring use of electric vehicles in India on its platform, he added. India will play a supportive role in Nepal's development, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli today said, ahead of his maiden visit to India since assuming office to strengthen bilateral relations, according to a media report. Oli will be on a three-day visit to India from April 6 during which he would hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and call on President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. "I am visiting India to strengthen bilateral relations. India will play a supportive role in Nepal's development," Oli was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times. The Nepalese premiere's entourage will include ministers, members of Parliament, secretaries and other high-ranking government officials, the report said. Oli also said that China was ready to support Nepal's development "The government is committed to achieving the goals of good governance and prosperity," he said, adding, "We will give impetus to development because if we do not do that we cannot achieve the goals of sustainable development." Oli stressed the need for modernisation through science and technology. He also said that his government would adopt a policy of "zero tolerance towards corruption". Ambassador of India to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri said India wanted to see a "prosperous Nepal and happy Nepalis", according to the report. Oli's visit is in line with the tradition of a Nepalese premier visiting India on his first overseas trip. Congratulating Oli over phone upon his appointment to the top executive post in February, Prime Minister Modi had extended an invitation to him for a visit to India. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Nepal before Oli took office to congratulate him for the historic victory of the Left Alliance in Nepal's Parliamentary and Provincial elections. Oli, widely regarded as pro-China, had last month said he wants to "update" relations with India "in keeping with the times" and favours a review of all special provisions of the Indo-Nepal relations, including the long-established practice of Nepalese soldiers serving India's armed forces. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian national has been arrested for allegedly fleeing to Malaysia with 4,69,000 Singapore dollar of his employer here, according to a media report today. Bahurudeen Kuthpudeen, 43, was supposed to deliver three cash cheques totalling SGD 469,000 (USD 357,907) from RHB Bank to his Singapore employer Mohamed Thahir Exchange, reported The Sunday Times. The employer lodged a police report on Tuesday. Officers from the Royal Malaysia Police arrested Bahurudeen less than 12 hours later on Wednesday, and extradited him to Singapore the next day. The police recovered cash of about SGD 24,000 from him, the report said, adding he has been charged with one count of criminal breach of trust. Bahurudeen will be remanded for a week at the Central Police Division. He will be back in court on Friday at 9am. If convicted, he can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined, the report said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Top innovators and though leaders will gather for a day-long brainstorming session aimed at transforming the economic, social and technological landscape of India, at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) next week. Weaved around the theme 'Pioneering Innovation', the MIT-India conference would be held on April 8. The MIT students have invited more than a dozen leaders from India for a day-long interactive session on issues like future of inclusive growth, future of transportation, future of digitisation in emerging economies and future of artificial intelligence (AI) and work. "It will spotlight India's biggest innovators and though leaders, and explore how they're transforming the economic, social, and technological landscape of India, student organisers of the event said today. As per the list of speakers released by the MIT-India Conference, Prithviraj Chauhan, the former Maharashtra chief minister would address on 'future of public policy innovations' while HCL CEO Roshni Nadar Malhotra would deliver a key note address on 'future of corporations and human capital'. Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX, would interact with students on future of education, Accenture India chairman Rekha M Menon will speak about future of AI and work and top philanthropist Gururaj 'Desh' Deshpande on future of inclusive growth. While Ashish Chauhan, CEO of BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) is scheduled to interact with MIT students on future of Indian economy, Hamsa Balakrishnan, Associate Professor, MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics on future of transportation, and Ananth Narayanan, CEO of Myntra & Jabong, on future of fashion and e-commerce. Kirthiga Reddy, Managing Global Client Partner Emerging Markets Lead, Global Partnerships, Facebook would be delivering a key-note address on future of digitisation in emerging economies, Vani Kola, founder and Managing Director of Kalaari Capital on future of venture capital and entrepreneurship in the digital economy and Anjali Sastry, senior lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management, on future of healthcare. Since 2011, the MIT-India Conference has brought together visionaries from various fields, including government, energy, finance, social impact, technology, and the film and media industry. Past keynote speakers included Nadir Godrej, Shekhar Kapur, Narayana Murthy, Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Raghuram Rajan, among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two days after India's latest communication satellite with military applications GSAT-6A was launched, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today said it had lost contact with it and was making efforts to establish link. The space agency lost communication with the satellite when it attempted to ignite the engine in a third and final move to its desired location after its March 29 textbook launch from the space port of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The second orbit raising operation of GSAT-6A was successfully carried out on Saturday, but when it was on course to normal operating configuration for the third and final firing scheduled for April 1, communication with the satellite was lost, the space agency said after maintaining unusual silence on the health of the satellite. A satellite is placed in orbit in three phases. "Efforts are underway to establish link with the satellite," Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO said on its website. The 2,140-kg GSAT-6A rode piggyback on ISRO's powerful geosynchronous rocket (GSLV-F08) fitted with indigenous cryogenic engine at the third stage and was put into orbit successfully after the launch in what was described by a senior ISRO official as a "magnificent mission". GSAT-6A is aimed at helping in mobile communication even from very remote locations through hand-held ground terminals and is considered a shot in the arm for the armed forces. The space agency's unusual silence regarding the satellite had set off speculation about its health. ISRO, which normally communicates on its website about the orbit raising operations like it did on March 30, following the success of the first orbit raising operation, had not released any update since then. The last update was on March 30, wherein it said, "The first orbit raising operation of GSAT-6A Satellite has been successfully carried out by Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) Engine firing for 2188 sec from 09:22hr IST on March 30, 2018." "Orbit Determination results from this LAM firing are: apogee X perigee height was changed to 36412 km X 5054 km. Inclination is 11.93 deg. Orbital period is 12hr 45min," it had said. ISRO did not spell out what went wrong. Reports, however, suggest that the glitch was related to the satellite's power system after the second orbit-raising exercise yesterday, following which ISRO's top brass have reportedly gone into a huddle towards setting things right. The orbit raising operation is carried out to hurl the satellite to its space home. GSAT-6A, with a mission life of about 10 years, is designed to provide thrust to mobile communication through multi-beam coverage facility. The satellite is also aimed at providing a platform for developing technologies such as demonstration of 6 m S-Band Unfurlable Antenna, hand-held ground terminals and network management techniques that could be useful in satellite-based mobile communication applications. "GSAT-6A is a complement to GSAT6, already in orbit. These two satellites combined will provide a platform for development of advanced technologies," ISRO Chairman K Sivan had said post the launch. This was the first mission for Sivan, who assumed charge of the space agency in January. In August last year, India's mission to launch its backup navigation satellite IRNSS-1H on board PSLV-C39 ended in a failure after a technical fault on the final leg following a perfect launch. ISRO had then said the heat shield had not separated on the final leg of the launch sequence and, as a result, IRNSS-1H had got stuck in the fourth stage of the rocket. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prosecutors in the northern Italian city of Turin opened an investigation today over an alleged intrusion by French customs officers that has caused diplomatic tensions between Rome and Paris. A charity that helps migrants, Rainbow4Africa, has accused uniformed French customs officials of entering their office in the small Alpine village of Bardonecchia in Italy to drug-test a Nigerian passenger on a Paris-bound train. The Italian foreign ministry summoned the French ambassador in Rome to provide an explanation yesterday and called the alleged violation of Italian sovereignty "unacceptable." The prosecutor's office in Turin opened a preliminary investigation on Sunday looking into allegations of abuse of power, violence and trespassing, according to the Italian agency Agi. French Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin, who is responsible for French customs, has said that French officials were following procedures laid out in a 1990 agreement between the two countries. He declined to apologise today and implied there had been a mix-up, saying the room used by Rainbow4Africa at Bardonecchia station was a space that could be accessed by French officials under the 1990 deal. "It transpires that between this deal and the moment that we used the room, the Italian government has granted an association that helps migrants the right to use it," he said. He added: "I will go to Italy in the next few days to explain myself in person, if necessary to the Italian government." France has increased security on its border with Italy and carries out checks on trains and traffic coming from its southern neighbour, which is the main entry point in Europe for hundreds of thousands of African migrants each year. French customs officials carried out a urine test on the Nigerian train passenger late on Friday which returned a negative result. Matteo Salvini, the head of Italy's far-right League, commented that Rome, "instead of expelling Russian diplomats should return French diplomats," juxtaposing the incident with the furore over the poisoning in March of a former Russian spy in Britain, widely blamed on Moscow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today expressed grief over the death of two civilians during security operations in Anantnag and Shopian districts today. "She also sympathised with those injured during these operations," an official spokesman said. He said the chief minister also paid tributes to the three Army jawans, killed in these operations. She conveyed her sympathies with the bereaved families and prayed for peace to the departed souls, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today asserted that every rupee of the central aid to the state for the last five years has been accounted for before the assembly with Leader of Opposition Jagadish Shettar being well aware of it. The Karnataka CM made the remarks in response to BJP president Amit Shah's persistent demand for the accounts of the central aid to Karnataka for implementing the central schemes. "Where did the money go? The answer is that it went into irrigation, schools, hospitals, roads and highways, railway lines, crop insurance, farm loan waiver and the list goes on. Account for every rupee has been presented before the legislature," he said in a tweet. The Leader of Opposition in the assembly Jagdish Shettar (BJP) too is aware of it, the chief minister said. Shah has been reiterating that the Central government had increased the aid to Karnataka from Rs 88,583 crore to Rs 2,19,506 crore over a period of time and has been asking Siddaramaiah to furnish the detailed accounts on the spending. Siddaramaiah said these funds are not a special grant to Karnataka and they go into the state budget. He said the BJP should stop "lying and fooling people" as all these accounts were presented, debated and approved through 15 legislature sessions. "Was the BJP sleeping for five years? Did they sleep through the 15 legislature sessions where all these accounts were presented, debated and approved? So, please stop fooling the people. Repeating a lie does not make it true," he said. Siddaramaiah said the Centre reduced its share in central schemes despite the percentage of devolution being changed from 32 to 42 per cent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil actor and Makkal Neethi Mayyam chief Kamal Haasan on Sunday expressed solidarity with the protest against Vedanta's copper making unit Sterlite near Tuticorin, and sought its closure. "The expansion (of Sterlite Copper, a unit of Vedanta) should not at all be allowed...if possible it will be good to close down this (existing) unit," he told reporters in Tuticorin. Staunchly opposing the copper smelter plant's proposed expansion, he said lives of people were more important than producing copper. The Makkal Neethi Maiyam chief asked "what is the necessity to put up the plant near residential and agricultural zone? ...to say that the location is close to the port is not acceptable." He said he would reverberate the voice of the people against the plant wherever he went. To a question, he said legal experts would also be consulted to see if there was any possibility for legal intervention in the issue. Asked if his party had planned any protest over the Cauvery issue, Haasan said a meeting has been convened on April 4 at Tiruchirappalli to deliberate the matter. Earlier, he visited A Kumarareddiapuram village in Tuticorn district and expressed solidarity with the people for their protest which entered the 49th day today. Residents of the village have been demanding that the plant be shut down immediately alleging that they faced serious health issues due to pollution from the unit. Haasan, addressing the protesters said he visited them as an individual and not as a party head. "My humble view is that a business need not be run by ruining your lives," he said. He said for him being humane was more important than being an actor. "I am a Tamilian first. I have not come here as a politician. I have not come here for publicity. I have had enough publicity already," he said. Haasan, apparently pointing to allegations of health issues due to the copper unit, said "the injustice that is being perpetrated on you is a reflection of the ugly face of commercial greed." He said the central and state governments had not heard the voice of the people and that "the people should make them hear the same now". Photo: @makkalnidhimaiam on Twitter Meanwhile, a protest demonstration was held in Chennai today by people of Tuticorin district.Sterlite Copper's unit was shutdown on March 29 for 15 days for "maintenance work." The firm has since placed advertisements in dailies claiming that it has not violated any norms against the background of continuing protests. Several men painted their faces showing 'blood' oozing out from their eyes to symbolically represent the alleged sufferings of the Tuticorin people due to pollution from the copper unit. They shouted slogans against the unit and held placards seeking government action to close it down. Saturday, the Tamil Nadu government had said that it was examining complaints of residents against the copper maker. A leading copper producer, Sterlite Copper represents the copper unit of Vedanta Limited which operates a 400,000 Tonnes Per Annum plant in Tuticorin. The company had recently said that the plant received the necessary regulatory clearances for expansion and its primary commitment was to ensure the development and well-being of all the communities around its operations. Actor Rajinikanth on Saturday took a dig apparently at the the ruling AIADMK over the issue of the expansion of the copper plant, saying the government was not responding to the protests by locals. Attacking the TRS government over the findings of the CAG report, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee today alleged that the TRS government has committed a serious economic offence and hence should resign. