iStock/Thinkstock(ATLANTA) -- Germs can cause infections. Germs can spread. Germs can battle back against antibiotics. And germs can share their weapons with other germs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention communicated on Tuesday the early outcomes of their targeted campaign to identify infections by nightmare bacteria any of several germs that cause infections that are nearly impossible to treat with currently available medications. These germs have defeated all current forms of antibiotics, which leaves doctors and hospitals almost helpless to fight their infections. Labs in the 50 states and Puerto Rico tested 5,776 selected samples of highly resistant germs for unusual patterns of resistance. One out of every four bacterial samples was found to not only to have some antibiotic resistance, but to carry a gene capable of spreading that resistance. What surprised investigators most was that 221 of these had resistance genes described as especially rare. In the next step, CDC officials and local health care providers looked for colonization they tested people in close proximity to the infected person (people who did not have infection themselves) to see if any were harboring the bacteria. Those who harbor an infection-causing organism but do not have an infection themselves are called carriers. One in 10 people tested were found to be carriers of the resistant bacteria, and many different species were detected. This was the first nationwide testing of this magnitude searching out resistant bacteria and their genes. This was only the first part of a focused CDC initiative to address this progressively worrisome health scare. What should you know about resistant bacteria? There are many classes of microbes or microscopic organisms in our environment: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Within these groups, many of the organisms cause no problems (or can even be beneficial) to humans. Microbes that cause disease are sometimes referred to as pathogens or more simply as germs. The development of antibiotics to treat pathogen bacteria was a true medical breakthrough. We have been treating infections with antibiotics for over 70 years, and common infections that used to kill are now trivial, since antibiotics fight the bacteria so well. Use of antibiotics decade after decade, though, can make them less effective in the long term. One reason there are so many antibiotics is that some have always been more effective against certain types of bacteria. You can think of these the same way you think of the many different specialized weapons available to the military for different types of combat. The concern, however, is that some antibiotics that used to work against certain species of bacteria no longer work in certain strains of that species. And the list is growing. This occurs because bacteria can learn to put up a defense against the antibiotic. This shows up when a bacteria is exposed to an antibiotic it has seen before or even one similar to it. The bacteria, in essence, has altered slightly, and now can avoid attack by the antibiotic. These resistance systems can be incredibly diverse, complex, and even be described as creative. When bacteria resist the drug, the germ is not killed as intended, the infection is not treated, though the antibiotic may kill other, less important, bacteria, giving the resistant bacteria free rein to multiply and spread further. Medical laboratories can test bacteria samples from a patient to determine which antibiotics the bacteria likely will or will not respond to. This is called a resistance pattern. When a lab finds that a germ is resistant to a class of antibiotics that are typically a good match for that organism, this is called an unusual resistance pattern and it can signal bad news the potential for this germ to become resistant to all, or nearly all, antibiotics in existence. Some germs gain nicknames based on the major antibiotic they are resistant to: MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant staph aureus (this strain has acquired resistance to methicillin, which is a stand-in for all drugs in the penicillin family). CRE stands for Carbapenem-resistant enterococci, indicating resistance to one of the more powerful classes of antibiotics available. A bacteria resistant to multiple classes of powerful antibiotics is multi-drug resistant. As Dr. Anne Schuchat, Principal Deputy Director of CDC, describes, these germs cause resistant infections that are virtually untreatable with modern medicine. Certain individuals are more likely to get these infections: people who live in nursing homes or other long term care facilities, or those are frequently hospitalized, are at high risk because they live in a setting where many people with infections are close together and germs can be easily shared. They also tend to have a weaker immune system to fight infections when they occur. Young adults with cystic fibrosis are another at-risk group. They have many respiratory infections in their lifetime requiring many courses of antibiotics and many become carriers of highly-resistant bacteria as a result. Sometimes the resistant bacteria can be treated with more powerful or less commonly used antibiotics which can have more toxic effects and be extremely costly to the health care system. Sometimes the only options for treatment are what doctors call supportive care, providing measures like oxygen, medications to support blood pressure, or even ventilator or dialysis machines to support failed organs, hoping that the bodys immune system will find a way to fight the infection. Despite these measures, up to 50 percent of nightmare bacteria infections result in death. If thats not bad enough, scientists also have learned that germs are doing the equivalent of crowd-sourcing one bacteria that develops resistance to an antibiotic can share the information for that defense system, packaged in DNA that can be passed from one cell to another. Resistance genes, or pieces of DNA, turn regular germs into nightmare bacteria. These genes are the focus of the current CDC effort. What can be done to stop the spread? Exposure to antibiotics (studying the enemy) is how bacteria develop their resistance tools. For that reason, physicians know that antibiotics should only be used when they are needed and antibiotics (which specifically treat germs in the bacteria classification) should NOT be used in an attempt to treat infections caused by other germs -- like viruses. For instance, almost all common cold infections are viruses, yet patients want to be given something, and often insist on an antibiotic, though it has no chance of affecting the virus. As Dr. Jay Butler described, providers aim to use antibiotics in the right clinical situations with the right drug at the right dose for the right duration. According to the CDC, up to 50 percent of antibiotic prescriptions violates one of these principles. Another way that antibiotic resistance has spread is through widespread use of antibiotics in food-producing animals for the purpose of accelerating animal growth. Per the CDC website, antibioticsshould be used in food-producing animals only under veterinary oversight and only to manage and treat infectious disease, not to promote growth. What is the CDC doing? In 2016, the CDC launched a landmark antibiotic resistance solutions initiative, dedicating more resources than ever before to preventing the spread of resistant bacteria. The two major features of this initiative are rapid identification of unusual resistance patterns among infection-causing bacteria, and standardized infection control measures in the involved health care facilities, including finding individuals colonized with the same germ and intensifying the steps taken to prevent spread of the most dangerous organisms. Prevention of infections and the spread of bacteria isnt a new concept. What is new, however, is the resources available to physicians and other health professionals to do it. Labs have more capacity to test for the presence of germs that carry resistance and get these results quickly. Dr. Schuchat said that the CDC is now encouraging health care facilities and public health authorities to respond to even single cases of an emerging antibiotic resistant pathogen. The analogy used by the CDC is that of a fire. In the past, public health authorities have had to dedicate their resources to fighting the wildfires - the most resistant and most widespread of the nightmare bacteria that are already out of control. This naturally has allowed for the development of even more resistant bacteria. With the increased funding available, authorities can respond to many more small "fires" and even "sparks," to prevent further spread. In addition to additional funding, the CDC is sending 500 more local staff to partner with facilities around the country when unusual resistance patterns are detected. They described one recent example, when an Iowa nursing home resident had a urinary tract infection. The CDC Antibiotic Resistance Lab Network performed rapid testing which showed unusual resistance. The Iowa department of health worked with the nursing home to do site assessments and identify ways the germ might have spread. They tested other residents in this facility for colonization and found that 5 others were carrying the dangerous bug. They implemented aggressive infection control measures and continued testing patients until the bug was no longer detected. Obviously this is very time- and resource-intensive, which explains why this approach is best applied to germs that are potentially very dangerous. As the CDC leadership pointed out, however, this is more effective (and less costly) if the tools are there to step in immediately after a single case is detected, rather than wait for an outbreak. Per Dr. Schuchat, These unusual threats are the uncommon or highly resistant germs that have yet to spread throughout the U.S. We are working to get in front of them before they do become common in order to protect patients now and in the future. Dr. Jay Butler, Chief Medical Officer and Director of Alaska Division of Public Health and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (also known as ASTHO), put it another way: We cant wait until one case becomes ten or ten cases becomes a hundred. We can intervene early and aggressively to stop spread and to keep these threats out of our states. He added, I have heard from my state and local colleagues from across the nation that these resources have been a game changer in their states. The work is just beginning. For each resistant bacteria stifled, another is intensifying its own resistance. We need to do more and we need to do it faster and earlier with each new antibiotic resistance threat, Dr. Schuchat said. Health care providers and public health officials alike are now more equipped than ever to do just that. Dr. Kelly Arps is a resident physician in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Kelly is working with the ABC News Medical Unit. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. iStock/Thinkstock(ANKARA, Turkey) -- Federal prosecutors in New York urged a judge Wednesday to send a Turkish banker to prison for more than 15 years when he is sentenced later this month for causing immense risks to the national security of the United States. Mehmet Atilla was convicted in January of conspiring to launder a billion dollars in Iranian oil revenue in violation of US sanctions. At a time when the United States and the community of nations were engaged in the momentous undertaking of depriving the Government of Iran of funding for its malign and deadly activitiesincluding its pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles capable of delivering those weapons throughout the region and around the world; and its financial, logistical, and military support for terrorist organizations and acts of terrorismAtilla was a key player in massively undermining those efforts, prosecutors wrote in their sentencing submission. Defense attorneys said a harsh sentence would be unfair and urged the judge to be lenient. Unlike prosecutions involving massive frauds and staggering victim losses, here there are no victims who suffered a financial loss, defense attorneys wrote in their sentencing submission. The defense also portrayed Atillah as a functionary in a conspiracy led by Reza Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian gold trader who pleaded guilty on the eve of trial and agreed to cooperate with the government. Whatever Atillas role prosecutors said his offenses are in some respects without parallel and the immense risks that he and his co-conspirators created to the national security of the United States and to the safety and stability of the entire globe are similarly without ready comparison. The case strained US-Turkey relations after testimony that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signed off on parts of the scheme. Erdogan denied it and accused the U.S. of engaging in a plot against his country based on information from followers of Fethullah Gulen, a cleric based in Pennsylvania who Erdogan has blamed for a failed coup attempt. Atilla is scheduled to be sentenced April 11. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Fall army worm is back: season two After over-wintering in Queensland's sweet corn growing districts the recent pest Fall Army Worm is set to wreak havoc on NSW cropping with the first confirmed sighting west of the range at Croppa Creek this week. ABCNews.com(MINNEAPOLIS) -- A couple who were able to conceive seven children though the process of in vitro fertilization are now hoping to add to their large family. Julie and Lance of Minnesota are parents to Kaitlyn, 9, and three sets of twins, Cody and Caleb, 6, Chelsea and Kelsea, 4 and Caden and Colton, 10 months. Now they want two more children. In 2007 Julie, 40, and Lance, 39, had the opportunity to receive free IVF treatments through a raffle that they won at a family building conference -- a summit where participants attend workshops and hear speakers who discuss the options like IVF and adoption. "I was just in amazement and I remember going forward with my hands shaking and I remember Lance started sobbing," Julie said Thursday on "Good Morning America" of winning the raffle. "We were just in shock." In 2007, the couple finished the IVF cycle and wound up with 10 embryos. They conceived their seven children as a result, Julie said. Their daughter, Kaitlyn, was born in July 2008. Lance said he thought he and Julie would just have "two or three kids like most people." "We're very thankful," Lance added. Julie said she has a message for other couples struggling with infertility. "It can be very lonely at times and I just want them to be encouraged and to have hope...God has blessed us with seven miracles and we're so thankful for each one of them," she said. The couple said that doctors will implant the two remaining embryos in the fall in hopes that two babies will be born next summer. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. 10:25 | Lima, Apr. 5. The appointment was made official by Supreme Resolution published on Thursday in El Peruano official gazette. According to the document, De Zela is in charge of formulating, coordinating, executing and supervising the State's foreign policy on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Ministry , as well as fulfilling his role as head of the diplomatic service. In addition to his extensive experience in the diplomatic service, De Zela served as Chief of Staff of the Organization of American States ( OAS ) Secretary-General between 2011 and 2015. "(...) It would be illogical for us to promote a policy of division, of hatred. That isn't and won't be the way we behave," he said at a press conference following the first Council of Ministers session held on Wednesday. #ElPeruPrimero El presidente @MartinVizcarraC se reunio con los ministros del @MTC_GobPeru , @viviendaperu , asi como el director ejecutivo de la @AutoridadRCC , con el proposito de agilizar los proyectos para rehabilitar las zonas afectadas por el Fenomeno de El Nino Costero. pic.twitter.com/0I7lXiMyfW Southeast Michigan Realty Fake Ad: March 2018 by Jay Forstner From the April, 2018 issue We received 118 entries correctly identifying the Fake Ad for Southeast Michigan Realty on page 82 of the March issue. The last name of February's winner, Cynthia Radcliffe, was contained, sort of, as "that kid from the Harry Potter movies." "That kid from the Harry Potter movies is, of course, actor Daniel Radcliffe," wrote Mike Thomsen. "No relation (I presume) to Cynthia Radcliffe, last month's winner. Now I'm going to press 'send' and Slytherin under the wire for your noon deadline!" "Expecto Real Estate," wrote Chad Rupley. "The Southeast Michigan Realty ad is the Fake for March." Smilka Zdravkovska, newly minted Observer super-friend, was also under the Fake Ad's spell, but "I shouldn't win," she wrote. "Embedding my last name in the next month's Fake Ad will pose too much of a challenge." She may be right. Gerald Smith's entry was drawn as our winner. He's taking his gift certificate to Zingerman's. --- To enter this month's contest, find the fake ad in the April issue and follow the instructions in the box at the bottom of the Back Page. The fake ad always contains the name of last month's winner in some form. [Originally published in April, 2018.] SHARE By of the Roughly a dozen mergers have taken place among health systems in Wisconsin in the past two years. Some have involved small rural hospitals, others large health systems. The mergers all have one thing in common: They were driven at least partly by the changes taking hold in health care. The mergers are part of a wave of consolidation that has taken place among health systems nationally in recent years. "The whole sector is moving to bigger, larger organizations," said Martin Arrick, an analyst with Standard & Poor's Rating Services. Last year, 102 mergers and acquisitions among health systems were announced, according to Irving Levin Associates Inc., which tracks health care transactions. More than 90 have been announced in each of the past five years, compared with 59 in 2004 and 50 in 2005. In Wisconsin, each of the three largest health systems in Madison have been involved in a major merger or acquisition in the past two years. The most recent was in December, when Madison's UW Health merged with SwedishAmerican Health System in Rockford, Ill. But the trend can be seen throughout the state. Two smaller health systems merged with Appleton's ThedaCare last year. In Wausau, Aspirus has merged with or acquired two smaller systems since July. The burst of deal-making stems partly from the pressure to make the health care system more efficient. New models are emerging that will reward health systems that provide quality care at a lower cost and penalize those that don't. Under accountable care organizations, for instance, health systems are paid to manage the care for a group of patients. The health systems share in the savings if they succeed in providing care at a lower cost while meeting specific quality measures. At the same time, they are penalized if they don't. That will require new skills, such as being able to analyze huge quantities of data from electronic health records and insurance claims to manage the care of high-cost patients, such as those with chronic diseases. Health systems also know that Medicare payments will increase at a slower rate under the Affordable Care Act. And increasingly Medicare is linking what it pays hospitals to how well they perform on certain quality measures. For instance, Medicare will reduce its payments by as much as 3% this year for hospitals with high readmission rates for certain conditions, such as heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia. Commercial health insurers are taking similar steps. "There's more to come, no question," said Matthew Caine, a managing director at SOLIC Capital Advisors, an Evanston, Ill., financial advisory firm. The new payment models could make it harder for health systems to increase revenue in coming years. At the same time, inpatient admissions have been falling for years, and the trend is expected to continue. Benefits to being bigger The expected changes and challenges have prodded large health systems to become bigger and small rural hospitals and health systems to merge with larger health systems. Mergers and acquisitions can generate efficiencies up to a point, said Matthew Heywood, the president and chief executive officer of Aspirus. The health system's recent mergers and acquisitions also have increased its geographic footprint in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. That will help ensure it has enough patients to continue to provide specialized services at its main hospital in Wausau. At the same time, smaller health systems, particularly those that operate "critical access" hospitals with 25 beds or less, can benefit from the expertise of a larger system. The health systems that have merged with ThedaCare will get access to its Epic system for electronic health records, said Dean Gruner, a physician and president and CEO of ThedaCare. They also will have better access to capital and be able to draw on ThedaCare's initiatives to improve quality. Getting bigger also can give health systems more leverage when negotiating contracts with health insurers. That drove the last big wave of consolidations in the 1990s, as hospitals responded to the spread of health maintenance organizations and other forms of managed care. The increase in bargaining power with health insurers remains a concern. A review of the research on consolidation among health systems done for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2012 by Robert Town, a health economist at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and Martin Gaynor, a professor of economics and health policy at Carnegie Mellon University, found that hospital consolidation led to higher prices and reduced quality. "Health systems mergers have worked out pretty well for management," Town said. "They haven't worked out for patients." State and federal regulators have rejected some proposed mergers and acquisitions in recent years for that reason. Focus shifts to savings Health systems know their world is changing. In the past, mergers and acquisitions tended to focus on adding services and growth. Now they focus on lowering costs. "The focus is beginning to shift," said J. Kevin Holloran, an analyst with Standard & Poor's Rating Services. The move to electronic health records and the role that information technology is expected to have in the future is another change. The hope is that larger health systems will be able to determine the most effective and least expensive ways to treat patients, Holloran said. Four or five years ago, St. Louis-based Ascension Health, the parent of Columbia St. Mary's and Ministry Health Care in Milwaukee, put in place a guideline that prohibited elective births before 39 weeks. Now the guideline is 39 weeks and six days. "They've gotten so good with the data that they've revised that," he said. "That's what size and scale get you." One result could be better adherence to clinical guidelines and less variation in how health care is delivered. Ascension has national experts to identify best practices for improving quality, said Daniel Neufelder, president and CEO of Ministry Health Care. It then will send in physicians and others to help develop and implement local programs. Ministry Health Care has shown improvement in preventing infections, falls and medical errors as well as other quality measures since becoming part of Ascension in 2013. "We thought we were good two years ago and we were but we are better today," Neufelder said. More merger options Being part of a larger system is not guaranteed to improve quality. "There is little evidence to suggest that smaller institutions cannot make the investments needed to make care better," Thomas C. Tsai and Ashish K. Jha, physicians and professors at the Harvard School of Public Health, wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine. Improvements in quality reflect priorities more than resources or size, they wrote. Many initiatives to improve quality, such as checklists, are relatively inexpensive but require a commitment to effective implementation and monitoring. Size and scale can help, though. Making the best use of electronic health records is an example. "It's complicated and expensive to implement these systems and use them efficiently," said Town, the University of Pennsylvania health economist. To gain economies of scale without merging, health systems in Wisconsin are forming partnerships with other systems through Integrated Health Network and a new statewide network called abouthealth. But health care remains fragmented compared with other industries, and some envision large regional health systems eventually emerging. "There are going to be multiple models," said Heywood of Aspirus. Caine of SOLIC Capital said he would not be surprised to see Aurora Health Care and Advocate Health Care in northern Illinois merge someday. "That's certainly within the realm of possibility," Caine said. UW Health has been cited as another possible partner for Aurora. Bellin Health Care Systems in Green Bay and ThedaCare, two health systems that work closely together, are often cited as potential merger candidates. And Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare someday could align with Ascension. Arrick of Standard & Poor's expects more mergers and acquisitions to take place with an important caveat. "At some point, getting bigger doesn't get you more size and scale," he said. State and federal regulators are becoming wary of some mergers and acquisitions. "There are limits to how far the consolidation will go," Arrick said. But he added, "We don't know where they are yet." SHARE By of the Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare's operations in southeastern Wisconsin and Columbia St. Mary's are now part of Ascension Health, and their combined operations could create a Catholic health system with the scale to be a strong competitor to Aurora Health Care and Froedtert Health in the Milwaukee area. Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare said Tuesday that it had completed the planned transfer of its operations in southeastern Wisconsin to Ascension Health, the parent of Columbia St. Mary's and the country's largest Catholic health system. "It will create more competition," said Alyce Katayama, a health care lawyer and partner at Quarles & Brady. "Now we sort of have the big three." Wheaton has eight campuses and employs almost 11,000 people, including more than 330 physicians, in southeastern Wisconsin. Its operations in the region had operating revenue of $1.3 billion in its fiscal year that ended June 30. Columbia St. Mary's has three hospitals in the Milwaukee area, employs about 4,000 people, including 250 physicians, and had operating revenue of $652.9 million in its fiscal year ended June 30. The planned transfer of Wheaton's operations in southeastern Wisconsin, announced in October, makes Ascension the second-largest health system in Wisconsin. Ministry Health, which has 14 hospitals in Wisconsin and one in eastern Minnesota, became part of Ascension in 2013. The three Wisconsin health systems that now are part of Ascension have combined operating revenue of $3.5 billion and more than 24,000 employees, including almost 1,000 physicians. The combined systems also have a geographic footprint that extends from Racine to the Fox Valley and beyond, said Katayama. How the transfer announced Tuesday will affect employees is not publicly known. "An integration team is looking at the entire southeastern Wisconsin market, and decisions on a timeline for any changes will be made in the coming months," John Oliverio, chief executive of Wheaton, said in an email. Wheaton and Ascension did not grant interviews Tuesday but answered some questions by email. The transactions with Wheaton and Ministry Health are part of the consolidation among hospitals and health systems taking place in Wisconsin and throughout the country. Roughly a dozen mergers ranging from small rural hospitals to large health systems have taken place in Wisconsin in the past four years. "The trend definitely is bigger is better," said Jennifer Gingrass, a principal with ECG Management Consultants. Hospitals and health systems are preparing for projected changes in the way hospitals and doctors are paid that will more closely align reimbursement to the value of care and less to the volume of services provided. Those changes which, so far, have taken hold slower than expected could require new skills, such as making the best use of electronic health records and assuming risks once borne solely by insurance companies. That's spurred community hospitals to become part of health systems and smaller health systems to become part of larger ones. Ascension, based in St. Louis, had net income of $637.8 million on operating revenue of $20.5 billion in its fiscal year ended June 30. Ascension could not comment on other potential mergers with other Catholic health systems, such as Hospital Sisters Health System, with six hospitals in Wisconsin and six in Illinois. Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare's operations in southeastern Wisconsin were sponsored by the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters and Felician Sisters in Southeast Wisconsin. Its operations in Iowa and Illinois were sponsored by the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters. Wheaton's three nursing homes in southeastern Wisconsin The Terrace at St. Francis, Franciscan Woods and Lakeshore Manor will become part of Ascension Senior Living, which will have 35 communities in 11 states and the District of Columbia. In separate transactions, the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters also are transferring the other parts of their ministry: Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton, Ill., was transferred to Northwestern Medicine on Tuesday. Wheaton's operations in Iowa are expected to be transferred this month to Mercy Health Network. Franciscan Ministries, which operates 2,620 units of independent, assisted living and other housing in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, will become part of Mercy Housing, based in Denver. Mercy Housing is one of the country's largest nonprofit organizations providing affordable housing. HEALTH SYSTEM Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare hospitals and campuses in southeastern Wisconsin Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare- St. Joseph Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare- Elmbrook Memorial Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare- St. Francis Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare- Franklin Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (50% ownership) Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare- All Saints (two campuses) Wisconsin Heart Hospital / Midwest Spine and Orthopedic Hospital Columbia St. Mary's hospitals Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin (50% ownership) By Thirty million prescriptions for narcotic painkillers were written nationwide in 2013 by non-doctors, according to data obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today. Those prescriptions written by physician assistants, nurse practitioners and others amounted to about a third of the 92 million written by primary care doctors that year, according to data provided by IMS Health, a drug market research firm. Over the last few decades, so-called "mid-levels" have been granted wider prescribing authority. The idea was that they could handle less complicated cases like colds and routine blood work, allowing doctors to spend more time with patients. But the groups have since lobbied for wider prescribing authority and now can use their prescription pads almost as completely as primary care doctors can, depending on the state. In many states, physician assistants and nurse practitioners are allowed to prescribe opioids such as OxyContin, which is classified as a narcotic under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Indeed, they can write prescriptions for all but the most powerful and restricted narcotics, such as morphine. In some states, even optometrists are allowed to prescribe opioids. It is not clear whether the increase in prescribers has contributed to the nation's growing problem with opioid addiction and overdoses, said Richard Cook, a U.S.-trained anesthesiologist and patient safety expert at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. "There's been a shift in the way we provide care to patients, and it's been going on now for well over a decade with no signs of halting," Cook said. He called it an "area of controversy" with "very little strong evidence that we could point to saying this is either harming or advancing care." Non-doctors also were among the top prescribers for benzodiazepine tranquilizers, which have been turning up in an increasing number of opioid overdose deaths. In 2010, the most recent year for which data was available, 30% of the 16,651 people who died of an opioid overdose also had taken a benzodiazepine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2013, primary care doctors wrote about 53 million benzodiazepine prescriptions, followed by psychiatrists at 13 million. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants were close behind with 11 million prescriptions for the drugs such as Xanax and Valium. Authority challenged Some groups have challenged that broader prescribing authority. In 2012, the American Society of Anesthesiologists decried a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule that enabled nurse anesthetists nurses who specialize in anesthesiology and pain medicine to be paid for diagnosing and treating chronic pain. "Authorizing numerous new nurse anesthetists to prescribe potentially highly addictive drugs is of great concern to the ASA," a statement from the organization said. "Prescribing controlled substances is a serious and complex medical matter that requires a physician's education and training." In an interview, Jane Fitch, a physician and president of the society, said the group's concern had a lot to do with rising rates of opioid abuse and overprescribing. "We thought with all the players already in that arena, to create a whole other group of providers to write more scripts for pain patients might not be in anyone's best interest," Fitch said. The setting in which a non-doctor practices also can have an impact on prescribing: A nurse anesthetist in an operating room will have vastly different duties than one hired at a pain clinic. "There are some instances in which their prescribing is fully warranted, but where it gets questionable is in the clinic and outpatient setting," said Lewis Nelson, a physician and professor of emergency medicine with NYU Langone Medical Center who has been tracking the prescription painkiller epidemic. Overdose deaths Last year, a Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation revealed that one of the country's top experts on how to safely prescribe opioids was under investigation by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for overdose deaths at his former clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah. Lynn Webster, now president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, acknowledged at the time that as many as 20 former patients of the clinic had died of overdoses. He said he believed that many of those probably were suicides. He said he did not think that any of the deaths were from prescriptions he wrote, but rather from his staff. In Utah, nurse practitioners and physician assistants can write prescriptions if they are supervised by a doctor. At the time, Perry Fine, a Salt Lake City pain specialist who was hired by Webster to review some of the overdose cases, said any questionable prescribing was done by nurse practitioners or physician assistants. In an email this week, Fine said he believes that the prescribing of any drugs that have appreciable risk such as opioids, should be limited to those with specific education and demonstrated expertise in the field. The one exception would be low-dose, low-volume opioids for short-term pain, he said. "There is no reason that certain PAs and NPs cannot meet that threshold, and conversely, there are many physicians who do not meet that threshold," he said. Webster declined to comment for this story. Petros Levounis, a New Jersey addiction specialist, said he thought it was "crazy" that under federal law only physicians, and not nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants, could prescribe a drug that is known to help treat opioid addiction, buprenorphine. "Here we have an army of NPs and PAs who can prescribe the cause of the problem, but they are not allowed to prescribe the solution to the problem," said Levounis, chairman of psychiatry at New Jersey Medical School. Specialists have made the argument that even primary care providers don't have enough training when it comes to treating pain and prescribing powerful narcotics appropriately. Nelson, of NYU, said there has been overprescribing by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. "But that being said, there are more than enough physicians who overprescribe," he said. "NPs and PAs are no more or less guilty (for America's prescription drug problems) than physicians. There is enough blame to go around." John Fauber is a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Kristina Fiore is a reporter for MedPage Today. Data analysis was done by Elbert Chu of MedPage Today. This story was reported as a joint project of the Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today, which provides a clinical perspective for physicians on breaking medical news at medpagetoday.com. Trials of new Russian-made surface-to-air guided missiles 49N6 for S-400 air defense system have entered the final stage and they will be supplied to Russian armed forces for test operation in summer. The new missile can hit cruise missiles, aircraft and maneuvering reentry vehicles at a distance of 400 km. In future they will become the main missile for the latest generation of S-500 air defense missile system. The S-400 can fire a full range of surface-to-air missile including the 48N6E3, picture takes at MAKS airshow 2011 near Moscow, Russia. (Picture source Wikipedia) The main command of the Aerospace Forces told the newspaper launch trials of 40N6 were held in February. Minor changes have been introduced according to the results. Another series of trials is scheduled in April-May after which the final decision on acceptance of the missile into service and its serial production would be made. The 40N6 is a two-stage solid-fuel missile with a carrying hull and aerodynamic stabilizer fins. The range allows striking at facilities outside the range of ground radars. A principally new homing warhead was created for it. It can operate in an active regime and the radar of the missile will target it at the final trajectory section. The new missile considerably expands the capabilities to hit targets and makes Russian air defense less vulnerable for adversary retaliation, said Lieutenant-General Alexander Gorkov, former commander of antiaircraft missile forces. He said it is due to highly protected 40N6 control system. The design of the new missile began in 2007. It was planned as a long-range missile to fight prospective air attack weapons, including hypersonic ones, in a wide range of altitudes up to the near space. The missile was designed for S-400 (to be engaged jointly with smaller-range missiles of the previous generation) and S-500. It will become the main weapon for S-500. "It is guided by an inertial system. The homing warhead tracks the target and the missile can therefore hit objects over the horizon. It will compel the adversary to move its jamming devices several hundred kilometers back. That will decrease the effectiveness of adversary electronic warfare," Gorkov said. He added 40N6 can be upgraded to fight satellites. In particular, it is necessary to change homing warhead components and add a targeting optical-electronic system. The S-400 medium and long-range systems became operational in 2007. They were designed to protect strategic facilities and down cruise missiles, tactical and strategic aircraft, as well as maneuvering reentry vehicles of ballistic missiles. The Triumph can hit aerodynamic targets at a distance of 250 km and combat ballistic reentry vehicles - at 60 km. The fight against ballistic missiles is the main mission of S-500. It can detect a target at a distance of 2 thousand kilometers and destroy the warheads of intercontinental missiles. Armenia follows the process of the Russian-Turkish relations and draws conclusions, deputy foreign minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters after todays Cabinet meeting, commenting on the recent rapprochement of the Russian-Turkish relations, in particular, Putins visit to Turkey. April 5, 2018, 13:02 Armenia draws conclusions from Russia-Turkey relations process, says deputy FM STEPANAKERT, APRIL 5, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS:Each state derives from its own interests, in this case the tendency is that the interests of Turkey and Russia coincide, and we need to take into account this and carefully follow it. At this stage there is a bigger field for coincidence of their interests, the deputy FM said. At the same time he urged not to go ahead in the conclusions, stating that this is a process where there are contradictions, moments when there is a rapprochement. Of course we follow them and make conclusions, the deputy FM noted. April 4, the delegation led by the President of the Artsakh Republic National Assembly Ashot Ghoulyan visited the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Paris. After a short personal talk with the Ambassador Vigen Chitechyan, the Head of the National Assembly met with members of the "Support for Karabakh" French-Armenian community. April 5, 2018, 17:16 NA Chairman meets with Armenian Ambassador to France and Members of Support to Kharabakh Armenian Community STEPANAKERT, APRIL 5, ARTSAKHPRESS:Ashot Ghoulyan made a speech on the 30th anniversary of the Karabakh Movement and the process of state-building in Artsakh during these years, emphasizing the achievements and accomplishments in security, foreign policy and economic development. "The liberation movement of Artsakh helped Armenians to find their identity, and now Artsakh should be supported in not losing that identity," the Artsakh parliament speaker summed up, Media and Public Relations Department of Artsakh National Assembly told Artsakhpress. Then Ashot Ghoulyan answered a number of questions of the meeting participants regarding Artsakh economic potential, international recognition, and events dedicated to the Days of Artsakh in France, efficiency of decentralized cooperation and export and import issues. At the meeting, President of the Artsakh Parliament, expressed gratitude to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Vigen Chitechyan and awarded a commemorative medal dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Karabakh Movement In connection with the completion of the diplomatic mission in France. April 5, a meeting with members of the French Senate and National Assembly, members of the France-Artsakh friendship circle is scheduled in Paris. The delegation headed by the Head of the Artsakh Republic National Assembly is in France on a working visit since April 3. The delegation consists of Arthur Tovmasyan, Head of the "Motherland" parliamentary faction, Mayor of Martuni Mher Khachatryan and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Artsakh to France Hovhannes Gevorgyan. Rose holds her new citizenship certificate KEITH JACKSON NOOSA - I'm sure PNG Attitude readers will share our delight in welcoming one of Australia's newest citizens, Rose Kranz, to join the nearly 25 million rest of us Australians (while reducing Papua New Guinea's population by one!). It's been a seven-year journey for Simbu-born Rose and husband Peter (read about it here) - but yesterday at a citizenship ceremony at the Lake Macquarie City Council chambers in New South Wales it came to a happy conclusion. "It was an emotional moment, moving many to tears as 39 new citizens were welcomed to Australia," said Peter. "They came from places as diverse as Nepal, South Africa, Nigeria, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. "Our Mayor, Federal and State members of parliament and local Councillors did Australia proud as the pledge was recited by all. "This has been a long and arduous journey for Rose, and she was emotional as she realised she was giving up her PNG legal identity. "But as I said to friends, she is now an Aussie but will always be a Simbu ambai in her heart," Peter said. Peter and Rose are both long-standing and valued contributors to this blog and their wonderful relationship is a literal reminder of the ties that bind our two great countries. Dan Mitchell, president of Ithaca Beer Co., said the brewery has been planning Brew York's release for more than a decade. The beer's release will come nearly 15 years after the brewery unveiled a double India pale ale made with all New York state hops. That beer helped spur the development of the Northeast Hop Alliance. "We spent significant time in front of state legislators requesting support to bring back the once-thriving New York state hop industry, and working closely with Farm Bureau to raise awareness and funds," Mitchell recalled. "It's been a huge boost for those of us working on projects like this to have Governor Cuomo behind us." He added, "When I first began working on Ithaca Beer, there was definitely some support, but the governor has created incredible awareness about all the great food and beer produced in New York state, and for all the farmers who support our local efforts. There's a much greater sense of pride for New York state, and all it has to offer. Brew York is a continuation of those efforts with more to come." The state's support has helped boost barley and hop production. As of 2017, New York had 400 acres of hops and 2,000 acres of malting barley. The total acreage would be enough for farm brewers to meet the 60 percent standard for hops and other ingredients beginning in 2019. A married father of three children, Mannion believes the state should provide equitable funding for school districts and give schools the money owed from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. "I am an outsider that has spoken many times to elected officials about keeping them to their word," he said. "We cannot let that get out of the limelight." Economic development is also one of Mannion's top priorities. He highlighted the successes of the region's medical centers and universities, both of which are major economic engines and employ thousands of central New Yorkers. But he also touted the region's environmental attributes, which could help attract businesses. Mannion noted that the Syracuse area has access to plenty of clean water. "That is a tremendous resource and I believe that in the future there are going to be industries looking for that water," he said. "Many businesses may have moved away. Some of them are going to come back. We can't damage ourselves by doing any harm to those waterways." The support from union will aid Cuomo as he faces a primary challenge. Cynthia Nixon, a progressive activist and actress, is challenging the incumbent governor for the Democratic nomination. Nixon has been critical of Cuomo's policies on other issues, including education inequality and the challenges facing the New York City subway system. But as he seeks a third term, Cuomo is touting his progressive credentials. He is also highlighting the need for progressive leadership to counter President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress. Sabrina Ladson, an executive board member of 32BJ who works as a security officer in the Bronx, lauded Cuomo's brand of progressive leadership. "He not only supports union rights but rights for workers who don't have a union, who make minimum wage and who are just trying to support themselves and their families," Ladson said. "He wants to lift all workers up, not hold them down." Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 The Wells College Association of Alumnae and Alumni has recognized Fiona Morgan Fein, class of '65, and Rebecca Haag, class of '74, with the 2018 WCA Award. The award recognizes alumni of high achievement in their professional lives, volunteer and community work, and/or service to their alma mater. Fein has been a member of the Wells board of trustees from January 2009 to May 2017, chaired its Advancement Committee and been her class's fundraising chair for 51 years. Haag joined the board of directors of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts in 1996 and became its executive director in 2003, since then spearheading a coalition that led to the first coordinated national AIDS strategy for the country. Cayuga County Environmental Health Director Eileen O'Connor said at Thursday's Cayuga County Water Quality Management Agency meeting in Sennett that it was a very interesting proposal. She said New York City was applying for a permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation for a similar project, which she saw on the DEC's Environmental Notice Bulletin. According to that permit application description, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection is proposing 13 platforms that will monitor water quality and treat algae with ultransonic heads. Those systems will be scattered among eight reservoirs in the Catskills region with the potential to install more in the future. "I think for our purposes, at least for the Owasco Lake Management Council, cost is really prohibitive for a water body that large," she said. Auburn's Director of Municipal Utilities Seth Jensen said it was prohibitive if the council were to self-fund the project. There may be some grants that could help, he added. In July, Budelmann said, Richardson moved to Brutus, where he lived in a garage with his former girlfriend. The garage had no electricity, heat or running water. Then, just one month after his release from prison, Richardson was rearrested this time, for a domestic dispute. On Aug. 22, Budelmann said, Richardson lashed out at his ex-girlfriend, pouring stove oil on the woman's head and body and lighting her clothing on fire. He also hid the woman's cell phone and menaced her with an ax, crossbow and hot lantern. While the victim suffered only minor burns, Budelmann said she did not escape until a week later when Richardson drove her to a friend's house in Auburn. It was then that she was able to notify police. Since then, Budelmann said Richardson has tried to "tamper with the victim." In recorded phone calls at Cayuga County Jail, Richardson allegedly tried to get someone to frame the woman for possessing drugs, and he later sent a threatening letter. "I don't know that I've seen another defendant as devious as this one," Budelmann said. "If there was one redeeming thing in here I would say it, but I haven't found it." A spokesman for Senate Republicans dismissed the reunification as a "desperate attempt to avoid Democratic Party primaries." "Let's be honest the only reason that any of this is happening now is because Andrew Cuomo is scared to death of Cynthia Nixon," said spokesman Scott Reif. Liberal groups said they would continue to support primary challengers against IDC members. Nixon showed no sign of backing off her criticism of Cuomo, either. "If you've set your own house on fire and watched it burn for eight years, finally turning on a hose doesn't make you a hero," she said of Cuomo's role in brokering the agreement. Republicans will retain control of the Senate at least until April 24, when special Senate elections will fill two vacant Senate seats representing heavily Democratic areas of the Bronx and Westchester County. If Democrats win both seats they'll have a numeric majority and a chance to take over the Senate for the first time since 2009. But math is seldom simple in the Senate. There are currently 31 Republicans and 30 Democrats in the Senate, though one of them, Brooklyn Sen. Simcha Felder, supports the Republicans. Felder, who was not a member of the IDC, has not committed to returning to the Democratic fold. JORDAN Two student resource officers will be joining the Jordan-Elbridge Central School District. The board of education approved two retired police officers, Edward McIlroy and Dennis Burlingame, to be resource officers for the rest of the school year at its meeting Wednesday. McIlroy, who was a detective with the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, will start Thursday. Burlingame, who had been with the Syracuse Police Department for 21 years, will begin April 9. The board also approved both men possessing firearms on school grounds. Before the two were approved, the board approved budget transfers of $27,000 to cover the officers' salaries for the rest of the school year. Along with resource officer Tim Siddall, the addition of McIlroy and Burlingame ensures each of the district's schools will have an officer. District Superintendent Jim Froio said before the meeting that the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February was the catalyst for bringing in the officers. "We just can no longer assume that our communities are going to be safe without taking some more proactive measures and I wanted to start by at least having a dedicated school resource officer in each building," Froio said. Two people were hospitalized following a five-vehicle pileup in the town of Brutus Thursday morning. The crash was called in at around 7:45 a.m., according to Weedsport Fire Chief David James. The accident, which occurred at the intersection of Route 34 and Bentley School Road, involved four cars and a tractor trailer. One person was reported to have been trapped in a vehicle, but James said the individual was able to escape before the fire department arrived at the scene. James said he believed the person who escaped the vehicle was transported to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. Another person injured in the crash was taken to Auburn Community Hospital for treatment. The severity of the injuries wasn't immediately known. After the crash, a 1.5-mile stretch of Route 34 between Downs and Tanner roads was closed before later being reopened to traffic. James said snowy conditions in the area contributed to the accident. "I think the weather caught everyone off guard this morning," he said. The accident in Brutus wasn't the only incident that occurred on snow-covered Cayuga County roads Thursday morning. Cayuga County 911 reported that 18 accidents had occurred since 6 a.m. With the exception of the Brutus crash, all accidents resulted in no or minor injuries, according to 911. Love 1 Funny 5 Wow 11 Sad 7 Angry 6 Please log in to keep reading. Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. In its study of the Best & Worst Taxpayer Return on Investment in 2018, personal finance website WalletHub used 25 metrics to compare the quality and efficiency of state-government services across five categories education, health, safety, economy, and infrastructure and pollution taking into account the drastically different rates at which citizens are taxed in each state. Best vs. Worst Red States have a higher taxpayer return on investment, with an average ranking of 20.60, compared with 32.85 for Blue States (1 = Best). Nebraska has the lowest proportion of major roads in poor condition, 5 percent, which is 8.8 times lower than in Connecticut, the state with the highest at 44 percent. Maine has the lowest violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 1.24, which is 6.5 times lower than in Alaska, the state with the highest at 8.04. New Hampshire has the lowest infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births, 4.18, which is 2.2 times lower than in Mississippi, the state with the highest at 9.27. 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. Any cursory review of Trump's statements and Tweets will find this same kind of rhetoric lots of bluster but zero specifics. But as obvious as the connection is to that passage and the media-bashing strategy of the president, the message itself is not what troubles me the most. Instead, it's the very first words of the script: "Hi, Im(A) ____________, and Im (B) _________________" Those blanks have been filled with the names of the local journalists forced to read these lines, including some in the central New York market. These journalists did not get a choice of whether they wanted to express these opinions about the state of the industry in which they work. Instead, their corporate owner exploited the trust these men and women have established with their viewers, and in the process they have damaged the most important tool for all journalists: their credibility. BUFFALO John Harold Power, 93, formerly of Auburn, passed away Saturday, March 31, 2018, at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y. John was born in Auburn on Feb. 23, 1925, to the late Howard and Ruth (Mulholland) Power. He spent his childhood on a farm located on West Genesee Street. Mr. Power proudly served his country with the U.S. Army during World War II and saw combat in Belgium and Germany. Mr. Power was awarded the Purple Heart due to injuries incurred during battle. After Germanys surrender, John remained in Germany and was an evidence clerk for the Nuremberg War trials. Completing his service, he returned home and earned a bachelor of science from the University of Miami on the GI Bill. After earning his degree, he worked in the business departments of a few Auburn businesses, but decided to try teaching. John received his masters degree in education from SUNY Cortland, and embarked on a long and enjoyable career in elementary education and administration. He was a teacher for 14 years and a grade school principal for 16 years at various Auburn elementary schools. In that role, he was known for exacting standards and producing excellence in the classroom. A plan to question people about their citizenship as part of the next U.S. census would undercut the rationale for taking a census in the first place, so we support those fighting to keep that question off the form. The overriding goal of the every-10-years census is simple to get an accurate as possible accounting of how many people live in the United States and track shifting populations. It's important because the figures are used to determine how seats in the House of Representatives are divvied up and where billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated. The Trump administration has suggested that the 2020 census should specifically ask how many people in every household are U.S. citizens. It's clearly a politically motivated attempt to use the census as a tool targeting immigrants and states that are more likely to vote Democratic. New York is among 17 states that this week sued the U.S. government, arguing that adding a citizenship question to the census would be unconstitutional and would "fatally undermine the accuracy of the population count." The shooting in Parkland, Florida should have been just as impossible as it was preventable. The shooter had been visited multiple times by law enforcement, had a track record that was developed by school officials and even a notation to the F.B.I. fell on deaf ears. It was clear that the shooter had a mental illness. While mental illness may not be the only factor that leads to mass shootings, its definitely a major factor that needs to be addressed by our elected officials. If we become aware that children of any age exhibit signs of mental illness we should be developing programs which will get them the help they need and prevent them from enacting horrible violence at home, in our community or in our schools. Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Two members of gang alleged to have committed 400 breakins. Halton Regional Police in collaboration with police in Toronto and York plus the Canada Border Services Agency have arrested nine members of what they claim is a gang of Chilean nationals who committed nearly 400 home burglaries in recent months the HRPS say they launched Project Estruendo on March 2, 2018, after receiving a tip from a member of the public regarding a residential break and enter in the Town of Oakville. A subsequent warrant was executed by HRPS in the City of Toronto, where investigators seized high-end jewellery, purses and cash. A news release tells of two more warrants were executed by HRPS members in Mississauga and Toronto on March 25, 2018. These warrants resulted in the seizure of purses, luggage, handbags, watches, bracelets, rings and various other articles linked to residential break and enters. A fourth search warrant, related to break and enters in Oakville, was executed by HRPS on March 28, 2018 at a motel in Toronto. The accused are named as follows: Alvaro CASTILLO-TOUTIN (29) of Chile: 6 counts of Break and Enter, 2 counts of Attempt Break and Enter and 2 counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000. Jorge DEL VALLE-CORREA (43) of Chile: 4 counts of Break and Enter, Attempt Break and Enter and 2 counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000. Maria URREA FIGUEROA (25) of Chile: 2 counts of Break and Enter, 2 counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000 and Obstruct Police. Mauricio Antonio MARCHANT VEAS (57) of Chile: Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000. Vanlla BALBONTIN VILLEGAS (32) of Chile: Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000. Italo VILLEGAS VARAS (19) of Chile: Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000. Andres Felipe LONGTON VIO (24) of Chile: 2 counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000. Raul BARROS SAEZ (42) of Chile: 3 counts of Break and Enter, 2 counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 and Possession of Break and Enter Tools. Felipe HERMOSILLA LIZAMA (30) of Chile: 3 counts of Break and Enter, 2 counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 and Possession of Break and Enter Tools. Juan MONTECINOS NEIRA (28) of Chile: 3 counts of Break and Enter, 2 counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 and Possession of Break and Enter Tools. DominoArctic Monkeys have officially announced the details of their next album. The sixth studio effort from the British rockers is called Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, and will arrive May 11. In addition to its strange title, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino includes some odd track names, including "Batphone," "The Ultracheese" and "The World's First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip." You can watch a trailer for the album, which includes a brief snippet of new music, now on YouTube. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is the follow-up to 2013's much simpler-titled AM, which spawned the hit singles "Do I Wanna Know?", "R U Mine?" and "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" Arctic Monkeys will kick off a U.S. tour in support of the new album May 5 in Los Angeles. Here's the Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino track list: "Star Treatment" "One Point Perspective" "American Sports" "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino" "Golden Trunks" "Four Out of Five" "The World's First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip" "Science Fiction" "She Looks Like Fun" "Batphone" "The Ultracheese" Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. BLACK REPUBLICAN BLOG - The Republican Party is the party of civil rights and the four Fs: faith, family, freedom and fairness. The Democratic Party is the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and socialism (Quote By Author Michael Scheuer). Some 4.5 million French have been immobilized by a national rail strike over what might be termed the most thoroughly French of all labor demands: the right to retire with full benefits at age 52. How extensive is the strike? On Tuesday the nationalized railway, SNCF, kicked off the first of a nearly three-month-long strike. With 86 percent of all trains canceled nationwide, 230 miles of traffic jams congested French roads on Black Tuesday. Video surfaced purporting to show desperate passengers climbing through the window of one of the few operational train cars. The rails gradually returned to normal on Thursday. But the union leading the strike, CGT which was long-aligned with the French Communist Party plans to strike for 36 days: two out of every five days until June 28. The next two-day strike begins on Sunday. Why is the SNCF striking? The biggest issue that SNCFs drivers can retire at age 52 10 years before other French citizens begin drawing a lifelong, taxpayer-funded pension. President Emmanuel Macron is demanding its pension system be brought into closer alignment with that of the average French worker before the government will agree to pay off SNCFs 46.6 billion ($57 billion U.S.) debt. Macrons reform would only apply to new employees and exempts the 200,000 existing drivers. Further, the companys efficiency, quality, and fiscal solvency have all been called into question. Although SNCF gets 14 billion ($17.2 billion) of public funding annually, the railway loses 3 billion ($3.7 billion) a year. President Emmanuel Macron wants to sure up its operations before EU rules require France to open its state-owned transportation market to foreign competition, a process that will take place between late 2019 and 2023. Some in the government have also advocated greater free-market competition, which transport minister Elisabeth Borne said would mean more trains, new services, cheaper tickets. A union employee replied, This type of competition is savage and its unacceptable. SNCF employees also receive automatic pay increases, protection from being fired, 28 vacation days a year, and free rail tickets for close relatives. But Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has called pension reform not negotiable. SNCF workers responded by calling the largest strikes in modern French history larger than the three-week-long strike the union called after then-Prime Minister Alain Juppe considered trimming pensions in 1995. Two years later, voters drove Juppe from office in favor of a socialist. What is the outlook? The number of striking SNCF drivers has grown, and 44 percent of the French public supports their efforts up six percent from two weeks ago. The less militant CFDT union said that it will join Sundays strike, because what the government has proposed is not acceptable. Why should Americans care? France already faces fiscal strain for allowing its citizens to retire at age 62. According to the French free-market think tank Fondation iFRAP, that retirement age has increased the burden on the state, hospitals, businesses and individuals. It has largely contributed to the increase in deficits and unemployment, and the loss of French competitiveness. Subtracting an additional decade of work creates an even less sustainable system something Americans, who face $6 trillion in unfunded pension liabilities, should understand. Why should Christians care? My most immediate concern is quite literally parochial: This Sunday is the day that my fellow Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, or Pascha, as we call it. (For a detailed explanation of why the date differs from the Western Easter, see here.) I once had a parishioner in a major metropolitan U.S. city who rode more than two hours on public transportation, each way, to get to church every Sunday. Each stage was minutely scheduled and dependent on each leg of the trip working without a hitch. Missing one step meant he would not arrive until just after service had ended. Its not inconceivable in a nation far more reliant on public transport that the train stoppage may prevent some of Frances estimated 300,000-plus Orthodox Christians from reaching church on the holiest day of the year. Rerum Novarum addresses this concern in a roundabout way, saying that labor conditions would be unjust if religion were found to suffer because people lack the time and opportunity to practice its duties. Pope Leo XIII thought the actions of the employer, rather than those of a union, would necessitate public intervention but the principle remains. Christians should seek to live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18). This includes cultivating harmonious, rather than adversarial, labor relations. To this end, Catholic social teaching circumscribes the conditions in which a labor strike would be considered morally licit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church holds that a strike can be morally legitimate when it cannot be avoided, or at least when it is necessary to obtain a proportionate benefit. It becomes morally unacceptable when accompanied by violence, or when objectives are included that are not directly linked to working conditions or are contrary to the common good. It is difficult to defend a strike intended to preserve a uniquely generous pension system enjoyed by only one class of employees, and which threatens the nations long-term fiscal solvency, on the grounds of the common good. (Photo credit: vespar5 / Shutterstock.com.) The team from Charity Navigator, the nation's largest independent charity evaluator and leading donor advocate, shares their thoughts on emerging nonprofit-sector issues and offers tips to better inform your intelligent giving decisions. Return to Main Site | Find a Charity | Receive Email Updates | Support Charity Navigator How are cultures different in different countries? I would like show you by three stories I have experienced. The stories were caused my passion comments sent to three friends from three countries, respectively. They gave me different responses. Chinese I saw a picture posted on WeChat group by my college classmate. We haven't seen each other for thirty years. In that picture, she was smiling as sitting on a snow ball. I was so excited to see her and could not help posting a comments as below: In those snow scenes, I see your smiling face. 30 years ago, I said good bye to you and you said good bye to me. 30 years later, we are both thousands miles away. When will I meet you again? When will I see you again? All I have memories are your smile. My vision quickly blurred making difficult to watch your smile again. So glad you shared, my Dear friend. In that chat group, there were thirty three Chinese classmates. I didn't get any comments from any one. Maybe they didn't understand English very well. But, I thought the main reason is that Chinese people usually are shy to express themselves, or you can say they are not open. Swedish My friend, Katy, is a Swedish. We often chat by sending massages on Facebook. One day, I sent her a message: Winter already came to our world. Just this movement, I received a picture from my college roommate in North China. A heavy snow attacked her area. In those snow scenes, I see her smiling face. 30 years ago, I said good bye to her and she said good bye to me. 30 years later, we are both thousands miles away. All I have memories are her smile. She replied as: Your classmate was not able to see you. No problem my dear. I get a chance to see you. This weekend, I will be traveling to Canada. Next week, I will fly down to your Country to visit you and your family, okay? If not okay, when would you want me to visit you? I was totally confused by her behavior. Why was she so care about me? We never saw each other. Sometimes, I thought she was too passion. Sometimes, I thought she just wished to comfort me. Anyway, the cultural background made me hard to understand her. American My friend, Allison, is an American lady. We knew each other in a small town. She did a lot of help to me. We separated ten years ago, but communities on Facebook. Recently, she changed her profile picture with a smiling face one on Facebook. I clicked "like" and gave a comment like this: All I have memories are your smile. When will I meet you again? When will I see you again? She soon emailed me, We are doing fine. Still miss our Bible study SO MUCH!!!!! We would love to come to see you, but everything just costs so much. We would LOVE to host you! We had SO MUCH fun with you, We think of you often. How many hours are you from us? We are 30 minutes north of Branson and 30 minutes south of Springfield. Actually, she can reply me on the Facebook. But, she didn't do it. I thought she was very care for my comments. In my impression, she is a very open and lovely lady. Three stories sound funny but it indeed happened. Living in this world we have a lot of things need to learn. A new blueprint for fighting opioid addiction from Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., focuses in part on preventing addiction in young people and helping children recover from opioid-related trauma. The senators proposals were included in a draft of the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 released earlier this week. Alexander and Murray are the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate education committee. Theyre also proposing to create a task force that would create programs to help children cope with trauma related to opioids. Much of the legislation focuses on issues beyond children. But here is the section of the draft that deals with youth recovery programs, and would require the involvement of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: Youth Prevention and Recovery Initiative - To help prevent abuse and misuse and support treatment of, and recovery from, opioid use disorder, in children, adolescents, and young adults, this program would require the Secretary of HHS, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to disseminate best practices and issue grants for prevention and treatment of and recovery from substance use disorder. And here are two more sections of the plan from Murray and Alexander that could impact school-age children: Interagency Task Force - To help identify, prevent, and address the impact of trauma on children and youth, including trauma related to substance abuse, this creates a task force to recommend best practices for supporting children and families who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing trauma. Pilot Program on Delivery of Trauma-Informed Support Practices - To better support children and families impacted by the opioids crisis, this will create a grant to increase student support services and better integrate mental health care. Alexander discussed the proposals in a video he posted to Twitter on Wednesday, and said he would hold a committee hearing addressing opioids next week: The opioid addiction crisis is the most serious public health epidemic not only here in Tennessee but across the nation. @PattyMurray and I released draft, bipartisan legislation to help states and communities address the opioid crisis. pic.twitter.com/9fjmktX7lq Sen. Lamar Alexander (@SenAlexander) April 4, 2018 The White House released its own approach to combating opioid addiction last month that focuses on law enforcement and interdiction, as well as treatment and recovery programs. President Donald Trump has also supported imposing the death penalty on some drug dealers . Read the draft of the Alexander-Murray legislation below: Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Minnesota is embroiled in a debate about the impact that the opt-out phenomenonin which with parent approval students dont sit for required standardized examswill have on school support. The number of Minnesota students opting out of the states standardized tests is on the rise . And under the federal Every Student Succeeds law, these students will be recorded as not proficient, a move that could make high-performing schools with a large number of opt-outs appear as low-performing. Low-performing schools get extra support from the state. If schools get support they dont need on the basis of students simply skipping the tests, it could take away resources from schools that are actually low performing. At least thats the message of a new letter to parents considering the opt-out choice for their kids. In addition to the funding issue, the letter warns parents of a number of other negative consequences if they go the no-test route. Here is what parents must agree to: I understand that by signing this form, my student will be counted as not proficient for the purpose of school and district accountability and waive the opportunity to receive a college-ready score that could save him/her time and money by not having to take remedial, non-credit courses at a Minnesota state college or university. My school and I may lose valuable information about how well my student is progressing academically. In addition, opting out may impact the school, district and states efforts to equitably distribute resources and support student learning. Many bristle at the prospect of mostly white affluent parents opting their kids out of standardized tests at the expense of struggling students. You have privileged families making a decision that will hurt historically marginalized communities, Daniel Sellers told twincities.com . Hes the executive editor of Ed Allies, a nonprofit advocacy group. It can have negative consequences on other families. Also sounding the alarm is Denise Specht, president of the teachers union Education Minnesota, writing in a statement that the policy could perversely send state assistance to schools that dont need it. Josh Collins, a spokesman for the state department of education, noted that ESSA requires that 95 percent of eligible students take the states tests and those who opt out must be marked not proficient. But as weve reported here at Education Week, not all states are taking steps beyond those requirements. Some states are requiring schools with low opt-out rates to develop plans to address them or will further lower their accountability ratings. Minnesota appears to be among those states that are taking a gentler hand. The state plans to calculate and publicly report two different sets of test results: one representing only scores for those who sat down for the tests, the other including the opt-outs as not proficient. It will use the second score for the low-performing schools that need extra support. But a number of factorspoverty, attendance, and graduation rates among themare considered in identifying struggling schools, so despite the advocates concerns, schools with opt-outs may not qualify for it. Even so, Collins warned that the low achievement scores could hurt a schools reputation. Twincities.com uses Minneapolis South High as an example of how a schools scores could be negatively affected by opt-outs. Last year, the math proficiency rate for juniors was 29 percent, with 28 students taking the test and 393 opting out. If the opt-outs are counted as not proficient, the proficiency rate sinks to 2 percent. Thats even though the school surpassed the district average on the latest ACT college exam, according to the newspaper. Related stories: Denise Juneau , Montanas former state schools superintendent, will be the next superintendent of Seattle public schools. The Seattle school board voted unanimously on Wednesday to hire Juneau, who served as Montanas state superintendent for two terms, from 2008 to 2016. Thats when she left to run for a U.S. House seat, losing the race to the Republican incumbent, Ryan Zinke, who is now secretary of the interior. In an October 2016 profile of that congressional race, my colleague Andrew Ujifusa wrote about Juneau attending schools on the Blackfeet reservation in Browning, Mont., as the daughter of educators. My story actually takes me from Head Start to Harvard, and from teaching in a classroom in Browning to leading Montanas public schools, she said during a debate that year. Juneau received a masters degree in education from Harvard University, and she taught in Montana and North Dakota. Pending successful contract negotiations in Seattle, Juneau will serve as the citys third superintendent in six years and the first Native American superintendent in the citys history. Less than one percent of students in the district are Native American. The board tentatively plans to approve her contract on April 25. Related Stories and Commentaries Denise Juneau Announces Run for Congress Who Might Be a Clinton Education Secretary? In Bid for Congress, Democrat Juneau Stresses Her Rejection of Obama Policies Lessons Sought on Serving Native American Students The Bureau of Indian Education is Broken Image Credit: Seattle Public Schools Canadas most populated province is taking a big step to help parents afford child care. Starting in 2020 all children in Ontario from two-and-a-half to kindergarten age will be able to attend year-round, full-day licensed child care for free. I know how stressful it can be for parents with young children, said Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne in a press release. When my three kids were little, I worried about whether they were getting the right start. This investment will make life more affordable for families and allow more parents to make the choice to go back to work, knowing their child is safe and cared for. Wynne made the announcement about the program last week. Its expected to save families an estimated $17,000 per child, which is the average amount an Ontario parent will spend on care between a child turning two-and-a-half and entering full-day kindergarten. The province is investing $2.2 billion dollars into the program over the next three years. Before implementing it, the government consulted with thousands of parents and child-care providers as well other educators. The decision was also informed by the research of economist Gordon Cleveland, who recently published a report on making child care affordable in the province . Clevelands report called for free child care for all children in the province from 30 months to kindergarten age. Helen Blank is the director of child care and early learning at the National Womens Law Center , an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. She finds Ontarios program impressive. Its a pretty significant recognition of the importance of the early years and the importance of child care in helping mothers work, said Blank. Feasibility in U.S. So is this something we might one day see in this country? Blank says right now shes excited by the nearly $3 billion commitment made to child care in the budget agreement President Donald Trump signed in February . It calls for additional funding to help pay for subsidized child care for low-income families and increased funding for initiatives that support home-visits for vulnerable families as well as additional funding for community health centers and other programs that support families and young children. Were moving in the right direction, said Blank. At the federal government, one day we may get there. She also cited the Child Care for Working Families Act , a bill sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va. It would create a federal-state partnership that would allow families making less than 150 percent of their states median income to not have to pay more than 7 percent of their income on child care. We can point to some states that have taken some strides on pre-K, but even that is full of gaps, said Blank. Were not close to the Ontario plan. Stock photo by Getty By Evie Blad and Alyson Klein U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos met with supporters and critics of an Obama-era directive on school discipline Wednesday as she considers whether to rescind the document. That 2014 civil rights guidancejointly issued by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justiceput schools on notice that they may be found in violation of federal civil rights laws if they enforce intentionally discriminatory rules or if their policies lead to disproportionately higher rates of discipline for students in one racial group, even if those policies were written without discriminatory intent. The meetings happened on the same day the Government Accountability Office released an investigation that found that black students are consistently disciplined at higher rates than their peers. While black students represented 15.5 percent of public school students in 2013-14, they made up 39 percent of students suspended, according to the most recent federal data analyzed in the report. These disparities were widespread and persisted regardless of the type of disciplinary action, level of school poverty, or type of public school attended, GAO investigators found. At the heart of the debate of the discipine guidance is why those differing discipline rates occur and the role of the federal government in addressing them. Also at issue: whether schools efforts to limit exclusionary discipline, such as expulsions and suspensions, have helped students feel more supported or have too severely limited teacher discretion in disciplining students. DeVos and her team have not committed to a particular time frame for making a final decision on whether to keep, toss, or tweak the guidance. That decision is also on the agenda of a new school safety task force assembled by the White House, which DeVos chairs. The department has so far held 12 roundtables on school discipline issues, but this was the first one that DeVos has personally participated in, said Nate Bailey, a spokesman for the secretary. Separately, the secretary has met with lawmakers, including Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the top Democrat on the House education committee, who is a strong supporter of the Obama administrations approach, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who urged DeVos to re-examine the guidance after the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Fla. The summit with DeVos, which was also attended by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights John Gore, was split into two roundtables. The first featured supporters of the guidance including six educators; researchers; civil rights organizations; representatives from Educators for Excellence, a national advocacy group for teachers; and the National Education Association, a 3 million-member union. The second panel included critics and those with concerns about the guidance: researchers, six educators, and representatives from the National School Boards Association and the AASA, the school superintendents association. DeVos opened the sessions by marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and highlighting the continued need to achieve the full realization of his lifes work, the Education Department said in a statement. She discussed the clear problem, revealed both in the data and in the stories told, of disparate treatment in discipline. What the Obama-era discipline guidance says Civil rights guidance cites previous court decisions to clarify for schools and districts what policies and practices could run afoul of federal anti-discrimination laws that relate to issues like race and disability status. Such guidance is not binding like federal law, but it informs schools what could trigger a civil rights investigation from federal agencies. The discipline guidance says schools policies could violate the law if they intentionally treat students differently on the basis of race or if they seem to be written in a neutral fashion but lead to unjustified, disproportionately higher rates of discipline for students in one racial group. Thats a concept called disparate impact , which you can read more about here . If a school finds black students (or students in any other racial group) in violation of a rule at higher rates than their peers, that rule must be necessary to meet an important educational goal, the guidance says. And before settling on a punishment, the school must consider appropriate alternatives that have less of an impact on the disproportionately affected racial group. The guidances test for disparate impact of a disciplinary policy mirrors the past interpretation of courts in civil rights cases centered on school discipline. The new GAO report included case studies of schools and districts that have been subject to federal investigation for their practices. In Tupelo, Miss., for example, investigators found that black students were disciplined more harshly than their non-black peers for a range of offenses, including broad rules against things like defiance and other misbehavior that could be subjectively interpreted. For example, among several students who were disciplined for the first offense of using profanity, Black students were the only ones who were suspended from school, while White students received warnings and detention for substantially similar behavior, the report said. Schools that have been investigated for such disparities have agreed to rework their policies to limit the use of suspensions for non-violent offenses, to collect and analyze discipline data to look for inconsistencies, and to train their teachers and administrators in issues like implicit biases and classroom management. What critics of the discipline guidance told DeVos Critics say the document has had a chilling effect on local decisionmaking in school discipline. Racial