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its latest report over the state governments programmes and policies has "exposed" that the government "fudged" budget figures showing loans as revenue, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said. "This was done not only to mislead the people to show Telangana as richest and revenue surplus state but also to cheat financial institutions to get more loans", he charged. "The government has committed a serious economic crime which is unprecedented in the entire country," a party release quoted Reddy as saying. The Congress was exploring all legal means to take action against the chief minister, finance minister, finance secretary and other officials concerned, on what he alleged, over "manipulating" figures to show a deficit budget as revenue surplus budget. He said that the CAG has also "exposed the diversion of funds from SC Sub-Plan for other purposes. The government has lost moral grounds to continue in power after the CAG exposure, Reddy said. He said the Congress would expose the "criminal" acts of the government and the implications of its financial "fraud" before the public in the partys second phase of the 10 day Praja Chaitanya Bus Yatra in Telangana, which commenced today. The TPCC president slammed the state Governmentover expulsion of its two MLAs and suspension of 1l members for the entire budget session on March 13, a day after the "unruly" incidents during the Governor's address to the joint sitting of the legislature. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An industry body today alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's decision to postpone his hunger strike over sealing drive in the city was a "politically motivated" move aimed at "gaining sympathy" of traders. Kejriwal had announced earlier last month that he would sit on fast if the ongoing drive was not stopped by March 31. On Friday, though the AAP's Delhi unit said he has deferred the hunger strike. Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) today sent a letter to Kejriwal, claiming the postponement has resulted into "great anguish and resentment" among the traders of Delhi. "The manner and nature in which the hunger strike was postponed gives us a reason to believe that such a declaration was more politically motivated, in order to gain sympathy of traders, instead of seriously dealing with the issue concerning the livelihood of lakhs of traders and their employees in Delhi," he was quoted as saying in a CAIT statement. A massive sealing drive was undertaken in south Delhi's Amar Colony market where as many as 350 shops in Old Double Storey Market were sealed in a day. Addressing traders in Amar Colony on March 9, Kejriwal had announced that he would go on a hunger strike if the issue of the ongoing sealing drive against commercial establishments in Delhi was not resolved by the end of that month. Saurabh Bharadwaj, the chief spokesperson of AAP's Delhi unit, on March 30 had said that the chief minister took the decision to defer his hunger strike after he was appealed by several trader associations and lawyers that his fast could "annoy" the court, which could adversely impact the outcome. According to the Aam Aadmi Party, the Supreme Court is going to hear the sealing matter from April 2 on a day-to-day basis and the AAP government has appointed two advocates in the case. The apex court would deal with the issue of validity of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislations that protect unauthorised construction from being sealed in the national capital. The sealing drive, which started in December last year, is being conducted in several parts of Delhi by civic bodies at the instance of a Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Elevator and escalator maker KONE India is setting up its second manufacturing unit near here for the domestic and South Asian markets, a top official said. "The facility, which does not require fixed investments, will cater to all segments of the market. It will be a world class facility to serve India and South Asian markets. As the markets pick up we will enhance capacity, investments and manpower," KONE India Managing Director Amit Gossain told PTI. The second facility is coming up at neighbouring Sriperumbudur and is expected to be ready by mid-2019. KONE India currently serves to segments of real estate market -- including residential, retail, hospitality and commercial segments. KONE India has an existing unit at nearby Ayanambakkam that can be altered based on the market demand on production of elevators. The existing unit, besides serving the domestic market, also serves Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Claiming that the company was a pioneer in developing eco-efficient, sustainable solutions for urban development, he said, "Our customers look for reliable and safe solutions which are easy to use. KONE India focuses in understanding and delivering this, right from the day of its inception." "In India, we currently have more than 4,000 people employed in permanent direct jobs. We have created indirect jobs through many suppliers supplying to KONE as well as through sub-contractors who work on various sites," he said. KONE India has a training centre where 'installation engineers' and 'field mechanics' are trained to meet the strong reputation for high quality and uncompromised safety, he said. "KONE's global technology and engineering centre is a testing and research hub which has been playing a key role in supporting KONE India's market development and also in making modifications to the design to suit Indian conditions," he said. To a query, he said India is the second largest elevator and escalator market after China with a current market size of around 50,000 units per year. KONE India has a market share of 20 per cent, he said. Asked how much KONE India contributes to the group, he said, "at the moment it is not very substantial." "As the market in India grows, KONE contribution towards global revenues will increase. However, the important thing is India is the second biggest new equipment market in the world after China and hence it is an important growth market too," he said. "Technology, service and quality installation will be the key areas that KONE will focus on and we expect good positive growth in the years to come depending on the speed of urbanisation...," he said. Recently, KONE India launched new elevators for the mid range segment and also unveiled its new customer experience centre in the city. The KONE U MonoSpace Elevators were upto 35 per cent more energy efficient than its earlier elevators. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major offensive, security forces today gunned down 12 militants, including those responsible for the brutal killing of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz, in three counter-insurgency operations that also claimed the lives of three Army jawans and four civilians in Anantnag and Shopian districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The operations, which have rendered a severe blow to terror groups in Kashmir Valley, were launched in the two districts last night and continued till late this afternoon. One militant was killed and another arrested in Dialgam of South Kashmir's Anantnag district, while seven terrorists were gunned down in Draggad. Four in Kachdooru areas of Shopian district. Out of 12 terrorists, 11 have been identified so far and all of them are locals, officials said. Earlier police had said that five militants were killed in Kachdooru but they later revised the figure down to four. Three Army personnel and three civilians lost their lives in Kachdooru area, whereas another civilian, who was the house owner at Draggad where militants were hiding, was killed along with the terrorists. Keeping in view of the law and order situation and a bandh call given by separatists groups, the police have imposed restrictions in seven police stations of Srinagar city and parts of South Kashmir besides putting separatist leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik under house arrest. Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) S P Pani said this was an extremely wonderful work done by Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with the Army and CRPF. "We have tried to keep life smooth in other parts of the Valley but if any miscreants attempt to disrupt the peace, they will be dealt sternly," he said. Among the killed militants were Ishfaq Thokar, Ehtehmad Hussian and Aquib Iqbal who were responsible for many terror related activities in Shopian area. Earlier, at a hurriedly called joint press conference of Army, police and CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S P Vaid said this is one of the biggest counter-offensives in recent times against terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley. The operations by security forces rendered a severe dent to militant groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashker-e-Taiba, officials said here. Three Army jawans have lost their lives in the operations at Kachdooru in Shopian, the officials said. They were killed when they had gone near the encounter site while planting an explosive device to blow the house where the militants had holed up. At the press conference called at Victor Force headquarters at Awantipura, around 33 kms from here, Corps Commander of XV Corps, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, termed it one of the biggest operations in recent times and said the death of Lt Umar Fayaz, who was brutally killed in Shopian last year, had been avenged. "Among the militants killed are Ishfaq Malik and Thokar. They were responsible for his death," Bhatt said. Fayaz, 22, was killed by militants in May last year. His body was found with bullet wounds in the Hermain area of Shopian district in south Kashmir. The DGP also made a special mention of an SSP's efforts to convince a militant to surrender during the Dialgam encounter. "I would like to make a special mention about the Dialgam encounter where our Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) made a special effort, which is unheard of in any part of the world. "He called the family members of one of the terrorists. They spoke with him for 30 minutes, to convince him to surrender," the officer said. "Unfortunately, he did not heed the advice of his family. During the talks, the district SSP tried to get him over. Instead he fired on the police leaving the police with no option other than to retaliate. He was killed. The other one was caught alive," he said. On the ongoing operations at Kachedoora, the DGP said there was information about the presence of four to five militants, but "we will be able to give a clear picture only after the debris is cleared". The DGP said that all the seven militants killed in the Draggad encounter were locals and their bodies have been claimed by their families. Inspector General of CRPF Zulfikar Hassan pointed out that people came in large numbers at the encounter site in Shopian. It was painful to see young boys getting killed in this manner, the DGP said. "I urge all the parents to appeal to their children to shun the path of violence and join the national mainstream," Vaid said. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is in the national capital, has expressed grief over the death of civilians during various security operations in Anantnag and Shopian districts today. She has also sympathised with those injured during these operations. The Chief Minister has also paid tributes to the three Army jawans who were killed during these operations. National Conference working President Omar Abdullah, while condoling the death of civilians, questioned the Chief Minister's absence from the state. "So while all this was unfolding the Chief Minister didn't see (it) fit to cut short her Delhi trip. What was so important to have kept her there?" Omar tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Malian jihadist was arrested today and handed over to the International Criminal Court to face war crimes charges for the destruction of Timbuktu and sex slavery, the tribunal said. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was detained by the Malian authorities. He has now arrived at the tribunal's detention centre in The Hague, the court said in a statement. The 40-year-old faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the destruction of the holy shrines of Timbuktu between 2012-2013 as well as accusations of rape and forced marriage. "The custody of the ICC sends a strong message to all those, wherever they are, who commit crimes which shock the conscience of humanity that my office remains steadfast in the pursuit of its mandate," chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said. Al-Hassan's arrest came four days after the court issued an international warrant for his arrest. Prosecutors allege that he "committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in Timbuktu, Mali, between April 2012 and January 2013." "The charges against him are representative of the criminality and resulting victimisation of the population during this period," Bensouda added. He will be only the second Islamic extremist to face trial at the ICC after war crimes judges in 2016 jailed, for nine years, another Malian who had pleaded guilty to demolishing Timbuktu's fabled shrines in 2012. The landmark ruling at the world's only permanent war crimes court was seen as a warning that destroying mankind's heritage will not go unpunished. In its first case to focus on cultural destruction as a war crime, the International Criminal Court found Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi guilty of directing attacks on the UNESCO world heritage site during the jihadist takeover of northern Mali in 2012. Mahdi "supervised the destruction and gave instructions to the attackers" who took pickaxes and bulldozers to the centuries-old shrines, presiding judge Raul Pangalangan told the tribunal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man shot dead his brother and nephew in a family dispute in Bihar's Bhagalpur district late last night, police said today. The deceased have been identified as Pulis Mandal (40) and Dilip Mandal (26), both residents of Rani Diyara village of Ekchari police station of the district, Kahalgaon Circle Inspector Sidheshwar Rajak said. The accused Kapil Mandal shot the two following a heated argument over selling of a piece of land, the Inspector said adding, an FIR has been lodged against the accused on the basis of his mother's statement. Kapil Mandal has been absconding, he said. The bodies have been sent to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur, for postmortem. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British Prime Minister Theresa May today used her Easter message to hail the "triumph of the human spirit" after "some dark moments" of last year that include terror attacks and a massive fire at Grenfell Tower. The British Prime Minister praised the bravery of the victims and communities in the wake of the fire that claimed 71 lives and terrorist attacks in London and Manchester that left 36 dead. May, a vicar's daughter and practising Christian, said: "Easter is the most important time in the Christian calendar. "A time when we remember Christ's sacrifice on the cross and give thanks for the promise of redemption afforded by his resurrection." She said the events of 2017 were "some dark moments" for Britain, adding: "I know from speaking to the victims and survivors of these terrible events how vital the love and support they have received from their friends, family and neighbours has been to them as they begin to rebuild their lives. "In the bravery of those facing adversity, the dedication of our emergency services, and the generosity of local communities, we see the triumph of the human spirit," she said. "The Easter story contains an inspiring promise of new life and the triumph of hope," she noted. "For Christians around the world facing persecution, the message of the cross and the resurrection help them to stand firm in their faith. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) today said it has recorded highest-ever coal production in 2017-18 which is 2.8 per cent higher than 139.21 million tonne dry fuel mined during the previous fiscal. "MCL has been able to produce more than 143 million tonne (coal) despite several operational constraints. It is a result of cooperation we have got from all stakeholders, A K Jha, Chairman and Managing Director of MCL. MCL, which will celebrate its 27th foundation day on April 3, is the second largest coal producing subsidiary of Coal India Ltd and contributes 25 per cent of its total production. The company, which operates 15 open cast and 5 underground coal mines in Angul, Jharsuguda and Sundergarh districts of Odisha, has supplied 138.27 million tonne dry fuel to consumers, 112 million tonne of which was dispatched through eco-friendly mode like railways, Merry Go Around (MGR) belt, Jha said. The company has registered 12 per cent growth in over burden removal at 138.17 MCuM, which will add to its future growth in coal production, Jha said. The CMD told reporters in Sambalpur that MCL had made Rs 1,300 crore capital expenditure during the last fiscal, which would be a foundation for its future growth plans. Stating that the 53-km Jharsuguda-Barpalli-Sardega railway line and Sardega Siding would be commissioned shortly, Jha said, The new rail link will have a capacity to evacuate 30-35 million tonne coal annually. On the company's diversification plans and thermal power venture in Sundergarh district, he said 2x800 MW Super Critical Thermal Power Plant of Mahanadi Power Basin Limited (MBPL) was progressing well and modalities of setting up the plant were being finalised. MCL is also setting up 10 MT annual capacity coal washers, two each in Ib Coalfields and Talcher Coalfields, Mr Jha said, asserting that the company is committed to reduce the impact of air pollution in its operational zones. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said today his government would create one lakh jobs in various departments and abolish the contractual employment system soon. He also said that the retirement age of employees of government departments, civic bodies, corporations and courts would be raised to 62 years from the current 60. The announcements come at a time when state Assembly elections are slated for later this year and data tabled in the House recently showed only 19,226 jobs were created in government departments in 14 years of BJP rule. "The contractual employment system is unjust. And it is going to be abolished (in government departments)," he told representatives of employees' unions who had called on him at his residence in Bhopal. He, however, did not give a time frame for the abolition but stated that a meeting with contractual employees would be convened soon. Chouhan said one lakh jobs would be generated in various government departments. Recruitment of 31,000 teachers, assistant teachers and professors would be made soon and the vacancies would be advertised this month, he said. The government had, yesterday, issued a statement claiming that it would recruit 89,000 people over the next a few months. The decision to increase the retirement age has drawn criticism from the opposition Congress, and other parties, which said it amounted to "deceiving" the 1.5 crore educated, unemployed youth in Madhya Pradesh. According to data tabled in the Legislative Assembly recently, only 19,226 people have got jobs in different government departments in the past 14 years of BJP rule, an average of 1,373 jobs per year. The opposition Congress alleged that increasing the retirement age did not amount to much, with its chief spokesperson K K Mishra claiming that just 27 per cent of the 4.5 lakh government employees would benefit. Mishra said the retirement age for doctors and nurses in the health department was already 65 years and 62 years respectively, while it was 62 in a few other departments. He alleged that it had been increased because the state government was short of Rs 20,000 crore to pay retirement benefits to staffers on the verge of superannuating. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A woman, who was believed to have been murdered by her husband eight years ago, was arrested after she surfaced this week with her second husband and six children in Pakistan's Punjab province. The woman, 30-year-old Asma Bibi, reappeared at her village Phalayan in Jhelum district, 250 kms from Lahore this week under a new name of Neelam. A family member of her first husband filed a complaint against her after which police arrested her. A Jhelum Police spokesman said Asma in 2009 had been married to Ibrar Ahmed. In 2010, she went missing and her mother had told police that her daughter had been murdered by Ibrar. Police registered a murder case against him under section 302 of Pakistan Penal Code and arrested him. He said the complainant later withdrew her complaint against Ibrar "after getting compensation money". The police official said Asma had eloped with Nazeer Ahmed of her native village whom she had relations before marriage. She had a second marriage with Ahmed and left for Dubai where he worked. During the last eight years she gave birth to six children in Dubai, police said, adding the couple and their children have returned to Pakistan after Ahmed ended up jobless there. "We filed a case against Asma and her second husband under sections 494 and 420 of Pakistan Penal Code for contracting a second marriage without divorce from the first husband," the police official said. Asma told police that her family had married her off to Ibrar against her will. "I loved Ahmed. As Ahmed got a job in Dubai we planned to settle there," she said adding that she had no regrets eloping with her second husband. Yesterday, Jhelum civil judge Sobia Khatoon accepted the bail application of Asma and ordered her to submit two surety bonds worth Rs 50,000 each. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid incidents of communal conflicts in parts of the country, people in a tiny hamlet in Dhanbad district are sowing seeds of love and peace. Around 40 Muslim families in Vikhrajpur village of Baliapur block, 20 km from district headquarters, have been growing flowers and weaving garlands for Hindu temples in and around the district for the past four decades. The families depend on flower cultivation for their livelihood, said a farmer Sheikh Samsuddin. "We supply flowers and garlands to a trader in Jharia township, who then sells the wreaths to agents of different temples as per requirement," he said, adding that the garlands were sold at Rs 5 per piece. On occasions such as Ram Navami and Durga puja, the farmers often shoulder the responsibility of decorating the temples free of cost. Dayashankar Dubey, a priest at a local Kali temple in Jharia, said the farmers in Vikhrajpur had never failed to deliver wreaths during festivities. "The temple committee tries to compensate their contribution in different ways," he added. Communal tension has never deterred them from supplying flowers to the temples. "This is the question of our livelihood No communal strife in the last 40 years has stopped us from growing or selling flowers," said Md Safi, another cultivator. There have been occasions though when the farmers were pressurised to change their profession. "Pressure comes from different quarters to switch profession and sell profitable items like vegetables or cash crops, but the villagers here are sentimentally attached to flower trade," said Anwar Ali, a villager. Ali, however, admits that the money earned from the trade is not enough to provide for his family. "We have to look for a side business to support our families because flowers don't bloom round the year," he said. Saukat Ali, who has been engaged in the flower trade for more than two decades, is of the view that the farmers can cater to the needs of temples across the state if provided with proper irrigation facilities. "The government officials have visited us five times in the last 10 years and promised to look into our demands. No help, however, arrived so far," he rued. Echoing similar sentiments, social activist Anwar Ali Khan said the farmers had approached former BDO Kundan Bhagat and former deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar Singh several times in the past but to no avail. Baliapur Block Development Officer (BDO) Dhiraj Prakash, who assumed office a week ago, said no one had approached him for help so far. "I have recently learned about them (flower farmers) and would try to help them under the MNREGA scheme," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Navy today deputed a diving team to launch underwater search for a Latvian national who went missing from Kovalam beach area in Thiruvananthapuram, a Defence spokesman said here. The Southern Naval Command (SNC) deputed its diving team after the state government sought the help of Navy and Air Force for underwater search in the area for 33-year-old Liga. "Based on the request for assistance for finding the missing Latvian national, Southern Naval Command has sent one full clearance diving team with underwater camera and Diver Hand Held Sonar (DHSS) to locate the individual at the request of state police," the spokesman said. Range of DHSS is about 45 m. The area to be searched is about 100 m in length at Kovalam beach area, he said. Liga had come to the state capital along with her sister Ilzie some weeks ago. She is likely to have gone missing on March 14. The Defence spokesman said an AN32 aircraft of Indian Air Force was used for transport of about 1,000 kg of equipment, including Gemini inflatable boat and OBM. Liga was suffering from mental depression and had been staying at a private Ayurveda treatment centre at nearby Pothencode. She went to nearby Kovalam from the treatment centre in an autorickshaw on March 14 morning, after which she had gone missing. A case has been registered based on the complaint from the authorities of the treatment centre. Investigation has been intensified to trace Liga, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) HMD Global, which designs and sells Nokia brand of smartphones and feature phones, on Sunday said Nokia will return as the principal sponsor of the Shah Rukh Khan-owned in the IPL. The association is for two years starting with the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Nokia brand and KKR have a history together and we are delighted to reunite the two again. KKR is amongst the most successful IPL franchisees and teams on the IPL circuit and like Nokia brand enjoys a pan India appeal," HMD Global Vice President and Country Head, India Ajey Mehta said. As part of the association, HMD Global and KKR unveiled the new official team jersey for the 2018 season sporting the Nokia logo, the company said. Nokia was the principal sponsor of KKR from 2008 till 2014. IPL 2018 gets underway from April 7 and the first KKR match is scheduled on April 8 with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Dinesh Karthik will be captaining KKR. Normal life in Kerala is expected to be affected tomorrow in view of a 24-hour general strike called by various trade unions demanding rollback of a central government order allowing fixed term employment across sectors. The strike call given by 16 trade unions under the banner of United Trade Union will begin tonight, CITU State President Anathalavattom Anandan said in a statement. Employees of the state and central government offices such as banks and BSNL are expected to take part in the stir. Public transport vehicles including state-owned KSRTC buses will stay off the roads tomorrow. CITU, INTUC, AITUC, STU, HMS, UTUC are among the major unions that have joined the protest call. Workers would take out protest demonstrations in different places across the state as part of the agitation against the new labour law of the Centre. The Centre had amended the Industrial Employment (Standing Order) Central Rules, 1946, through a gazette notification on March 16 that virtually gives the employer the right to 'hire and fire' workers, Anandan alleged. Meanwhile, Kerala Union of Working Journalists extended support to the strike call. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The agitating residents of Nowshera in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir today decided to stage a protest in New Delhi soon to press for their long pending demand for district status. The decision to hold a sit-in outside Parliament was taken by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) which is spearheading the ongoing 45-day long agitation in the border town, its state secretary Jagdish Sawhney told PTI. He said the JAC is finalising the date and other arrangements for the proposed protest. People in Nowshera, Kalakote and Sunderbani towns of Rajouri district went on an indefinite strike on February 16 to protest the government decision to appoint Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) for Kotranka area and allegedly ignoring them. On March 9, the state government announced new posts of ADCs to work on rotational basis in Nowshera, Sunderbani, Kalakote and Kotranka areas in an attempt to defuse the crisis. But the formula was rejected by the residents of the strike-hit areas and threatened to intensify the agitation to press for the district status or permanent ADC posts. A 'Jammu Chalo' rally by hundreds of residents was thwarted by the local administration on March 17 with an assurance that their demands would be addressed by the government. After the assurance, the agitated residents cancelled their programme to gherao civil secretariat on March 19 in support of their demand. Violent clashes rocked the town on March 24 leaving many people including Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and a police officer injured. The clashes erupted a day after the government announced appointment of ADC in the three towns of Nowshera, Sunderbani and Kalakote. The state government has miserably failed us and we have now decided to move to Delhi and present our demand to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sawhney said. He said the JAC is of the view that the state government has deceived them time and again and "we will continue our agitation till we achieve our goal of district status". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The oil ministry has asked sector regulator PNGRB to look at unbundling of companies like GAIL India Ltd to resolve the conflict of interest in being both the transporter and marketer of natural gas. The reference to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) follows a revival of a plan to split GAIL by hiving off gas marketing business into a separate firm, leaving just pipeline transportation with GAIL. "GAIL was created in 1984 by hiving off gas business out of ONGC. ONGC was producing oil and gas, and also transporting it. GAIL was hived out of ONGC for transportation of natural gas, and then slowly it also acquired the activities relating to marketing of gas," an official privy to the development said. He said it is a well-accepted fact that there is some conflict of interest between the same entity that carries out transportation of natural gas and also markets it. Over a period of time more players have come into gas marketing. Gujarat government entity GSPC is a major player in gas marketing and also in gas transportation. "So, we have asked the PNGRB to look into this issue of how to resolve this conflict and come up with some suggestion," he said. The Government had in 2006 issued the Policy for Development of Natural Gas Pipelines and City for Local Natural Gas Distribution Networks which envisaged that in the long run and with the maturing of gas markets, the authorised entities will have transportation of natural gas as their sole business activity and will not have any business interest in the gas marketing or city or local gas distribution networks. "So, as we move towards a more gas-based economy, there is a conflict of interest between the activities of transportation of gas and marketing of gas," the official said. Incorporated in August 1984 by spinning off gas business of ONGC, GAIL (India) Ltd owns and operates about 11,000-km of natural gas pipelines in the country. It sells around 60 per cent of natural gas in the country. GAIL had in the past resisted the split on grounds that its gas marketing and transmission businesses operate at arms length, and hence do not need to be separated. GAIL's marketing business formed 71 per cent of its 2016 -17 total sales, and 25 per cent pre-tax profit. The government has 54.89 per cent stake in GAIL India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistani troops today targeted forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir with mortar shells and gunfire in violation of the ceasefire, police said. Indian troops guarding the LoC fired in retaliation and the firing between the two sides continued for nearly half-an-hour from 1300 hours, a police officer said. He said there was no report of any casualty in the Pakistani firing and shelling in Khari Karmara area. This is for the second time in the past week that Pakistani troops targeted Indian positions in the area. On March 27, Pakistani troops fired mortar bombs ending a 10-day long lull in the cross-border firing along the LoC in the state. Earlier on March 18, five members of a family were killed and two others injured when a mortar shell hit their residential house in Balakote sector of the district. There has been a spurt in ceasefire violations along the LoC and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir this year, resulting in the death of 26 people including 12 security personnel. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in Palghar district yesterday registered four more cases of extortion against local leaders of the Shiv Sena and NCP for allegedly extorting money from builders. While three cases were registered by Vasai police, one by Valiv police station. Police have so far booked ten accused in the case. Nine persons, including Vasai-Virar NCP chief Govind Gunjalkar, have been arrested so far in connection with the cases while Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) corporator Dhananjay Gawde, former deputy district chief of the Shiv Sena, is untraceable. According to a senior police officer, Gawde allegedly made a fresh demand for extortion while he was on the run. "The fresh offences of extortion have been registered against Gunjalkar, Gawde and other accused," according to an official release issued here today. Police have also booked BJP Yuva Morcha district chief Arun Singh and have launched a hunt to trace him. "The ten accused, including two women, have been booked under sections 384 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC besides under provisions of the Arms Act," said Palghar (Rural) SP Manjunath Singe and Additional SP Raj Tilak Roshan in a joint press conference in Vasai. The officers said Gawde figured in all the four FIRs. In the case at Virar police station, Gawde and some others are accused of extorting Rs 36 lakh from a builder since October 2016 after threatening to complain against his constructions and have them demolished for alleged irregularities. In the case at Nalla Sopara, another builder has alleged that the accused, through Gunjalkar, extorted Rs 5 lakh from him, threatening to initiate action against him by the civic body and publish slanderous articles against him in newspapers. In a case at Tulinj in Vasai, a builder has accused Gawde of demanding Rs 50 lakh for withdrawing a petition filed against his construction projects in the Bombay High Court. The builder alleged that he was called to a hotel, and the accused forced him to part with Rs 32 lakh at gun point, and supply steel and cement worth Rs 10 lakh for construction of a farm house at Shirsad Phata. In another case registered at Tulinj, Gawde and others are accused of extorting Rs 30 lakh from a builder after threatening to have his buildings demolished for alleged irregularities. Further probe was underway, the two officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The personal diary of the White House nanny during the Kennedy administration, which details the development of Caroline and John Kennedy Jr between 1957 and 1962, may fetch USD 2,800 at an auction. The diary of Maud Shaw, which contains 22 handwritten pages, covers the emergence of teeth, first steps, first words, illnesses, and a detailed record of their nutritional intake. With a resume that featured nanny positions in England, Iran, and Egypt, Shaw was hired by the Kennedys in 1957 to care for the newborn Caroline while JFK was still a senator, according to US-based RR Auction. Regarding Caroline, Shaw notes in July-August 1959, "Says Da-Da, laughs very loudly, play pat-a-cake." Most notably, under the first entry for John, "born 25th November 1960," Shaw notes that he was two weeks premature. "Weight 6 lbs 3 ozs, slow gaining weight, put on full strength Simalax a Beef, 3 times daily at 4 weeks, I look on John, 28th Feb 1961," she wrote. In March 1962, she notes that John is "repeating words after me - very well." Accompanying the diary are four hand written letters addressed to Shaw by a young Caroline, dated 1965-1967, two of which are postcards, illustrating the warm relationship Shaw shared with the Kennedy children in the years immediately following their untimely departure from the White House. "Thank you so much for The Finding Out Treasury. It is so good. I read about how Smallpox Vaccination was invented. It was very interesting. I didn't have time to read anything else as I was busy opening presents. John loves his book too," Caroline wrote in one letter. Another letter, postmarked March 26, 1967, says, "I miss you. We are in Mexico now. It is beautiful!" A third letter, postmarked January 1, 1966, says, "Thank you very much for the pink thing (I don't know what to call it) and the picture frame. I have it here in Switzerland." Shaw remained in the Kennedys' employ for more than seven years and became one of the most trusted, and evidently adored, adult influences on the closely protected Kennedy children. Held in such high regard by the Kennedys, Shaw was given her own private quarters in the White House, where she could be reached at a moment's notice. When the president and first lady were tasked with other matters, Shaw became the fixed parental figure, and it was Shaw who ultimately informed five-year-old Caroline that her father had died. Shaw detailed her service in the memoir White House Nannie: My Years with Caroline and John Kennedy, Jr, published in 1966. The bidding for the auction closes on April 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that political decisions should be taken in polling booths, not courts, in an apparent reference to ouster of his predecessor Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court. Sharif, 68, was disqualified as the prime minister by the apex court in the Panama Papers case in July last year under Article 62 for failing to declare a receivable salary as an asset. "Let the voters make political decisions," Abbasi said while addressing a crowd in Dera Ghazi Khan yesterday. "Political decisions are taken in polling booths, not courts," he was quoted as saying by Dawn Abbasi's remarks came days after his meeting with Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar. The meeting, and Justice Nisar's subsequent referring of the prime minister as a supplicant, had irked Sharif, who later publicly asked Abbasi to explain his position on the meeting. "It is a strange tradition that whosoever solves the country's problems is dragged into the courts, removed from posts and attempts are made to push (him) away from the people," Abbasi said. This tradition is not Pakistan's tradition. This tradition will not give respect to in Pakistan," he warned. The prime minister said the decisions of the people always prevail over court's verdicts some of which, he claimed, are controversial or not accepted by history. "We continued to work despite severe opposition and gave respect to your vote," Abbasi told the gathering, outlining PML-N's achievements since it reclaimed power in 2013. "You made a decision in 2008 and you got Asif Ali Zardari, and what he did to Pakistan, you all know. But in 2013 you sent him back home; this was the people's decision," he said. "The people then chose Nawaz Sharif, whose era saw unprecedented development. "I have complete faith that the enlightened people of Pakistan will respond to the conspiracies and overthrow of governments at the polling stations (in upcoming general elections)," he added. Sharif has held several rallies in different parts of Pakistan since his ouster. He has targeted the judiciary for removing him from the office of the prime minister and also come up with 'give respect to the ballot' slogan. The political future of Sharif, who leads the country's most powerful political family, has been hanging in balance since his disqualification. If convicted, Sharif could be jailed. Sharif's family alleges that the cases are politically motivated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pope Francis called on Sunday for an end to "carnage" in Syria and "reconciliation" in the Middle East in his traditional Easter message. "Today we implore fruits of peace upon the entire world, beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria," the pontiff said in the "Urbi et Orbi" (To the City and the World) address. Appealing to the "consciences of all political and military leaders," Francis urged "that a swift end may be brought to the carnage" as tens of thousands of pilgrims listened in St Peter's Square and millions watched the speech broadcast live around the world. The head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics asked that "provisions be made to facilitate access to the aid so urgently needed by our brothers and sisters, while also ensuring fitting conditions for the return of the displaced" to Syria. As he spoke, a final deal was reportedly reached for fighters and civilians to leave the last opposition-held pocket of Eastern Ghouta. That would mark a major milestone in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's efforts to regain control of territory seized by rebel factions during the seven-year civil war which has left some 350,000 dead and displaced millions. The 81-year-old Francis said the Holy Land was "also experiencing... the wounds of ongoing conflict that do not spare the defenceless", singling out the conflict in Yemen where some 10,000 people have died since March 2015. Praying for the "fruits of peace upon the entire world", Francis then called for the "fruits of dialogue for the Korean peninsula", that the "discussions under way may advance peace and harmony within the region." "May those who are directly responsible act with wisdom and discernment to promote the good of the Korean people and to build relationships of trust within the community," the Argentine pope said. February's Winter Olympics triggered a fast-moving rapprochement that will see the North's Kim Jong Un sit down with the South's President Moon Jae-in in late April, with a US summit with President Donald Trump planned for May. Earlier Sunday the pontiff celebrated Easter mass in the flower-bedecked square, which was under tight security. Tourists and clergy alike had formed long queues to have their belongings checked and pass through metal detectors. "Rome is the centre of the Catholic faith," anti-terror prosecutor Federico Cafiero de Raho said Saturday. "For those who believe in the radical form of holy war, Rome represents so many things put together -- there's the pope, the Vatican..." Italian authorities are concerned that some of the estimated 120 radicalised Italians who left for Syria or Iraq to fight with jihadist groups could be returning to the country posing as migrants. Last week saw a wave of anti-terror arrests, with Interior Minister Marco Minniti warning of a high risk of an attack. Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has expressed hope that incumbent Maithripala Sirisena - who was responsible for his ouster in 2015 - will support a no-confidence motion backed by the Joint Opposition against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The motion scheduled for April 4 was handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya by the Joint Opposition last week against Wickremesinghe, accusing him of financial mismanagement and failing to tackle anti-Muslim riots early this month in the central Kandy district. "It is now up to the President (Sirisena) to ensure the victory of the motion by getting his SLFP members to support it," Rajapaksa told reporters. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which is part of the unity government with Wickremesinghe is yet to decide on the way they will vote on the motion. Wickremesinghe, 68, had resisted a call from Sirisena to resign following a crushing defeat to Rajapaksa's new party Sri Lanka People's Front in the February 10 local election. It is no secret that Sirisena wants Wickremesinghe's ouster so that he could replace him with his own choice. Wickremesinghe was recently replaced as law and order minister after clashes erupted in the Kandy district. Last week, the president also removed key institutions, including the Central Bank, from the control of Wickremesinghe. Sirisena in 2015 quit the Rajapaksa government to join hands with Wickremesinghe, the then main opposition leader, to defeat Rajapaksa in the presidential election ending his 10-year rule. Rajapaksa said if Wickremesinghe were to be defeated in the motion on April 4, the Joint Opposition would press Sirisena to dissolve parliament to hold a fresh election for parliament. Constitutionally, the current parliament could not be dissolved before February 2020. It requires a motion adopted with 2/3rds in the 225 member assembly to call for snap elections. Rajapaksa is constitutionally barred from contesting for the presidential election for a third time. However, he can become the prime minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Citing the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, a parliamentary panel has asked the government to revive the plans to set up a National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by building a consensus among all stakeholders. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, said the larger issue of national security should be given paramount importance and the ministry should take a lead role in bringing all states on board with regard to the structure, functions, mandate and utility of creating and operationalisation of NCTC as a single, unified and premier counter-terror agency. In its report, submitted to the Rajya Sabha recently, the Committee said Article 355 of the Constitution casts a duty upon the central government to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance. This duty assumes more importance in the present scenario where terrorism, insurgency and Left Wing Extremism have affected almost every state in the country, it said. The Committee noted that there were agencies such as the National Investigation Agency, the Intelligence Bureau, the Multi Agency Centre and the National Security Guard and some in the pipeline like the NATGRID that are cumulatively capable of addressing these menaces, but there was no single unified authority to coordinate the operations of these agencies and ensure a quick response in times of crisis like the 26/11 attacks. "The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Ministry should immediately revive the idea of the NCTC as a single, unified counter-terrorism agency and re-issue the notification laying down the power, functions and duties of NCTC," it said. The panel said it understood that several states have objected to the NCTC and other agencies also might have reservations, but the larger issue of national security should be given paramount importance. The idea behind setting up of an anti-terror hub such as the NCTC was conceived by Chidambaram as the then Home minister soon after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 which claimed 166 lives. However, the move was opposed by several chief ministers, including Narendra Modi as the then Gujarat chief minister, alleging that such a structure will interfere with the functioning of state security agencies and it would be a threat to the federal structure of the country. Even though the central government made several efforts to evolve a consensus by initiating talks with state governments, it received no response. The operationalisation of the NCTC has been kept in abeyance since 2013 even though the then prime minister had discussed the issue at a conference of the chief ministers in that year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korea has deployed an anti-piracy warship to the sea off Ghana after three South Korean sailors were kidnapped by pirates, Seoul's foreign ministry said today. The 500-tonne Marine 711 with about 40 Ghanaian and three South Korean sailors was boarded by unidentified pirates last Monday. The pirates seized the three South Koreans and escaped on a separate speedboat, with their current whereabouts unknown. The Marine 711, registered in Ghana, later arrived at a port at Ghana where the Ghanaian sailors disembarked, according to the South's Yonhap agency. South Korea's military said the pirates had been identified as Nigerians, Yonhap reported. Munmu the Great, a South Korean warship that had been involved in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, had been sent to the nearby sea, it said. "We are closely coordinating with local countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Benin as well as the US and the EU to locate our nationals and secure their release," the foreign ministry said. The pirates have not yet demanded a ransom in return for the release of the abducted sailors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Separatists on Sunday called for a two-day strike in Kashmir over the killings of 11 militants and two civilians in three separate encounters in the valley. Separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), called for a two-day strike from Sunday across Kashmir to protest the killings, a spokesman of the JRL said. He said the JRL, comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Mailk, asked people to suspend business and other activities and offer funeral prayers in absentia across the valley. Houses caught fire during a gun battle between security forces and militants in Shopian | Photo: PTI Meanwhile, authorities have put the Mirwaiz under house arrest at his Nigeen residence here. Eleven militants have been killed in three separate encounters in south Kashmir on Sunday. Two civilians and three Army jawans also lost their lives in these operations. Social activist Teesta Setalvad has been booked for allegedly securing central government funds worth Rs 1.4 cr fraudulently for her NGO Sabrang between 2010 and 2013, the police said today. A case has been filed against Setalvad and Sabrang trustees by Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Friday night on the basis of a complaint lodged by her former close associate Raees Khan Pathan, the police said. "We had received a complaint alleging that Setalvad and the trustees of her NGO, Sabrang Trust, used fraudulent means to get funds of Rs 1.4 crore from Union HRD Ministry between 2010 and 2013. Based on that, we registered an FIR against her and trustees of the NGO," said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rajdeepsinh Zala. According to the complainant, Setalvad's NGO, which was given the grant for educational purposes, also distributed printed materials that could cause communal disharmony, Zala said. The accused were booked under various sections of the IPC including 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) besides under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, he said. Pathan had alleged that Setalvad and Sabrang Trust tried to "mix religion with politics" and spreading disharmony through the curricular material prepared for the erstwhile UPA government which had given it a grant of about Rs 1.4 crore. The complaint had taken into account the report of a panel of the Ministry of Human Resource Development which in its finding has claimed that a prima facie case existed against her under section 153A and 153B of the IPC for promoting enmity on grounds of religion and making imputations and assertions, prejudicial to the national integration. The sources said the Crime Branch of Ahmedabad police had sent a communication to the deputy secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Union HRD Ministry, urging it to "furnish a point-wise reply on the application/ complaint at the earliest." The HRD Ministry in 2016 had sought the opinion of the top law officer endorsing the report of its three-member committee, saying "the report of the inquiry committee is exhaustive and deals with every aspect of the matter and that action as suggested in the said report may be undertaken in terms of fixing liabilities/lapses, action for inciting disharmony and hatred and also for recovery of the money as is stipulated in the scheme itself". Pathan had filed the complaint last November with the Ahmedabad Crime Branch on the basis of the report against Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand, officials of the Sabrang Trust and unknown officials of the HRD Ministry. He had sought investigation into the alleged offence of criminal conspiracy, criminal misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust by public servants, promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, among others. Pathan had alleged that a large amount from the HRD