differences in discipline rates cant entirely be explained by different treatment in schools, those critics contend. They argue that black students are more likely to be exposed to out-of-school factors, like poverty, which can cause them to misbehave more. Schools that are afraid of sparking federal investigations have limited teachers ability to discipline students without providing useful alternatives, those critics have said. Others, aiming to drive down suspension rates, have set annual goals that some have seen as problematic quotas. To keep discipline rates down, schools either dont discipline students for some misbehavior or they fudge discipline data in creative ways, Max Eden, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said after meeting with DeVos. Teachers are afraid of speaking out about problematic discipline policies for fear of retaliation from their districts or concerns that the media will portray them as uncaring, he said. Nicole Stewart, a former vice principal at Lincoln High School in San Diego, said she told DeVos about the districts practice of blue slipping students, sending them home with an unexcused absence so their punishment isnt counted as a suspension. That means counselors and educators dont always know a students full behavioral history, she said. A student at Stewarts former school recently brought a knife to school, but because he didnt brandish it in a threatening manner, he was not referred for an automatic expulsion, she said. Administrators could have recommended him for an expulsion hearing, but they determined his behavior was related to a disability (under separate federal laws, students cant be disciplined for manifestations of diagnosed disabilities). Two weeks later, the student returned to school with a knife and slashed a peers throat in the hallway, Stewart said, retelling a story that was recently covered by the Voice of San Diego. We are not modeling as a system what consequences look like in the real world, she said. The AASA released a more moderate statement following the meeting. Preliminary results of a survey of 850 school leaders in 47 states show that the guidance has not been transformative in changing discipline policies and practices for districts, the organization said in a statement. The claims that it, alone, has transformed districts from safe school environments to unsafe ones is hard to justify. Similarly, our data demonstrate that the guidance has not had a significant effect in reducing out-of-school-time for students or improving racial disproportionality in discipline. Sixteen percent of districts that have changed discipline practices because of the guidance have struggled, the survey found, identifying pushback from parents and teachers, and inadequate funding for student supports as challenges. But the vast majority of leaders who said theyve changed their districts discipline practices said theyve seen payoff from their efforts to review discipline data, provide training and adopt practices like restorative justice and positive behavioral supports, the statement said. What supporters of the discipline guidance told DeVos Supporters of the discipline guidance say it has been instrumental in protecting the civil rights of students who are often overlooked. And the directive has motivated states and districts to re-examine their disciplinary practices, making changes that have benefited all students, they said. Many problems that have been attributed to the guidance are actually problems with how districts have implemented their own discipline policies, they said. Teachers need training and resources to support their students, and schools shouldnt remove the ability to suspend students for some offenses without helping teachers with alternative discipline practices, they said. Nina Leuzzi, a pre-kindergarten teacher in Boston, said she told DeVos that scrapping the guidance could give educators across the country the impression that policymakers at the highest levels arent concerned about yawning discipline disparities. Keeping and improving the guidance ... allows schools, districts, the nation to take powerful and crucial steps towards reducing the imbalance present in the treatment of students of color, students with disabilities, LGBTQ students and ending unnecessary exclusions and biased discipline, she said. Focusing on equity and civil rights should be our first priority. Marisa Crabtree, who met with DeVos Wednesday and has taught at Lincoln high school in Los Angeles for 14 years, remembered a time when, as a rookie teacher, she asked an older peer what to do when her students come to class without pencils and notebooks. Oh, you can always suspend them, she remembers that teacher saying. I remember thinking thats just ridiculous, Crabtree said. Students might come to class unprepared because they cant afford notebooks or because they have a chaotic home life, she said. Los Angeles began changing its disciplinary policies in 2012, before the federal guidance was adopted. And, in the years since, California has also adopted laws that restrict schools ability to suspend younger students for infractions like defiance. Some Los Angeles Unified teachers have complained that the district hasnt been quick enough to train them in practices like restorative justice, which is designed to address student misbehavior through conversations and repair the harm. Crabtree said she understands those concerns. It can take time for a big school system like hers to change, and some teachers can be frustrated in the process. But she says the new policies have made her a better teacher and have given her strategies for addressing problems before they spiral into severe misbehavior. I think the federal guidance policies have actually driven that change in many districts, she said. What the GAO report says The GAO report found disproportionately high rates of discipline for black students, students with disabilities, and boys. This report underscores the need to combat these gross disparities by strengthening, not rescinding, the 2014 Discipline Guidance Package, which recommends specific strategies to reduce the disparities without jeopardizing school safety, said Rep. Scott, who requested the investigation. The report examined six kinds of discipline: in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, corporal punishment, referrals to law enforcement, expulsions, and school-related arrests. It found disparately high rates of discipline for black students across all categories. GAO staff visited a total of 5 districts and 19 schools in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Dakota, and Texas. School staff there reported various challenges with addressing student behavior, the report says. They described a range of issues, some complexsuch as the effects of poverty and mental health issues. For example, officials in four school districts described a growing trend of behavioral challenges related to mental health and trauma. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for the issues that influence student behavior, officials from all five school districts GAO visited were implementing alternatives to disciplinary actions that remove children from the classroom, such as initiatives that promote positive behavioral expectations for students. Schools have pursued such practices, the report says, because research has shown that students who are suspended from school lose important instructional time, are less likely to graduate on time, and are more likely to repeat a grade, drop out of school, and become involved in the juvenile justice system. The effects of certain discipline events, such as dropping out, can linger throughout an individuals lifetime and lead to individual and societal costs. The report says the differences in discipline rates cannot be entirely attributed to differential treatment by schools. Childrens behavior in school may be affected by health and social challenges outside the classroom that tend to be more acute for poor children, including minority children who experience higher rates of poverty, it says. But it also notes research that shows some teachers perceive students behavior differently depending on their race. One study cited in the report used eye-tracking technology to show that teachers gazed longer at Black boys than other children when asked to look for challenging behavior based on video clips. The report also found that national rates of suspensions started dropping in the years before the guidance was released, which means the changes cannot be entirely credited toor blamed onthe federal guidance. Photo: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos testifies before a Senate committee in June. --Susan Walsh/AP Further reading on school discipline and civil rights: Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox. Today marks day three of the Oklahoma teacher walkoutand local reports say that crowds are showing no signs of diminishing. The walkout will continue tomorrowOklahoma City schools, along with several other districts, have already announced they will be closed. Still, some teachers have been yanked back to the classroom: Officials of a small school district in Oklahoma City told teachers they could be disciplined if they didnt report back to work. However, teachers still have community supporta poll commissioned by the Oklahoma Education Association and conducted this week found that 77 percent of Oklahomans support teachers. Nearly 70 percent of the 464 people surveyed said they support a teacher walkout an uptick from the 58 percent who supported the walkout last week. How did teachers get here? Heres a roundup of Education Weeks reporting on the teacher walkouts and protests in Oklahoma, West Virginia, Arizona, and Kentucky. It all started last month in West Virginia, where teachers went on strike for nine school days over rising health-insurance premiums and low pay. On March 6, the state legislature struck a deal to give all teachers a 5 percent pay raise , which ended the strike. The 2017 West Virginia Teacher of the Year, Toni M. Poling, wrote for Education Week Teacher that she was wracked with guilt when she left the classroom to stand at the picket line. But she asked herself, If not now, when? If not us, who? The strike was chaotic and unorthodox. But it inspired teachers across the country to ask: Could this happen here? An Arizona grassroots teacher group spokeswoman told my colleague Daarel Burnette that the West Virginia strike emboldened educators in the Grand Canyon State. The feeling is, if theyre paid better than us and they went on strike, why arent we doing this?, she said. Now in its third day, the Oklahoma statewide walkout has been brewing for about a month, due to growing anger and frustration among educators about low pay and cuts to education funding. Teachers in Oklahoma hadnt received a pay raise in a decade, and theyre among the lowest paid educators in the country . I went to Oklahoma, and teachers there told me about the personal cost of low pay including holding down second jobs, having to quit teaching to make more elsewhere, seeing beloved colleagues leave. One Oklahoma native wrote that she taught in Arizona and Florida, but when she considered returning home to the Sooner State, she realized she would have to take a pay cut of at least $17,000 if she wanted to remain a teacher. She had to make the heart-wrenching decision to leave the classroom. Teachers in the state had been calling for a pay raise of $10,000 over three years and $200 million in education funding. Last week, the state legislature passed a $6,100 pay raise part of a funding package that included the first tax increase in nearly three decades. Teachers have said thats not enough , and they are gathering at the state capitol every day this week. But state legislators have told teachers they are losing support, and the governor has said the state can only do what our budget allows. Its not clear how long district leaders will be willing to close schools, which could influence the length of the walkout. But the Tulsa superintendent has said she stands with her teachers and will close schools for as long as teachers want to be out. Still looking for more information? A West Virginia professor rounded up five things to know about the Oklahoma teacher walkout . Kentucky teachers are back in the classroom (or on spring break) now, but on March 30, hundreds of teachers called in sick with the pension flu. They were protesting a pension reform bill passed by the legislature that placed new teachers in a retirement plan thats a mix of a traditional pension and a 401(k)-style plan. The bill also removes new hires from an inviolable contract that would protect them from future benefit changes. Lawmakers didnt include a provision that had fueled teacher angercutting yearly cost-of-living increases for retired teachers from 1.5 percent to 1 percent. But teachers still met at the state capitol on April 2 to protest the bill and urge the lawmakers to pass a budget that includes higher spending for public education. While most schools in the state were on spring break on April 2, the budget rally forced at least 20 school districts to close. (Legislators did increase per-pupil funding in the budget , which still has to be signed by the governor.) Confused about how teacher pensions work? Check out our explainer on teacher salaries, pensions, and benefits. Now, Arizona is the next state where teachers are threatening to take action. At a rally last week, thousands of teachers rallied at the state capitol to demand a 20 percent pay increase and $1 billion back in funding to the public school system. The state has cut more school funding over the past decade than any other state, an analysis found . The states Republican governor, Doug Ducey, said teachers shouldnt get their hopes up for a 20 percent raise this year. The state legislature is currently debating a budget that provides teachers with a 1 percent pay raise. Its important to note that these teacher uprisings, particularly the ones in Arizona and Oklahoma, are taking place largely on Facebook . Teachers unions, for the most part, are playing a support roleall four of these states have right-to-work laws, meaning that the unions there dont have a strong hold over educators. Whats next? Teachers in North Carolina are planning an advocacy day in the state capitol on May 16 when the legislature reconvenes. And a Dallas Morning News columnist floated the question: Should teachers there walk out, too ? Want a quick explainer of the teacher walkouts in video form? Check out this PBS Newshour clip: Image 1: Teachers and students gather at the state Capitol as protests over school funding continue for the third day in Oklahoma City, April 4. Sue Ogrocki/AP Image 2: Teachers and education advocates march at the Arizona Capitol, protesting low teacher pay and school funding on March 28 in Phoenix. Ross D. Franklin/AP As Oklahoma teachers wrap up day four of the statewide walkout, all eyes are on the state senateand whether lawmakers there will approve two bills that would generate a total of $40.5 million for education. The house passed a bill that would place a sales tax on Amazon vendors by a vote of 92 to 7 on Wednesday. That tax would raise about $20.5 million, which would go into the common funding formula for education. The state senate will take up the bill on Fridaya rare move for Oklahoma, where legislators traditionally dont meet on Fridays. The house vote was evidence of the momentum created by [teachers] passionate voices and tireless advocacy, said Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest, in a statement. This is a win for students and educators and signals major progress toward funding the schools our students deserve. Last week, the house passed a bill that would allow casinos to have ball and dice table games (instead of just cards or electronic games). That is projected to raise up to $20 million, but it needs a three-fourths majority vote in the senate. State senators will hear that bill on Friday as well. Already, legislators have passedand the governor has signeda tax increase plan that will fund pay raises of about $6,000 for teachers and $50 million in education funding. That funding level fell short of what teachers had requested: a $10,000 pay raise over three years and a $200 million funding boost to public schools. Now, these two bills might be the last chance teachers have to claim an additional legislative victory this session. KOSU, the local National Public Radio affiliate, reported that the appropriations chairman in the house told legislators that the sales-tax bill was the last new revenue bill they will get to vote on . The walkout is expected to continue on Friday, and Oklahoman reporter Ben Felder tweeted on Thursday that the crowd at the state capitol was not getting smaller. If these two bills pass, its unclear if that will be enough to send teachers back to the classroom. See Also: Image: Students from Moore High School march around the state Capitol in Oklahoma City on April 5, the fourth day of protests over school funding. Sue Ogrocki/AP Some of you may have noticed that I stopped blogging two months ago. I fell off a bike on a small island in the Bahamas, did a lot of damage to my spine and spent the next five weeks in two hospitals. But, notwithstanding the damage, I was very lucky in many ways. First, I flew off my bike in front of the home of a doctor who realized right away that I had damaged my neck. He ran over to the scene of the accident and protected my neck before anyone else in the gathering crowd had a chance to break it, as I was moved off the roadway. Second, the doctor called the fire and rescue squad and told them to bring a neck brace and board for my back. Then my wife had the wit to find a Level One Trauma hospital on the Florida coastBroward County Medical Centerto fly me to by air ambulance. When I left the islands on that plane, I couldnt feel much of anything in my arms or legs. Trauma was a good clinical description of my condition. Most of my systems had shut down. When the neurosurgeon had taken all of his pictures, he said something I will never forget. If you had walked into my office with these pictures and had never had this accident, I would have told you just what I am telling you now; you need to have the operation I am recommending and you need to have it tomorrow. He was telling me that I had been an accident waiting to happen. The vertebrae in my neck had been in severe misalignment for some time. They were full of calcium deposits from rampant arthritis, which had, among other things, been filling up the holes in the vertebrae through which my spinal cord was supposed to be slithering. If the thing had fallen apart when I was out in my boat or speeding down the interstate, I might not have been the only one dead. After a week in intensive care and another in recovery in the Florida hospital, we headed for the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, one of the best in the country. I worked very hard there, but, if it were not for what turned out to be one of the most competently staffed and managed organizations I have ever encountered, I would not be writing this blog today. I was wheeled in on a stretcher unable to walk, feed myself, or even scratch an itch. Three weeks later, I walked out without a wheelchair, walker or cane. My doctor told me that few people who have had the kind of damage to their spinal cord I had recover as much of their function as I did. For that, I am deeply grateful to my wife, the doctor who saw me crash, the Hopetown Fire and Rescue team, the trauma team at the Florida hospital, the whole crowd at Spaulding and the family, friends and co-workers who provided endless support. Yes, I am very lucky. And therein lies the reason I am telling you all this. The five weeks I spent in the hospital gave me an unparalleled opportunity to see the medical trauma system in action: how it is structured, staffed and managed. I had a chance to talk to dozens of professionals in this system about their work, their careers, their training, their credentials, their hopes and their ambitions. In this medical story, there are important lessons for public education. When I pitched off the bike, I damaged the nerves that control the bodys core, everything from the bottom of the neck to below my hips: thats heart and circulatory system, the plumbing system, musculature and so on. It is as if someone had taken a sledge hammer to my control system for many of my most important functions. In such a situation, it is critical that a quick and accurate assessment be made of all these systems, priorities be established, a plan be formulated and constantly adjusted in light of the bodys response to the treatment it receives. The price of a wrong diagnosis, the wrong meds or the wrong quantity of meds, to say nothing of a slip of the knife, can be death. Get one part of it wrong, and the patient may live, but in a very restricted life, with one or more functions working poorly or not at all. Trauma hospitals are places that deal with patients who arrive in the condition I just described, presenting systemic injuries that require immediate medical attention to save life and limb. Physical trauma can involve external injuries, internal injuries or both. But the National Institutes of Health also recognize various forms of psychological trauma. Both forms of trauma can cause Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, a condition most famously found in war veterans, but, a point I will turn to in a moment, more recently found in children and youth in our inner cities who grow up in circumstances producing trauma no less serious in its consequences than those induced by war. I was fascinated by the way the Florida Level One Trauma hospitalthe Broward County Medical Centerwas organized for its core function. At the top of my team was a group of three trauma doctors. Trauma is their medical specialty. Reporting to them are the doctors who specialize in the various systems that might be compromised. In my case those specialists included my neurosurgeon, my urologists, my cardio specialist and so on. This team did rounds every day, but not with the patients. Those of us in intensive care were surrounded by machines, many of them taking over vital functions that we would normally have performed for ourselves, that produced mountains of data from the myriad sensors connected directly to our bodies for continuous readout as well as the measurements taken, or so it seemed, every few minutes by the nurses and nurses aides, who then put that data into voluminous reports for the medical doctors to review. The nurses played the key role in translating the doctors diagnoses and agreements on treatment into reality, in real time. It was up to them not just to follow the literal meaning of their written instructions, but also to understand the reasoning behind the agreements to which the physicians had come, so they could cope with the unexpected and do the sensible thing when something just wasnt right. This sounds unremarkable and very straightforward. But that is not the case at all. Each of our systemsthe circulatory system, for example, or the nervous systemis an extremely complex system in its own right. But the interactions among these systems are constant and no less complex. We are a system of constantly interacting subsystems. Imagine now that all or most of these systems are compromised, some of them within an ace of shutting down altogether. A medication that might greatly improve the functioning of one system might actually shut down another. But these relationships might change over time. A few days after the neurosurgeon operated on my neck, the nurse told us that the neurosurgeon had said that I was under no circumstances to be given any blood thinners. Imagine our alarm, three days later, when I was still in intensive care, we were told by a new nurse that he was about to give me blood thinners! We told him what the neurosurgeon had said. The nurse sat down and told us that, in the days immediately following the surgery, the neck is still bleeding from that surgery. Thinning that blood could easily cause me to drown in my own blood. But after a few days have passed, the neck begins to heal, the danger of drowning in my own blood recedes, and the greater danger is from the formation of blood clots. Now you can see why the trauma doctors run the show. It is their responsibility to put all the pieces together, to make sure the cure offered by one doctor is not also a likely cause of death from another quarter. I rarely saw the doctors. It was the nursing corps that took care of me around the clock. The depth of their knowledge, their professional elan and the pride they took in their work made a deep impression on me. I had substantial conversations with five of them over the two weeks I was there. All had at least three years of specialized training in nursing. Of the five, three had mothers who were teachers, every one of whom had told them not to go into school teaching. Though they were making more money than Florida school teachers, it was not a lot more and it did not seem to be the money that accounted for their career choice. All had plans to get additional certificates that would qualify them for particular nursing specialties that would confer more compensation and higher status. They seemed to feel that they had signed up for a real career that offered much more status than school teaching. Nursing clearly felt like a real profession to them. All of them were aware that nurses were, step by step, taking on many responsibilities formerly held exclusively by medical doctors. The pride was palpable, as was the sense of challenge in getting additional certificates that signified important competencies that were not easy to acquire. Several of them, when I asked about their choice of career, said something about how much they had liked math and science in school and let me know that they could not have gotten as far as they had in nursing without a strong background in mathematics, biology and chemistry. Throughout these conversations, I could not help but think about the contrast with teaching on almost every point. Little wonder that their mothers had encouraged them to go into nursing instead of teaching. But I digress. As soon as I arrived at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, a whole day was spent doing a very detailed assessment of my condition along many different dimensions using a whole series of standard protocols. That was followed by an interview in which I was asked what I hoped to achieve while at Spaulding. There are two top rehabilitation centers in the United States. The other one, on its website, says it will do its best to help you live with the disability you have when you leave. Spauldings website says it will devote itself to helping you get as much function back as possible. Its motto is find your strength. And they mean it. The purpose of the interview is not just to find out what you are hoping for, but to enlist you in your own recovery. I could not help but think about the difference these two approaches signify in terms of the expectations both of the caregivers and their patients and the parallel in public schooling. The intense emphasis on teaming at the Broward County Medical Center was mirrored by what I found at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Each floor at Spaulding was for patients with a particular challenge. I was on the floor for spinal column injuries. There were on the order of 20 patients on the floor. We had one full time doctor whose specialty is spinal column injuries. I had an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and a speech therapist. My occupational therapist and my physical therapist each had a clinical doctorate, as required by state law. The occupational therapist and physical therapist operated as a very close-knit team, providing, at a minimum, three hours of therapy every day, in addition to the myriad other services I was getting. Every week, the group responsible for me and a small number of other patients met for two hours to pool everything they knew about their charges. The effect of the teaming at Spaulding is incalculable. All the professionals were familiar with my challenges, my plan and my progress. They were all on board all the time and ready to respond to the inevitable twists and turns in the road. They never missed a beat. The bottom line? Do you remember the inner-city kids I described above as victims of clinical trauma? Imagine for a moment that our states and districts had a way to identify students living in concentrated poverty and the schools they attend. Imagine further that the state or city could assemble teams of specialists with the kind of training and the level of competence I have described with case management systems just as effective. Imagine that they were organized as well as the teams at the Broward County Medical Center and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, with staffs who have had comparable training and as much time to work with one another and one on one with their charges. The specialties would, of course, be different. The head of each trauma team would need to be able to call on specialists who could treat possible brain damage, others who could deal with the psychological consequences of the kinds of trauma these young people had experienced, others who could deal with a range of cognitive issues and still others who could bring the resources of the housing authority or the juvenile justice system or social services system to bear, but the intensive, comprehensive, highly integrated approach, drawing directly on a suitably diverse team of highly trained experts working in close collaboration, would be very similar. I submit to you that the students I am talking about are no less traumatized, clinically speaking, than many of the patients in these hospitals. They are no less in need. The care they are given is inadequate before they are sent into a school system that is in no position to offer them anything like the level of care they need to succeed. Is it any wonder that so many fail? Would it be expensive to treat these children as I was treated? Of course. But consider for a moment the cost of special education in the United States. There is every reason to believe that, if many of these severely wounded children could get services comparable in their way to what I received, the United States could greatly lower the costs of special education. But far more important than saving the money would be saving the children. Wouldnt that be a fine day? Three teams achieved a perfect win record on day one of the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series qualifier in Hong Kong as the quarter-finals were confirmed.Kenya, China and Belgium all notched up three wins apiece at a sun drenched So Kon Po stadium on Hong Kong island. The quarter-finals are as follows (all times in GMT+8):Kenya started off the day in a crunch match against Papua New Guinea, coming out as 17-5 winners. A 40-0 win over Mexico and tight 24-12 win over South Africa, which had one of the tries of the day from Sinaida Omondi, secured them top position in Pool A with a points difference of +64.China's path to the top of Pool B required them to dig deep against Kazakhstan in their opening game, taking a 14-7 win with Gao Yueying and Liu Xiaoqian both scoring clinical tries. Hosts Hong Kong were up next, with a buoyant local crowd creating a wave of noise around the ground, but China's attacking prowess shone bright in the first half with two tries, followed up quickly in the second half by another from Xiaoqian Liu to give them an eventual 19-7 victory. A dominant 31-5 win over Brazil, secured them their perfect day one record.Belgium conceded just five points all day, starting out with a 12-0 win over Argentina. They added a 19-0 victory over Poland in the early afternoon and finished the day off with a closer 5-12 win over Wales.Day two of competition will kick off at 10:30hrs and will be streamed on worldrugby.org and facebook.com/worldrugby. Posted 4/4/18 The Missouri Department of Conservation encourages hunters to think safety while in the woods turkey hunting. Youth spring turkey hunting season is April 7-8 and regular spring turkey hunting season Implications of population decline The recent U.S. 2020 Census Count revealed that Flint and Genesee County experienced a decline in population over the past... Remember When We have the best natural resources in Michigan and the world knows it; that is why everyone loves our state.... Career exploration helps students become successful adults When I was a child, I didnt have a clue that I could be doing the work that I am... - T. S. Eliot Thoughts After Lambeth "The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide." 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. Sculpture Fields celebrates its second anniversary with Spring in the Park on Saturday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. at 1800 Polk St., which turns off of Main St. "Enjoy live music, picnic from fun food trucks, visit the beer tent, experience artists creating their paintings and drawings outdoors, check out the new childrens area and finish off the day with witnessing the awe-inspiring sculpture burn of a 30-foot wooden structure by artist Andrew Nigh when he sets his creation ablaze," officials said. The monumental wood sculpture Nigh is creating for this years Spring in the Park is titled Aster Origamus. It will have five structural angled stanchions, with petals protruding from each one. The towering 30-foot sculpture will come to life as the sculpture is lit. The petals will unfold as the fire reaches each one, as if they are blossoming. At the same time other various flame-enhancing effects will provide kinetic movement. Admission is free. For additional information about Sculpture Fields, call 423-266-7288. Review of On fire: Andrew Nigh - Andrew Nigh has been designing and creating his pyrokinetic outdoor sculptures for more than 15 years. Each sculpture is designed to inspire emotional interaction with the viewer. Five of Nigh's sculptures have been featured in the regional Transformus events that take place annually in Asheville, NC, where by day, his sculptures take on a form that beckons visitors to intermingle within the actual piece, then in the dark of night, it transforms into an entirely new sculpture and becomes a flaming torch totally captivating its audience. Nigh also serves as the Tennessee representative to the nationally acclaimed Burning Man, which takes place annually in a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert of northwest Nevada. The leaders of the Senate health committee on Wednesday released a discussion draft of bipartisan legislation to address the opioid crisis. The leaders also announced that a committee hearing on the draft legislation will take place next Wednesday. Officials said The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 will improve the ability of the Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services (HHS), including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to address the crisis, including the ripple effects of the crisis on children, families, and communities, and improve data sharing between states. This discussion draft is the result of months of hearings as well as input and language from Senators on both sides of the aisle, it was stated. Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said, The opioid crisis is currently our most serious public health epidemic and despite efforts in every state, its getting worse. Our response needs to be urgent, bipartisan and effective. Weve been listening to the experts for the last six months on how the federal government can help states and communities bring an end to the opioid crisis, and the bipartisan proposals in this draft reflect what weve learned, including: spurring the development of a non-addictive painkiller, giving the FDA authority to require drug manufacturers to package certain opioids for a set duration, and require manufacturers to give patients simple and safe ways to dispose of unused opioids, improving the detection and seizure of illegal drugs, including fentanyl, and improving data sharing so doctors and pharmacies can know if patients have a history of substance abuse and states can better track opioid prescriptions. Senate health committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said, Families and communities have demanded, and they deserve, additional serious federal action to support and strengthen their efforts on the frontlines of the opioid crisis. By working together, listening to researchers, officials, experts, and families facing the crisis, and pulling in the ideas of Senators from both sides of the aislewe have been able to take an important step with this draft bill toward addressing the wide set of challenges caused by the opioid epidemic. I look forward to getting input on this discussion draft and am hopeful that we can continue working together to get this bill signed into law as an important step forward in our work to tackle this national crisis. Senators Alexander and Murray have held a series of six hearings so far this Congress to examine ways the federal government can be a better partner for states and communities on the front lines of the opioid crisis. On Oct. 5, 2017, the Senate health committee held the first hearing of the series which focused on the federal response to the opioid crisis, and on November 30, 2017, the committee heard from witnesses representing states, communities, and providers on what they are doing and what, if any, new authorities they need from the federal government to fight the crisis. On January 9, 2018, the committee heard from author Sam Quinones, who has extensively researched and written about the opioid crisis. On Feb. 8, 2018, the committee held a hearing focused on listening to the needs of children and families affected by the opioid crisis. On February 27, 2018, the committee held a hearing on the role technology and data play in responding to the crisis. On March 8, the committee heard from some of the nations governors about how they are coming up with innovative solutions and leading the fight against the unique problems their states face in the midst of the opioid crisis. Senator Alexander has said that his goal is for the committee to markup opioids legislation this spring. The 21st Century Cures Act, sponsored by Alexander and Murray and passed in December 2016, included provisions to advance biomedical research and speed the development of new, safe and effective treatments and cures for patients, and provided $1 billion for state opioid prevention and treatment efforts. The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 will: Spur development of non-addictive painkillers, and other strategies to prevent, treat, and manage pain and substance use disorders through additional flexibility for the NIH and clarifying guidance from the FDA. Encourage responsible prescribing behavior by clarifying FDA authority to require packaging options for certain drugs, such as opioids to allow a set treatment duration, for example blister packs, for patients who may only need a 3 or 7 day supply of opioids. Clarify FDA authorities to require manufacturers to give patients simple and safe options to dispose of unused opioids. Improve detection and seizure of illegal drugs, such as fentanyl, through stronger FDA and Customer Border Protection coordination. Clarify FDAs development and regulatory pathways for medical product manufacturers through guidance for new non-addictive and non-opioid pain products. Provide support for states to improve their Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) and encourage data sharing between states so doctors and pharmacies can know if patients have a history of substance misuse. Strengthen the health care workforce to increase access to mental health services in schools and to substance use disorder treatment in underserved areas. Authorize CDCs work to combat the opioid crisis, including providing grants for states, localities, and tribes to collect data and implement key prevention strategies. Address the effects of the opioids crisis on infants, children, and families, including by helping states improve plans of safe care for infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome and helping to address child and youth trauma. Authorize the Department of Labor to address the economic and workforce impacts for communities affected by the opioid crisis, through grants targeted at workforce shortages for the substance use and mental health treatment workforce, and to align job training and treatment services. Update Drug Enforcement Administration regulations to improve treatment access for patients in rural and underserved areas through telemedicine, while maintaining proper safeguards. Allow hospice programs to safely and properly dispose of unneeded controlled substances to help reduce the risk of diversion and misuse. Click here for the text of the discussion draft, and here for a summary. Have you ever walked along, carrying a bucket (or even a cup) containing liquid maybe water and stumbled, or it got bumped, spilling some of the contents on the ground, or even onto your pant leg or shoe? A bit annoying, maybe, but not a big problem, right? Imagine, however, if the bucket had contained hydrochloric acid, or lye, or perhaps smelly, spoiled milk. That would have presented much more of an issue for you, wouldnt it? Most of us dont spend a lot of time carrying around buckets or pails, but we each tote around an inner bucket we wherever we go. This bucket is filled with attitudes, emotions and feelings that swirl just below the surface of our consciousness. Most people observing us never know whats there we might not either until we get bumped and the contents of our inner bucket comes cascading out. When my friends neighborhood homeowners association decided to make some changes to enhance safety, one of the residents didnt respond in a very neighborly manner. Upon hearing about what was being done, this woman called my friend, who heads the association, repeatedly, berating him for implementing changes she didnt like. My friend tried to remain patient and cordial, but it was obvious this neighbor had no interest in being conciliatory. The neighborhood changes had bumped her bucket, spewing its caustic contents out over the phone. Who knows what set this lady off? Maybe it was something other than the safety changes; they might merely have been the camel-breaking straw that released a bucket full of pent-up anger. Observing whats happening in our society today, it seems many inner buckets are being bumped with all manner of vitriol spilling out. Over time Ive learned to be more even-keeled, but if theres anything undesirable in my bucket, its likely to come sloshing out while sitting behind the wheel of my car in traffic, surrounded by folks who seem to have learned to drive just yesterday. Even then, thats no excuse for losing control emotionally. So how can we avoid being like Angry Agatha who verbally abused my friend? The secret, as the Scriptures teach us, is to make certain were filled not with negativity, but with the fruit of Gods Spirit. As Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If this fruit evidence of God living in us spiritually fills us, even when adverse circumstances arise, these are what spills out. Rather than exploding in anger when a child makes a mess, well be more disposed to respond with kindness and understanding. Well treat people that annoy us with gentleness and love, not hatred, ire and disrespect. Were also instructed to be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-19). Another passage expresses it this way: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29). Ultimately this is only possible through a daily, deepening relationship with the Lord that results in out with the old, in with the new. Ephesians 3:17-19 speaks of the desire, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpassed knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Just as fighting fire with fire is futile, attempting to battle the angry world around us with anger is also pointless. Instead, we can have the greatest impact when we reflect the character and qualities of the God we know and serve. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16). Lets make certain that the next time our buckets get bumped, as they certainly will, what pours out is the love and grace of God, rather than something else. - - - - Robert J. Tamasy is a veteran journalist, former newspaper editor and magazine editor. Bob has written hundreds of magazine articles, and authored, co-authored and edited more than 15 books. These include the newly re-published, Business At Its Best, Tufting Legacies, The Heart of Mentoring, and Pursuing Life With a Shepherds Heart. He edits a weekly business meditation, Monday Manna, which is translated into more than 20 languages and distributed via email around the world by CBMC International. To read more of Bob Tamasys writings, you can visit his blog, www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com , or his website (now being completed), www.bobtamasy-readywriterink.com . He can be emailed at btamasy@comcast.net. Ladies Day on the Hill, is an annual event by the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women, held in the State Capitols Senate chamber. Members of Hamilton County Republican Women, Bradley County Republican Women and Tennessee Valley Republican Women traveled to Nashville on Monday. This years theme was Shooting for the Stars-To Keep Tennessee Great. To kick off the event, Governor Haslam and wife, Christy, were both presented 2018 Appreciation Awards for exemplary governing, and increasing community college and technical education. States offering these types of educational programs tend to oattract more large companies and jobs. Our state outperforms many other states in these areas. States offering these types of educational programs tend to oattract more large companies and jobs. Our state outperforms many other states in these areas. The chamber program also featured Republican Candidates for Governor sharing career highlights and personal insights with TFRW members. Luncheon keynote speakers were Phil Valentine, a conservative author and radio host, and candidate for Senator, Representative Marsha Blackburn. The Chattanooga area clubs invited TN State Senators Bo Watson and Todd Gardehire, and State Representatives, Mike Carter, Patsy Hazelwood and Marc Gravitt to be our guests for the luncheon. The clubs also want to thank Representative Gerald McCormick for sponsoring breakfast pastries and coffee. HCRW Members attending LOTH: Patsy Henry, President with Marsha Yessick, HCGOP Chair, Faye T Robinson, Dianna Bagby, Martha Gresham, Billie Whiteside, Rebecca Whiddon, Lynn Burrow, Lavene Guthrie, Marleny Jorge, Linda Shriver-Buckner, Sharon Rhodes-Blankenship, Hope Crye, Vickie Rockwood, Judy Bryant, Ellen Hardy, and Carole Russell. The Economic and Workforce Development Division at Chattanooga State Community College has scheduled more than 20 Summer Camps to help stimulate the inquisitive minds of children between the ages of six to 16. "Parents will appreciate knowing that their child is staying busy, productive and, most importantly, continuing to learn skills that will help them educationally. Call 423-697-3100 to register, or visit https://registration.xenegrade.com/cscc-ce/searchResults.cfm?prgID=12 for the complete listing of available camps, dates and times. Choose one or more camps listed below. JUNE 4-8: LEGO Robotics Camp | ages 8-12 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Harry Potter Travel Our Magic Science Tour | ages 6-11 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 AutoCAD | ages 13-15 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Codemaker with Scratch | ages 13-15 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 JUNE 11-15 : LEGO Robotics Camp | ages 8-12 | 12:30-5pm | Dayton Site, 200 Central Ave. | $159 Digital Photography | ages 11-14 |12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 JUNE 18-22: LEGO Robotics Camp | ages 11-14 |12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Junior Robotics | ages 6-8 | 9am-Noon | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Kung Fu Camp | ages 7-10 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Codemaker with Scratch | ages 13-15 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 JUNE 25-29 : LEGO Robotics Camp | ages 8-12 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Codemaker with Scratch | ages 13-15 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 JULY 9-13: CSI Camp | ages 11-14 | 8am-Noon | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 LEGO Robotics Camp | ages 8-12 | 9am-1pm (CST) | Kimball Site, 2100 Main Street | $159 Robotics I Electronics Program | ages 11-14 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Culinary Camp | ages 10-14 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Junior Robotics | ages 6-8 | 9am-Noon | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 JULY 16-20: LEGO Robotics II | ages 11-14 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Robotics with Mindstorm EV3 | ages 11-14 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Musical Theatre Camp | ages 13-16 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 Codemaker with Scratch | ages 13-15 | 12:30-5pm | Main Campus, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. | $159 JULY 23-27: This month, more than 500 local Comcast NBCUniversal employees and their families, friends and community partners will make change happen as they volunteer at multiple projects across the Chattanooga area as part of the 17th annual Comcast Cares Day, the nations largest single-day corporate volunteer event. During the month of April, the Comcast Cares Day volunteer projects in Greater Chattanooga will support local organizations including the Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House, Athens Fishing Derby, Bethel Bible Village and Camp Rain for Kids. Additional volunteers are needed and encouraged to attend a project. For more information on how to get involved and to register, visit www.comcastinthecommunity.com We are thrilled to have been selected for this years Comcast Cares Day project, said Jane Kaylor, executive director, Ronald McDonald House. Through this beautification project, Comcast volunteers will make a big impact to our site and will help us improve the home environment for our families. Comcast Cares Day is more than just a day its the culmination of Comcast NBCUniversals commitment to volunteerism that began when the company was founded more than 50 years ago. From using technology to create positive change, such as wiring community centers and libraries and teaching digital literacy skills, to mentoring youth, to beautifying parks, Comcast NBCUniversal employees volunteer on this day, and throughout the year, to make a lasting impact. Our Comcast Cares Day volunteers continue to spread positivity, build bonds, strengthen the community and make a lasting impact on others, said Doug Guthrie, regional senior vice president, Comcast. At Comcast, giving back is in our DNA and we are proud to partner with such impactful organizations and incredible people to make a difference in our community. The Comcast Foundation will also provide grants to local community partner organizations across the country on behalf of everyone who volunteers on Comcast Cares Day. The grants will help Comcasts community partners continue their mission of serving the community throughout the year. To date, the Comcast Foundation has awarded more than $22 million in grants to local non-profit organizations who have served as partners on Comcast Cares Day. Author Mark Warren will be at Barnes and Noble Hamilton Place to speak about his book Adobe Moon, first in the trilogy Wyatt Earp, An American Odyssey, this Saturday from 2-4 p.m. "The most deeply researched novel to date on Wyatt Earp includes newly revealed information on this iconic western character," officials said. "Warren's widely researched novel on Wyatt Earp culminates in the first of a trilogy, 'Adobe Moon.' This novel transports you back to the 'Old West' with a true-to-life portrayal of this legendary figure." Mr. Warren said, "I have written it as close to the truth as I know how. And as usual, the truth is so much more compelling than the myth. Welcome to the real story. "Was Wyatt Earp the hero that legend has taught us? Or was he the flawed character that some revisionist historians have suggested? After the death of his first wife and child, the future frontier marshal spiraled down into a dark period marked by four arrests: three times in Peoria brothels and once for horse theft in the Indian Territory. But was he a pimp? No, the best evidence places him in the role of a brothel bouncer, a 'tough' who kept the clientele in line. Such a job was in keeping with Earps no-nonsense demeanor. As to the horse theft, many books claim Earp skipped bail after his arrest, the crime hanging over his head indefinitely. In fact, Earp escaped in a jailbreak consisting of several men. However, his alleged partner in crime was acquitted and the case dismissed. From these years of squalor, Earp pulled himself back to a life with purpose, one that landed him in the occupation for which he was probably best suited: a lawman who knew how to handle dangerous men." Reviewer Quote: It is plain Mark Warren knows Wyatt Earps story. He has researched it long enough, deep enough and well enough to know it in ways that few others do. Adobe Moon is an absorbing read. Understated, direct, yet somehow reflective and even philosophical, it is easy to forget that this is a novel about an American legend. And that makes it all the more satisfying in the end. In the restless ramblings of the young Wyatt Earp, Warren found clues to the man Earp would be. I will be looking forward to the continuing odyssey of the very human Wyatt Earp he is revealing. For now, I have much to ponder as a result of reading Adobe Moon. ~ Dr. Gary Roberts, emeritus professor of history, Abraham Baldwin College, author of Doc Holliday, the Life and Legend, Wiley and Sons, 2006. Quote from Mark: When I was 6 years old I checked out a book from my elementary school library and read the so-called 'biography' of Wyatt Earp. The story reached down inside me and gripped my soul as no story ever had before. Why? Courage has always fascinated me, and whether or not it was courage or lack of fear (two very different ideas) that governed Wyatt Earps actions, he had my attention. It would be many years before I would discover that this early Earp book was highly fictionalized. The real story, I learned, was more complicated and much more interesting. About the Book: It is 1862. With his older brothers fighting in the war, Wyatt Earp is left to manage the family's Iowa farm under his father's iron rule. These years of labor produce in him an ambition to seek his fortunes by his wits rather than by the sweat of his back. The open territory to the west, he knows, offers that opportunity. On his way to California he meets a beguiling Mexican girl, who tells him of the "adobe moon," a rusty-hued orb that reminds a man: If you do not achieve your dreams, you must settle for what you have. Wyatt rejects this idea, but it haunts him nevertheless, as he takes odd jobs, becomes a constable in a small Missouri town, and ultimately sinks into a depression where the line of ethics blur. Fed up with his self-made squalor, he returns to the West for a second chance at a proper life, and in a Kansas cattle town he comes face to face with his salvation...and his destiny as a lawman with his own iron rule. Author Bio - Mark is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in chemistry/pre-med. At Medicine Bow, his school in the Southern Appalachians, he teaches nature classes and survival skills of the Cherokees. The National Wildlife Federation named him Georgias Conservation Educator of the Year in 1980. Mark has written extensively about nature and primitive survival for magazines, including: Guernica, Blue Ridge Highlander, North Georgia Journal and Georgia Backroads. His published books include: Two Winters in a Tipi (Lyons Press, 2012), a memoir, Secrets of the Forest (Waldenhouse Publishing, 2016), a 4-volume series on nature/survival, Adobe Moon (Five Star Publishing, 2017), a historical novel and first in the trilogy Wyatt Earp: An American Odyssey. Born to the Badge and Promised Land (Five Star, coming in fall 2018 and in early 2019, respectively), comprise the second and third books in the trilogy. The UTC Symphony Orchestra will present a free concert, Orchestral Colors, in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall in the UTC Fine Arts Building on Sunday, April 22, at 3 p.m. Review for Orchestral Colors: This colorful musical palette features expressive and exciting music including Aaron Coplands An Outdoor Overture and Modest Mussorgskys Night on Bald Mountain. Dr. Michael McCallie, faculty member at Chattanooga State and Cadek at GPS as well as founder/music director of Guitar Chattanooga, will be featured on Antonio Vivaldis Guitar Concerto in D. UTC bassoon professor Staci Spring, who is also the Community Engagement and Education Manager for the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, will be featured on Edward Elgars Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra. A rousing work by John Williams, Raiders March will conclude the concert. This 60-member college/community orchestra includes university music majors and non-majors from UTC and Chattanooga State, UTC music faculty members, area music educators, and other talented amateur and professional musicians from the region. The orchestra is conducted by Sandy Morris. This spring, the students and faculty of St. Andrew's-Sewanee School are undertaking a new creative endeavor. They are spending a month creating a series of graffiti-inspired murals across the walls, floor and ceiling of the SAS Gallery using only black electrical tape. Graffiti Gallery originated in a desire to host a project which can involve the entire community. The SAS Art Department was inspired further by the vibrant culture springing up globally around tape art and murals through projects such as the city-wide Tape Over Berlin in Germany and the enormous tape mural on the exterior of The Brooks Museum in Memphis. They have chosen to use electrical tape exclusively at SAS as it is recyclable and easy to work with. The public is invited to come by and watch the work in progress. Artists will be working Monday through Friday between 8 a.m.-3 p.m. through April 26. The 10:30 a.m. work periods are proving especially exciting, said officials. Additionally, there will be a public reception at 10 a.m. on Thursday April 19. The SAS Gallery is on the campus of St. Andrew's-Sewanee School, in the center of Simmonds Building, at 290 Quintard Road. For more information contact Gallery Director Julie Jones at jjones@sasweb.org The Krispy Kreme donut store in Brainerd has sold for almost $5 million. The sale was to Broadstone Kkd Portfolio Llc from Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corp for $4,953,600. The location at 5609 Brainerd Road was closed for two months in 2014 for a major renovation. The retail area was enlarged and a new donut line was added so that the "hot" sign can be on 24/7. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, in partnership with Outdoor Chattanooga, will lead a two-mile, two-hour walking tour of downtown Chattanooga, along the Tennessee River, on Saturday, April 21 at 9 a.m., highlighting the history and points of interest associated with Chattanoogas Civil War waterfront. The tour will begin at Outdoor Chattanooga, 200 River St. "Today, Chattanoogas downtown waterfront is an iconic part of the citys economic development. However, this is not the first time the scenic shores of the Tennessee River have played a vital role in the citys story. "After the Union Army captured Chattanooga in the fall of 1863, they quickly began establishing a wide array of fortifications, docks, warehouses, offices and arsenals to support military operations in the area. "This walking tour will visit the sites of key locations to the Union Armys activities in Chattanooga. Please make sure to bring a bottle of water and comfortable walking shoes," officials said. For more information about upcoming programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center at 423- 821-7786 or the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866- 9241. Cleveland State Community Colleges Wildlife Society competed in the Southeastern Wildlife Conclave competition hosted by Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, La. The Wildlife Society student chapters host regional conclaves each year to provide college students with valuable hands-on training in wildlife management and conservation. Activities include field trips, field competitions, game-calling competitions, quiz bowl, art and photography contexts, guest speakers and many opportunities for professional development. The Southeastern Wildlife Conclave promotes networking and cooperation among students, faculty and wildlife professionals. According to Robert Brewer, associate professor of Biology / Wildlife Society Advisor, the team competed against 20 other schools and came in seventh. Out of the 20 colleges and universities represented at the Southeastern Conclave, CSCC was only one of two community colleges. The CSCC team competed in various competitions, and placed in several of those. Mr. Brewer said, Conclave is a competition where colleges and universities from across the southeast meet each year. The students compete in various physical, mental, and artistic competitions. The fact that we can beat so many universities in this competition is a testament to the strength of our program. Wildlife Society President Chris Redd,said, I was proud to be there representing CSCC. To my knowledge, this is the highest final ranking weve received, definitely in my tenure here at CSCC. It is a great feeling of accomplishment to win against so many four-year schools. It adds validation to the amazing program we have here, not only for those of us from CSCC, but it also helps gain notoriety for the program among other people. (Redd competed in the Lab Practical individual competition, placing sixth out of 20 and placed first in the Trail Camera Photography category.) Dr. Denise King, vice president for Academic Affairs, said, I am very proud of the achievements of our students. Dr. Brewer and Dr. Paul provide great challenges and support to prepare them for this competition and for success in their programs. Mr. Redd said, "Robert Brewer really drives this whole program from the ground up. He is a man that really knows his wildlife and doesnt let us off easy on making sure we know it as well! Other competing schools at the Southeastern Wildlife Conclave included Abraham Baldwin Agricultural, Arkansas at Monticello, Arkansas State, Auburn, Clemson, Eastern Kentucky University, Haywood, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State University, Murray State, North Carolina State, Tarleton, Tennessee Tech, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, UT Martin, Virginia Tech and Western Carolina University. The CSCC Wildlife Society will have its annual Conservation day on Saturday, April 7, from noon-5 p.m. with activities and information from 20 different vendors set up in the front parking lot on the main campus. Immediately following, the Wildlife Societys Annual Wild Game Dinner will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the George R. Johnson Cultural Heritage Center with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Any money raised from this dinner will go to fund activities for the Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Mr. Redd said, This will be a great opportunity for the community to see some professionals in action from our field, and learn a lot about the intricacies of conservation and resource management in a fun environment! For more information on CSCCs Conservation Day and Wild Game Dinner, contact Dr. Jenny Paul at (423)592-0570 or email vcnrc@clevelandstatecc.edu. Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai met with U.S. Acting Secretary of State John J. Sullivan on April 4, 2018. File photo of Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai. [Photo: CCTV] Discussing China-U.S. relations and other related topics, Ambassador Cui reiterated China's position on the economic and trade differences between the two countries. He urged the U.S. side to abandon its unilateral and protectionist practices and terminate the 301 investigation as early as possible, and seek a solution through dialogue and consultations with the Chinese side. The two also exchanged views on the current situation of the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual interest. Brazil's Supreme Federal Court judges voted early Thursday to reject former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's plea to avoid prison. Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during his presidential campaign rally with members of his Workers Party and leaders of other left-wing parties in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, April 2, 2018. [Photo: AP/Leo Correa] After over 10 hours of session, there were six votes against the habeas corpus and five for it. The deciding vote was cast by court President Carmen Lucia Rocha. With the habeas corpus denied, Lula can be arrested any time, which will prevent him from participating in this year's presidential elections. He is facing accusations of corruption and money laundering. He is alleged to have received an apartment for favoring certain companies in government contracts. Lula denies owning the apartment. His defense team said the prosecution did not manage to present evidence that Lula is the owner. There is no contract in his name, no documents attesting his ownership, and nothing more than the testimony of other defendants who gave evidence against him in exchange for leniency. Lula was found guilty and sentenced to prison for nine and a half years in 2017. On Jan. 24, an appeals court rejected a motion to overturn his conviction for money laundering and accepting bribes. The court also stiffened his initial sentence, increasing it to more than 12 years. According to Brazilian law, after being found guilty by the appeals court, the former president can be arrested and made to start serving his sentence before all avenues of appeal are exhausted. However, Lula's defense contested the ruling, saying arresting a defendant prior to all appeals hurts the principle of presumption of innocence. The lawyers requested that the former president be allowed to remain free until all appeals are heard. The Lula case has provoked extreme reactions in Brazil. Thousands of people, both in favor of and against the habeas corpus, gathered in capital Brasilia for the court's decision on Wednesday. In January, Lula's Workers' Party said the former president, who is also its founder, will be its candidate again in the October election. In previous polls on the preferred candidates for the election, Lula enjoyed a clear lead over his potential rivals. Without him in the fray, the election result will be unpredictable. (CNN) -- Judges on the popular UK television show 'Masterchef' have sparked an international incident after they criticized a Malaysian-born contestant's chicken rendang curry for not being "crispy." The controversy has caused a social media storm in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, where people -- including the Malaysian Prime Minister -- have expressed shock and annoyance at the apparent ignorance of the UK judging panel. Contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin presented the judges with a nasi lemak, a coconut rice dish, accompanied by chicken rendang, prompting judge Gregg Wallace, a writer and former greengrocer, to complain "the chicken skin isn't crispy, it can't be eaten, but all the sauce is on the skin I can't eat." In a traditional rendang, the meat is slow cooked in a coconut-based curry sauce, and should be tender and moist, not crispy. The dish originated in Indonesia but is popular across southeast Asia, and is most often made with beef. In 2011, it came top in a poll of 35,000 CNN readers as the world's best food. Later in the BBC show, as he and fellow judge John Torode were deciding to eliminate Zaleha, he reiterated the point, saying "what disappointed me was that the chicken skin wasn't cooked, and the flavor of the rendang sauce was on the skin." Torode, an Australian chef, also knocked Zaleha's rendang, but for the opposite reason as Wallace: "It hasn't had enough time to cook down and become lovely and soft and fall apart, instead the chicken is tough and it's not really flavorsome." After the show aired, Southeast Asians took to social media to defend Zaleha's cooking technique and call out Wallace for not understanding their cuisine. On Facebook, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman accused Wallace of "whitesplaining" to Zaleha, and said he hoped to meet her "one of these days." The country's Prime Minister, Najib Razak, also chimed in, posting a photo to Twitter with a caption expressing bewilderment that anybody would eat a "crispy" chicken rendang. Writing on her Instagram, Zaleha said she was "gutted to be eliminated ... but I stand by my traditional way of cooking nasi lemak. Will not change it for the world." "Thank you so much for all your support and good wishes," she said in a post which included numerous comments from southeast Asians again castigating the judges for not knowing how a rendang should be cooked. Torode, though he seemed to at least understand how a rendang was cooked, didn't help matters when he joked -- in a since deleted tweet -- about the long-running dispute over rendang's origin. "Maybe rendang is Indonesian," he wrote. "Love this!! Brilliant how exited you are all getting .. Namaste." Namaste is the name of a traditional Hindu greeting, used in India and Nepal, and not, except among the Indian diaspora, in Malaysia or Indonesia. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) It's a somber throwback Thursday today for actress and television show host Anne Curtis-Smith-Heusaff. In 2014, Curtis battled for her life against a near-fatal sting from a poisonous creature related to the most venomous marine animal in the world, the Australian box jellyfish. She relived her traumatic experience through her Instagram stories, sharing a photo of her in a hospital bed, baring her wounds from that fateful encounter. "About this time 4 years ago I almost lost my life to a box jellyfish," the caption read. A study indicated that the sting of the box jellyfish can cause excruciating pain, permanent scarring, impaired consciousness, and even cardiac dysfunction among other deadly symptoms. According to research made in 2010, about 20 to 40 people die from box jellyfish stings in the country alone. Curtis recounted her experience to be a fit of "vomiting in a span of 1 minute, extreme pain, and delirium." Despite the traumatizing incident, Curtis said she is grateful for surviving her near-death experience. Moreover, she encourages her followers to exercise caution in the beach as the summer season gets underway. "The ocean is their home. We are merely visitors. So it is our responsibility to be careful and ask locals if we should be on the lookout for jellyfish in their waters when going for a swim," Curtis said. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) This weekend, have tea in Binondo, engage in a masterclass filmmaking session, attend a young indie bands single and music video launch, watch LGBTQ films at a local cinematheque, and attend a pop-up bazaar. LGBTQ Week at Black Maria Cinema Black Maria Cinema will be hosting its first LGBTQ week. Starting on April 6, the week-long run of Film Has No Gender will feature four films from Cinema One Originals: the coming of age film 2 Cool 2 B 4gotten, the romantic drama Baka Bukas, one of Mark Gils last essential performances Philippino Story, and the drag princess pregnancy film Miss Bulalacao. For listings and schedule visit the Black Maria Cinema event page. Rediscovering Binondo Part 2 - Tea with Tinio Start your Saturday morning with a talk about the families of national heroes and Chinese heritage in the Philippines in the second part of Rediscovering Binondo series. Heritage expert Martin Sonny Tinio Jr., who was a former museum curator of the Intramuros Administration and of Malacanang Palace, will be discussing the history of Binondo from 1850 to 1900, which is focused on the arrival of the Chinese and the family legacies of the Rizals and the Lunas. The talk will be on April 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Yuchenco Museum. Tickets are 300. For reservations and inquiries contact (632) 889-1234 or info@yuchengcomuseum.org. Visit the Yuchengco Museum website for more details. Masterclass on Filmmaking with Irene Villamor Learn from the director of Camp Sawi and the recent release, Meet Me in St. Gallen about the basics of filmmaking. Villamor will teach about production, scriptwriting, and creative producing. The masterclass will be on April 7 to 8 from 9:00 am to 12:00 nn. For reservations visit the events Facebook page for details. Oh, Flamingo! "Bottom of This" Single + MV Launch Indie rock band Oh, Flamingo! Will be releasing their new single, Bottom of This, and its accompanying music video on April 6, 8 p.m. at Route 196 in Katipunan. Also playing are Toms Story, La Loba Negra, and The Ransom Collective. For tickets and other details, visit the Facebook event page. DesPlay Team Manilas creative lab, Design Dept., will be celebrating their first anniversary with a release of their new collection, DesPlay (Design+Play) and creative fair featuring young local artists and live performances. The event is on April 7, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Suez & Zapote in Makati. For more information visit the events Facebook page. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4) Senators Antonio Trillanes and Leila de Lima on Wednesday filed a motion to intervene on the petition to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. In the motion dated March 23, the two senators wanted the Supreme Court to dismiss the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida on March 2 for lack of jurisdiction. Both Trillanes and De Lima are staunch critics of the Duterte administration. A quo warranto is a legal proceeding where an individual's right to hold office is challenged. Calida wants the high court to void Sereno's appointment, saying the Chief Justice has been "unlawfully holding" her post since she failed to submit her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) for 10 years before she applied for the post in 2012. READ: Sereno wants SC to junk petition to oust her Two motions to intervene have been filed earlier by separate groups, one composed of minority lawmakers, the other of concerned citizens. The groups asked the high court to allow them to intervene in the case, stressing that the Chief Justice can only be ousted through impeachment, as stated in the Constitution. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines also filed a similar motion before the Supreme Court. Serenos spokesperson Jojo Lacalinao said Tuesday the Chief Justice will attend the Supreme Court en banc session in Baguio City on April 10 regarding the quo warranto petition. READ: Sereno spokesperson: Chief Justice to attend SC session on ouster petition The embattled chief justice has earlier said impeachment is the only way to remove a chief justice from office, asking lawmakers to "give me my day in the Senate impeachment court." The House Committee on Justice on March 19 approved the articles of impeachment against Sereno, where she is accused of violating the Constitution, betraying public trust, and committing other high crimes when she "deliberately failed" to file her SALNs 17 times - among other alleged offenses. READ: SALN violations top articles of impeachment against Sereno The complaint against her would go to trial at the Senate if at least one-third of the members of the House of Representatives vote to impeach her. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) The government will give financial help to over 30,000 workers on Boracay Island when it becomes off-limits to tourists for six months. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte is set to declare Boracay under a state of calamity. The P2 billion calamity fund will be used to assist the displaced workers. "There will be a declaration of (a) state of calamity. The President was insistent that (calamity fund) will go only to the workers who will be displaced," he said in a media briefing. He said the calamity fund will come from the national and local government, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Labor and Employment. Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones clarified workers from establishments who violated environmental rules are excluded from the help from the calamity fund. He said these workers should be financially assisted by their employers. "(Calamity fund) will only go to legitimate hoteliers and businesses," he said. The calamity fund will also be used to help indigenous people from the island. "Sila ang nawalan. We will help them in this time of rehabilitation," Tourism Assistant Secretary Ricky Alegre said. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Thursday said the displaced workers will be provided financial assistance through government programs with the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). "Ang usapan namin ni Sec. Leyco (DSWD Undersecretary Emmanuel Leyco), we will take care of the conditional transfer and livelihood projects," he told CNN Philippines Newsroom. Bello added the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will take care of the other workers that cannot be assisted by DSWD. They will be given jobs to help clean up the island. "Sa hindi niya mabigyan, bibigyan ko ng emergency employment. We will give them employment for the time they will be dislocated. Ang ibibigay naming trabaho ay ang paglilinis ng Boracay, including yung problema ng sewerage system, mga beach shore na napaka dumi. 'Yun ang kanilang magiging trabaho," he said. [Translation: Those who cannot be assisted by DSWD will be given emergency employment by DOLE. We will give them employment for the time they will be dislocated. We'll give them the job of cleaning Boracay, including fixing the sewerage system, cleaning the beach shores. That will be their job.] There are over 30,000 workers on the island. About 17,000 are employed by establishments, such as hotels, restaurants, and bars. About 17,000 workers, meanwhile, are considered indirect workers of the island; they provide services such as those who offer massages along the beach shore, sand castle makers, and henna artists, etc. The island welcomed over 2 million visitors in 2017 and generated P56 billion in estimated total revenues. Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III said the government may lose over P18 billion in income due to the closure. "If we will go through the full 6 months, it could reach around 18 to 20 billion potential loss in gross receipts," he said in a media briefing. President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered the temporary closure of the island from tourists. The rehabilitation will take six months starting April 26. The closure order was no surprise after Duterte publicly denounced the serious neglect of Boracay that has deteriorated over the years. "I will close Boracay. Boracay is a cesspool," he said. "You go into the water, it's smelly. Smell of what? S**t," he said in February. Out of the 2,600 establishments on the island, over 830 establishments were found discharging waste-water directly into the beach. The concerned government agencies are set to conduct a multi-sectoral workshop in Boracay on April 10, Tourism Undersecretary Rick Alegre said on Thursday. DOT Alegre on Boracay closure Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) Boracay may be opened to tourists even before the six-month closure ends, officials said Thursday. The inter-agency group tasked by President Rodrigo Duterte to rehabilitate Boracay raised the possibility of a shorter closure period. "It is not to the interest of everybody to go the full six months We may be able to have a soft opening in three to four months. It's possible," Interior Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III said in a media briefing. He said stakeholders and local officials are already carrying out some rehabilitation actions such as dismantling illegal structures and conducting a drainage audit. "By that time substantial na ang pag-aayos ng drainage. Natanggal na ang illegal structures," Densing said. [Translation: By that time, there would be substantial changes. Drainage will be fixed. Illegal structures would have been removed.] He asked for the help of residents, stakeholders, and local government units. The Tourism Department is also planning a massive clean-up drive ahead of the island's closure on April 26. "We have to fast track everything. The only way to do this is to ask everybody, all the stakeholders, to be part of the whole rehabilitation process. If everybody comes into the picture, we can cut the process by two months," Densing said. The government is looking at dismantling at least half of the 948 illegal structures within the closure period. President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered the six-month closure of Boracay from tourists based on the recommendation of an inter-agency task force. The group said the island has poor sewerage system causing contamination of the beach, inefficient solid waste management, and illegal structures in forestland, wetlands, and easement. "It's a temporary setback but we will bring back the glory days of Boracay," Tourism Assistant Ricky Alegre said. Compliant or noncompliant? The task to rehabilitate Boracay gets challenging as more environmental negligence surface every day. Alegre said they have discovered some establishments with false claims on complying with environmental rules. "We are still discovering pipes that have been hidden from us all these years One hotel, which claimed it was compliant, was found not to have sanitary permit Akala namin compliant, 'yun pala hindi. (We thought they were compliant, but apparently not) This will give us enough time to probe," he said. From May to August, the inter-agency group will conduct an environmental compliance audit of all 2,600 establishments. "They have to submit all documents. DILG will look at the facilities if it complies with the environmental standards," Densing said. Other issues are hounding the island besides environmental degradation. The Environment Department is studying Boracay's capacity as it plans to regulate entry of tourist and building of infrastructure. "That's the most critical part in what we're doing," Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones said. Administrative cases may be filed against concerned local officials on or before April 14 over Boracay's deterioration. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) The government will focus next on the conditions of other destinations in its bid to address environmental concerns, an official said Thursday. "Boracay is just the start," said Tourism Assistant Secretary Ricky Alegre in a media briefing, where he identified other destinations the inter-agency task force will also inspect. READ: Shorter Boracay closure possible officials "Puerto Galera is going to be visited next by the inter-agency task force. We have received reports of the conditions there, and we want again to help rehabilitate," Alegre added. The coastal town of Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro is known for its beaches, along with leisure activities such as scuba diving and snorkeling. Alegre said the task force, composed of officials from the Tourism, Interior, and Environment departments, have begun looking into two tourist spots in Palawan. "The DILG (department of Interior and Local Government) and the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources). have already started looking into El Nido...The Coron Bay has reportings of some pollution as well," Alegre said. El Nido is a popular island-hopping destination, which also boasts numerous beaches, caves, and forests. Coron, meanwhile, takes pride in about a dozen dive spots for recreational diving. The task force will also check up on Siargao island in Surigao del Norte, which is one of the most famous surfing destinations in the country. "We've also been asked to look at the problems in Siargao, it's such a hot destination now, and we wish to help them with their sewage treatment plant and their garbage disposal system," Alegre said. Alegre said they will look into Bohol, which is home to the Chocolate Hills, indigenous tarsiers, and several beaches and dive spots. He said Bohol Governor Edgardo Chatto has already moved for the task force to look into the island. Alegre added it was President Rodrigo Duterte himself who ordered the inter-agency task force to look into the top destinations. "Because we want, as I said, the Philippines not only to be a fun place to be in, but also environmentally compliant," he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) - Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom) chief Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. has been named new Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told CNN Philippines' News Night on Thursday. Galvez will take his oath on April 18 at the AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Roque said. He will replace Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, whose term is ending this month. Guerrero reached his compulsory retirement age in December 2017 but President Rodrigo Duterte extended his duty by four months. Guerrero, who assumed office in October 2017, would serve as Chief of Staff for six months. Galvez, meanwhile, will retire in December. A battle-seasoned officer, Galvez was commander of the 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao, where he maintained a ceasefire with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and dealt with hostilities by its breakaway group, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. He was also a co-chairman of the Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities where he had open communication lines with the MILF in carrying out a ceasefire deal. Galvez also fought the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan from 2012 to 2013 when he became the youngest commander of the 104th infantry brigade. He also led military operations during the Zamboanga siege in 2014. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) Former Commission on Election Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said Thursday there may have been a disconnect between rules on ballots and the handling of audit logs in the 2016 national elections. Larrazabal said Comelec rules give instructions to the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI), while the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) rules are for head revisors. "It looks like there is a disconnect. The part of the BEI, they should follow the rules of Comelec, that's the general instructions. At the time they submitted the audit logs to the Comelec election officer, there's no protest case yet filed regarding this one," Larrazabal told CNN Philippines' News Night. Larrazabal was referring to the claim by the camp of former senator Bongbong Marcos that many ballots from Bato, Camarines Sur have missing audit logs. Audit logs contain information about voting proceedings in a precinct, including time and number of votes. "However, if the requirement of the PET was to make sure that the audit logs should have been inside the ballot boxes, then there should have been an order from the Comelec to the PET," Larrazabal said. Marcos' lawyer Vic Rodriguez said amended PET rules state audit logs should be inside ballot boxes. Comelec Resolution 10057, however, requires BEI to deliver the audit logs, along with other documents, to election officers. "Nung nag-file ho ng election protest si Senator Marcos, ang nag-acquire na po ng jurisdiction ay ang PET, therefore naputol na po lahat ng connection ng Comelec resolution. Ang tanong ngayon, anong batas or procedure ang mag-aapply," Rodriguez said. Vice President Leni Robredo's lawyer Romulo Macalintal, however, said during the election, "the prevailing rules are the rules of the Comelec." Larrazabal said Comelec should have relayed an order to the PET to reconcile differences in rules. "The right thing that should've been done was the Comelec should have informed the election officers by issuing an order telling them to put back or to secure the audit logs, or if not, when these ballot boxes were retrieved, they should have also submitted the audit logs to the retrieval teams. It was not done," he said. While Rodriguez said PET issued a resolution ordering Comelec to turn over all election-related documents, Larrazabal said this may not have been adequately relayed to field officers. Aside from the audit logs, the Marcos camp had earlier raised the presence of drenched and unusable ballots from the municipality of Bato. Macalintal had said the wet ballot were due to Typhoon Nina, which hit Camarines Sur in December 2016. He also said ballot images may be printed for the recount. Larrazabal, however, said this should not have happened. "Ballots are not supposed to be wet. In fact, the ballot boxes are supposed to be weather-proof. The custody of the ballot boxes is with the city or municipality treasure, and it's incumbent on them to put it in a safe and dry area," he said. The vote recount began Monday, two years after Marcos filed his electoral protest before the Supreme Court, sitting as the PET. Marcos lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes. Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) The chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF) said the demands of President Rodrigo Duterte should be brought to the negotiating panel in the peace talks. "I think the proper place for discussing the most complicated and most sensitive questions would be the negotiating table. The negotiating panel should have all the leeway to express differing positions or even conflicting positions and make complaints, and it is up to the two sides to arrive at a solution to any kind of problem, and resolve it," NDF Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison told CNN Philippines Thursday. Duterte seeks to open peace negotiations with the communist rebels, provided they meet certain conditions from the President. Among these include a total ceasefire and a halt to revolutionary taxes. Sison founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said the new round of talks will happen "sooner than later," but he has kept silent on the ceasefire agreement. READ: Duterte orders forging of ceasefire deal ahead of talks "We are in a very happy situation where the two sides which have not met for about a year in formal negotiations, we are happy they are going to meet soon," he said. He also reminded that Duterte, whom he had a word war with in November after he tagged the CPP and the New People's Army (NPA) as terrorists, still enjoys his support. ""As soon as he won the Presidency, I told him I wish him the best. We have a relationship me on my side being the teacher, and him as a student so I told him 'I want you to succeed," so long as he's willing to cooperate for the benefit of the people," he explained. Sison, on exile in the Netherlands, previously called Duterte the country's number one terrorist. He accused the President as culpable for the drug-related killings, as well as the attack in Marawi City on May 23. "I suppose if the two of us can bring about just and lasting peace in the country, that would be something excellent for our people, and I suppose the Presidency of Duterte will become a success," he said. Meanwhile, government's Chief Negotiator for the peace process Silvestre Bello III said he was pleasantly surprised at the speed the peace talks has resumed. "Although I've been noting that he would, one day, do that, because from the very start it has been very clear to us na 'yung pinaka-legacy niya sa ating bansa ay pang-habambuhay na kapayapaan [his legacy will be marked by long-lasting peace]," Bello told CNN Philippines in a phone interview Thursday. The negotiations between the NDF and the Philippine government ended in November 2017, after 18 years of on-off peace talks. The Duterte government is the sixth administration attempting to put an end to the 48-year-long communist insurgency - the longest-running in Asia. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) President Rodrigo Duterte appointed former Manila International Container Port district collector Vincent Philip Maronilla, who was previously accused of accepting bribes in the P6.4 billion worth shabu shipment case, as the new assistant commissioner for the Bureau of Customs (BOC). Maronilla is currently the district collector for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. In August 2017, Customs fixer Mark Taguba identified Maronilla as one of the officials who accepted bribes for a 604-kilogram drug shipment from China, one of the biggest hauls of smuggled drugs in the country. READ: Broker tags Customs officials allegedly taking bribe Senator Panfilo Lacson also mentioned Maronilla as one of the recepients of "tara" or multimillion peso bribes in his privilege speech in the same month. READ: FULL TEXT: Senator Ping Lacson's privilege speech on corruption in the Bureau of Customs Maronilla denied the allegations. He said they were just following procedure in the release of the drug shipment that was tagged under the green lane, which signified that no documentary or physical examination was necessary. He added that port officials were not the ones approving the release of shipments as these were already "pre-cleared" by the Customs' risk management office. READ: Manila port collector on drug shipment: We followed procedure The Department of Justice (DOJ) later dropped the charges against Maronilla and 13 other officials in November for insufficient evidence. The DOJ said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency failed to state the involvement of the accused BOC officials. READ: DOJ drops charges against Faeldon, 13 ex-Customs officials Senator Kiko Pangilinan weighed in on the appointment and said that the drug smuggling case tied to Maronilla "should not have been just swept under the rug" by the DOJ. "With an official with questionable integrity at the helm of the BOC, the public would find it hard to believe that the administration is out to purge corruption and clean the agency," Pangilinan said in a statement. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) The petition to formally declare communist rebels as terrorists may be held in abeyance should peace talks resume, the President's spokesman said. "Pupwede namang mag-file ng manifestation ang gobyerno na iho-hold muna nila in abeyance 'yung petisyon na nakahain sa hukuman, pending the outcome of the peace talks," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a Malacanang media briefing. [Translation: Government may file a manifestation asking to hold in abeyance the petition before the court, pending the outcome of the peace talks.] The Department of Justice filed a petition with the Manila Regional Trial Court on February 21 tagging both the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA) as "terrorist and outlawed organizations." "I think it will be withdrawn if there is a final peace agreement signed. But while the peace talks are ongoing, ang pwedeng gawin is diyan lang siya [it will remain there]," Roque said. President Rodrigo Duterte said he is open to resuming talks with the rebels on three conditions: ceasefire deal, rebels will stop collecting revolutionary tax, and they will no longer seek a coalition government. "We are awaiting their response to the government position that we're willing to resume peace talks, but subject to those conditions," Roque said. The National Democratic Front (NDF) Chief Political Consultant Jose Ma. Sison said the negotiating panel is the venue to make demands. Roque said the court cannot make the ruling on the terrorist tag without hearing and presentation of evidence. "Hindi po 'yan [It is not] unilateral. There will have to be facts to be proven by the government. Hindi naman po 'yan uusad at magkakaroon ng deklarasyon na terorista sila habang di po natatapos ang presentation of evidence ng gobyerno," he said. [Translation: It is not unilateral. There will have to be facts to be proven by the government. It's not going to move forward and the CPP-NPA would not be declared terrorists until government is not finished with presenting evidence.] The cancellation of talks in November 2017 was the first in 18 years of on-off negotiations. Still in status quo Roque said while Duterte is open to resume talks, all orders against communist rebels remain in effect including the detention of NDF legal consultants, who were released for the resumption of talks in November 2016. A number of communist negotiators were detained since the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) a 1995 deal on "free and unhindered passage" of individuals involved in the talks no longer holds. "Alam niyo naman po 'pag natuloy muli ang peace talks, magkakaroon sila ng 'free pass' na tinatawag, oo, JASIG para makapag-participate doon sa peace talks. At 'yan nga po ay ibibigay din ni Presidente kay Joma Sison mismo," Roque said. [Translation: You know that if the peace talks push through, they will have a "free pass," the JASIG to take part in the talks. And Duterte will grant Joma Sison the same benefit.] Roque also clarified the assistance the President plans to extend to communist rebels in exchange for their giving up the revolutionary tax, saying it is more of a "humanitarian" act. "He will find ways to assist members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army by way of providing them livelihood and housing, if possible, provided that they cease and desist from collecting 'revolutionary tax'," Roque said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) - The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) told Uber to continue its operations beyond April 8 for the sake of consumers, citing that Filipinos "deserve a better deal." The PCC conducted a public hearing to come up with interim measures to ensure the integrity of the merger review. Other guidelines included restricting Grab from accessing private user data from Uber. The country's antitrust watchdog also warned Grab against imposing exclusivity clauses to Uber drivers. PCC is expected to release its resolution on Friday. But both Grab and Uber disputed this proposal, asserting that Uber no longer has the manpower and funds to operate in Southeast Asia. "(From) a business standpoint, Uber exited 8 markets, including the Philippines, as of Monday. Now, I look after 10 markets, instead of 18. Our funding is gone. Our people are gone. We don't intend to come back to these markets," Brooks Entwistle, Uber Asia Pacific chief business officer, said during the hearing. Uber also admitted they had been losing the market place, both app users and driver-partners, since the acquisition was announced. Grab said they understand the PCC's mandate, but there is no need to worry about competition as the transport department has laid out measures to protect the welfare of consumers. "We will still continue to operate as we have. If (Uber drivers) are still operating on their Uber platform, this also poses certain risks because as Uber mentioned, if the app is on, wala ng mag-su-support (there's no customer support)," said Brian Cu, Grab Philippines Country Head. Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Regulatory Board said they are set to accredit three new transport network vehicle service (TNVS) players. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president and COO Ramon S. Ang expressed on Thursday his support for the government's temporary closure of the island destination Boaracay. SMC operates the Boracay Airport in Caticlan, and is planning to upgrade it to a world-class airport. "The island needs to be rehabilitated and we have to support the government," said Ang. "Yes, we will endure some short-term pain but its a step in the right direction and in the end we are hopeful it would bring about long-term gain for all." President Rodrigo Duterte gave the go signal for a six-month closure in Boracay beginning on April 26. The scramble to clean up the island came after Duterte called it "a cesspool" and threatened to shut it down permanently if pollution was not resolved. Related: Boracay closure to start on April 26 - Roque Interior Assistant Secretary for Plans and Programs Epimaco Densing III earlier pegged losses in revenue between 18 to 20 billion. The shutdown was met with controversy as locals worried about their source of income and critics raised concern at the government's green light of a casino on the island. Ang also suggested building a bridge between Boracay, located in the municipality of Malay, and the neighboring Caticlan. He said the infrastructure would reduce the need for tourists and tourism workers to stay in the island, thus reducing waste and helping other areas develop. Tourists and visitors will have the option to go to Boracay during the day and in the afternoon or at night for accommodations outside the island, Ang said. The development of neighboring areas would boost Aklans economy as a whole, while keeping island of Boracay sustainable for generations to come, he added. Ang also believes the construction of a bridge could resolve the garbage and sewage problem by building pipes into the bridge design. Tourism Undersecretary Ricky Alegre said only 47 percent of 1,900 business establishments are connected to the sewage treatment plan. An area of the island has open pipes that pour out waste to the open sea. The anguish of the Palestinian people seems to be a never-ending tragedy. Abandoned by their Arab neighbours Egypt, Jordan and Syria and betrayed by the short-sightedness of its own divided leadership, they have slid further into the arms of Iran-backed Hamas and its cult of celebratory martyrdom as the ultimate honour. As if news of deaths from the Turkish invasion of Syrias Kurdish regions were not enough, Friday morning Twitter alerts woke me to the death of 18 Palestinians killed by the Israeli Defence Forces after nearly 30,000 Gazans charged towards the border with Israel. Israel could have and should have shown restraint, but it did not. Hundreds were injured as IDF soldiers fired directly into the charging crowd. In such an imbalance of power, restraint is always the responsibility of those with weapons. The protest march was an expression of the Palestinian demands for a right of return to what is now Israel. Most of Gazas two million people claim they are descendants of Palestinians who fled or were driven from their homes in the 1948 war when Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon with troops and volunteers from Saudi Arabia and Sudan invaded Israel, but were defeated. Three more wars and 70 years later it seems no lesson is learned by those who push generation after generation towards supposed martyrdom and paradise, turning a national movement for a Palestinian homeland into a jihadi struggle to wipe out the Jews. Gaza could have been a Mediterranean paradise with mile after mile of beaches that could have turned the territory into an example of Palestinian ingenuity and resolve in the face of adversity. Instead Gaza became a laboratory of Islamic extremism where leaders of the Palestinian Authority were tortured and assassinated, thrown over the roofs of buildings and adversaries were killed and their bodies dragged by motorcyclists. The days preceding this latest conflagration seemed to have escaped media attention, but deserve to be part of any analysis. As The Associated Press reports, the Friday march on the Israel border came after a bomb targeted but missed the Palestinian prime minister and his intelligence chief during their visit to Gaza earlier in March as part of an Egypt-led attempt to bring peace between rival Palestinian parties Fatah and Hamas. This assassination attempt apparently conducted by Hamas on the Palestinian prime minister reminded me of Nov. 12, 2007. That was the day Hamas gunmen fired on a rally inside a Gaza City stadium that was commemorating the late Yasser Arafat. Many people died that day. Palestine died too. One thing is for certain. The Two-State solution is dead while the Three-State outcome I had predicted on these pages in 2012 is the only way forward: Gaza is Palestinian territory, where the president of Palestine cannot set foot. Imagine a Tito not welcome in Serbia or a Ho Chi Minh denied entry in Hanoi or Nehru told he was not welcome in Mumbai after the British left. Palestine as imagined in Oslo is dead. And it died not as result of Israels continued occupation or its harsh encirclement of Gaza. Palestine died because Palestinians killed it. Palestinians today must recognize two bitter realities: Israel will never commit suicide by permitting a Right of Return to millions of descendants of the 1948 Palestinian refugees. Israel will never hand over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to Palestinians. Would Muslims hand over Meccas Kaaba to the Pagans? Stop killing each other, and then offer more for martyrdom. The best of the Arabs deserve better. Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier The School Committee has given BRCOT officials the go-ahead to apply to the Maine Department of Education for approval. ABC/Paula LoboDemi Lovato and Kehlani shook the internet after sharing a smooch on stage during the last night of Demis North American tour this week. Demi explained on The Breakfast Show with BBC Radio 1 that the kiss was totally unplanned -- but she liked it. She came up behind me. I had no idea! Demi said about how Kehlani, her opening act, surprised her. She told me she was going to be watching the show, so I was looking for her, and I didnt see her out there so I was like, OK, I guess she decided to go or whatever. And then all the sudden I feel hands on my shoulders for this song Lonely. I look up and its her. Demi continued to gush over the moment: I dont know, we just kissed each other. It wasnt planned. She totally surprised me and it was perfect. Breakfast Show host Nick Grimshaw joked that it was like when Madonna surprised Drake with a kiss on stage. Yeah, but, like, it didnt look like Drake liked it. I liked it! Demi said. The sexy moment sparked many fans to wonder if Demi and Kehlani were dating. Demi revealed in her Simply Complicated documentary last year that shes open to dating both men and women, and Kehlani identifies as bisexual. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. ILO Regional Director Li (seated 2nd from left) in group photo with Vanuatu unionists. On his left is Mrs. Bani, President of VCTU. (Standing middle row is MP Kalsakau (end from right) and on his left is ILO Regional Coordinator Mr Bernard. Mexicans want to strike back after Trump sends the National Guard to the border In the wake of President Donald Trump's decision to deploy National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border, senators in Mexico are calling on their government to retaliate by cutting off cooperation on security and immigration issues. In a nonbinding resolution approved unanimously on Wednesday, senators said they "condemn [Trump's] baseless and offensive comments about Mexico and Mexicans and demand the treatment that the relationship between neighbors, partners, and allies requires." Lawmakers rejected "categorically the intention of President Donald Trump to militarize the border with Mexico and consider such action one insult more." They called on President Enrique Pena Nieto "to suspend the bilateral cooperation with the United States of America on matters of migration and the fight against transnational organized crime as long as President Donald Trump does not conduct himself with the civility and the respect that the people of Mexico deserve." ...Laura Rojas, a member of the National Action Party and head of the Senate's foreign relations committee, spoke in support of the motion, saying Trump's "conduct has been permanently and systematically not only disrespectful but insulting, based on prejudices and misinformation and making frequent use of threats and blackmail." If youve been following this blog for any length of time, youre probably aware that one of the (many) bones of contention we have with the DCCC, is over platforms. They urge their candidates to hide their positions, either not including issues pages on their websites at all or, if they must, to avoid all controversial topics. Their strive for bland reiterations of mom-and-apple pie, bio-oriented statements. But that helps explain why the DCCC has lost dozens and dozens of seats over the last decade and why they can only win races in wave elections when the voters are fed up with the Republicans and see the Democrats as the lesser of 2 evils. Voters want to know what a candidate intends to do for them, not about a package of misleading biography and identity bullshit. When we consider endorsing candidates we make it clear that mouthing good positions on important issues isnt enough; we want to see them in writing on candidate websites. One of the best of all has been Randy Bryces statement of positions. Hes the opposite of the DCCC. And this week he released another page of issues, this one his immigration platform, Fighting For All , something which is probably giving the DCCC big wigs heartburn. Pass a clean DREAM Act. There is bipartisan agreement that Dreamers, immigrants who were brought to this country as children and who have no serious criminal record, should have a path to citizenship. Despite promising repeatedly to help Dreamers, Speaker Ryan has refused to introduce any such bill for a vote. The overwhelming majority of Americans support a path to citizenship for these young people and, as a Congressman, Randy would support a clean DREAM Act. Pass DAPA. Randy supports granting employment visas and permanent protections from deportation to the parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. DAPA, or Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, was a program created by then-President Obama in 2014. It soon got tangled in the courts and was later rescinded by the Trump administration. Randy believes DAPA is based in human compassion, economic sense, and family values: it is cruel to separate American children from hard-working parents without criminal backgrounds, and policy research estimates that DAPA, if passed, could raise $16.7 billion in payroll taxes and create over 15,000 jobs annually. Oppose cuts to legal immigration. Wisconsins dairy farms and other industries rely on immigration in order to meet their labor needs, and welcoming immigrants is a key part of our nations identity. As a Congressman, Randy would oppose the Presidents attempts to dramatically cut legal immigration or the number of refugees our country accepts through the RAISE Act or any other legislation. End private prisons. Immigration and Customs Enforcements gives more than $2 billion to for-profit, private prison operators every year. These corporations are notorious for poor working conditions and low wages for staff, and dangerous conditions for inmates. Profiting from incarceration also incentivizes keeping people in prison, which is costly to the taxpayer. Randy would fight to end government contracts with private prisons that have put profits over people. Oppose addition of Census question on citizenship. The Constitution makes clear it is the census duty to include all residents, regardless of citizenship status, in its national survey. A decline in immigrant responses would likely cost states billions in federal funding, making needed resources more scarce for all of those states residents. According to the last census in 2010, about five percent of Wisconsin residents identified as immigrants nearly double what it was in 1990. Randy will do everything possible to ensure that Wisconsins population is portrayed accurately in the 2020 survey. Dont ask local law enforcement to do ICEs job. Attorney General Sessions has attempted to place new burdens on local law enforcement regarding their cooperation with ICE. Many police chiefs are reluctant to take on these additional responsibilities because it will hurt police-community trust and, consequently, weaken public safety. If victims and witnesses are unwilling to report crimes for fear of deportation, then dangerous criminals dont get put behind bars. Studies suggest that localities where ICE and local law enforcement keep their responsibilities separate are actually safer, and, as a result, the Major Cities Chiefs Association has condemned the Attorney Generals actions. Despite this opposition from law enforcement, the Trump administration has threatened to remove critical, unrelated federal funding from local communities if their local law enforcement agency does not comply with ICEs mandates. As a Congressman, Randy would oppose any efforts to defund so-called sanctuary jurisdictions. Abolish ICE. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was created just 15 years ago, and it is now time to rethink whether it is achieving its intended purpose. Rather than deporting immigrants who pose a risk to the nations security, ICE has grown power hungry, sucking up more and more federal resources and directing them towards the deportation of children and families, who are otherwise completely law-abiding. In 2017, the detention of immigrants with no criminal records more than doubled. Accordingly, Randy believes that ICE should be abolished, and Congress should explore which existing agency could best house immigration and customs enforcement, so that only those who pose a true threat to our countrys security face deportation. Oppose the travel ban. Trumps latest travel restrictions on eight countries of which six are Muslim-majority-- Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela, and Yemen-- is rooted in fear, not facts. Numerous foreign policy and defense experts have criticized the ban for doing little to increase national security-- with many noting it may have the opposite effect. Furthermore, since these immigration bans were first enacted in 2017, they have stranded refugees fleeing humanitarian crises, stripped American citizens and lawful residents from being visited by loved ones, and threatened the U.S. economy and tourism industry. Randy believes that this kind of immigration policy, over-simplified and without nuance, does little to protect our country and only serves to create further division. Other candidates struggling to raise grassroots money should contemplate Bryces campaign strategy. As we reported earlier, Bryce has raised $4.75 in small donor contributions-- $2.1 this cycle alone. Following the DCCCs advise is a road to nowhere. Voters and contributors want to know what candidates stand for and what they plan to do in Congress. Randys issues pages are a model for other candidates. Earlier, when he released his womens platform, it ws built around, affordable and accessible health care services for all women. It included strong support and advocating for policies that ensure people of all genders identities and expressions-- including trans men and non-binary identified individuals and others-- have full and equal access to comprehensive, culturally and technically competent reproductive healthcare. Randy will also advocate and support policies that protect transgender and non-binary people from discrimination in healthcare; that ensures access to all medically-necessary transition-related healthcare regardless of their gender presentation; oppose any federal rules that prohibit third party insurers from exempting transition-related services from plans; support clear and financially appropriate Medicare coverage for transition related healthcare; ensure that all people-- regardless of incarceration status-- have access to medically necessary care; will work overall to improve the quality and competence of medical care for trans and non-binary people. In addition, Randy recognizes the disproportionate rates of HIV and AIDS faces by trans communities-- in particular trans women of color-- and he will work with community members and other experts and stakeholders to expand affordable and culturally competent access to PREP and Pep; as well as access to affordable and comprehensive care for those living with HIV. DCCC wants bland and uncontroversial websites? This isnt what theyll find in Bryces campaign. Other points supporting women in combat in the military and ending violence against women and transgender people, as well as the more of less standard Democratic Party positions about passing paid medical and family leave, equal pay for equal work, accountability for lawmakers guilty of sexual harassment, and, of course, Choice. And when he announced his environmental/climate platform, Bill McKibben was so excited that this was his tweeted response! It highlights a Green New Deal, ending fossil fuel subsidies, no fossil fuel money, and 100% renewables by 2050. This is the platform of a strong leader, not just some careerist desperate to get into Congress to go along to get along and feather his nest. Believe me, this is not the kind of videos the DCCC wants too see Democratic candidates pushing on their websites: Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group UCOM offers affordable gadgets at bigger discount Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to New York Governments preventing publication of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper during state of emergency UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers Ucom employees received recognition for their services to the homeland Karen Vardanyan has allocated 105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden. "The Power of One Dram" to overcome childhood cancer Generation A 13 your chance to be the change President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev "uDays" special offer at Ucom: discounts for all smartphones and accessories for 2 days only For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road Call on the international community for an adequate response against azerbaijani aggresssion Transformation and trust are important for success in modern banking. Artak Hanesyan UCOMS LEVEL UP 1700 REGIONAL TARIFF PLAN USERS TO RECEIVE MORE THAN THOSE IN YEREVAN Joint statement Google Ad Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Covid-19: 163 new cases in Armenia Armenia: Remarks by Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi at the press point with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan The United States Welcomes Azerbaijans Release of Armenian Detainees and Armenias Actions to Facilitate Demining The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia International aviation: Council greenlights signing of major agreements with four countries With UCOMs level up tariff plans subscribers have unlimited access to Netflix, Duolingo and Zoom Armenia: Statement by the Spokesperson on the early parliamentary elections Armenias Parliamentary Elections PRESS STATEMENT COVID19:77 new cases Armenias early parliamentary elections were competitive and well run, but polarized and marred by aggressive rhetoric, international observers say International election observers to Armenias early parliamentary elections held press conference Drop Charges Against Rights Defender Sashik Sultanyan UN adviser in Geneva urges access to Douma (video) Voice of America: UN humanitarian adviser for Syria Jan Egeland on Wednesday urged humanitarian access to Douma in Eastern Ghouta where around 150,000 people were "on their knees in terms of needs". Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Egeland said: "Why can we not deliver to the people of Douma today for example even though we are on the eve of a deal for Douma, they are really, really on their knees in terms of needs. There is an ongoing negotiation between the [Syrian] government and the Russian Federation, and the armed group inside Douma, which is the remaining area still under armed opposition control." Warning about UN's underfunded Syria operation this year, the adviser said only 7.7 percent of the UN humanitarian operation for Syria was funded after the first quarter of the year ended. About the city of Idlib, Egeland said Idlib had been the biggest camp in the world for 1.5 million displaced people. The regimes continued ground-and-air attacks on Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, came despite separate cease-fire initiatives endorsed by Russia and the UN Security Council. Since Feb. 19, nearly 1,000 people have been killed in Eastern Ghouta, and the death toll is expected to rise further as attacks by the regime remain ongoing. Over the last eight months, the regime has stepped up its siege, making it nearly impossible for food or medicine to enter the district and leaving thousands of civilians in dire need. The society is extremely disappointed and separated - Ruben Karapetyan (video) Today, the intellectuals of "Spiritual Armenia" initiative sent its message to all Armenians: political and public organizations. The whole logic of the message is to create a common council of all Armenians, which will work on one idea: to pull all Armenians from despair. Armenian Ambassador Ruben Karapetyan, who is part of the initiative, added during the meeting that during 26 years, we have not been able to create a state where Armenians can live and develop. Musician, songwriter Yeghishe Petrosyan, who is also one of the initiators of the "Spiritual Armenia" group, stated that experience has shown that our authorities were not able to become a generator, who will gather together all Armenians "Diaspora-shaped elites do not represent Diaspora issues either. By creating a system, we can be able to find solutions to our nation-wide issues. Intelligence elite must take responsibility for leading the nation's ideology," he added. Brigadier General Amir Hatami made the remarks in a meeting with Kazakhstan's Minister of Defense and Aerospace Industry Beibut Atamkulov on the sidelines of the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security on Wednesday. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Minister of Defense Amir Hatami said Wed. that Iran assisted Syria and Iraq in the fight against terrorism with all its might so that they could uproot terrorism in their respective countries. Brigadier General Amir Hatami made the remarks in a meeting with Kazakhstan's Minister of Defense and Aerospace Industry Beibut Atamkulov on the sidelines of the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security on Wednesday. During the meeting which was held in the Russian capital, the Iranian defense minister hailed the cooperation between Iran and Kazakhstan in international communities as a good model for bilateral relations in the region, and called for further development of ties. Hatami then discussed the current situation in the Middle East, stressing that extremism was being used by the US and Israeli regime to advance their objectives in the region; profit-seeking and exploiting terrorist groups to plunder the resources and riches of regional countries has always been one of the objectives of the dominating powers, he added. The Kazakh minister of defense, for his part, commended the joint cooperation between Iran, Russia and Turkey in combating terrorism and preventing the escalation of tension in Syria. He also expressed hope that by reaching an agreement on the Caspian Sea legal regime, the littoral states would be able to take greater measures in developing political, military and economic cooperation. During the meeting, the sides reviewed bilateral defense and security relations, and reached an agreement on developing cooperation between the two countries. /257 In response to a recent letter by Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Leader of the Islamic Ummah Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei underscored the perennial stances of the Islamic Republic in full support of Palestine and its holy warriors. In response to a recent letter by Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei underscored the perennial stances of the Islamic Republic in full support of Palestine and its holy warriors. He said the remedy for the issue of Palestine lies in the reinforcement of the resisting and unyielding front in the world of Islam and the intensification of the campaign against the usurping regime and its supporters, stressing, Moving toward negotiations with the deceptive, mendacious and usurping regime is an unforgivable mistake that will delay the victory of the Palestinian nation and will bring nothing but harm to the oppressed nation. The full text of the letter by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution is as follows: In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate (Arabic Prayers) Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon our master, the great and faithful Messenger (the Prophet Muhammad) and his immaculate Household and his ennobled companions and those who followed them with good deeds until the Day of Judgement. Dear striving brother, Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, may your successes continue I begin the letter with these luminous words of God, which may seem to have been descended upon us and you this very day: Relent not in pursuit of the enemy. If ye are suffering, lo! they suffer even as ye suffer and ye hope from Allah that for which they cannot hope. Allah is ever Knower, Wise. (Holy Quran 4:104) (Arabic remarks) At a time when the escalation of the tyranny and brutality of the Zionist regime in Gaza has angered and saddened those passionate about the Palestinian issue, I deem it necessary to once again highlight the enduring policies of the Islamic Republic on this important issue, which is the foremost issue of the Islamic Ummah. Without a doubt, fighting and resisting is the only way to save oppressed Palestine and is the only curative prescription for the injuries inflicted upon the body of that brave and proud nation. In your kind letter, you mentioned some of the challenges facing the great Islamic Ummah and pointed to the treachery and hypocrisy by some of the Arab countries in this region and their malicious plots in servitude to the Great Satan (the US) and described Palestinian holy warriors as the fighters at the forefront [of the campaign] against the enemys pressure, tyranny and crimes. What you have written in this regard is the absolute truth and approved by us. We consider ourselves duty-bound to support you in every way. This is a religious obligation and human duty and transcends political events and developments and, God willing, we will fulfill this responsibility as in the past. This great obligation concerns and applies to all Muslim nations and governments and Islamic currents. Today, the restoration of dignity and might for the Islamic Ummah exclusively hinges on resistance against the Hegemony and its malicious plots and the issue of Palestine tops all of the international Islamic issues against the Hegemony. Moving toward dialog with the deceptive, mendacious and usurping regime is an unforgivable mistake that will delay the victory of the Palestinian nation and will bring the oppressed nation nothing but harm. The treachery by some Arab leaders, which is gradually being revealed, also pursues the same goal. The remedy to all of this is the reinforcement of the resisting and unyielding front in the world of Islam and the intensification of the campaign against the usurping regime and its supporters. Nations and particularly zealous youths in Islamic and Arab countries and governments who feel responsible vis-a-vis Palestine must take this great obligation very seriously and force the enemy into retreat toward the point of demise with heroic and prudent struggles. I ask God Almighty to help you and all of the Resistance forces and request the day of your victory, which is a certain event, to be brought forward. Peace and Gods mercy be upon you Seyyed Ali Khamenei April 4, 2018 In a letter to Leader of the Islamic Revolution a while ago, Haniyeh pointed to the dimensions of the great plot by the Hegemony against al-Quds and the Palestinian nation with the aim of destroying Gaza as the fort of resistance and ending the campaign against the occupying regime and normalization of relations of the regions vassal leaders with the regime. He expressed gratitude for the Iranian nations support and the Leader of the Islamic Revolutions guidelines for the Resistance Movement, saying, With Gods permission and the launch of a vigorous popular Intifada in the West Bank and al-Quds, we will thwart the plot of the tyrant of the current era (US President Donald Trump) and rulers of hypocrisy in capitals near and far to eliminate the issue of Palestine. /129 Islamic Republic of Iran has taken its significant stance toward the regional questions based on religious and humanitarian principles not on financial interests, an Iraqi politician said here on Wednesday. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Islamic Republic of Iran has taken its significant stance toward the regional questions based on religious and humanitarian principles not on financial interests, an Iraqi politician said here on Wednesday. Irans 1979 Islamic Revolution has turned into an example to all Islamic countries to defend the Muslim rights, Seyed Ali Mousavi, a prominent member of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq opined. Appreciating Tehrans regional stance, he said that Islamic Republic of Iran is a pioneer in defending the Palestinian cause and liberation of the Holy Quds (Jerusalem). Anyone who intends to deceive others through Iranophobia will not be successful because the realities are clear for the regional nations vividly, the politician stressed. Zarifs remarks nullified the Saudi regimes unfounded and baseless claims against the Islamic Republic of Iran and foiled Saudi rulers Iranophobia plans, Mousavi emphasized. Elaborating on Tehrans positive efforts in the region, the Iraqi official said that during the four-year battle against the terrorist group of ISIL, Islamic Republic of Iran stood by Iraqi people and government firmly and helped the neighboring country to fight against terrorists although Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had imposed war against Iran in 1980-1988. Despite some disagreements with others, Iran continues its efforts to strengthen relations with all countries and Islamic nations as well. He concluded that Saudi Arabia should change its hostile policies against Iran because its animosity will hurt itself first. /129 In a bid to facilitate overtaking at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, the FIA has lengthened the Sakhir circuit's second DRS zone. The governing body stopped short of adding a third DRS stretch as it did in Melbourne, but drivers will be allowed to activate their Drag Reduction System 170 meters after Turn 14, or 100 meters earlier than last year. The change will hopefully boost overtaking opportunities for the run down to Turn 1. As a reminder, drivers need to be within a second of the car they are following at the detection point to activate DRS. The first designated DRS zone at Bahrain is located between Turns 10 and 11 and has not been altered. Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter Syrian children wave Syrian national flags in Wafideen area, northeast of Damascus, Syria, on April 4, 2018. A total of 635 Islam Army militants and their families departed on Wednesday night from the capital Damascus toward the rebel-held city of Jarablus in northern Syria, state news agency SANA reported. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani) DAMASCUS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 635 Islam Army militants and their families departed on Wednesday night from the capital Damascus toward the rebel-held city of Jarablus in northern Syria, state news agency SANA reported. 13 buses transported the Islam Army rebels and their families from the Douma district in Damascus' Eastern Ghouta countryside to a crossing point in the Wafideen area northeast of Damascus before they set off toward Jarablus late in the evening. It's the third batch to leave Douma after 2,328 militants and their families evacuated that area over the past two days. The evacuation of the rebels and their families from Douma comes as a deal was reached on Sunday between the Islam Army militants and the Syrian army under the mediation of Russia. Douma is the last rebel-held area in Eastern Ghouta, after other towns in that sprawling countryside have seen the evacuation of all the rebels and their families toward Idlib province in northwestern Syria. 7 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] White cranes fly over the Momoge National Nature Reserve in Zhenlai County, northeast China's Jilin Province, April 3, 2018. The Momoge nature reserve is a stopover site and breeding place for migratory birds. Now more than 2,000 migrant birds have flied to the reserve after wintering in the south. (Xinhua/Lin Hong) 6 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday unveiled a list of products worth 50 billion U.S. dollars imported from the United States that will be subject to higher tariffs, including soybeans, automobiles, aircraft and chemical products. The decision was made by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council, involving a possible additional tariff of 25 percent on 106 items of products under 14 categories, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on its website. The move was taken after the U.S. administration announced a proposed list of products subject to additional tariffs, which covers Chinese exports worth 50 billion dollars with a suggested tariff rate of 25 percent. "The date of implementation will depend on when the U.S. government imposes the tariffs on Chinese products," the MOF said. PRODUCTS INVOLVED The U.S.