funding was used during 2008 to 2014 on 'Khoj' project of the Sabrang Trust under the scheme of 'National Policy on Education' in Maharashtra and Gujarat as well as on the 'Peace Building and conflict resolution' project. The project was launched by Setalvad's NGO in some districts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Pathan had also claimed that a three-member panel, comprising Supreme Court lawyer Abhijit Bhattacharjee, Gujarat Central University Vice Chancellor S A Bari and HRD ministry official Gaya Prasad, had confirmed that the then officials of HRD Ministry in connivance with the trustees of Sabrang Trust illegally sanctioned the funds under the 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan'. "Large amounts were also transferred as donation from Sabrang trust to Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), another NGO of Teesta Setalvad which too was used for various activities such as payment of salary to office staff in Gujarat, travelling expenses to riot victims of Gujarat, advocate fees and on various campaigns launched in Gujarat against the state government," Pathan's complaint had alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of SFI activists today vandalised a private school near here alleging that a Class 9 male student committed suicide after school authorities reportedly decided not to promote him to the 10th standard. The SFI activists, who took out a march to the school at Pambady, alleged that Jinto Eapen, who was weak in studies, committed suicide fearing that the school would not promot him to the 10th standard next year, police said. They also alleged that the teachers had spoken to Jinto's parents in this regard. The school authorities however told TV channels that no such decision had been taken. The 14-year-old student allegedly committed suicide by hanging at his residence yesterday. Eapen's parents have not reacted tothe incident. Police said they used force to disperse the SFI activists who allegedly barged into the school building and vandalised it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian business community in Singapore is an integral part of the enterprise eco-system that has actively contributed to the country's economy and society, a Singaporean minister has said. Speaking at the Singapore Indian Entrepreneur Awards last night, Trade and Industry Ministry S Iswaran has applauded the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (SICCI) role in nurturing the Indian business community. SICCI, Iswaran said, has served as an important bridge for the city state's Indian business community, enabling its members to gain access to new business opportunities, understand and benefit from government initiatives, and embrace new technology and productivity tools. "We have a strong base of respected Indian business leaders who have not only succeeded in their ventures, but have also actively contributed to our economy and society," Iswaran said. He said the Indian business community was an integral part of the enterprise eco-system. Several noted entrepreneurs were honoured at the award ceremony. Among the award winners was industrialist Dr Bhupendra Kumar Modi, chairman of Spice Group. The award recognised Modi, now a Singaporean citizen, as an international Indian philanthropist of the year 2018. "Global citizenship is crucial to success in business. Only when you believe you are a citizen of the world, you can strive to make it a better place," said Modi on getting the award. Also honoured with awards were SICCI chairman Dr R Theyvendran for lifetime business achievement and AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes for being most inspiring and influential Indian business leader. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stephen Hawking's tailor-made hi-tech wheelchair and his computer-generated voice are expected to live on as a legacy of the world-famous theoretical physicist who died earlier this month aged 76. According to 'The Sunday Times', the scientist's family hope that his wheelchair and voice systems could help preserve his memory and are open to offers from museums. One of the ideas under consideration is for the Science Museum in London to commemorate Hawking's life with an exhibition featuring one of his two wheelchairs as a centrepiece, accompanied by recordings of his lectures. Computer engineers had spent four years rebuilding the 33-year-old synthesiser that created Hawking's robotic tones after it was in danger of failing. "We fixed the new system to his wheelchair on January 26," Peter Benie, a computing specialist at Cambridge University who co-led the project, told the newspaper. "It was the same voice but much clearer. He was using it to talk with his family but he died before it could be heard in public. I would be happy to hear it used to repeat his lectures," he said. The wheelchair, made in Sweden and capable of travelling 20 miles at 8mph on one charge, combined technology from around the world. Its computer, a Lenovo from China, used an American-made infrared sensor on his glasses to "read" his cheek movements. Hawking's voice was developed by Dennis Klatt, a US scientist who based it on his own speech. The "CallText 5010" system based on Klatt's work delighted Hawking so much that he bought three but when the last began failing, it was too old to fix. Hawking had famously rejected all ideas of an afterlife. "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," he said. He had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease in his 20s, which meant he spent much of his life in a wheelchair. For his friends and family the wheelchair was central to his identity, which would now most likely have an afterlife. Thousands lined the streets of Cambridge yesterday for the private funeral of the author of A Brief History of Time' at the University Church of St. Mary the Great. It was announced earlier this month that Hawking's ashes will be buried near the grave of Isaac Newton, another famous British scientist, during a thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey in London on June 15. Tata Steel has registered a growth of 11 per cent after it achieved highest-ever annual sales of 12.13 million tonnes in FY'18, as per provisional data. The company has achieved a production of 12.26 million tonnes in the fiscal ended March 31, 2018, as against 11.35 million tonnes in the year-ago period. The annual sales of 12.13 million tonnes was against 10.97 million tonnes it achieved last year. The company has also achieved best-ever annual sales in automotive sector, registering a growth of 21 per cent in the FY18 against an industry growth of 14 per cent (mainly driven by 2-wheelers and 3-wheelers). Addressing a press conference here today, Tata Steel CEO and Managing Director, T V Narendran said the performance of steel sector globally was better in 2017-18 compared to last three years due to the stability witnessed in the sector. The steel sector has performed better across the globe including the US, EU, Latin America and China, he said, claiming that the issues raised by the steel sector in view of increasing export of steel by China was largely addressed. China had been exporting 120 million tonnes of steel globally including India, which has come down to 70-80 million tonnes, which was a reason behind the improvement witnessed in the sector, he said. On India prospect, Narendran said the economy, particularly in the second half of the fiscal, recovered in a good way while steel consumption has grown. Stating that the steel consumption was expected to grow by 5-6 per cent, Narendran said the steel consumption in the country should be equal to the GDP growth rate. The proposed steel-intensive projects of the government would help enhance the steel consumption in the country, he said. Referring to Tata Steels Kalinganagar project in Odisha, he said it has performed well, both in terms of quality and quantity, and has enough potential for further improvement. The work on the second phase of the plant has begun, he said adding that the Tata Steel would invest Rs 23,000 crore in it and the work is expected to be completed in 48-month time. Asked about the challenges the company is likely to face in the new fiscal, Narendran said the focus will be on continuing to improve performance, the work of the second phase work in Kalinganagar project, digitalization of works and safety. Besides, improving employee productivity is also a key focus as the company intends to set a benchmark on this front. "We are expected to achieve 2,000 tonnes per employee productivity at Kalinganagar when it achieves 8 million tonnes capacity," he said. At present, steel producer Posco has set a benchmark globally with 2,000 tonnes per employee productivity. About new acquisition of assets, Narendran said Tata Steel has bid for Electrosteel, Bhusan Steel and Bhusan Power. While it has bid successfully for Bhusan Steel, it was yet to receive any intimation from banks about Electrosteel and Bhusan power. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by seven men in this district of Uttar Pradesh, the police said, adding that three of the accused were arrested. The incident took place in the Sandana area yesterday when the girl, accompanied by a male cousin, was returning home from a fair, the police said. The seven accused surrounded the duo, beat up the girl's cousin and raped her, they added. On reaching home, the girl narrated her ordeal to her family members, who informed the police. Superintendent of Police Anand Kulkarni said an FIR was lodged against the seven accused, adding that three of them, identified as Himanshu (18), Dhannu (20) and Kanta (20), were arrested. A hunt was on to nab the other accused, the SP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ten Congress corporators of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) have resigned from the party's primary membership, party leaders said. The move by the corporators, who resigned yesterday, came two days after resignation of several senior leaders from Ganjam including former Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu, Odisha PCC secretary Bikram Kumar Panda and district Congress committee president Bhagaban Gantayat from the party. The Congress now has one corporator in the 40-ward BeMC. They have sent their resignation letters to the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan. "Our leaders have quit Congress. They were instrumental in us winning the civic body election in 2013. Moreover, we don't see any future of Congress in Odisha," said one of the corporators, Anil Kumar. All ten are expected to join BJD shortly, sources said. Earlier, two Congress corporators - Duryodhan Sahu and Jagannath Achary - had declared support to BJD, while Prasant Patnaik had resigned from the party. Fifteen Congress corporators had won in the BeMC election in 2013. The corporator of ward 26, Chinmayee Padhy, died and his seat was won by BJP's Namita Rani Panda in the bypoll. Currently, there are 25 BJD corporators, one Congress corporator, two from BJP and two Independents, besides the 10 who have resigned. On Thurdsday night, around 50 party leaders, including former Union minister and AICC member Chandra Sekhar Sahu, had resigned from the party. The Congress, however, downplayed Sahu's departure saying the party organization would remain strong. "No one is going to miss them. The Congress is more than one person," said Sandhya Mohapatra, chairperson of the disciplinary committee of PCC. After resigning, Sahu had said, "For the last some years there is no discipline in Congress. The party high command is also in no mood to rectify the party organization in the state. Since 2009, the party has not utilised us and neglected us a lot. So I decided to quit the party." Sahu without naming any party had said the Congress dissidents would join a party which maintains secularism and fights for Odisha's interest. "The decision to join a new party will be announced soon," he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Textile and garment exports are likely to miss the USD 45 billion target for 2017-18, as the industry reels under the impact of GST roll out and tariff advantages enjoyed by competitors like Bangladesh and Vietnam, according to textile industry body CITI. "At best, we will come close to USD 40 billion," CITI (Confederation of Indian Textile Industry) President Sanjay Jain told PTI, terming it a "disappointing year". In fact, shipments from the textile and clothing sector have consistently missed annual targets set by the government in at least the previous three financial years, since 2014-15. Analysis of data put out by the DGCIS (Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics) under the commerce ministry, reveals the true picture of shipments from the sector. During the April-February 2017-18, exports of readymade garments of all textiles stood at Rs 97,983.99 crore, registering a 6.25 per cent decline over the same period last year. In February alone, shipments witnessed a steep 13.86 per cent fall. In dollar terms, the country's textile and apparel exports stood at USD 37.25 billion in the calendar year 2017. According to Jain, the domestic textiles and apparel industry faces a big threat from rising imports due to the removal of countervailing duty and special additional duty in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. "Although these duties have been replaced by IGST, the fact that an importer can adjust them as per his tax liability has led to a 15-16 per cent downfall in the import protection enjoyed by the domestic industry earlier," the CITI chief points out. He noted that the steep up-trend in imports will only worsen the situation going forward, observing that a worrying factor is the backdoor entry of Chinese fabrics into the Indian market via Bangladesh. Textile industry experts feel another negative factor is that the effective duty drawback, whether it is the remission of state levies (RoSL) or the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) which allows duty credit scrips as rewards, has come down for the sector post implementation of GST, thereby hitting export margins. "Although the RoSL and MEIS rates were tweaked late last year, however, a 2 per cent gap still exists, which is crucial in a single digit margin industry," Jain noted. Moreover, he says, the refunds are getting delayed or blocked whereas the rebate under RoSL has only come through till May-June last year, and the financial crunch is taking a toll on the capital intensive industry. Signing free trade pacts with major markets like the European Union, US, Canada and Britain can equalise market access positions with key competitors like Bangladesh and Vietnam. Bangladesh has zero duty access to EU, whereas Vietnam is on its way to acquire duty free access under a trade agreement, jain noted. The sector expects the government to at least partially compensate the industry in the interim period. China, which is the largest market for cotton yarn, has imposed around 3.5 per cent import duty on yarn from India under Asia pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), while duty free access is given to Vietnam. This has led to large capacity expansion in yarn manufacturing in Vietnam, which has surpassed India to become the largest supplier of cotton yarn to China. As a result, India's cotton yarn exports to China have decreased by 49 per cent during 2013-14 and 2016-17, while Vietnam's exports of cotton yarn to China have increased by 88 per cent during the same period. The CITI chief also highlighted the need to have a comprehensive national and state coordination committee to streamline the policies of the Centre and states, and bridge any gaps in communication. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The twins from Odisha, Jaga and Balia, who were joined at the head and separated after a surgery at AIIMS, are "clinically" well and do not need ICU or specialised care, the Delhi-based medical institute has told the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) The AIIMS has also told the human rights panel that the twins medical requirements can be managed at any state-level hospital in Odisha having good nursing and pediatric support. Jaga and Balia were craniopagus conjoined twins -- joined at the head -- which doctors had said was a very rare occurrence. They were successfully separated after a 21-hour-long surgery in October last year. The NHRC had last month asked for an action-taken report from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) over a petition that sought to prevent the shifting of the twins to a hospital in Odisha. The petition was filed by Supreme Court advocate and human rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, who claimed that the AIIMS' branch in Bhubaneswar did not have the essential infrastructure for the treatment and care of the twins. The boys from Milipada Village in Odisha's Kandhamal region were likely to be sent back to the state in the second week of March, the petition stated. In its reply to the NHRC, AIIMS authorities said the children were thoroughly evaluated by a team of doctors. The team included pediatricians, pediatric neurologists, plastic surgeons, ENT surgeons, neuropsychologists and neurosurgeons, they said. The team had concluded that after four months of surgery, risk to life is "very low" and they can be discharged and shifted back to Odisha for supportive and continued care, the authorities said. "A team of senior doctors dealing with these children have met several times and feel that they can be managed at any state-level medical college or district hospital with good nursing and pediatric support near their hometown in Odisha. "The team has reached a conclusion that after four months of surgery, risk to life is very low and there is no need for ICU or specialised care. Currently, they need good nutrition... and physiotherapy care for continued recovery," the AIIMS said in its reply. It will be easier for the parents to nurse the children in their home state as "they have been away for over eight months now", the institute said. "The constraint of beds in the neurosurgery department, CN centre, AIIMS, Delhi, can't be ignored and there is a more than two years waiting period for general neurosurgery ward admissions," the AIIMS said. "We, at present, have more than two years waiting period for general neurosurgery ward admissions. Patients who can pay for admission to the private ward (cardio, neuro and CNT) have to wait for five to six months for routine admissions. We have been asked on humanitarian ground not to discharge Jaga for over three months now," the institute said. "He has been kept in the hospital primarily because his parents come from a long distance (Odisha) and we wanted both kids to be ready to be discharged and sent back together with their parents," the response stated. The reply mentioned that a team of five doctors from Odisha had visited AIIMS, Delhi, on February 26 and they examined the children and met the specialists dealing with the twins. "It was explained to them that they do not need any special care at AIIMS, Delhi and that they needed nursing care and physiotherapy. The team from Odisha was convinced. "Such care exists at any state/district level centre across country and in Odisha too," the AIIMS said. The institute further informed the NHRC that even though the Odisha government had given Rs 1 crore financial support for these children, the premier institute had used only Rs 11.8 lakh. The remaining money was transferred back to the Odisha government in December last year, it said. "The entire stay at the hospital for both the children and their parents in two separate rooms over the last eight months and their logistics, and consumables (amounting to over Rs 25 lakh) was borne by AIIMS. "Needless to say, a team of 35 consultants from various specialties, 40 doctors and 50 paramedical support team (nursing, technicians, physiotherapists) provided uninterrupted 24x7 care to these children as part of our clinical duty," the institute said. The petition mentioned that the health condition of the twins, who have been staying at AIIMS since the operations along with their parents, needed to improve further before they could be sent to Odisha. "Once they ... (are) sent back to Odisha, where the infrastructure and ancillary and incidental facilities are lacking, there shall be an imminent threat to their lives," it said. "The facts and circumstances of the case also pose questions regarding the right to health and basic human rights of not only the children but of the entire family," Tripathy said adding that unless the NHRC intervenes, the "poor, uneducated ST family shall be deprived of justice". The first phase of the surgery on the twins was performed on August 28 when the doctors created a venous bypass to separate the veins that return blood to the heart from the brain. The final separation of the twin swas performed by a team of around 30 specialists on October 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons were arrested with 600 pentazocine (a painkiller) injections and 25 grams of methamphetamine (a stimulant) which they were trying to sell to addicts here, police said today. The two, identified as Mayur Gaekwad and Sachin Parmar, were nabbed by a team of the police's Special Operations Group (SOG) after it received a tip-off that they would be coming to a local ground to carry out a transaction, officials said. A statement from the SOG said that Gaekwad had bought 600 injections, each having 1 ml of pentazocine, from one Rubi Rani in Mumbai and was selling it for Rs 300 each. It added that Parmar had procured methamphetamine from one Pavan from Agra in Uttar Pradesh. "Pentazocine is a scheduled drug that costs Rs 5.58 per injection but drug peddlers sell it for Rs 300 per 1 ml injection. Each gram of methamphetamine drug, also known as ecstasy, is sold for Rs 3,000," it said. An FIR was registered under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act against the two, as well as Pavan and Rani who are yet to be arrested, officials said. This is the third time this year that the police have seized pentazocine injections from drug peddlers here. On January 28 this year, three persons, including two women, were arrested with 720 such injections while on March 19, two people were nabbed with 1000 injections, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US health regulator USFDA has red flagged "deviations" from good manufacturing practices at Keshava Organics' Tarapur manufacturing facility in Maharashtra. The USFDA has also withheld any approval to new application or supplement listing the firm as a drug manufacturer until the company corrects the deviations, according to a warning letter sent to the company. Some of the concerns raised by the regulator are failure by the company to adequately investigate out-of-specification results and implement appropriate corrective actions at the facility and failure to maintain complete data for API tested and distributed to the US. In the warning letter to the company's CEO Dinkar K Raut, the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) said the letter summarises significant deviations of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) at the facility. "Because your methods, facilities, or controls for manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding do not conform to CGMP, your API are adulterated within the meaning of section 501(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act...," the letter said. Acknowledging that it has reviewed company's June 20, 2017, response in detail and is in receipt of the firm's subsequent correspondence, the USFDA said investigators observed specific deviations during the inspection. One of the deviations observed by investigators was "failure to adequately investigate out-of-specification (OOS) results and implement appropriate corrective actions," the letter said. It asked the management of the company to provide a retrospective review of all invalidated OOS (in-process and finished testing) results obtained for products on the US market. The letter also asked the company to provide an independent assessment of its system for investigating OOS results. It also asked for a corrective and preventive action (CAPA) to remediate OOS investigations at the facility. Another issue raised by the USFDA is that in several instances, the company failed to maintain complete data for API tested and distributed to the US. The regulator said that the company in response to this letter should provide a comprehensive investigation into the inadequacies in data, records and reporting. The letter also mentioned that "in previous inspections (May 1517, 2011, and April 1418, 2014), FDA cited similar CGMP deficiencies. You proposed specific corrections for these deficiencies in your responses. These recurring deviations demonstrate that your facility's oversight and control over the manufacture of drugs is inadequate." Based upon the nature of the violations "we identified at your firm, we strongly recommend engaging a consultant qualified to evaluate your operations, and assist your firm in meeting CGMP requirements," the regulator recommended. The letter however added that use of a consultant does not relieve firm's obligation to comply with CGMP and the it's executive management remains responsible for fully resolving all deficiencies and ensuring ongoing CGMP compliance. "Until you correct all deviations completely and we confirm your compliance with CGMP, FDA may withhold approval of any new applications or supplements listing your firm as a drug manufacturer," the letter said. Failure to correct these deviations may also result in FDA refusing admission of articles manufactured at Keshava Organics Tarapur plant in Maharashtra, into the United States, it added. The USFDA has given the company time to respond within 15 working days after receiving the letter, asking it to specify what steps it has taken since May 2531, 2017 inspection by USFDA to correct deviations and to prevent their recurrence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh on Sunday left for Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of the 39 Indians, killed in the war-torn country, officials said. The minister is expected to bring back the bodies on Monday. "The minister left around 1 PM from the Hindon airbase and is expected to return with the bodies tomorrow," an official said. After coming back, he will first go to Amritsar followed by Patna and Kolkata to hand over bodies to their relatives, official sources said. Families of some of these victims had met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Delhi on March 26. Earlier this month, Swaraj had told Parliament that as many as 40 Indians were abducted by terror group ISIS from Mosul in Iraq in June 2014, but one of them escaped posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh. The remaining 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed, she had said. Vietnam and China today called for restraint in resolving disputes in the South China Sea. Speaking to reporters at a joint press briefing with his Chinese counterpart, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the two countries should manage the disputes and not expand them. "We propose that the two sides in the coming time should seriously implement the mutual understandings of leaders (of two countries) ... well manage disputes, do not have activities that complicate and expand disputes, respect the legitimate rights and interests of each other in accordance with international laws," Minh said. For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said "settling maritime disputes is very important for the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations." Wang said the two sides "should not carry out unilateral activities that would complicate the situation and should strengthen maritime cooperation to build a healthy in order to reach an ultimate agreement on resolving the sea dispute, which will effectively boost the bilateral practical cooperation." China's top diplomat said the two countries' current relations are on "very positive trend," and he described the two neighboring countries as "good neighbors, good comrades, good friends and good partners."Wang's visit comes a week after Vietnam reportedly halted a major oil drilling project in the South China Sea for the second time in a year, following pressure from China. Vietnam and China, along with four others, claim all or parts of the South China Sea, which lies on one of the world's busiest sea lanes and potentially sits on rich natural resources. China's recent increased militarization of its seven artificial islands in the South China Sea has angered some countries in the region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As talks of an anti-BJP front for the next Lok Sabha polls gain ground, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said he is not in favour of joining hands with the Congress to forge an opposition alliance that should be aimed at giving people a real political alternative. Vijayan, 73, also said that regional parties are strong these days and that the synergy between them could be used to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) in the general elections due next year. Alleging that the BJP has been destroying the country's democratic norms, the CPI-M veteran, who completes two years in office next May, said co-operation between regional parties was essential to "defeat those who must be defeated". The remarks by the lone communist chief minister come against the backdrop of West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee and her Telangana counterpart and Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrashekhar Rao kickstarting efforts to form a so-called Federal Front' with or without the Congress. Regional parties are strong these days. Regional tie-ups can be considered during elections for a real political alternative. There is no point in joining hands with one particular party at the national level,Vijayan told PTI in an exclusive interview here. The draft political resolution adopted at CPI-M's Central Committee meeting in Kolkata in January this year had ruled out any electoral alliance or understanding with the Congress. But, the Committee had said that the main objective of the party is to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party and it will focus on "mobilising all secular democratic forces for that purpose. Interestingly, on March 30, the CPM announced that it would support the "strongest candidates" who would be in a position to defeat the BJP in the upcoming Assembly polls in Karnataka, which might mean even supporting Congress nominees. Continuing his scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA government, Vijayan said secular minds are disturbed by the happenings around the country which would lead to a movement sweeping away the right-wing government from power. Vijayan was in Delhi to attend the Central Committee meeting of the CPI-M early this week. There is a new uprising. Take a look at the farmers' uprising in some states. The states ruled by the BJP are witnessing people's movements, he said. "Trade unions are agitating. The cultural scene in the country is already in trouble. The youth and the campuses across the country are on streets protesting for their democratic rights. There is a need for a real (political) alternative. The chief minister also said it was saddening that certain Constitutional bodies have been acting as a puppet in the hands of the government, remarks seen as an attack against the Election Commission of India. The poll body faced criticism over its controversial decision to delay the declaration of the Gujarat Asembly polls last year until the last rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "They (BJP) are destroying the Constitutional bodies of the country. Certain Constitutional bodies have been acting as a puppet in the hands of government. This is saddening. Secular minds are disturbed by the happenings. Secularism is in great danger here. A movement will begin in the country which will sweep the BJP away from power," he said. "What we have to focus on now is how is to effect a change. When we are able to show some difference, it brings an overall change. It may not give us any political advantage but we could bring some change by helping to defeat those who must be defeated," Vijayan added. Vijayan, while talking about the recent assembly polls in Tripura where the longstanding bastion of the Left Front collapsed in the saffron wave, said it was the Congress party which lost its base there. In the state Assembly elections since 1983, the BJP had never polled more than 2 percent votes in Tripura, except in 1998 when it polled 5.87 percent votes. "The Centre's show of authority and a huge money flow resulted in BJP coming to power in Tripura, he alleged, adding, The 10 MLAs that the Congress had there now belong to the BJP. He also pointed out that 36 of the BJP candidates fielded in the Tripura election were with the Congress party last time and the grand old party could garner only 1.5 per cent of the vote, when compared to the 36 per cent it got last time. "The rest went to BJP. It means that the Congress has became BJP. Along with that they joined hands with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT)," he said. "If we look at Uttar Pradesh assembly election last year, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress contested together. SP had considerable influence there but that was not visible in the election. At the same time Congress lost its deposit at many places," he said. Referring to the denial of permission for notices for no-confidence motion against the government in Lok Sabha, Vijayan said democratic norms are getting toppled. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has cited lack of order in the House for not taking up the notices. "The Parliament functions as per a procedure. If a no-confidence motion was moved, and has got enough support, then how can one try to stop it? They were saying that the Speaker was not able to ascertain the number of members inside the house. It's ridiculous. This is a black mark on Indian democracy. It's affecting parliamentary democratic system," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Western Coalfields (WCL), a Coal India (CIL) subsidiary, has registered a rise in coal production for the fourth consecutive year with 46.22 million tonne during 2017-18, surpassing its own record of 45.7 mt coal production during 2009-10. This is after the company registered a continuous negative growth for five years from 2009-10 to 2013-14, the company said in a release. Growth in production in consecutive years was possible because of opening of 19 projects during last three years which added to more than 27 mt during 2017-18, it said. In order to have enhancement in production for future sustainability, WCL has taken steps to enhance the existing mine capacity, which will be adding about 6.5 mt during 2018-19, it added. Meanwhile, WCL achieved a new record in despatch of coal as well during 2017-18 by despatching 48.76 mt against the highest ever of 45.509 mt achieved during 2009-10, according to the release. It also created a record by achieving a growth of 23.5 per cent in coal off-take during 2017-18, which is the highest among all the subsidiaries of CIL. During the year, the company despatched 9,204 rakes of coal, which is 28.84 per cent higher over last year. With a coal stock of 11.60 mt in the mines as on April 1, WCL said it could successfully despatch coal to its consumers as per their demand. WCL surpassed its capital expenditure (capex) target of Rs 1,050 crore during 2017-18, which according to the company will help it in its future growth. It has also achieved a record 185.29 million cubic meter of overburden removal during 2017-18, registering a growth of about 12 per cent over last year. The company expects to cross the 50 mt level of coal production in 2018-19, to achieve a target of 52.5 mt, according to the release. It will also gear up to achieve the coal despatch target of 58.7 mt during 2018-19, the release added. WCL has been successful in getting four coal blocks in Odisha during 2017-18. The company said it plans to have two large opencast mines of 25 mt each to achieve 50 mt production from these four blocks. "All out efforts are being made to develop these blocks as quickly as possible. This new property will not only help WCL in adding to its coal volume, but will also be beneficial for its financial stability," the company said. With this acquisition, WCL becomes the first company in CIL to have its operations in three states - Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. In the area of corporate social responsibility, the company set up a reverse osmosis (RO) plant at Patansaongi near Nagpur last year and launched bottled water under the brand 'Coal Neer' for rural population. The plan is to add six more such plants during 2018-19 so as to cover the entire rural populace by providing treated water at a much lower cost, the release said. WCL also aims to commercially launch 'Coal Neer' during 2018-19. In view of having large volume of mine water available, WCL entered into a memorandum of understanding with Mahagenco in March to provide 6.48 million gallons per day (mgd) water from its Bhanegaon mine near Nagpur to the Khaparkheda Thermal Power Plant. WCL said it is ready to enter into a MoU with VIDC by providing 17.47 mgd of mine water from Nagpur area for irrigation purposes. Further, few other projects are also being taken up in Chandrapur and Yavatmal districts for use of mine water for irrigation and drinking purposes. WCL continued to provide sand from its mines at a very low cost to the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) during 2017-18 for use in low-cost housing projects under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY), the release said. The company has also provided OB and sand to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for construction of the Mumbai-Nagpur super expressway. WCL said it will launch its sand product commercially during 2018-19 at a much cheaper rate. It is also providing bricks and stone chips extracted from its OB for use in the construction industry. "WCL is ready to install a large sand plant in Gondegaon near Nagpur for extraction of sand from OB to be provided for commercial use.," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. Penner: Cruising through the Kootenays in comfort Somewhere just north of Edgewater, the scenic one-hour drive to Golden just underway, we rambled around a bend and broke through the thick blanket of early morning fog that smothered the valley. Wow! Look at that, son! I said, nudging my boy, Aemon, 18, as he woke from a stupor. On the port side (an RV is kinda like a ship) a pair of serrated, ice-caked peaks hovered above the misty sea and pierced the gem-blue sky. This looks promising son, I said. Im starting to like RV trips. Sunday, April 1, 2018 at 7:37AM Want to find out how popular the app youre downloading is? Google Play Store is rolling out to more users the ability to see how popular an app is. Right below the Install/Uninstall and Open buttons youll see what the rank of a particular app is. Perhaps this might sway your decision whether you wanted to download a specific app or not. Google was seen testing this feature out last fall but it looks like its being released to more users now. Source: Android Police news, latest-news The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal has urged the territory government to review its planning laws, after Coles tried to quash an appeal against its Woolworths car park redevelopment on a technicality. In a decision handed down late on Thursday, ACAT overturned ACTPLA's decision to approve the controversial mixed-use development in Dickson, finding it broke too many planning rules to go ahead. But it can be revealed Coles tried to narrow the scope of appeal by arguing ACAT didn't have the power to review discretionary aspects of the ACT Planning and Land Authority's decision, because of ambiguous wording in the legislation. The wording related to the right of review for development applications in the merit track stream, one of three assessment tracks the ACT's planning system uses to approve developments. Depending on which track the application falls in, it attracts a higher level of scrutiny and requires more public notification. Like most multi-unit and commercial developments, the Coles development was assessed in the merit track, which requires planning officials to assess the proposal against the objectives of the zone it's in, and its probable impact on the surrounding area. But because of the way the legislation was written, it was unclear whether the tribunal had the power to review ACTPLA's whole decision, or only part of it. Coles' lawyers dug up five different decisions previously made by ACAT that interpreted the law slightly differently. The tribunal noted in Thursday's ruling during the time it was considering the appeal, ACAT delivered a slightly different decision on the meaning and effect of the clause in another case. "It is on any view an entirely unsatisfactory state of affairs that, more than a decade after the Planning Act was enacted, there is no certainty as to what is involved in review by the tribunal of decisions on merit track applications," the tribunal said. "Review of this aspect of the Planning Act should be given the highest priority." A spokesman for Planning Minister Mick Gentleman said: "We regularly review planning and related legislation to make sure they support the best possible decisions for Canberra and we'll take this ACAT ruling into account as part of that ongoing process." Thursday's decision means Coles will have to re-submit a revised development proposal for the site. A Coles spokesman would not say whether they planned on appealing the decision or if they would go back to the drawing board, but said they would read the judgement carefully. ACT chief planner Ben Ponton said his agency would look at the decision to determine what lessons could be learnt and if further planning reforms were required. But Greens crossbencher and former Downer resident Caroline Le Couteur, who was was one of the original objectors to the development, said the "planning system was broken". She said she was disappointed ACTPLA could approve something that had been "so completely demolished by the tribunal" and this case was one of the reasons the Legislative Assembly's planning committee had announced an inquiry into development applications. "I do regret that it's taken the commitment of the community to get this action. It's not fair on the community or on the commercial developers," Ms Le Couteur said. "If Woolworths wasn't indirectly involved there's no way the community could have funded this." Dickson resident Jane Goffman said they did not face a level playing field in the appeal, with a transcript of the proceedings alone costing $20,000. "We couldn't have pooled the resources unless Charter Hall backed us up," she said. Coles bought the car park on the corner of Antill and Badham streets in March 2014, and signed a deed to turn the site into more car parking and two supermarkets. The deed also allowed Coles to build other commercial tenancies and residential units. In December 2014, Coles lodged an application to build a seven-storey development, with 155 units, several commercial tenancies, two supermarkets, a podium-level car park and two levels of basement parking. However the development attracted criticism that it was out of character with the rest of Dickson and the ramps to the basement car park would hamper pedestrian movement. Coles then scaled back the number of units to 140 and changed its floor plans and building elevations. It told the tribunal the development was constrained by the requirements in the deed to place access to the basement car parking on the service road that runs from Badham to Antill Street. However ACTPLA refused the application in May 2015, saying saying "the proposal in its current form cannot be approved or conditionally approved". In March 2016, Coles asked ACTPLA to reconsider its refusal, but the development again was criticised for its design, impacts on traffic and pedestrians, as well as the impact on the heritage-listed Dickson Library next door. However in June 2016 planning officials approved the amended development application, with conditions. Woolworths' landlord Charter Hall filed an appeal against the approval in July 2016, with the North Canberra Community Council and Downer Community Association as joined parties. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/c9ca6c74-84da-4756-ba1a-315bd09aa021/r0_133_2000_1263_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news Just half of Canberrans' attempts to contact youth mental health service Kids Helpline were successful last year as demand grows for time and resource-intensive online counselling. The organisation's annual Insights Report found ACT response rates had dropped from 61 per cent in 2015 to 51 per cent in 2017. Demand increased 27 per cent in the same period. Yourtown strategy and research head John Dalgleish said resourcing issues contributed to the Kids Helpline response rates, with 70 per cent of the service's funding linked to its own fundraising efforts. Children and teenagers' concerns were increasingly complex, he said, requiring more time and effort to be spent on individual cases. As well, an increasing number of young people were contacting the service for web-based support, with web chat and email contacts rising 66 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. "It takes on average about twice as long to provide a counselling service to a child through tech as it is through phone," Mr Dalgleish said. "Children and young people tend to prefer to engage in counselling increasingly through online means, so for us to remain relevant we need to provide that service, but the implication of doing that is it takes more of our resources from our base." Children of a culturally and linguistically diverse background made up more than half of the ACT's successful attempts to contact Kids Helpline. More male, intersex, transgender and gender diverse children and teenagers sought support from the service in 2017 than 2015, which corresponded with a slight decrease in female contacts. Almost half of answered contacts from Canberra children and teenagers related to mental health concerns or emotional wellbeing. Seventeen per cent related to family relationship issues and 13 per cent were suicide-related concerns. The vast majority of ACT contacts were from Canberrans aged 13 to 25. Overall, 6915 of Australian children and teenagers' 339,724 attempts to contact Kids Helpline came from Canberra. The Annual Insights report showed the number of 10 to 14 year olds seeking support from throughout Australia more than doubled from 2011 to 2017. The dramatic increase prompted Yourtown and Kids Helpline chief executive Tracy Adams to call on Australians to do more to support young people. "While not just one solution is needed to address this multi-faceted issue, a good start is ensuring that the community works together to create early prevention services that are accessible to those who are most at risk," she said. "With many in the 10 to 14 age group too young to access community-based services such as Headspace, we need to ensure we create access to early intervention services that directly target and support younger children who may be experiencing adverse emotional wellbeing at this critical age of development." Support is available by phoning Lifeline 131 114, Mensline 1300 789 978 or Kids Helpline 1800 551 800. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/2bd44cab-251f-4495-87c5-f30b34890cc5/r0_18_320_199_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news Tharwa Valley Forge's new veterans makers program has been so popular it will use a year's worth of funding in 12 weeks, leaving more than 100 people on a waiting list. The two-day program, funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, includes bladesmithing, blacksmithing, bow-making, and leather and wood work. The popularity of the program, designed for veterans and their families, was anticipated by the forge's programs manager Mark Toogood, a veteran himself. After being medically-discharged from the army, Mr Toogood found himself at a loss. But a knife-making course at Tharwa helped him find himself again. "The big thing in my experience was the whole identity based on competency," Mr Toogood said. He said it was hard to be out of the confines of the military after years of knowing your place. "So you're out of the military but then how do you then feel like a whole person, how do you identify yourself when part of your identity used to be how competent you were, how do you measure that when you have nothing to measure it against." Mr Toogood came up with the idea to run veterans programs at Tharwa. He said the sense of achievement it provided meant they always went home happy. The program was provided about $50,000 in government funding and was designed for veterans and their families to bond over a shared experience. Skye and Naresh Bains were thrilled to be able to take part together. Their two children - aged five and seven - were at school while they undertook a two-day bladesmithing course. Mrs Bains is a Navy veteran, having served six years as a linguist. "I like making things, it's that sense of completing something which is always nice," she said. "I haven't made knives before, but it's actually been really fun designing them, learning about all the different parts and having the time in the workshop and in the forge. It's a lot of things I haven't done before." Mrs Bains - who made a kitchen knife and a fishing knife - said she would "absolutely" recommend it to others. Christine Svarcas and partner Ken Gilchrist were also taking part in one of the two-day bladesmithing courses. Mr Gilchrist is a serving member of the defence force, and has been deployed five times, to Iraq, Afghanistan and Timor. Ms Svarcas said he had always loved the idea of knifemaking, and wanted her to join the class. "I'm a bit out of my comfort zone. My day job is in the public service so I certainly haven't wielded a hammer before or worked in a forge, but it has been really fun," she said. "This is the first program that has taken Ken's interest. He likes working with his hands and learning something new. Tharwa Valley Forge owner Karim Haddad said the team had started fundraising to help get more veterans through the program. He said the government funding was allocated specifically for Canberra's contemporary veterans, but they had plenty of interest from further afield and from older veterans. Mr Haddad said about 40 people had been through the courses and the same amount were booked in over the coming weeks. There were 108 people on a waiting list. "We are limited in what we could do with it but I think we've done really well," Mr Haddad said. "Through Mark I realised there was a really big unmet need, and these programs were seen as something very tangible that people could get their hands and teeth into," he said. Mr Haddad has opened a crowdfunding campaign to help get the ball rolling, and to show the government there was a greater need for programs like this for veterans. To find out more, apply to the program or to donate to a campaign, visit this link. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/5b16a753-679e-4878-8ad5-40de4d917f21/r0_101_2000_1231_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news A handcuffed detainee was physically restrained by two Bimberi youth prison guards before a third guard called him a "coward" and punched him in the head, internal documents reveal. When a Bimberi team leader reported the 2016 incident to a manager, telling him he had witnessed a guard "assault" a restrained detainee, the manager replied, "Good I hope he belted him." A cache of internal documents obtained by Fairfax Media detail how a series of policy failings contributed to a spate of violent incidents inside the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre on May 6, 2016. Witness statements and incident reports record that: The 40-bed Bimberi facility in northern Canberra houses young offenders between the ages of 10 and 21. The Community Services Directorate has previously said it cannot discuss the incidents or subsequent investigations in order to protect staff and detainee privacy. Incident reports written by guards and detainees offer significantly differing accounts of what sparked the violence. Guards who witnessed the incident described how three detainees, termed X, Y and Z to protect their identity, became increasingly aggressive when they were asked to leave the detention centre's outdoor oval. "Detainee Z's total disregard and abuse towards staff at the brick work area was the catalyst for this incident," one staff report read. "I believe [the guard] did the best he could to protect himself and force used thereafter was proportionate to the situation." Detainees offered a markedly different version, describing how the guard challenged one of them to a fight before throwing the first punch. "[The youth worker] was walking towards Detainee Z in an aggressive manner saying to him, 'Do you want to go? Let's go then'," read one detainee's statement. "I walked upand told him to f**k off and leave him alone[the guard] ran in my direction, throwing a hit to the left side of my face followed by a spear tackle to the ground." Issues with the youth detention centre's CCTV system have hindered subsequent investigations into how the brawl started. "The CCTV footage had been following the movements but due to re-focussing they were out of view for an instant," managers wrote in an internal review five days later. "The beginning of the use of force was unclear." Two reports mentioned a previous incident between the guard and one of the detainees had created a feeling of ill will that could have sparked the brawl. "This isn't the first time [the guard] has approached Detainee Y in an excessive use of force. There was another near the gym a while ago," one detainee wrote. Responding officers rushed to the oval to find the three detainees fighting with the guard. "it appears as though [the guard] initiates the use of force on Detainee X in a rugby tackle-type motion," a senior manager wrote in a de-briefing report. "Once on the ground they scuffle before Detainee Y and Detainee Z involved themselves, striking [the guard] several times with both their fists and feet." Once this altercation was broken-up, Detainee Y was handcuffed and escorted out of the area by two guards. The restrained detainee was then allegedly assaulted in a second use-of-force by the same guard involved in the oval incident. "[Two guards] had Detainee Y flexi-cuffed with arms behind himheld securely by his arms and shoulders," one guard wrote in an incident report. "I saw [the guard] lunge at Detainee Y and throw a closed fist punch. "[The guard] appeared very angry and said words to the effect of, 'You coward you attacked me from behind'. "I saw and heard a closed-fist punch connect with Detainee Y's head." Later, this guard took one of the centre's unit managers aside to tell him he had witnessed a guard allegedly assault a detainee. "Unit Manager replied: Good I hope he belted him," read the guard's account of the conversation. A fourth detainee who had not been involved in the oval altercation also witnessed this alleged assault. "[The guard] turned around and took a swing at Detainee Y while he was held back," the detainee wrote in a witness statement. "I don't know it looked like it hit him." Detainee Y himself recalled the guard being "really angry", and said the punch scraped the right side of his head. A youth worker said Detainee Y had been abusive and resistant to restraint before the alleged punch was thrown. In addition to these witness accounts, the centre's senior managers mentioned the punch in their de-briefing reports following the incident. "Further action: It has been reported a second use of force during the escort of Detainee Y to Coree... it is not clear at this point in time what happened," one senior manager wrote. "It has been reported...[the guard] strikes Detainee Y with a closed fist to the head," wrote another manager. The Community Services Directorate has denied there was a "second use of force". "Use of force may be applied by staff to reduce an immediate risk to safety and/ or security," a spokeswoman said. "There was no second use of force." According to the incident reports, a guard suffered brain swelling following this second incident after they were mistakenly punched in the back of the head by a co-worker. "I remember relaying to [the unit manager] that I think [one of the guards] hit me in the back of the head," they wrote following the incident. "I remember wanting to throw-up several more timesand felt like my head was about to explode." One of the detainees involved in the oval brawl was x-rayed for what staff suspected was a facial fracture. The x-ray did not find any fracture. Five days after the incident, senior staff from the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre penned reports identifying failings that contributed to the violence. These included the fact that there was no responding officer when the brawl started, because four officers were busy doing paper work and other tasks. "Poor management of staffing, poor decision making and lack of communication by the team leaders," wrote the centre's operations manager. "Morning staff allocation was not adhered to at the time of the incident two staff in wing 3 so there should have been 3 staff on the oval." Another senior staff member made similar observations. "There were several unscheduled staff absences, so less staff to respond and assist than optimal," they wrote. These staff reports contradict public comments made by the Community Services Directorate, which has maintained staffing levels at the time were "appropriate". "I can confirm that appropriate levels of staff were available to, and did quickly respond to the incident that occurred on May 6 2016, and de-escalated the incident in under a minute," a spokeswoman said. The ACT Human Rights Commission is investigating the May 2016 violence as part of a wider inquiry into allegations of abuse inside the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre. The Community Services Directorate said it had completed its own internal investigation into the incident and "appropriate action was taken in accordance with the relevant enterprise agreement". /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/cbdf483e-a44a-47ff-8e20-9a26fa842adb/r0_136_2000_1266_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg The Lee County Sheriffs Office has provided 40 deputies to the Lee County School District following legislation to enhance safety and security measures at the schools. Carole Green, who provided a legislative update during the Tuesday School Board briefing meeting this week, said the legislative session began in January and everything was starting to move along before things dramatically changed Feb. 14 when the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting took place. We became somewhat dysfunctional as a state family due to what happened to the children at the school, she said, adding that they were all in a grieving position. Green said more than 1,000 students came forward, which she went amongst to hear what they were saying, both when they were on the front of the old capitol, in the rotunda and in the Senate and House buildings. She said many were laying down pretending to be dead while others wore makeup that looked like they were bleeding. It had a great deal of impact on us, Green said, which resulted in both houses crafting a bill. It was crafted so quickly that we do know that there will probably be more things to look at as we move forward, she said. The fact that we extended to March 9 and today is the 27th, everything is just starting to settle a little. Lee School Superintendent Dr. Greg Adkins said due to Senate Bill 7026 they had to deploy School Resource Officers across the district. I want to first of all express our appreciation to the Sheriffs Office. They have done a magnificent job stepping up to the plate that we have coverage to ensure our students are safe, he said. Adkins said there are more than a thousand pages in the bill and they do not have the technical assistance that is rendered from the state. We are taking the steps necessary now. We look forward to working with you and also with other municipalities to make sure that we can keep our students safe as we open a new school, he said. School Development Executive Director Jerry Demming said the School Resource Officer component of the Safe School Allocation has been in existence since the 1980s. The SRO is a certified law enforcement officer, a deputy permanently designed to provide coverage to a school, or set of schools, specifically trained to perform many duties, he said. The duties of a SRO are to perform law enforcement functions within the school setting; identify and prevent through counseling and referral, delinquent behavior, including substance abuse; foster a better understanding of the law enforcement function; provide information about crime prevention; provide assistance and support for victims identified within the school setting; promote positive relations between students and law enforcement officers; work with school administration on lock down drills; walk perimeter of campus during the day and assist in Baker Act procedures and counseling of students when needed. We have had a long standing relationship with the Lee County Sheriffs Office. They have worked really hard with us for the last few weeks, and many years. They are the people we want to use to keep our schools safe, Demming said. On March 26, he said the Sheriffs Office proactively contributed more officers for the schools. Yesterday we deployed 40 officers to elementary schools, Capt. Mike Miller said. We are currently in every elementary school and sharing responsibilities geographically to charter schools. Some are leaving the campus to visit the charter schools. The officers supplied by the Sheriffs Office include deputy sheriffs from such areas as road patrol, crime units and criminal investigation units. We have a vast amount of experience and knowledge in schools, Miller said. As of Tuesday afternoon he said they had very little hiccups with the additional officers in the schools. We are very excited to be in the schools, he said of the temporary assignment until May 30, the last day of school. Adkins said after the piece of legislation passed the school district and Sheriffs Office quickly responded with the first decision of how to move forward. We have to keep the kids safe and we feel that we can depend on the Sheriffs Office, he said. Last week, he said the Sheriffs team got together and put together this plan. This was very fast in terms of response from our Sheriffs Office. That gets us covered for the remainder of the year, Adkins said. With that said, he said putting 40 deputies in the schools is costing the office resources from other parts of their department. School Board Member Steve Teuber said he appreciates the sheriffs response to cover what the state legislature forced down to the schools with the $400 million one-time allocation for this entire security bill, which equates to about $12,000 for each school. I will not support any funding increase for added personnel, Teuber said. Although there has been no funding, he said there is a requirement of an SRO in each school. Data has not been presented that it is going to make a difference, or make our kids any safer, he said. We are just going to the SROs because that is what the state told us to do. To double our SROs based on this one incident is over reaction. Board Member Jane Kuckel agreed that there has not been any documentation produced that states SROs make a bigger impact in the schools than something else. Board Member Mary Fischer said this is a community and society problem. When you are taking 40 deputy sheriffs out of their typical assignments and putting them into our elementary schools, I dont think they have had the time to do the training, she said. I worry about what is not being covered elsewhere. I think that it was a response to the voices of the community that they want kids safe and something done now. We need to include other considerations as we move forward as a team to plan. Miller said the 40 personnel added are trained deputies and not trained SROs. But they are more than capable of safeguarding the campuses, he said. The deputies are highly trained deputy sheriffs. We are visiting the schools and answering questions. We are leaning on principals and schools to help. The 40 deputies added to the schools Adkins said was a response to the law, a piece of legislation that they were required to adhere to as of March 9. We understand safety, but you cant squeeze a balloon without it popping out somewhere else, Teuber said. You are forcing us to do it without any money. How do you make that happen? Something is going to suffer. We have Sanibel, Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita, Cape Coral we send them a bill. Just because our Sheriffs Department is funded by County Commissioners, we cannot put the whole burden on them to fund this. Adkins sent out a letter Monday indicating the changes that took place at the schools in terms of safety measures. Some of the safety and security measures include active shooter training, threat assessments at the schools, a single point of entry at all schools and advanced security technology measures. Fischer said all schools will have active shooter training by the end of March, with the last one taking place on Thursday. Eighty-five percent of the schools had the training completed before the Parkland shooting. The active shooter and hostage drills will be held once a month. School safety personnel, law enforcement and maintenance will visit each school to conduct threat assessments. As far as technology upgrades at the schools, Fischer said theyre currently in the process of assessing them and instituting a surveillance refresh program. We are planning to implement adaptive technology, such as artificial intelligence, which will allow our cameras to think like humans and help the personnel onsite to make decisions of whether theres a threat or not, prior to it occurring, she said. To the editor: President Trump has engineered a situation with the North Korean dictator that has never before been achieved by numerous previous administrations. By way of extraordinary maneuvers, President Trump has been able to bring North Korea to the table to discuss the ending of its race for nuclear strike ability. Its an amazing achievement and it should be applauded by all those who sincerely desire peace. True, it may not work out, it may be nothing more that a delay tactic by North Korea. However, the nuclear program must be stopped and the only other alternative is a U.S. military strike that would result in mass destruction. It is not the time for Pelosi, or Schumer, or any other Democrat to second guess the President. And, it is surely not the time for the media to criticize where only applause is appropriate. It is the time for all true patriots to come together and demonstrate a solidarity so that Kim and the world will have no doubt that the President is supported 100 percent and America means business. The table has been set and nothing short of absolute togetherness between President Trump, the Republican and Democratic parties and the media is appropriate. This is not the moment for political gamesmanship or know-it-all idiots to damage a special opportunity!. Dick Kalfus Cape Coral Really Kelowna? Squash another unique, charming, potentially entertaining atmosphere as you walk around our town. I have been living here since 86 and Kelowna has turned into this bland town of shops that repeat in clusters, every couple of miles at some strip mall, boring, yawn! We tear down everything with history, memory and replace it with new, brown, plain architecture. We have lost; Old McDonald's farm, Wet + wild water slides, the boardwalk roller skating arena, Flinstone's waterslides, Malibu race track. Not to mention people come here specifically to visit and enjoy the beaches (which we have a few but most of our waterfront is owned by homes and docks) Let the buskers be, let them play on the streets and entertain people and be part of creating some nice atmosphere against the stark buildings that repeat. I am also a local musician and support people sharing their talent wherever. When you travel to the states, when you visit Nashville, "the music city", there is no lack of charm, history and music in the air that make the memory of your visit. The buskers put a few of those cities on the map. Lori Jean Photo: The Canadian Press Names of deceased Woodlands School attendees are seen on a wall behind Health Minister Adrian Dix Saturday. Hundreds of survivors of abuse at a notorious psychiatric institute and school in suburban Vancouver will receive compensation from the government, after previously being left out due to a legal loophole. Provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix says residents who lived at Woodlands in New Westminster before 1974 will each receive $10,000. He says anyone who received a lower amount through a class action lawsuit will have their compensation topped up to a total of $10,000. More than 1,100 survivors were promised compensation in a December 2009 settlement. But those who attended the school before 1974 were left out because the provincial government wasn't responsible for the residents' care until then. Many former residents have alleged they were the victims of physical and sexual abuse at Woodlands, which was run as a psychiatric institution and also housed people with disabilities until it was shut down in 1996. Photo: Contributed The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is looking into an incident in Chilliwack where an elderly woman was struck by a police cruiser. The IIO said the incident occurred on Friday at about 5:30 p.m. at the 5800 block of Tyson Road, close to Watson Glen Park. The woman was transported to hospital with serious injuries. The IIO investigates all police matters where serious harm or death to any individual is involved. - with files from CTV Vancouver Photo: Contributed A truck drove into a tree in the McDonald's Restaurant drive-thru on April 1, 2018. Police responded to the scene of a single vehicle collision in the McDonalds Restaurant drive-thru in Rutland on Sunday. The drive-thru, located near Highway 33 and Hollywood Road, was closed for a brief time due to the incident. A witness driving by said it appears the driver stepped on the gas and went over the curb and drove into the tree. It does not appear anyone was injured in the incident and the truck is currently being towed out.