-proposed list covers approximately 1,300 products imported from China from industries such as aerospace, information and communication technology, robotics and machinery, the Office of U.S. Trade Representative said in a statement. The proposed tariff list is based on a Section 301 investigation into alleged Chinese intellectual property and technology transfer practices launched by the U.S. administration in August 2017. In response, China's list includes a wide variety of agricultural products such as soybeans, corn, beef, orange juice and tobacco. U.S. soybeans sold to China account for 62 percent of its total soybean exports, with 32.85 million tonnes of soybeans exported to China in 2017, or 34.39 percent of China's total imports, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said at a press conference. While U.S. farmers can get the benefits from healthy Sino-U.S. economic ties, the export amount to China was "too big," he said. Chinese farmers have petitioned industry associations, claiming that U.S. subsidies hurt the interests of Chinese soybean growers, and China must respect its farmers' demands, Zhu said. "That's why soybeans became one of our choices as a countermeasure," he added. China was forced to bring forward the product list, and there are grounds for the specific items and their order on the list, Zhu said. A range of chemicals and automobiles, as well as certain aircraft, will also be subject to the tariffs, according to the list. The Boeing 737 narrow body jet falls under the description and may have to face additional tariffs when entering China. Boeing's shares plunged more than 4 percent in premarket trading Wednesday. REACTION WITH "RESTRAINT" "Disregarding serious representations by China, the United States announced tariff proposals that are completely unfounded, a typical unilateralist and protectionist practice that China strongly condemns and firmly opposes," the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on its website. The U.S. move was "an evident violation of rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO)," the MOC said. Its measures "severely infringed on the legitimate rights and interests that China enjoys in accordance with the WTO rules, and threatened China's economic interests and security," the MOC said. New tariffs China decided to impose on U.S. products were a reaction to "the emergency caused by the U.S. violation of international obligations," it added. China has filed a request for consultations under the WTO dispute settlement framework over the U.S.-proposed list, the MOC said in a separate statement. "China is an active participant, firm supporter and an important contributor in multilateral trade mechanisms," said the statement, citing an unnamed spokesperson. "We hope and believe that the WTO dispute settlement body will deal with the case in an objective and just manner to safeguard rule-based international trade order," the spokesperson said. The economies of China and the United States are highly complementary, and "cooperation is the only right choice for the two countries," the MOF said. Since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1979, bilateral trade has surged more than 230 times to 580 billion dollars in 2017, data showed. "I have to say that we were forced to take countermeasures, and we have reacted with restraint," Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen told reporters. Both countries should stay rational, enhance communication and manage differences in a constructive manner, according to the MOF. They should seek constructive measures to deal with problems and challenges so as to bring bilateral economic ties back to a healthy and stable track, Zhu said. China does not want a trade war, as there will be no winners, according to Wang. "But we are also not afraid of it. If someone insists on starting such a war, we will fight till the end," Wang said. [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] The lawsuit of the Justice Ministry of Ukraine to recover UAH 705 million from PJSC LINIK (Lysychansk oil refinery, Luhansk region), which is owned by Rosneft, as recourse in the lawsuit of Agrocomplex lost in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) does not involve politics, Deputy Director of the judicial work and bankruptcy department of the Justice Ministry Ihor Bahno has said. "This issue does not absolutely involve politics. It has no political motivation whatsoever. It is based on significant legal grounds without bias. It is always necessary to be responsible for our debts, including debts to the state. So we are determined to prove our position and go to the end," Bahno said at a briefing in Kharkiv on Wednesday. Deputy Minister of Justice Serhiy Shkliar, who also was present at the briefing, said that this is not the only lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice for recovering funds as a recourse against claims lost in the ECHR. So, the business court of Kyiv is hearing a claim to recover UAH 54.2 million from Kyivenergo, as a recourse under the Golden Mandarin Oil lawsuit lost in the ECHR, and the business court of Kyiv region is hearing a claim to recover UAH 176 million from the State Fiscal Service as a recourse on the lawsuit of the Irish company East/West Alliance Limited with an office in Ukraine lost in the ECHR. Shkliar pointed out the complexity of the lawsuit to recover the funds from LINIK. "The lawsuit is very complicated. Therefore we repeatedly petitioned that it should be heard by a judicial panel (three judges). These petitions, unfortunately, were not satisfied," Shkliar said. Bahno said that the court also refused to satisfy the Justice Ministry's petitions to take measures to secure the lawsuit (from the seizure of property and accounts to the ban on selling property). "We will appeal against refusals to take measures to secure the lawsuit using the appellate and cassation procedures," Bahno said. Kyiv to be able to convince partners of effective use of exit capital tax in Ukraine - Poroshenko Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is confident that Ukraine will be able to convince the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of the necessity of introducing the exit capital tax. "I declare that we will be able to convince our partners that this [the exit capital tax] today would work in Ukraine, if it works effectively in many countries, starting from Estonia, ending with Georgia. This would significantly increase the investment attractiveness of our state and each region," the president said at an extended government meeting on decentralization in Vinnytsia on Thursday. The president said that, on his behalf, the issue of justifying the need to introduce the exit capital tax is being discussed at the negotiations with the IMF. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has met with U.S. Senator Rob Portman and awarded him a third-grade Order of Merit for distinguished service, and also discussed with him the situation in Donbas and the course of reforms in Ukraine. "Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has met with U.S. Senator Rob Portman and awarded him a third-grade Order of Merit for distinguished service," the presidential website said on Wednesday evening. It is noted that this high award was given to Portman "for his personal contribution to strengthening Ukrainian-American interstate cooperation, upholding the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine." Poroshenko presented this award to Portman during a meeting that took place in the presidential administration. The Ukrainian president expressed gratitude for the strong bipartisan support of Ukraine from the U.S. Senate and the active and consistent work in that direction of the Senate Ukraine Caucus co-chaired by Senator Portman. Poroshenko noted Portman's personal contribution to providing military assistance to Ukraine, including defensive weapons, as well as to imposing sanctions against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine. The two officials also discussed the situation in Donbas. They resolutely condemned ongoing violations of the Easter ceasefire by the Russian-controlled militants. "They agreed the sanctions against Russia should remain in force to make it end armed provocations, stop escalating tensions and ensure the proper implementation of the Minsk accords," the message reads. In addition, Poroshenko stressed the importance of further coordinated international efforts to deploy an effective UN peacekeeping mission to Donbas. Special attention was paid to strengthening unity on energy issues, and in this context, threats posed by the Nord Stream 2 project were mentioned. "Poroshenko and Portman also discussed topical issues of reforms that are being implemented in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president informed the U.S. senator about the progress achieved in that area and briefed about planned steps, in particular in adopting a national security law and fighting against corruption," it says. Russia's hybrid military forces have attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 39 times in the past 24 hours with no casualties reported, the press center of the headquarters of Ukraine's military operations has reported. "The militants of the Russian-occupation troops continue disrupting the 'Easter truce' in the area of the military operation. Over the past day, 39 shelling attacks on positions of our defenders have been recorded," the press center of the headquarters of Ukraine's military operations reported on Facebook on Thursday morning. In the Donetsk sector, the defenders of Butovka coal mine came under fire from 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, and small arms. The enemy also fired from grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms at our fortified positions near the town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Lebedynske and Kamianka. Russian occupation forces also employed grenade launchers near the village of Vodiane and the town of Maryinka, infantry fighting vehicle guns near the village of Hnutove, heavy machine guns near the villages of Opytne and Hnutove, and sniper rifles and small arms - against the defenders of the villages of Shyrokyne and Vodiane. Moreover, small arms were used near the villages of Pavlopil, Hnutove and Nevelske. In the Luhansk sector, the invaders opened fire from small arms at the Ukrainian fortified positions near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska, as well as the Donets railway station. "No Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded in action," it said. Russia is not going to refuse to continue armed aggression in the east of Ukraine, and there is a possibility that the conflict in Donbas will grow into full-scale aggression of the Kremlin, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has said. "According to our information, Russia is not going to refuse to continue armed aggression in the east of Ukraine, as evidenced by the Russian military presence in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the conduct of military operations against the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Last year our positions in the east were shelled more than 15,000 times," Poltorak said in an interview with the Uriadovy Kurier newspaper, published on Thursday. According to him, the Russian leaders are looking for a way to turn the organized aggression in Donbas into a frozen conflict, rather than regulating it. "Moreover, Putin's regime still hopes for the return of our state to the so-called Russian world and Ukraine's rejection of Euro-Atlantic integration. Moscow is not going to implement the Minsk agreements - it is not included in its plans, as is the withdrawal of the occupation troops from our territory and the return of control over the site of the Russian-Ukrainian state border to the Ukrainian side," he said. He said that the enemy's operational plans contain many options for conducting military operations in Ukrainian territory. "It is quite expected that the aggression will continue in the east of Ukraine, moreover, it is likely that the conflict will turn into a full-scale aggression of the Kremlin. It is a truth that destroys illusions about Russia's refusal to occupy part of our territory and withdraw its troops in the near future," the defense minister said. According to him, Russia concentrated 19 battalion tactical groups of the first and second echelons of more than 77,000 people at the Ukrainian border. The group includes about a thousand tanks, 2,300 combat vehicles, more than 1,100 artillery systems and about 400 systems of salvo fire. "Ukraine will continue to support the course of the political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict in the east of the country, while we can and will use the sovereign right to self-defense. Therefore, our country will act within the complex of political, diplomatic, sanctioning and other measures for the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and repelling and deterring the armed aggression of the Russian Federation," Poltorak said. The mastermind of the terrorist act, in which MP from the Radical Party Ihor Mosiychuk was injured, was a representative of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, one committer has been detained, two more have been put on the wanted list, first deputy prosecutor of the city of Kyiv, Pavlo Kononenko, has said. "Given the information received, it was they who needed Mosiychuk," Kononenko said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday. "Organizer-representative of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation," deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine Viktor Kononenko added. He also recalled that one of the perpetrators of this act of terrorism was detained, two more were put on the wanted list. According to the investigation, they are on the territory of the Russian Federation. The condition of Ukrainian activist Volodymyr Balukh convicted in Crimea, who is on a hunger strike, is deteriorating, but he does not intend to stop the protest, the convict's lawyer, Olha Dinze, has said. "This [hunger strike] is hard for him. In addition, there are constant provocations by the administration of the institution, which bring him delicious food, tempting him to start eating. This destabilizes him a little, but he holds on and keeps his word," the website Crimea-Realities quoted the lawyer as saying on Wednesday, April 4. Representatives of Russian law enforcement agencies in Crimea decline to comment on the case of Balukh, the conditions of his detention and health. The convicted Ukrainian activist continues an indefinite hunger strike. As reported, Ukrainian farmer Balukh was arrested on December 8, 2016 in his house in the village of Serebrianka of Rozdolne district of Crimea temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. Russian authorities charged him with possession of ammunition. Crimea's Rozdolne District Court sentenced Balukh to three years and seven months of imprisonment in a low-security penal colony and to a fine of 10,000 Russian rubles. Balukh's defense team said the case was fabricated, and his verdict would be appealed in courts of higher instances. On March 19, Balukh declared a hunger strike. Poroshenko plans to discuss with Merkel UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas, support for reforms President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has said that during the upcoming meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel he intends to discuss the UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas and support for reforms in Ukraine. "What will we talk about? Peace, peacekeepers, support for reforms, specific projects that we are deploying with Germany in Ukraine," Poroshenko said at a press conference in Vinnytsia on Thursday. The president said that he leaves for Germany on Monday, April 9. "This is one of the first foreign meetings of the new German government," Poroshenko said. As it was reported, Poroshenko is scheduled to meet with Merkel on April 10. The U.S. stands for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and is ready to oppose Russia's actions in Donbas and Crimea annexed by it, U.S. Senator Robert Portman has said. The administration [of the United States President Donald] Trump, despite the fact that they say in the media, has adopted a certain path on supporting Ukraine ... we will continue to do this in pre-election time in Ukraine, he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday. The senator recalled that the U.S. sanctions against Russia were extended, and a decision was made to provide Ukraine with defensive weapons. The aggression that continues in the east [of Ukraine] and the illegal annexation of Crimea, of course, outrages us. We are staying with the Ukrainian people, defending territorial integrity and are ready to insist on this until Crimea is returned. And we are ready to create resistance to Russia, which resorts to improper actions in Crimea and Donbas, the senator said. According to him, the administration of Trump tries to maintain constructive relations with Russia Federation, in particular, in order to resolve the issue of nuclear weapons. The fact that the presidents [of U.S. Trump and of Russia Vladimir Putin] are going to meet, concerns intentions to conduct a dialogue. There are many issues that the presidents need to discuss, not only what is happening in Ukraine, it is more about the hybrid war, Portman said. On Friday, April 6, at 11.00, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference titled "Ignoring Criminal Procedure Norms after Adoption of "Stop Masks-Show" Law". The participants will include co-founder of the Biotexcom clinic Albert Totchilovsky, lawyer Viacheslav Samsonenko, legal adviser of the Polyglot Translation Bureau LLC Denys Herman, and lawyer Denys Statnikov (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation. On April 19, 2018, the III "Ukrainian Infrastructure Forum" will be held in Kyiv, the largest forum in Ukraine focusing on attracting investments into the infrastructure sector. Forum organizer - A7 CONFERENCES. Solar Energy Partner - RENTECHNO, Partner Limtrans. Official Carrier - Turkish Airlines, Investment Partner - A7 CAPITAL. Venue: Fairmont Grand Hotel Kyiv (Naberezhno-Khreshchatyk Str., 1). Date: April 19, 2018 (7:30-17:20) The investment opportunities of the local infrastructure market are the main focus of the Ukrainian Infrastructure Forum. For the third time our Forum will bring together influential players in the industry, Ukrainian manufactures, international investors, profile associations, embassies, leading media and related industries. This events purpose is to attract the attention of international and local investors to the potential of the Ukrainian transport system. The infrastructure sector in Ukraine has been growing over the past few years, with major changes taking place in 2017. Being the leading infrastructure sector, the air transport reached great numbers last year: Boryspil International Airport served more than 10 million passengers, absolute record among Ukrainian airports, earning about 4 billion UAH. Also in 2017 the International Airport Kiev-Zhulyany, the Odessa International Airport, and Danylo Halytskyi International Airport Lviv overtook the number of one million passengers in August, October and December, respectively. The Ministry of Infrastructure in Ukraine reported that 800 million UAH were located in the modernization of Ukrainian regional airports in the same year. The automotive infrastructure sector has also been developing since 2017. The amount of 54 billion UAH were earmarked to Ukravtodor (State Agency of Motor Roads of Ukraine) and around 2100 km of roads were repaired (1150 km more than in 2016), showing the importance of the sector. Also the year of 2018 promises to be special for starting the All-Ukrainian road reform. It involves three steps: the creation of the State Road Fund (started on January 1, 2018), decentralization of roads and road safety. Another branch of infrastructure that rapidly develop is rail transport. In 2017, PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia (a state owned enterprise of rail transport in Ukraine) received a profit of about 100 million UAH, building 2333 gondola cars during this year. For 2018 they plan to buy 2,755 open wagons at their own expense and 3,000 for EBRD funds, besides, 3,600 open wagons will be built. Interestingly, over 2017, more than 90 million passengers were transported, and 728.4 million investments were attracted. In addition, by May 2018, they promise to complete the reconstruction of the new Beskid Tunnel. Regarding water transport, the Ministry of Infrastructure at the annual conference said that modernization of seaport infrastructure will be a key activity in 2018. The net profit of Ukraine's ports in 2017 was about 3.4 billion UAH. In that year, about 1.87 billion UAH was invested in the sea infrastructure, and in 2018 it is planned to attract 4.26 billion UAH. In 2017, USEP "Ukrposhta" net income grew by 20% - by 5.5 billion UAH, compared with 4.4 billion in 2016. This year, they are going to introduce technology personal cabinet, chat bots and APIs, as well as increase the number of international shipping, upgrade computers in offices and a mobile app. Therefore, we can already see some shifts in the field of communications. The III Ukrainian Infrastructure Forum will present the experience of Ukrainian and foreign leading companies in diverse fields as well as their experience in working with investments. The first session at the Forum will be "Ukraine as a Logistics Hub for Foreign Investments". Reports on this topic will consider on the program of development of automobile infrastructure and the activity of road funds, the possibilities of logistics and modernization of urban transport. The next session will focus on air transport, in which speakers will reveal the competitive capabilities of the Ukrainian air carrier, the development of a network of airports, the peculiarities of legislation and the introduction of low-level vehicles. Rail and suburban transport will be covered in the reports of the third section, namely the investment opportunities of the sector projects, modernization, development prospects, as well as the updating of rolling stock and the localization of technological solutions for Ukrainian infrastructure. The digital infrastructure and telecommunications are dedicated to the last session of the Forum. Specialists of the industry will prepare expert reports on the importance of digital infrastructure for the development of the Ukrainian economy as a whole, the development of telecommunications in Ukraine, the introduction of 4G-link and the experience of attracting investment in the field. Forum organizer - A7 CONFERENCES. Solar Energy Partner - RENTECHNO, Partner Limtrans. Official Carrier - Turkish Airlines, Investment Partner - A7 CAPITAL. General Informational TV Partner News One. General Informational Partner RBC Ukraine. General News Partner Interfax-Ukraine. Exclusive Business Media Partner Business magazine. International Business Media Partner UBJ. Media Partners: Novoje Vremia, Focus, Apostrophe, Capstroitelstvo, Ecologiia pidpriemnitsva, LigaBusinessInform, Global Ukraine, International Journal "Shipping". Supported by: American Chamber of Commerce, Kyiv Post, GO VCTRTI, LLC "DIRECT INVESTMENTS", etc. The agenda and additional information can be found at: a7conf.com/infra Media Accreditation by tel.: +38 044 227 27 77, +38 096 515 43 90, victoria@a7-group.com (contact person: Victoria Shcherbatyuk, Communications Manager). Interfax-Ukraine General News Partner of the Forum According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Germany, the US, Indonesia, Italy and Japan were among the countrys key export markets. Germany accounted for more than 14% of exports though its purchases fell by 18% year-on-year. Do Ha Nam, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, described the situation as good. The sectors export target for the 2017-18 crop is 1.5 million tonnes. In the last quarter of 2017, 400,000 tonnes of coffee had been exported, meaning only another 600,000 tonnes have to be exported to meet the target. The association said Vietnams coffee output is expected to increase by 15% this year, but would not create pressure because the increase would be much lower than in most years. Vietnam exported 1.4 million tonnes last year for US$3.2 billion. The countrys exports were down sharply last year due to a fall in output because of the impact of climate change, but thanks to high prices, the export value was down by only 2.7% over 2016, the association said. Vietnam is the second largest exporter behind Brazil. The countrys coffee industry has carried out a restructuring programme to improve its competitiveness by improving productivity, quality and value. Under the programme, the country plans to keep the coffee growing area at 600,000ha and focus on planting new trees with higher productivity and quality, it said. Under the theme Vietnam Expo - Enhancing Regional and Global Economic Links, the event will be held at the Hanoi International Exhibition Centre (ICE), No. 91 Tran Hung Dao. Up to now, the event has attracted the participation of more than 500 booths of 450 enterprises from 23 countries and territories around the world including Egypt, Cambodia, Cuba, Taiwan (China), the Republic of Korea (RoK), Hong Kong (China), Laos, Russia, Mongolia, Nepal, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and China. Russia will take part in this years event as a guest of honour, which is expected to bring greater opportunities for effective trade promotion between the two countries. In addition, this years event will mark the 20 year anniversary of RoK's participation in the foreign countries booth, featuring the participation of about 132 RoKs enterprises with 150 booths. The fair will showcase various products of different commodities, including machinery and equipment, construction and building materials, electricity, electronics, information and technology, materials, food and beverages, agricultural products, appliances, and health care products and services. The workshop aimed to introduce research related to hi-tech agriculture, production of safe vegetables, and potential projects in Gia Lai province while creating an environment to connect Australia with Gia Lai investors to participate in the global value chain within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Researchers from both Vietnam and Australia presented their research on packaging technology, the development path of Vietnam and essential values for Australia, and the essential values between Vietnam and Australia through the CPTPP in order to call on investors to Gia Lai province. Chairman of Gia Lai provincial People's Committee Vo Ngoc Thanh expressed his wish that through the workshop investors will come to Gia Lai seeking business opportunities as it is home to enormous untapped potentials and strengths. Gia Lai is the second-largest province of Vietnam and has five national highway routes to connect with coastal central and southern central provinces of Vietnam. The province is also served by the Le Thanh International Border Gate to link to the Triangle Development of Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia. At the event, the Australia - Vietnam Business Council signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Hoang Anh Gia Lai group and Gia Lai's An Khe town on the project of producing organic gac (Momordica cochinchinensis) powder and safe vegetables. The meeting aims to prepare for the 18th NAM Ministerial Meeting on April 5-6. Addressing the event, a representative from Venezuela, the current NAM President, called for stronger solidarity among member countries to promote the role of the movement in building a world with equality and democracy, with the interest of developing countries ensured. The officials discussed contents of a draft document to submit to the NAM Ministerial Meeting, focusing on the implementation of major agendas of the UN, security issues, disarmament, international law, peaceful settlement of disputes, peacekeeping and UN reform. Established in 1961, NAM now has 120 members from the Asia, Latin America and Caribbean regions, accounting for 60% of the UN members. The PM was welcomed at the airport by Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Prak Nguon Hong, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh, Vietnamese Consul General in Battambang Nguyen Xuan Thuy and officials of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Battambang, among others. He is scheduled to meet with Lao Prime Minister Thonglun Sisoulith and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen the same day. The leader will attend the opening session of the summit and meet with overseas Vietnamese people in Cambodia to extend his greetings on the occasion of the traditional New Year of the Khmer people on April 5. The MRC Summit, themed Joint Efforts and Partnership towards Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Mekong, will create an opportunity for countries to review the operation of the MRC over the past four years and work to realise sustainable development goals. The 4,800 km-long Mekong River flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Its basin spreads over 795,000 square kilometres in the four countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. In 1956, the Mekong Committee was established under the auspices of the United Nations to coordinate aid and manage resources in the river basin. In 1995, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam signed an Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River and set up the MRC, replacing the Mekong Committee. The MRC holds its summit every four years, starting from 2010. The first MRC summit was held in Hua Hin, Thailand in 2010 and the second one took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2014. PM Phuc thanked PM Thongloun Sisoulith and Lao delegation for contributing to the success of the sixth Greater Mekong Sub-region Summit (GMS 6) and the tenth Cambodia Laos Vietnam Development Triangle Summit (CLV 10) held in Hanoi last week. He suggested that in accordance with the high-level agreement between the two Politburos, the two countries will work closely together at all levels, at bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to promote the effective and sustainable use and management of Mekong River water resources, harmoniously ensuring interests of nations along the river for the sustainable development of the two countries and the region. Phuc asked the Lao PM to facilitate Vietnamese investment in Laos, direct the implementation of the bilateral labour cooperation agreement, speed up the simplification of administrative procedures, reduce fees of labour permits, visas and residence cards for Vietnamese workers in the country. He wished that the Lao government would offer optimal support to Vietnamese to acquire Lao citizenship and establish the Association of Overseas Vietnamese in several Lao provinces. Both sides agreed to actively realise agreements reached during leaders visits and the outcomes of the 40th meeting of the Vietnam Laos Inter-Governmental Committee, improve the efficiency of bilateral cooperation in 2018 and accelerate the implementation of the Vietnam Laos cooperation agreement for 2016-2020. They vowed to uphold the success of the Vietnam Laos Year of Friendship and Solidarity 2017, and actively educate the two countries young generations about Vietnam Laos special solidarity. On the occasion of the upcoming Lao traditional New Year festival Bun Pi May, the Vietnamese PM conveyed New Year wishes to Lao leaders and wished that Lao would keep thriving. Welcoming PM Phuc and his entourage to Cambodia for the third MRC Summit, Cambodia PM Hun Sen said he believes the participation of the Vietnamese delegation will contribute to the events success. The PM Phuc, for his part, expressed his delight to visit Cambodia when Chol Chnam Thmay, the New Year festival of Cambodia, is approaching. He said Cambodias hosting of the MRC Summit and the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Leaders Meeting in January has contributed to raise the countrys role and position in the region. He reiterated Vietnams consistent policy in relations with Cambodia, saying Vietnam wants to continue stepping up friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia. The two leaders said they are pleased with the strong development of the two countries relations in recent years and showed their determination to deepen bilateral ties and bring their partnership to a new height. They highly appreciated the two countries signing a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and the minutes of the meeting of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting on the sidelines of the sixth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS-6) and the 10th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Summit (CLV-10) which took place in Hanoi last week. They agreed to maintain the exchange of high-level visits and coordinate in organising the 16th meeting of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Economic, Cultural and Scientific-Technological Cooperation in Hanoi on May 16-18. The two PMs exchanged views on issues of mutual concern, including border issues and Vietnamese people in Cambodia. They consented to work together to settle issues related to the legal status of Vietnamese people in Cambodia on the basis of Cambodian law. PM Phuc is in Cambodia for the third MRC Summit. He is scheduled to attend the opening session of the summit and meet with overseas Vietnamese people in Cambodia to extend his Chol Chnam Thmay greetings on April 5. This years MRC Summit, themed Joint Efforts and Partnership towards Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Mekong, will create an opportunity for countries to review the operation of the MRC over the past four years and work to realise sustainable development goals. The first event of its kind opened in Hua Hin, Thailand in 2010 and the second one took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2014. The signing took place following a meeting between the two ministers on the fringes of the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security. At the meeting, Minister Lich extolled the level of technical-military collaboration between the two nations. Following the Russian ministers official visit to Vietnam in January, Russia had sent a Pacific Fleet rescue boat to Vietnam to hold joint exercises for search and rescue operations. A Russian delegation also visited Vietnam to discuss a draft agreement on the search for submarines in distress. Minister Lich also took the occasion to thank his Russian counterpart for granting scholarships for Vietnamese students to pursue their studies at Russian military schools. For his part, the Russian minister expressed his delight over the sound bilateral collaboration in science and technology, hoping that regular meetings between leaders of the two defence ministries will help bolster the traditional collaborative ties. Minister Lich and the Vietnamese delegation also held meetings with military delegations from Laos and Cambodia. The 7th Moscow Conference on International Security is taking place in Moscow, Russia, from April 4-5, attracting the participation of more than 850 representatives from 95 countries and territories worldwide, including 30 defence ministers. The conference focuses on the defeat of terrorists in Syria and security issues facing Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. The use of soft power as a tool to pursue military-political objectives is also on the agenda. On April 5, the Vietnamese Defence Minister is scheduled to make an important speech, which will highlight the emerging challenges and security threats in Asia Pacific, and the need to enhance multilateral cooperation to deal with those challenges. The PM expressed his best wishes to them on the occasion of the traditional New Year of Cambodia and lauded them for linking the two countries together. He updated them on the development of ties between the two countries, saying that during working sessions, Vietnam asked the Cambodian government to offer all possible support to Vietnamese Cambodians, especially in legal procedures, education and life improvement. He also required the General Association of Vietnamese Cambodians, Vietnamese representative agencies and businesses in Cambodia to stand side by side with their fellow Vietnamese in the country. The leader also urged them to respect and abide by Cambodian law, contribute to building a prosperous Cambodia and maintain Vietnamese language and traditional culture. Representatives of the Vietnamese Cambodian community wished that the Vietnamese Party and State will provide them with further support so that they can contribute more to Cambodia and the homeland. On the occasion, the PM also presented gifts to poor Vietnamese Cambodian households. Hang said the fire occurred at about 2:30 on April 3 at Ratchethewi apartment building in Bangkok, Thailand, killing three people and injuring 60 others. The Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand immediately worked with local authorities to ask for verification and search for Vietnamese citizens, she stressed. The three dead victims were identified as not Vietnamese, Hang said, adding that among the wounded were 13 Vietnamese citizens. Right in the afternoon of April 3, Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Hai Bang visited and gave support to the Vietnamese injured victims who were being treated at local hospitals. A number of victims had been discharged from hospitals by April 5 while the remainders are still undergoing treatment. The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the embassy to keep a close watch on the case, get regular updates from local authorities and hospitals, and take necessary steps to protect Vietnamese citizens, she said. Hang made the statement at the ministrys regular press conference in Hanoi on April 5, in response to reporters queries regarding some human rights organisations voicing their condemnation of the trial on April 5, 2018 for six defendants accused of trying to overthrow the peoples administration. She said Vietnam rejected the inaccurate and subjective information provided by these organisations, affirming that in Vietnam, there are neither so-called prisoners of conscience nor arrests of people who have freely expressed their own opinions. Like in other countries worldwide, in Vietnam, all violations of law will be strictly handled in line with legal regulations, the spokesperson said. Hang emphasised that Vietnams efforts and achievements in ensuring and promoting human rights over the past years have been widely acknowledged by the international community. The Vietnamese legislator praised contributions made by the former IPU leader, saying that his knowledge of international law and parliamentary diplomacy helped promote the development of international parliament diplomacy, and the sharing of experience among IPU member nations. She also highlighted the close cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the IPU for nearly four decades, affirming that the partnership brought remarkable achievements. Support and cooperation provided the IPU in general and the former IPU leader helped the Vietnamese legislature compete its responsibility towards the international community, she stressed, adding that Vietnam always respects his sentiments and assistance for Vietnam. In reply, Johnsson said he hopes for more visits to Vietnam in the future so he can continue sharing his experience and knowledge related to parliamentary diplomacy with the Vietnamese NA. The event was attended by Politburo member, Secretary of Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the PCC's Commission for Mass Mobilisation, Truong Thi Mai, and PCC members: Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh and VPSU President Bui Van Cuong. Addressing the congress, Politburo member Truong Thi Mai spoke highly of the results achieved by the VPSU over the past tenure. She asked the VPSU staff to continue focusing on grassroots activities at all levels to fulfil their role of representing, caring for, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of civil servants and employees. Attention should be paid to establishing close coordination with ministries, sectors, localities, and press agencies to disseminate the Partys policies and the States laws, she noted. In the past tenure, the VGCL have fulfilled the objectives and 10 targets set by the Resolution adopted at the fourth congress of the VPSU. Over the past 5 years, civil servants and employees of the VPSU have advised the authorities on cutting more than 2,000 administrative procedures. The supervision and inspection of the implementation of the Labour Code, the Trade Union Law and policies related to workers have been strengthened. More than 1,500 inspections were conducted at all levels and 12 legal consultations were organised for over 2,000 employees at enterprises. The event was co-organised by Vietnams Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam. Participants at the event focused their discussions on solutions to boost green growth in Vietnam, opportunities and challenges in the deployment of green growth policies, and ways to attract greater investment from business communities in Vietnam and Switzerland for green growth projects. Addressing the forum, MPI Minister Nguyen Chi Dung appreciated the Swiss Government for giving priorities to facilitating Vietnams private sector, promoting the efficient use of resources, and supporting the Vietnamese Government and private enterprises to realise the clean production concept in the country. He emphasised the importance of bilateral cooperation in green growth and sustainable development with a focus on three major areas: strengthening economic institutions and policies, developing the private sector with efficient use of resources and improved competitiveness, and fostering sustainable urban development and climate change adaption. For her part, Doris Leuthard, Head of the Federation Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication expressed her delight that bilateral cooperation has been further deepened in a practical manner. She suggested that Vietnam conduct further research on and mobilise available resources and financial sources for boosting green growth, while addressing any arising problems and challenges for its socio-economic development. * Facebook Inc said on April 4 that the personal information of up to 87 million users, mostly in the United States, may have been improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, up from a previous news media estimate of more than 50 million. * The presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran vowed to secure the territorial integrity of Syria during a trilateral summit in Ankara on April 4. Cooperation between the rival camps raised hopes of stabilizing Syria after seven years of conflict, in which 500,000 people have been killed with half the population displaced. * Macedonia has decided it wants to join NATO as its 30th member, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev declared on April 4 during a reception organized by the NATO Liaison Office on the occasion of NATO day. * US President Donald Trump on April 4 spoke over phone with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on efforts to eradicate the extremist militant group Islamic State, said the White House. * Russia's call for a joint inquiry to be held into the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in England failed on April 4 when it was outvoted 15-6 at a meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. * Mexico, Canada and the United States have made good progress in their bid to modernize the NAFTA trade pact but still have work to do, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on April 4. Freeland also said she would be flying to Washington for a meeting on April 5 with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who is pushing hard for a quick deal in principle to finish before a July 1 presidential election in Mexico. * The White House said on April 4 that the US military mission to fight against the extremist group Islamic State (IS) in Syria is coming to "a rapid end" amid speculations of possible quick US troop withdrawal from the war-torn country. There were around 2,000 US troops remaining in Syria. *Julius Maada Bio of the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party won Sierra Leone's presidential runoff, the National Electoral Commission said on April 4. * Delegations of Egypt and Ethiopia on April 4 arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to take part in a tripartite meeting regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). ABC15 Arizona(PHOENIX) -- Instead of walking out of class, Arizona teachers staged "walk-ins" in their fight for a pay hike. In a twist on red state teacher demonstrations that have been sweeping the country, thousands of teachers across Arizona gathered outside their respective schools in an effort to rally in support of community residents in their ongoing attempt to win better wages. Before classes started today, teachers, many wearing T-shirts reading "#RedForEd," greeted parents and students with signs reading, "Don't Shortchange Education" and "Help me Help Them." Just before school started, the educators, among the lowest paid in the nation, entered their classrooms, many arm-in-arm with students, and got down to the business of reading, writing and arithmetic. The demonstration came a week after more than 2,500 Arizona teachers held a rally at the state capitol in Phoenix to demand Gov. Doug Ducey and the state's Republican-dominated legislature increase education funding and boost their pay by 20 percent. Arizona public school educators, who earn $47,218 a year on average, rank 42nd in the nation for teacher pay, according to a 2017 report by the National Education Association. "What makes me even more disappointed is that our legislature doesn't seem to care that we're at the bottom. They seem to be OK with that," Beth Symek, president of the Arizona Parent Teacher Association, told ABC affiliate KNXV in Phoenix. The Arizona teachers are planning a larger protest next week, union officials said. Ducey and the Arizona legislature have offered the teachers a 1 percent pay hike. Ducey has noted that the state already gave teachers a 4.3 percent raise from 2016 to 2017. The "walk-in" demonstrations came as Oklahoma public school teachers continued a classroom walkout for the fourth day. Thousands of teachers have swarmed the state capitol in Oklahoma City this week to demand more funding for education resources and higher pay for support staff. The Oklahoma protest comes after Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation last week granting teachers annual pay raises averaging $6,100, the largest in state history. Oklahoma teachers had been making an average of $45,276 a year, among the lowest wages for educators in the country, according to the National Education Association report. While teachers in Oklahoma say they appreciate the pay raise, they are upset that state lawmakers shortchanged their students by slating $50 million for education programs and supplies. Alicia Priest, president of the Oklahoma Education Association, said the union had asked that teachers' pay be raised by $10,000 annually and that funding for education be boosted by $200 million over the next three years. Fallin has demanded the teachers go back to work, but the teachers have said they will continue their walkout until their demands are met. Earlier this week, teachers in Kentucky staged a huge rally at their state capitol in Frankfort. The Kentucky teachers say they're upset over their state legislature's decision last week to overhaul their pension plan without any say from them. The bill, which is awaiting the governor's signature, would create a hybrid pension plan for new hires and limit the number of accrued sick days veteran teachers can put toward retirement. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has indicated he supports the bill but has yet to sign it. The Republican-dominated Kentucky legislature says the pension reform bill was crafted to help the state cover a $41 billion shortfall in pension costs over the next 30 years. But teachers' union officials said the pension overhaul would only generate $300 million in savings over the next three decades. The red state teacher revolt started about a month ago in West Virginia, where educators won a 5 percent pay raise after going on strike for nine days. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday unveiled a list of products worth 50 billion U.S. dollars imported from the United States that will be subject to higher tariffs, including soybeans, automobiles, aircraft and chemical products. The decision was made by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council, involving a possible additional tariff of 25 percent on 106 items of products under 14 categories, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on its website. The move was taken after the U.S. administration announced a proposed list of products subject to additional tariffs, which covers Chinese exports worth 50 billion dollars with a suggested tariff rate of 25 percent. "The date of implementation will depend on when the U.S. government imposes the tariffs on Chinese products," the MOF said. PRODUCTS INVOLVED The U.S.-proposed list covers approximately 1,300 products imported from China from industries such as aerospace, information and communication technology, robotics and machinery, the Office of U.S. Trade Representative said in a statement. The proposed tariff list is based on a Section 301 investigation into alleged Chinese intellectual property and technology transfer practices launched by the U.S. administration in August 2017. In response, China's list includes a wide variety of agricultural products such as soybeans, corn, beef, orange juice and tobacco. U.S. soybeans sold to China account for 62 percent of its total soybean exports, with 32.85 million tonnes of soybeans exported to China in 2017, or 34.39 percent of China's total imports, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said at a press conference. While U.S. farmers can get the benefits from healthy Sino-U.S. economic ties, the export amount to China was "too big," he said. Chinese farmers have petitioned industry associations, claiming that U.S. subsidies hurt the interests of Chinese soybean growers, and China must respect its farmers' demands, Zhu said. "That's why soybeans became one of our choices as a countermeasure," he added. China was forced to bring forward the product list, and there are grounds for the specific items and their order on the list, Zhu said. A range of chemicals and automobiles, as well as certain aircraft, will also be subject to the tariffs, according to the list. The Boeing 737 narrow body jet falls under the description and may have to face additional tariffs when entering China. Boeing's shares plunged more than 4 percent in premarket trading Wednesday. REACTION WITH "RESTRAINT" "Disregarding serious representations by China, the United States announced tariff proposals that are completely unfounded, a typical unilateralist and protectionist practice that China strongly condemns and firmly opposes," the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on its website. The U.S. move was "an evident violation of rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO)," the MOC said. Its measures "severely infringed on the legitimate rights and interests that China enjoys in accordance with the WTO rules, and threatened China's economic interests and security," the MOC said. New tariffs China decided to impose on U.S. products were a reaction to "the emergency caused by the U.S. violation of international obligations," it added. China has filed a request for consultations under the WTO dispute settlement framework over the U.S.-proposed list, the MOC said in a separate statement. "China is an active participant, firm supporter and an important contributor in multilateral trade mechanisms," said the statement, citing an unnamed spokesperson. "We hope and believe that the WTO dispute settlement body will deal with the case in an objective and just manner to safeguard rule-based international trade order," the spokesperson said. The economies of China and the United States are highly complementary, and "cooperation is the only right choice for the two countries," the MOF said. Since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1979, bilateral trade has surged more than 230 times to 580 billion dollars in 2017, data showed. "I have to say that we were forced to take countermeasures, and we have reacted with restraint," Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen told reporters. Both countries should stay rational, enhance communication and manage differences in a constructive manner, according to the MOF. They should seek constructive measures to deal with problems and challenges so as to bring bilateral economic ties back to a healthy and stable track, Zhu said. China does not want a trade war, as there will be no winners, according to Wang. "But we are also not afraid of it. If someone insists on starting such a war, we will fight till the end," Wang said. Beijing to turn more old factories into libraries, museums, galleries BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Beijing expects to convert more abandoned factories into public cultural facilities like those in the trendy 798 art zone in the east of the city. The municipal government on Wednesday issued a plan to make better use of old factories by renovating them into libraries, museums, galleries, bookstores, and cinemas to create a hotbed for the national capital's creative culture. Beijing has 242 old empty factories with a total floor space of more than 25 million square meters. Among them, 109 have been renovated and 26 are under renovation. Beijing will evaluate the old factories and work out a protection and development scheme according to the capital's overall city plan. Some old factories will be transformed into creative industry parks, and high-end projects are welcome, according to Zhao Lei, head of Beijing municipal office for state-owned cultural assets supervision and management. LONDON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was on Wednesday accused of misleading the public as a war or words over the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal gathered pace. In a further major development, it emerged a message on a Ministry of Defense social media site has been deleted. It had said government scientists blamed Russia for the attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in the southern England city of Salisbury a month ago. The wrangle over "who did it" was thrown into chaos after the CEO at the British government's own scientific research center at Porton Down said they had not identified Russia as the source of the nerve agent used in the attack. The two victims Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia both remain in hospital in Salisbury where Skripal is in a critical condition. Media attention focused in a television interview Johnson gave a few days ago to a German television station. Diane Abbott, Labour's Shadow Home Secretary, has challenged Johnson to explain his previous comments on the source of the nerve agent Novichok in the case. Abbott said:"It seems Boris Johnson misled the public when he claimed that Porton Down officials confirmed to him that Russia was the source of the nerve agent used in the Salisbury attack. Those officials have made it clear they cannot identify its source, and are not able to definitively say it came from Russia or elsewhere. "Boris Johnson is supposed to represent Britain on the world stage, but time and again he has shown he is unable to do so responsibly." Britain's allies have reacted to the incident by expelling 150 Russian diplomats from their countries. The Russian Embassy in London highlighted how the British Foreign Office had deleted a social media message which had suggested scientists at the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory had said the nerve agent had been produced in Russia. The deleted message read: "Analysis by world-leading experts at Dstl at Porton Down made clear that this was a military grade Novichok nerve agent produced in Russia. Porton Down is OPCW-accredited and designated laboratory." The Foreign Office said the deleted message had been part of a real-time account of a speech by the British ambassador in Moscow and was deleted because it had "not accurately reported the ambassador's words". Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party accused Johnson of completely exceeding the information he had been given. Corbyn told journalists: "The Foreign Office then issued a tweet in support of what the foreign secretary said, and then removed that yesterday after Porton Down had said they couldn't identify the source of it. Boris Johnson has serious questions to answer." Downing Street has been forced into what the Times newspaper in London described as a damage limitation exercise. The government says the Porton Down tests were only one part of the intelligence picture, insisting there was still no other plausible explanation than Russian culpability. The Kremlin has continually denied any involvement in the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter. Moscow has taken corresponding measures in response to the diplomat expulsions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Russia had no interest in poisoning ex-spy Sergei Skripal, but Britain's special services and government could gain from the incident. "It may well be beneficial to the British special services, known for their ability to act with a license to kill," Lavrov said at a news briefing, obviously referring to James Bond, British super spy movie character known as 007. "It may be beneficial to the British government, which found itself in an uncomfortable situation after not fulfilling promises to its electors over Brexit," he added. Meanwhile the British government has described as perverse, a demand by Russia for a joint intervention into the Salisbury poisoning. Russia made its request at a meeting Wednesday in the Hague of OPCW, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. SAN FRANCISCO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The tariff battle between the U.S. and China, which is poised to trigger a trade war between the two sides, will potentially impact farm products of Oregon on the U.S. west coast, an Oregon daily said Wednesday. The tariff announced by China on Sunday will slap an extra 25 percent on U.S. products, which took effect on Monday. China's move came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump administration's unilateral plan to impose steep tariffs on Chinese imports of aluminum and steel announced last month. In Oregon, the tariffs would apply to such agricultural products as hazelnuts, pears, berries, apples and wine, said The Register-Guard, a daily newspaper formed in 1930 and published in Eugene, Oregon in the western United States. "Our assumption is there will be some effect," it quoted Alexis Taylor, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, as saying. The paper said China is Oregon's fourth-largest importer of agriculture products, behind South Korea, Canada and Japan. "In 2017, Oregon sent more than 320 million U.S. dollars in agricultural products to China, including Hong Kong," said the paper, quoting the data of Euromonitor, a global market research company. According to the state's agriculture department, Oregon leads the nation in hazelnut production, accounting for nearly 100 percent of U.S. output, and about 60 percent of Oregon's crop is exported, with Asian and European nations buying much of the harvest. China said it would impose a 15 percent tariff on hazelnuts, also called filberts, along with several other U.S. farm products on Sunday. UNITED NATIONS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said here Wednesday that China firmly opposes the use of chemical weapons under any circumstances. Speaking at the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said that his country is "greatly concerned by the use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria." Recent incidents of suspected use of toxic chemicals are "deeply concerning," and in that regard, establishing a new investigative mechanism to find out the truth and prevent the recurrent use of such weapons is "of vital importance," he said. All parties should continue to insist that the Security Council and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) should be the main channels for addressing the use of chemical weapons, said the Chinese envoy. Wu expressed the hope that the Syrian Government would continue to cooperate with OPCW on the resolution of the initial declaration and properly resolve the outstanding issues. Political settlement is the only way to resolve the Syria issue, and in that context, the international community should support the next round of Geneva talks, Wu said. BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China will roll out more incentives for overseas Chinese students to return for starting their own businesses and making innovation, a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Wednesday. Measures will be introduced to simplify the certification requirements and procedures at local levels and to make it easier for overseas Chinese students to obtain hukou, the government system of household registration for urban residency. Favorable policies concerning the schooling of returnees' children will be implemented without delay, according to a decision at the meeting. Li said that a considerable number of Chinese students now choose to return home for innovation and entrepreneurship each year after completing academic studies overseas. "The policy incentives in the pipeline require close inter-agency cooperation and coordination to see concrete results delivered," he said. Between 1978 and 2017, 83.73 percent of overseas Chinese students, totaling 3.132 million, had come back after completing their studies, according to the Ministry of Education. In 2017 alone, the number of returned students reached 480,900, up by 11.19 percent from 2016. There are now 351 entrepreneurship parks nationwide, home to more than 23,000 companies and attracting 86,000 overseas returnees. According to the decision at the meeting, favorable policies will be adopted to incentivize their entrepreneurship, including intellectual property-backed loans for start-up financing, simpler process for trademark registration, optimized application procedures for export qualification and support for the commercialization of R&D findings. A public service system open to all overseas Chinese students will be established to provide all-around support for their start-up businesses. "Given the changing international environment, we must facilitate two-way flow of talent to provide strong intellectual support to our country's development," Li said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 4, 2018. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China and Zimbabwe on Wednesday agreed to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in key areas and promote their relationship to a new level. The agreement was reached during a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Li said Zimbabwe is an important partner of China in Africa. The two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation during talks between heads of the two countries on Tuesday. Li said China will continue to uphold the principles of sincerity, friendship and equality, and bring new vitality to the traditional friendship between China and Zimbabwe. China is ready to work with Zimbabwe to give full play to the complementary advantages of both economies, innovate cooperation methods and deepen cooperation in infrastructure construction, agriculture, production capacity and human resources, said Li. The Chinese government encourages capable Chinese enterprises to conduct business cooperation in Zimbabwe and is willing to provide support for Zimbabwe's economic and social development within China's capabilities, said the premier. Mnangagwa said the Zimbabwean government is committed to further strengthening traditional friendship with China. Zimbabwe is ready to work with China to cement political mutual trust and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as trade, infrastructure, energy, agriculture and tourism to lift bilateral ties to a new level, said the president. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), also met with Mnangagwa on Wednesday. During their meeting, the top legislator said the NPC is willing to strengthen exchanges with the parliament of Zimbabwe to provide sound legal protection and convenient policy services for business cooperation and personnel exchanges. Mnangagwa voiced his appreciation over China's achievements in development. He showed support for enhanced cooperation between the legislatures of the two countries, saying Zimbabwe will firmly adhere to the one-China policy. Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe speaks during the seventh Moscow Conference on International Security in Moscow, Russia, on April 4, 2018. China is willing to improve defense cooperation with various countries and create a win-win and benefit-sharing global security environment, Wei Fenghe said Wednesday. (Xinhua) MOSCOW, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to improve defense cooperation with various countries and create a win-win and benefit-sharing global security environment, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe said Wednesday. China is ready to work with other countries to promote the concept of common security and resolve disputes through peaceful means, Wei said at the seventh Moscow Conference on International Security. Peace and development are an irreversible trend of our time, and so are multi-polarization and globalization, he said, adding that the idea of cooperation and a win-win situation is widely embraced, and mutual trust and inclusiveness are the correct approach to dealing with international affairs. At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017 and this year's "two sessions", President Xi Jinping demonstrated China's resolution to pursue a path of peaceful development and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, Wei said. China is committed to being a contributor to world peace, a propeller of global growth and a preserver of international order, the defense minister added. As for Chinese-Russian ties, Wei said the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is "as stable as Mount Tai," adding that strengthened cooperation between Chinese and Russian militaries has contributed to regional and global peace and stability. During his visit, Wei also held a formal meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. SAN FRANCISCO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- California's booming wine exports to China have met with a major hurdle as China imposed retaliatory tariff on U.S. wine imports, which took effect on Monday. Wente Vineyards, a winery in Livermore Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California, has recently suspended the shipment of 5,000 cases of wine destined for China. Part of the reason is the importers in China would prefer to wait and see how the tariff implementation plays out, according to the winery, about an hour's ride from San Francisco. The importers would also like to see how Chinese consumers perceive the U.S. products and how it influences their immediate buying habits, said Michael Parr, vice president of international sales at Wente Family Estates, on Wednesday. "We hope that diplomacy and negotiation efforts between U.S.A. and China will step up soon to avoid escalation of these unfair trade barriers," he said. Compared with Wente, Klinker Brick Winery in Lodi city in California Central Valley was luckier. It had already shipped 1,000 cases of wine to Shenzhen in southern China last week. It's the first time that the winery has ever exported wine to China. But the new tariff will pose a major challenge for Klinker Brick's journey into the Chinese market. China started the retaliatory tariffs of between 15 percent and 25 percent on 2.75 billion U.S. dollars worth of U.S. imports, including wine, nuts and pork, in response to steep duties on aluminum and steel announced by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. California farmers call the tariffs "a blow" to their business. The Chinese market is developing rapidly and it has huge potential of imported wine consumers, said Pat Patrick, president and CEO of Lodi Chamber of Commerce. Lodi is a major wine production area in the U.S., with 100,000 acres of wine grapes and about 100 wineries. China is expected to surpass the U.K. as the world's second largest wine market by 2020, driven by the growing middle class and the millennial generation, and China proves to be an exciting market as the California wine industry has seen a growing interest from Chinese consumers, said Patrick. "The Chinese consumers trust American products because they are of top quality," said Patrick. But he said they would have to wait and see if the Chinese consumers were willing to pay more for the U.S. wines. WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai on Wednesday urged Washington to abandon its "unilateral and protectionist practices" and terminate the Section 301 investigation as early as possible. Cui made the remarks while meeting with U.S. Acting Secretary of State John J. Sullivan. Washington Tuesday announced tariffs on a proposed list of Chinese goods worth 50 billion U.S. dollars, covering industries in aerospace, information and communication technology, robotics and machinery. The list was authorized by the U.S. Trade Representative's office, which in August 2017 initiated an unfounded investigation under the Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974 to probe China's intellectual property and technology transfer practices. Cui reiterated China's position on the economic and trade differences between the two countries, saying that the U.S. side shall seek a solution through dialogues and consultations with the Chinese side. The two senior diplomats also exchanged views on the current situation of the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual interest. WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Facebook revealed Wednesday that outsiders took advantage of search tools on its platform, making it possible for them to collect personal information on most of its 2 billion users worldwide without the users' explicit permission. Most of Facebook's 2 billion users may have had their personal data skimmed from the site by "malicious actors," the company said in a blog post by Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer. The revelation came amid rising acknowledgement by Facebook about its struggles to control data it gathers on users. The company also said Wednesday that data firm Cambridge Analytica, which was hired by U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign, had improperly gathered detailed Facebook information on 87 million people, up from a previous news media estimate of more than 50 million. Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg will testify before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11, the panel announced Wednesday. "This hearing will be an important opportunity to shed light on critical consumer data privacy issues and help all Americans better understand what happens to their personal information online," the panel's Republican chairman Greg Walden and top Democrat Frank Pallone said in a statement. Zuckerberg said that he is willing to testify before Congress. The tech giant also hired forensic auditors to investigate whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data, according to reports. WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday directing the deployment of the National Guard to the country's border with Mexico. "The situation at the border has now reached a point of crisis," Trump said in a memorandum to his secretaries of defense and homeland security and to his attorney general. "My administration has no choice but to act," he added. The memo orders that the defense secretary shall support the Department of Homeland Security in securing the southern border and stop the flow of drugs and criminals. It gives 30 days to the agency heads to submit a report to the president as to their findings, along with an action plan. ZHOUSHAN, Zhejiang, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The 29th fleet from Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has left east China's port city Zhoushan for the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somali to escort civilian ships. With over 700 officers and soldiers, dozens of special operation soldiers, and two helicopters on board, the fleet started its journey on Wednesday morning. Under the mandate of the UN Security Council, Chinese Navy began to carry out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia in December 2008. Up to July 2017, it escorted 6,400 Chinese and foreign vessels and warned away more than 3,000 suspected pirate ships. During the missions, the navy also carried out the evacuation of Chinese nationals from war zones in Libya in 2011 and Yemen in 2015. Since 1965, Seiko has continuously pushed back the boundaries in divers watch technology. In 2018, two landmarks in this illustrious history are honored in new Prospex creations. In 1968, the brand announced Japans first hi-beat divers and, ten years later, the worlds first quartz saturation divers watch was created. Now, these two important watches are remembered in commemorative creations that bring the latest in Seikos high technology watchmaking to those who work in and enjoy the underwater world. Original models Seiko Prospex Automatic Diver's Recreation 1968 In 1968, just three years after Seikos first divers watch was made, Seikos engineers raised the bar with a hi-beat divers watch with 300 meter water resistance that was one of the foundation stones on which Seikos future divers watch development was based. It had a 10-beat high precision automatic caliber, a one-piece structure, screw-down protection crown and unidirectional rotating bezel. Prospex Automatic Diver's Recreation 1968 Seiko The 1968 original was for air diving while this new re-creation is specified for saturation diving. Like the original, it features a one piece case construction and a flat case back. It incorporates Caliber 8L55 which was specially designed for divers use and is made by Seikos skilled craftsmen and women in the Shizukuishi Watch Studio in Morioka in the north of Japan. Every detail is of the highest quality; Zaratsu polishing gives the lug sharpness and beauty, a dual curved sapphire crystal ensures high legibility and the strap is made of the latest high strength silicone. The markers have polished edges and those at 12, 6 and 9 are also different in design to ensure that time is read without error even 300 meters down. Prospex Automatic Diver's Commemoration Marinemaster 1968 The same professional specifications are also to be found in a second new creation that commemorates the 1968 divers watch. Its signature feature is the deep green color of the dial and bezel. This rich shade of green reflects the lush tones of the ancient cedar trees on the island of Yakushima at the southern end of the Japanese archipelago. As well as being a World Natural Heritage Site because of its forests, Yakushima is a much loved destination for the diving community, thanks to its crystal clear waters, coral reefs and abundant marine life. Prospex Automatic Diver's Commemoration Marinemaster 1968 Seiko Durability and strength are the watchwords; the zirconia ceramic bezel is highty resistant to scratches and shocks, the stainless steel case has a super-hard coating and the sapphire crystal has an anti-reflective coating both inside and out. The 5, 10, 15 and 20 minute markers on the bezel are painted with a specially powerful Lumibrite to increase the legibility of the rotating bezel and, thereby, the divers safety. In addition to the steel bracelet, a high strength silicone strap also accompanies the watch. Prospex Automatic Diver's Reinterpretation 1968 3 Hands/Date Two other new Prospex watches commemorate the 1968 original. They echo its design but are executed in a modern style, with a thinner bezel and more contemporary hands. One is all stainless steel while the other features a silicone strap. Both are 200 meter water resistant and incorporate the 6R15 caliber which gives the case a slim profile. Prospex Automatic Diver's Reinterpretation 1968 3 Hands/Date Seiko Prospex Recreation Quartz Diver's 1000m 1978 To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Seikos invention of the worlds first professional quartz divers watch, the brand presents two commemorative editions, faithfully re-created in design but re-invented with Seikos latest technology and materials. The case construction and dial layout are loyal to the original, as are the hour markers and the crown, while the water resistance has been increased to 1,000m. Prospex Recreation Quartz Diver's 1000m 1978 in zirconia ceramic Seiko The outer case material of this first model is zirconia ceramic which is seven times harder than steel protecting the case from shock. It features all the innovations that Seiko brought to divers watches in the 1970s, including the double layer construction with one piece inner case, the L-shaped gasket for helium resistance and the accordion-style strap. This new commemorative version is offered with a high-strength silicone strap for enhanced wearability both outside a wetsuit and directly on the wrist. Prospex Recreation Quartz Diver's 1000m 1978 in Cermet Seiko The same high specifications of the 1978 original are all available in this second model. It differs only in the use of Cermet - a composite material composed of ceramic and metal materials - for the outer case. This material has all the hardness, abrasion resistance and heat resistance of ceramics as well as the toughness typically associated with meta. Eight times harder than steel it offers an even higher level of shock protection but also allows the creation of a unique metallic finish. It is presented in a violet gold tone, inspired by the magical light that plays over the ocean at sunset. Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, irrigation minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati and the acting head of General Intelligence Abbas Kamel arrived in Khartoum on Wednesday to discuss with their Sudanese and Ethiopian counterparts outstanding issues regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. The tripartite talks aim to resolve an impasse in negotiations over studies conducted to determine the impact of the dam on downstream countries. The meeting was originally scheduled to take place in late February after the leaders of the three countries agreed to set a one-month deadline to discuss how to end the stalemate, but the meeting was postponed upon Ethiopia's request following the resignation of its prime minister. The Egyptian delegation was received at Khartoum International Airport by officials including Sudanese FM Ibrahim Al-Ghandour and Egyptian ambassador to Khartoum Osama Shaltot. Search Keywords: Short link: Monday, which marks the springtime feast of Sham El-Nassim in Egypt, will be a paid vacation for all employees in the private sector, Egypt's Minister of Manpower Mohamed Saafan announced on Thursday, according to Ahram Arabic news website. The springtime festival dates back to Pharaonic times and is often celebrated with family outings at parks or other outdoor excursions. It falls on the Monday after Easter and is a public holiday. Coptic Orthodox Christians, who comprise the vast majority of Christian worshippers in Egypt, will celebrate Easter this Sunday. The Central Bank of Egypt has designated the coming Sunday and Monday as official holidays for the banking sector. Search Keywords: Short link: The Arab League chief spoke to Al-Ahram daily's editor-in-chief Alaa Thabet about his expectations for the upcoming Arab summit, tasks in confronting foreign interference in Arab affairs and Egypt's role in the region Arab League chief Ahmed Abul-Gheit says that Arab countries need to make a concerted effort to counter outside meddling in their internal affairs, and that an Arab Summit in Riyadh scheduled for mid-April will help resolve crises and tensions in the region as well as discuss counterterrorism efforts and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In an interview with Al-Ahram daily newspapers editor-in-chief Alaa Thabet on Wednesday, the Arab League secretary-general and former Egyptian foreign minister said "I am optimistic the Riyadh summit will create a new momentum similar to the momentum we have seen towards the Palestinian issue, which was reflected in active Arab moves to support the Palestinian people vis-a-vis the pressures they have been facing from the recent stances of the American administration and the continued intransigence of the Israeli side. Aboul-Gheit added that the Arab states will seek to prevent Israel from gaining a rotating seat on the UN Security Council during the summit. Foreign interference in Arab affairs Egypt and Arab allies have accused Turkey, Iran and its Lebanese Shia ally Hezbollah of interfering in their internal affairs. Abul-Gheit says Iran's growing influence in the region is "very dangerous and involves clear threats to Arab national security," but explains that he understands Turkey's wish to combat what it sees as threats to its domestic security by Kurdish fighters on its southern border. Nevertheless, he says, Arab states must combat Ankara's interventions in the region to avoid any "possible long-term repercussions on Arab countries." He also urged Iran and Turkey to change their policy of meddling in the internal affairs of the Arab countries, saying this would lead the region to a "critical juncture." "Egypt should not face such interference on its own. There must be a strong Arab coalition that backs Egypt's vision of achieving balance in the relationship between the Arab region and its neighbours." Egypts regional role Abul-Gheit said that he believes that after 2013, Egypt has returned to its active role in the Arab world, adding, however, that the country is not required to shoulder the task of facing the dangers in the area alone on behalf of Arabs. Restoring Egypt's central role in the region will come through strengthening the country economically and activating its role in the area through its soft cultural and intellectual power and eradicating terrorism. "In my opinion, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis vision and his qualitatively transformative policies in Egypt make him one of the greatest leaders who will contribute to Egyptian society for decades and maybe centuries, especially in the area of infrastructure." Abu-Gheit added that he believes that in El-Sisis second term, Egypt needs a comprehensive and rigorous project to eradicate illiteracy and slums to improve the standard of living of Egyptians. He said that to improve its economy and ensure security at home, Egypt needs to "step up production, bring stability and combat terrorism," adding that Cairo will need political backing from other Arab states who share the same vision. Arab League's role and financial straits Abul-Gheit, who has chaired the 22-member Arab League since March 2016, said that over the past two years, he has aimed to bolster the organisation's role, which he says has waned following the 2011 Arab Spring unrest. During his tenure, the league has formed an international four-body group comprising the Arab League, the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union in an effort to ease a humanitarian disaster in Libya. The Arab League has also named a special representative for Libyan affairs and adopted new channels of communication with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura. The league also continues to play an active role in monitoring elections in member states, addressing humanitarian issues, migration, refugees and safeguarding human rights and supporting Arab civil society organisations. Abul-Gheit says the league's cash shortage has crippled it on many levels, making it difficult for the organisation to conduct humanitarian activities and at times even pay the salaries of its employees. He partially attributes the crisis to the delay or failure by some members states to pay their share of the leagues almost $60 million annual budget. He says the league has been receiving only around 50 percent of the funds needed for the proposed budget in recent years. He added that Iran and Turkeys questioning of the efficacy of the Arab League is aimed at "undermining the interests of the Arab states." Abul-Gheit, who served as Egypts foreign minister during the last seven years of former president Hosni Mubaraks rule, says the biggest challenge facing Arab states is dealing with the considerable repercussions of the Arab Spring, which he said has cost the region's economies more than $600 billion and unleashed an influx of millions of refugees and migrants. He urged concerted efforts between Arab countries to rebuild war-torn areas in the region and use the leagues expertise and its network of Arab governments, organisations and international allies to do so. Search Keywords: Short link: A truck driver involved in a deadly crash that killed 21 people on Wednesday on the Eastern Desert road of Upper Egypt's Sohag governorate (495km south of Cairo), has turned himself in to authorities on Thursday. Late on Wednesday, a truck collided with a mini bus in Sohag, killing 21 people, including 11 children. The driver of the truck was referred to the prosecution for investigation. The mini bus driver was killed in the crash. All those killed in the crash were from Esna in neighbouring Luxor, and were on their way to attend a wedding ceremony. The prosecution has not yet determined the cause of the accident. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 12,000 people are killed due to road crashes every year. The Egyptian government has been working on enhancing road and highway infrastructure qnd security across the country. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's Court of Cassation overturned on Thursday convictions against 16 NGO workers, including three Americans, and ordered a retrial in the 2012 case commonly known as the foreign funding case. In 2013, an Egyptian court sentenced 43 Americans, Europeans, Egyptians and other Arabs to jail terms ranging from one to five years and ordered their NGOs shut down, after they were convicted on charges including operating without necessary permits and illegally receiving foreign funding. Many of the foreign nationals in the case were tried in absentia, after being allowed to leave the country in 2012. The 16 defendants will be retried by the Cairo Criminal Court. Last May, Egypts President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi ratified a new law regulating the work of civil society organisations in the country. Search Keywords: Short link: A first batch of Egyptian humanitarian aid to Yemen has been dispatched on Thursday, a statement by Egypt's Foreign Ministry said. "The shipment, which consists of 10 tonnes of medicines, vaccines and medical material will arrive in Yemen on 6 and 9 April", the statement said. The move reflects Egypt's firm support to the brotherly Yemeni people in their plight, the statement added. Egypt has been regularly sending food and medical aid to Yemen during its three-year-old civil war. In early April 2018, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reported that the Yemen crisis had become the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Approximately three quarters (equivalent to over 22 million) of Yemens population were in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Search Keywords: Short link: The Saudi-led military coalition said Thursday it shot down a missile fired by Yemen's Shia Houthi rebels who said they targeted storage facilities of the kingdom's oil giant Aramco. "The missile fired at the town of Jizan was intercepted and destroyed" late Wednesday, said coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki. "The debris fell on residential areas and we have no report of human losses or material damage," he said. Aramco said its facilities in Jizan, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, were "intact" and operating normally, after pictures were posted on social media of a fire sparked by a missile attack. The Houthi rebels said on their Al-Masirah television channel they had targeted Aramco storage tanks in Jizan. Saudi Arabia leads a regional military coalition allied with Yemen's embattled government in a war against the Iran-backed Houthis, who have ramped up their attacks on the kingdom. An Egyptian labourer was killed by falling debris from a March 25 missile attack on Riyadh. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Turkey on Thursday urged France not to "make the same mistake" as the United States by sending troops to the Syrian town of Manbij, which Ankara has threatened to attack to dislodge Kurdish militia. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey would expand its offensive against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to the town in north Syria. Turkey's pro-government Yeni Safak daily reported that France had deployed 50 soldiers to Manbij to support the YPG, while state-run Anadolu news agency said 100 French special forces were deployed at five bases in YPG-controlled areas of Syria. Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said officials were looking into the reports and indicated Turkey would inform Paris of its opposition "if this is found to be true". He warned Paris: "Don't make the same mistake as America." But Kalin told reporters in Ankara that French officials had told their Turkish counterparts that there was "no question" of sending soldiers to Manbij. There are American soldiers in Manbij, which was recaptured in 2016 from the Islamic State (IS) extremist group by the YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). France has special forces in Syria but does not divulge information on their location or number. After French President Emmanuel Macron met with an SDF delegation last month, there has been growing tensions between Paris and Ankara with Erdogan hitting out at Macron's offer of establishing a dialogue between Turkey and the SDF. Kalin warned Paris that any attempt to convince Ankara the SDF was different to the YPG would be a "futile" effort. Turkey launched an air and ground operation supporting Syrian rebels against the YPG in its western enclave of Afrin on January 20, and captured the city on March 18. Ankara views the YPG as a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an over three-decade insurgency in Turkey. Despite the US blacklisting the PKK as a terror group alongside Turkey and its Western allies, Washington has been working closely with the YPG against IS jihadists in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 350 soldiers from the US-led coalition against IS -- mainly made up of Americans and French military personnel -- are stationed in Manbij. The Observatory said the coalition had sent reinforcements in recent days, mainly from France and the US. Search Keywords: Short link: Related Bahrain says new 80 bln barrels of tight oil discovery biggest ever for Kingdom Britain opened its first permanent military base in the Middle East in more than four decades on Thursday in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain, giving the U.K. an expansive presence along key international shipping routes. The UK Naval Support Facility can house up to around 500 Royal Navy personnel, including sailors, soldiers and airmen, in a region where maritime security ensures oil shipments and goods make it from Asia to Europe. British officials have described it as the first permanent British base east of the Suez Canal since 1971. "The aim of the Royal Navy being out here anyway is to enhance and ensure the maritime security in the region, and whether or not that's law and order on the high seas, countering piracy, countering terrorism, making sure that the high seas are all safe for the free-flow of commerce, the free flow of trade to be able to take place," said Commodore Steve Dainton, U.K. Maritime Component Commander. Bahrain, located off the coast of Saudi Arabia and just west of its rival Iran, also plays host to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Tense encounters have occurred between U.S. and Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf, though military officials say provocations of U.S. navy ships in recent months have halted. The new British hub makes it easier for the Royal Navy to conduct longer-term deployments in the Persian Gulf and will offer engineering and logistical support for ships. The facility includes sleeping accommodations, sport facilities and recreational areas for troops. "It offers us a much better base than we've had before, a much more permanent presence and a real infrastructure for our people who are working and operating here all the time," said Commander of the Joint Forces Command of the U.K. Gen. Chris Deverell. The port would also be able to service mine sweepers and aircraft carriers, though carriers like the HMS Queen Elizabeth will not be able to dock there because the water is too shallow. The Duke of York, Prince Andrew and Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa were on-hand for the ceremony in Salman Port. The British first established the HMS Juffair base in 1935 in Bahrain, but the U.S. took over the base after the small island nation gained its independence from the British Empire in 1971. The re-establishment of the British base was announced in late 2014 and construction started nearly a year later. The name was changed to UK Naval Support Facility on Thursday. Search Keywords: Short link: Qatar is introducing national service for women for the first time while extending the time served in the military by conscripted men, under a law issued by the country's Emir. Women aged over 18 will be able to volunteer for national service under the law, which comes into immediate affect, while men will now serve a year instead of three months, state media said on Thursday. "Every Qatari male between 18 and 35... is required to perform a compulsory military service," the Qatar News Agency said. "National service for females is voluntary," it added. Sources with knowledge of the matter said it was the first time women had been allowed to undertake national service, although some women already serve in the military in administrative roles. It is not yet known what roles those women volunteering for national service would undertake. The decision to extend the rules surrounding conscription, first introduced in November 2013, comes with Qatar at the centre of deepening diplomatic Gulf crisis, which turned 10 months old on Thursday. Search Keywords: Short link: Russia has called for urgent UN Security Council talks on the spiralling diplomatic crisis sparked by the spy poisoning scandal as a group of expelled US diplomats left their embassy in Moscow early Thursday. Britain blames Russia for the March 4 poisoning on UK soil of former double agent Sergei Skripal with what it says was a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union, sending relations between Moscow and the West plummeting to new lows. More than 150 Russian diplomats were ordered out of the US, EU members, NATO countries and other nations in the wake of the attack, a move that was met in kind by Moscow. Early Thursday morning the first of some 60 US diplomats ordered out of Russia left their embassy compound in Moscow on their way to the airport. The departure came a day after Russia found itself diplomatically isolated when it lost its bid at the global chemical weapons watchdog to launch a joint probe with Britain into the poisoning. Moscow had convened a meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Wednesday. But Russia's ambassador to the watchdog said Moscow was unable to get the required two-thirds of votes from members to approve a joint investigation. Diplomatic sources told AFP that six countries voted in favour of the Russian draft motion but 15 were against while 17 abstained, mainly countries from the Non-Aligned Movement(NAM). After the failure Moscow called for a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Thursday at 1900 GMT in New York. Its ambassador to the UNSC, Vassily Nebenzia, said the meeting would focus on a letter sent by British Prime Minister Theresa May accusing Moscow of carrying out the attempted assassination. Wednesday's bid to secure a joint probe saw a day of bitter rhetoric between Moscow and Britain and its western allies. London slammed the joint probe idea as "perverse". "We will not agree to Russia's demand to conduct a joint investigation into the attack in Salisbury because the UK -- supported by many other countries -- has assessed that it is highly likely that the Russian state is responsible for this attack," British chemical arms expert John Foggo told the OPCW's governing executive council. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson hailed the defeat of Russia's bid. "The purpose of Russia's ludicrous proposal at The Hague was clear -- to undermine the independent, impartial work of the international chemical weapons watchdog," he said, adding Moscow's main goal was "to obscure the truth and confuse the public." Bulgaria's ambassador, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the EU had "full confidence in the UK investigation". Ambassador Krassimir Kostov said the EU agreed with the British "assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible and that there is no plausible alternative explanation." Russian foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin warned Wednesday in a speech in Moscow that both sides must avoid tensions escalating to the dangerous levels of the Cold War. Accusations of Moscow engineering the attack were a "grotesque provocation ... crudely concocted by the British and American security services," he said. OPCW experts have already taken on-site samples which are being analysed in The Hague, as well as in four other certified laboratories. The head of the OPCW, Ahmet Uzumcu, said he expected the results "by early next week". British expert Foggo told the OPCW meeting that Russia was dodging all of London's questions, and had made a series of "shameless, preposterous" statements. "Russia's refusal to accept the results of the OPCW's investigation unless Russian experts participate in it suggests that Russia is .... nervous about what the results will show," he said. But in a move hailed as a vindication by Moscow, the British defence laboratory at Porton Down analysing the nerve agent revealed Tuesday that it could not say whether the substance came from Russia. Refusing to be drawn on whether Russia would accept the OPCW experts results, Shulgin added that any investigation must be based on "100 percent solid facts" and "published publicly." Russia has accused the West of wanting to put up a new Iron Curtain and warned of a return to the mutual isolation of the Cold War. For Washington, "fighting the non-existent so-called Russian threat has become a real fixation," foreign intelligence chief Naryshkin said. "It has reached such proportions and developed such ludicrous characteristics, that it's time to talk about the return of the grim times of the Cold War." Search Keywords: Short link: A Spanish judge on Thursday formally charged the former chief of Catalonia's regional police force with sedition over his alleged role in the wealthy region's independence push. Judge Carmen Lamela of the National Court, which deals with high-profile political and financial cases, said in her ruling there was evidence that former Mossos d'Esquadra chief Josep Lluis Trapero was part of a "criminal organisation" that sought to break Catalonia away from Spain. The judge also slapped sedition charges on two other top officials with the regional police force, as well as an official with the Catalan interior ministry. Conviction could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years. Lamela said Trapero and the three others carried out a "premeditated strategy that was perfectly coordinated" to help achieve secession during the lead-up to a banned independence referendum in Catalonia on October 1 and the day of the vote itself. The judge also said Catalan regional police did not respond to requests for aid made by officers from Spain's Guardia Civil force who were searching a Catalan government building in Barcelona on September 20 as part of a probe into preparations for the banned referendum. The Guardia Civil officers were not able to leave the building because thousands of pro-independence demonstrators were gathered outside. Trapero exchanged 17 telephone calls that day with one of the organisers of the demonstration, Jordi Sanchez, the head at the time of the powerful grassroots pro-independence group ANC, the judge said in her ruling. Catalan regional police also did not take steps to stop the referendum from going ahead as ordered by the courts, she added. Catalan regional police officers showed up at polling stations in some cases three hours later than scheduled while others did not seize ballot boxes until after voting had ended, the judge said in her ruling. Some Catalan regional police officers were ordered to monitor the movements of Spanish national police on the day of the referendum, she added. Spain's central government dismissed Trapero on October 28, a day after it imposed direct control on the region over its independence bid. Llamela was charged with investigating the role of the Mossos d'Esquadra in the independence push. Spain's Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena, meanwhile, is in charge of investigating the role played by Catalonia's separatist leaders. He has ruled that some of them will be tried for "rebellion", an even more serious charge that carries a jail term of up to 30 years. Search Keywords: Short link: MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, April 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 Taliban militants were killed and seven others wounded after Afghan army helicopters struck militants' hideouts in northern province of Balkh, an army source said Thursday. The airstrikes were conducted by MD-530 helicopters in Baburzai and Asyyab Firqa localities of Chimtal district Wednesday afternoon, Hanif Rezai, spokesman of army Corps 209 Shaheen based in the region, told Xinhua. The sorties were called in based on confirmed tip-off which indicated insurgents' activities in the district, he said. No civilian was hurt during the operation and an amount of weapons and ammunition was also destroyed, he noted. Violence has escalated in the previously peaceful northern region over the last few years as Afghan security forces push against the militants in the south and east. The Taliban insurgent group, which has been waging an insurgency of about 17 years, has yet to make comments. That's the message from top festival official Thierry Fremaux, who says red carpet-selfies will be banned at this year's star-studded event. Violators, he said on Europe-1 radio Wednesday, won't be let in to see films. Want to take a selfie on the red carpet during the Cannes Film Festival? Well, you can't. When festival-goers take selfies as they climb the carpeted stairs to the French Riviera venue, he said everything becomes "disorganized" and the program "runs late." But as guardian of one of the world's most glamorous cultural events, Fremaux also has aesthetic concerns: "It's not beautiful. It's grotesque. It's ridiculous... We want to restore a bit of decency." Fremaux also said recently that Netflix movies will be banned from competition at this year's festival, which runs May 8-19. Mexico, in fact, has long been a popular place to retire. It was named the best country to retire by U.S. magazine International Living last year, as the low cost of living eases the burden on retired people with little income and a pleasant climate guarantees a healthy lifestyle. It also provides many benefits to travelers over 60 such as discounts on flights, restaurants and groceries. Until recently, Mexico has mostly been popular among Koreans as a honeymoon destination, particularly to the resort city of Cancun, but now many baby-boomers born between 1955 and 1963, who have started to enter the twilight stage of their life after retirement, are becoming attracted to the Latin American country. An increasing number of older Koreans are finding Mexico a charming place to travel with its affordable prices, rich cultural heritage and scenic resort spots. Choi Ho, a 56-year-old retiree, traveled from Mexico City to Cancun for a month in November last year. "I could relax at holiday spots while taking tours to the Mayan ruins spread around," he said. Won Jong-hak, 61, from Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, traveled to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula last summer with his wife. He chose the region as his retirement travel destination. "I have been to Asian countries and the U.S. before. I looked for a long-distance destination I can visit while I'm still healthy enough to enjoy it, and I chose Mexico," he said. The number of Koreans traveling to Mexico has increased rapidly. According to the Mexican tourism authority, the number more than doubled from 31,700 in 2012 to 75,400 in 2017. "More than 85 percent of customers who buy our package tours to Mexico are people in their 50s and over," said Choi Woo-suk at Mode Tour. "Many of them visit historical sites in Mexico City and take a rest in Cancun for as long as two or three months." Lee Yeon-teak, a professor at Hanyang University, said, "Korea, like many Western countries, has started to see a trend taking off where retirees set out on long-term, long-distance trips. That's why Mexico, which has not been popular among Korean travelers as it is too far to visit for a short vacation, is emerging as a popular destination." Chinese President Xi Jinping gave North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju at least 2.47 million yuan or W415 million worth of gifts when they visited Beijing, according to Hong Kong's Apple Daily on Tuesday (US$1=W1,063). Most of the gifts were luxury goods that are banned from export to the North by the UN Security Council. Analyzing footage from North Korean state TV, the paper estimated a large vase Xi gave Kim at 500,000 yuan, and plates and porcelain teacups at 20,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan each. North Korea has resumed the dispatch of laborers to China, and an exodus of those already there has stopped since leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Beijing, Radio Free Asia reported Tuesday. In compliance with intensifying international sanctions against North Korea, China had stopped issuing work permits for North Korean laborers. But RFA quoted local sources as saying they have become ubiquitous again near the border. A source in Yanbian said that some 400 women laborers arrived at Helong from North Korea on Monday. And a resident in Dandong said several buses crossed the Apnok River bridge from Sinuiju and about 100 women laborers got off at the customs office. The North Korean regime is busy recruiting laborers for workplaces in China, and North Korean laborers in China are visiting Sinuiju from Dandong and coming back only a day after renewing their border pass, RFA added. Dandong's economy came to a grinding halt in the wake of the UN sanctions but now seems to be recovering as North Korean traders return, the Sankei Shimbun said Wednesday. Imagine yourself as a graduate student at a business school. You are in your early 20s, and you are full of vigour and enthusiasm. You talk about many dreams and aspirations with your classmates: being the manager of a leading commercial bank, turning your family business into a modern industry, doing business with social responsibility. And, there are your professors who lecture on entrepreneurship and self-employment. They say, Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Then, you get easily enticed into building many castles in the sky. But, once you graduate, you realise that the surface you are standing on is too low to reach the sky. Disillusioned, you are likely to end up as a frustrated job seeker. For these four youth who completed their MBA at School of Management in Tribhuvan University, the story was no different in the beginning. Now, three years after their graduation, they have finally broken the pattern and established themselves as successful entrepreneurs. Recently, the global business news giant Forbes featured the three of them on the 30 Under 30 Asia Social Entrepreneurs list for their innovative business at Eco Cell Industries. Moment of metamorphosis If there was anything common among Sacheet Pandit, Nishan Chandi Shrestha, Subash Shrestha and Bibek Adhikari as they joined the school in 2013, it was their age. These four 23-year-olds happened to go to canteens and other places together as classmates. While waiting for orders to be delivered on the table, they apparently would reflect on their classroom lectures and ponder what they could do next. My family was in a construction business; hence I proposed we purchase more excavators and rent them, Nishan remembers the school days as Subash adds to him, We also thought of establishing a posh restaurant in Kathmandu and making a fast buck. But, at the end of the day, none of our ideas could materialise, Sacheet seems unwilling to remember those useless days anymore. Perhaps they were waiting for a moment to transform their dreams into reality, the best moment to metamorphose their lightweight canteen chats into workable business ideas. Then the best moment came in the form of worst catastrophe in their life and the life of people around them: the 7.6-magnitude earthquake on April 25, 2015. Trial and error These youngsters had completed their final semester examinations and working on dissertations while the earthquake rattled the country. A resident of the ancient town of Sankhu in northeastern Kathmandu, Sacheet witnessed the destruction of centuries-old architecture in his neighbourhood. After some weeks, people gradually began thinking of reconstruction. As many houses were being rebuilt at the same time, there was an apparent shortage of construction materials, bricks in particular. People were buying and selling used bricks, but they were quite expensive. Of course, clay and stones were easily available, but no one trusted them as all houses built with stone walls in rural areas had collapsed, Sacheet remembers. Looking around, it did not take a long time for him to realise that this crisis also had a potential for new businesses. As we discussed it together, we concluded that producing quake-resistant construction materials would be a booming business, Nishan says, But, we did not have any idea on what we would do exactly. We resorted to the internet to explore possibilities and found that there was something called compressed stabilised earth bricks (CSEB). Then, in haste, we bought a machine from China to produce the bricks as the Chinese machine was cheaper than others. However, we could not operate it. Perhaps, our clay was not compatible with it, he narrates, We wasted four to five months, doing nothing. To break the stalemate, they again browsed the internet and learned about Auroville Earth Institute, a UNESCO recognised training institute in Chennai of India. The institute would offer a one-week course on CSEB production and the team was quite excited about joining it. But, the cost was so high. We had to pay around Rs 80,000 to the institution. Travel and other logistics-related costs are even more, Subash shares, Therefore, all of us could not go and decided to send Nishan. After he returned home, they made necessary modifications and began producing bricks. The quake survivors in districts around Kathmandu were speedily rebuilding their homes. The government and NGOs had not reached everywhere to suggest appropriate materials and technologies. Therefore, we targeted the quake-hit rural areas in the beginning and we fared well there, Sacheet shares, But, it was still hard to convince people not affected by the earthquake as our product was not tested. Later, we managed to convince a relative of Subash. Yes, my relative was quite happy as he finished constructing the house. Our interlocking bricks were easy to make walls and it would cost lessboth money and time, Subash smiles. Nonetheless, engineers at the National Reconstruction Authority would sometimes argue that their bricks were not recommended by the government for quake-resistant houses; and it would give them a lot of trouble. Later we realised that the CSEB was not mentioned in the guideline given to them. Therefore, we repeatedly talked with the NRA and other government authorities to solve the issue. Highs and lows Studying MBA is apparently a prestige issue in Nepal given its relatively high cost. After spending thousands of rupees for the two-year course, parents of Sacheet, Nishan, Subas and Bibek had expected their sons to emerge as managers who would sit in a revolving chair inside a posh office in downtown Kathmandu. But, we chose to go to the grounds and play with clay and make ourselves dirty with mud and sand every day, Sacheet shares, I am sure that they were not wholeheartedly happy. Nonetheless, they did not hesitate to support us as we demanded, Subash shares, All of us borrowed our first investment from the family. Each invested Rs 500,000 to begin the business in 2015 and currently, the total capital of the company has reached Rs 6 million. There were numerous moments when we discussed about closing the business and trying something smaller, Nishan recollects, When you cannot cover your production cost and you have to pay a high rent for the land but no one buys your product; of course your motivation level plummets. The way ahead But, these entrepreneurs know their mission. As the government has also adopted a policy to replace fire bricks with greener and cleaner materials, they are confident that their upcoming days will be happier. And, enlisted in the Forbes 30 Under 30 is has been a beam of hope for them. It was a startling motivation for us, Sacheet shares, Being listed in the Forbes is not an achievement in itself. But, the space that Nepali media and other stakeholders have given to us after the announcement means a lot. Now, our parents know that their sons are doing something good though they cannot openly applaud us, he jokes, Perhaps they are too conscious not to pamper us. Yes, the youth are not pampered with the announcement. They know their challenges. We fear what if people congratulating us today might get a chance to mock at our failure tomorrow. Therefore, we are walking bit slow. The way forward is a bit difficult, but there is no chance that we move back. All major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Thursday have published reports about the strike imposed by 11 transport entrepreneur associations on the Araniko Highway, and the governments resistance to them. Political issues including Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis India visit beginning tomorrow and preparations for unification between CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre have also been highlighted. Important Govt acts tough against transporters cartel Newspaper reports claim that the government looked quite tough against transporters who tried to retain their cartel on highways this time. As 11 entrepreneur committees imposed a strike demanding that the permit issued to a new company named Mayur Yatayat be scrapped, the government says it will not bow down to them. Instead, the government has decided to easily provide route permits to new companies, according to Nagarik, The report informs that five entrepreneur committees got permit to play Kathmandu-Dhulikhel route, a major section of Araniko Highway yesterday itself. Kantipur, Republica and The Kathmandu Post have also covered the issue on the front page. Former PMs urge PM to respect national interests Former prime ministers and foreign affairs experts have called on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to put protection and promotion of national interests on priority during his upcoming India visit, according to the lead story in Gorkhapatra. Oli is leaving for New Delhi on a three-day state visit on Friday and he had consulted former PMs to set agendas for discussions with the Indian side. Former PMs Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal, Sher Bahadur Deuba and Lokendra Bahadur Chand and former chair of Council of Ministers Khil Raj Remgi were present during the discussion. Lead stories of Rajdhani and Annapurna Post also have the same angle. In addition, Rajdhani highlights that the main opposition Nepali Congress has stressed implementation of past agreements during the visit. UML, Maoist Centre to form unification announcement preparation committee Naya Patrika says the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre which are preparing to merge into a new communist party have decided to form an interparty panel to prepare for the announcement. The committee might be formed today itself as the Party Unification Coordination Committee meeting has been called for 9 am today, according to the report. Meanwhile, Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the unification process reached the final stage and it would be formally announced on April 22, reports Gorkhapatra. Republica, on the other hand, says the two parties are seeking a middle path for unification as they are yet to settle many contentious issues. Ignored Nepali banks now can borrow from foreign institutions The Himalayan Times lead story for the day says commercial banks of Nepal can now borrow money from foreign financial institutions too. The central bank, Nepal Rastra Bank, has made the decision as Nepali commercial banks are currently facing crisis of lonable funds, the report says. However, there are some conditions for foreign borrowing. Three Gorges says West Seti is not fit for investment Chinas Three Gorges International has hinted that it is likely to withdraw from the West Seti Hydropower Project as it has said the project is not fit for investment, writes Annapurna Post in its three-column box story. The company has argued that it cannot invest in the project due to unfavourable policy of the Nepal government. Tourist buses used in red sandalwood smuggling Police in Kathmandu have found that tourist buses providing services on Kathmandu-New Delhi route are found to be used in the smuggling of precious red sandalwood, report Nagarik and Rajdhani. The fact was revealed after 11 kg wood was found on a bus (Na 4 Kha 4516) that arrived in Kathmandu from the Indian capital in the wee hours of Tuesday. Interesting Independent lawmakers also get office at Parliament Secretariat The Federal Parliament Secretariat has decided to provide offices to independent lawmakers also, along with parliamentary parties of national parties, according to Nepal Samacharpatra. Quoting Joint Secretary Suraj Kumar Dura, the report says the decision was made respecting demands of independent lawmakers. Kathmandu, April 5 Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has left for Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, to attend the Mid-Term Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Minister Gyawali will lead the Nepal delegation to the Mid-Term Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference will begin today and lasts till April 8. Other members of the delegation are Durga Prasad Bhattarai, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations in New York, and Counselor Surendra Thapa. The conference will assess the progress since the last summit of the NAM and prepare for the upcoming summit to be held in 2019, the Ministry says, The theme of this conference has been set to be Promoting International Peace and Security for Sustainable Development. Earlier, a Senior Officials Meeting was held on Tuesday and Wednesday before the ministerial conference. Nepal is a founding member of the non-aligned movement and its principles constitute important elements of Nepals foreign policy. Home Just In Nepal PM will visit China immediately after India Kathmandu, April 5 Sources close to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli say the Prime Minister is likely to pay a visit to China immediately after he returns from India. Oli is flying to New Delhi for a three-day state visit on Friday. But, preparations have already begun for his Beijing trip as well, according to a source. Earlier, China had invited Oli to attend the Boao Forum for Asia meeting scheduled for April 8 to 11. However, he will not make it to the Forum as it clashes with his Delhi trip schedule. Since it has been impossible, the source says, The PM will find another date for Beijing at the earliest. Vietnam's e-commerce set for strong 2018 The e-commerce market has taken off in Viet Nam thanks to booming internet usage and smartphone ownership, along with massive investments from key retail players, local media reported. Logistics is expected to be a game changer for the Vietnamese e-commerce market in 2018. Photo vietnamnet.vn Viet Nam is one of the worlds fastest growing e-commerce countries, according to Lai Viet Anh, deputy director of Viet Nam E-commerce and Information Technology Agency (Vecita) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The countrys e-commerce is growing 35 per cent per year, 2.5 times faster than Japan, Anh said. The number of Vietnamese businesses capable of taking advantage of the internet and technology has grown 2.1 times faster than those with less use of the internet. Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that spend more than 30 per cent of their budget on technological innovation are growing nine times faster than those spending less than 10 per cent of their budget. Viet Nams e-commerce retail sales growth in the 2016-20 period is estimated at 20 per cent per year, and the countrys total retail e-commerce sales is expected to reach US$10 billion by 2020, Anh said. However, e-commerce has faced several barriers deterring its sustainable development, including low consumer trust in products and services, and worries over online payment security. In addition, most Vietnamese e-commerce websites provide only basic services, such as information about products and modes of payment. Services such as digital marketing optimisation and connecting online with offline sales need to be added. Game-changing e-logistics Logistics is expected to be a game changer for the Vietnamese e-commerce market in 2018 as new entrants are coming in, and existing operators are expanding to improve their delivery services. This week, Nguyen Thi Thuy, a 29-year-old, said she prepared the evening meal for her family after returning home from work by ordering food from an online shop and waiting for delivery. It was the second time Thuy had shopped online this week. I can get all the packages delivered to my doorstep rather than shop and carry bags back on my motorcycle, she said, noting that some e-commerce sites are providing high-quality products and services with free shipping so she prefers shopping online. This allows her to save time as well as grab some bargains. Thuy is among many customers who have embraced the online shopping experience with its reliable and convenient delivery. According to Kantar Worldpanel, a global expert in shoppers behavior, the percentage of e-commerce shoppers grew from 5.4 per cent to 8.8 per cent in the largest four cities last year alone. In light of this trend, many foreign logistics providers and e-commerce operators are making efforts not to miss an opportunity to provide e-logistics and meet the rapidly growing demand. This years trends As e-commerce is growing at a robust pace, logistics providers have to come up with new business models to deal with a soaring number of frequent and small-size orders. They are investing in technology and infrastructure to counter the challenges from traffic congestion to failed deliveries, as well as the higher logistical costs in rural areas. These dynamics will fuel some of 2018s most important trends including customer collection points, designed for customers to receive an order from a designated collection point. Such collection points allow customers to pick up their orders at any time, without being required to wait at home. DHL eCommerce launched a nationwide network of service points in Viet Nam last November, with a plan to expand up to over 1,000 outlets by the end of next year. Similar to the concept of customer collection points, the firm uses the shop-in-shop model by opening DHL eCommerce counters in grocery stores, minimarts, and coffee shops. Giao Hang Nhanh Company (GHN) also plans to extend its network of customer collection points in local shops, convenience stores and buildings. The last-mile delivery startup plans to reach 1,500 outlets by the end of 2018. Furthermore, investment in automation and related technologies will be the make-or-break moment for logistics companies in 2018. In the third quarter of 2017, Lazada launched its first automated sorting centre in HCM City, with its second centre expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2018 in Ha Noi. Lazada will also upgrade its existing sorting centre next year, tripling its sorting capacity. Nguyen Tran Thi, CEO of GHN, said that GHN would invest in technology such as automation to optimise operations and simplify processes, as well as develop warehouses and build fleets of shippers and delivery workers, and vans. This year, GHN aims to deliver parcels within two hours in urban cities and within 24 hours across the country. VNS Six defendants stand trial for administration overthrowing attempt The Hanoi Peoples Court on April 5 opened the trial of six defendants accused of trying to overthrow the peoples administration under Clause 1, Article 79 of the 1999 Penal Code. Defendant Nguyen Van Dai (standing, front) at the trial on April 5 The defendants include Nguyen Van Dai (born in 1969 and residing in Back Khoa ward of Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi), Pham Van Troi (born in 1972 and residing in Chuong Duong commune of Thuong Tin district, Hanoi) and Nguyen Trung Ton (born in 1972 and residing in Quang Yen commune of Quang Xuong district, Thanh Hoa province). The three others are Nguyen Bac Truyen (born in 1968 and residing in Ward 4 of District 4, Ho Chi Minh City), Truong Minh Duc (born in 1960 and residing in Vinh Thuan town of Vinh Thuan district, Kien Giang province) and Le Thu Ha (born in 1982 and residing in Dong Giang ward of Dong Ha city, Quang Tri province). There are six lawyers defending the six defendants at the trial. According to the indictment of the Supreme Peoples Procuracy, from March 2013 to July 2017, Nguyen Van Dai, Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Trung Ton and Nguyen Bac Truyen initiated and established the Hoi anh em dan chu (Brotherhood for Democracy) organisation. They built the organisations platform, statutes and regulations and also steered its activities. Dai and his accessories induced Truong Minh Duc, Le Thu Ha and some others to set up representative offices and a website of the organisation and build a brief platform of Hoi anh em dan chu. This organisation had a strict structure, strategies for internal and external affairs, and activities to develop its membership. The indictment said the defendants took advantage of fighting for democracy, human rights and civil society to conceal the purposes of Hoi anh em dan chu. They connected with foreign organisations and illegal organisations in Vietnam to seek overseas support and financial aid and conduct propaganda against the State, aiming that when their force was strong enough and the time was right, they would publicly confront the administration and change the political regime in Vietnam so as to build a regime of pluralism, multiparty and separation of powers and topple the peoples administration. According to the Supreme Peoples Procuracy, Nguyen Van Dai was the mastermind and acted as the second Vice President of Hoi anh em dan chu. He built the platform of the organisation, engaged in discussing and planning operation methods and developing the force, and induced Le Thu Ha to take part. Dai was also accused of training and instructing other members about methods and experience of implementing activities, setting up schemes and contacting foreign organisations and individuals to call for donation, and receiving 71,726 USD and 9,161 EUR financed for activities of Hoi anh em dan chu. He was accused of conducting propaganda against the State. Meanwhile, Pham Van Troi founded and acted as President of Hoi anh em dan chu, held positions in charge of the organisations activities in the northern region, and built the platform. He was accused of discussing and planning development of the organisations membership, inducing six people to join Hoi anh em dan chu, and guiding other members about methods and experience of implementing activities. Troi was also accused of being in charge of the fund of Hoi anh em dan chu, directing the organisations members to oppose the National Assembly election in May 2016, and conducting anti-State propaganda. The trial is scheduled to last through April 6.-VNA San Diego Sheriff's Department(SAN DIEGO) -- A civil jury in San Diego Superior Court has found Adam Shacknai responsible for the mysterious death of Rebecca Zahau and awarded her family $5 million in punitive damages. Zahau's July 2011 death at Spreckels Mansion in Coronado, California, had been ruled a suicide by authorities, but in 2013, her family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Adam Shacknai, the brother of Jonah Shacknai, Zahau's then-boyfriend, pharmaceutical tycoon Jonah Shacknai. Standing with Mary Zahau-Loehner, Zahaus sister, outside the courthouse, plaintiff's attorney C. Keith Greer said the case was never about money. "[I] asked Mary at the end of the day, Wow, what do we do? We got a verdict. And she says, We got to get the case reopened, thats it. Our jobs not done yet," he said in a news conference on Wednesday after the verdict. He said Zahau's family is going to petition the sheriff to "to reopen the case to declassify it as a suicide and reclassify it as an open investigation" and use their resources to investigate Zahau's death. "One thing we were really lacking was resources." "20/20" has been following the Zahau case for years and most recently reported on it in March. On July 13, 2011, Zahau, 32, was found naked with her feet bound, hands tied behind her back and a shirt stuffed in her mouth, hanging from the second story balcony outside her room. Detectives found a book on a shelf in her room titled "Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft," which showed drawings of a rite -- a naked woman with her hands tied behind her back. A cryptic message -- "She saved him, can you save her" -- was scrawled in black paint in block lettering on the door of her room. Only she and Adam Shacknai were staying at on the mansion ground the night she died. He said he didn't go into the main house until the next morning, on July 13, 2011, when he discovered Zahau's body. He cut her down from the rope and called 911. Adam Shacknai had flown in from Tennessee after hearing that his 6-year-old nephew, Max Shacknai, Jonah Shacknai's son, had somehow fallen over a second-floor railing in the house while he was in Zahau's care just days earlier. Suspicion surrounding Zahau's death immediately fell on Adam Shacknai who took a lie detector test the day she died. The results were inconclusive. Adam Shacknai denied having any involvement in Zahau's death and the authorities cleared him of any involvement in Zahau's death. Authorities determined that she had tied her own hands and feet, gagged herself and committed suicide after listening to a voicemail from Jonah Shacknai informing her of Max's grave condition. Three days later, Max died in the hospital. The Zahau family, however, refused to accept the suicide ruling and took the case to the media. The Zahau family exhumed Zahau's remains and renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht performed a second autopsy. On "Dr. Phil," Wecht said he found there was enough evidence to suspect foul play. The Zahaus petitioned the California Attorney General's Office to reopen the case but their request was denied. In July 2013, two years after Zahau was found dead, her family filed a wrongful-death suit that named Adam Shacknai, along with Jonah Shacknai's ex-wife and Max's mother, Dina Shacknai, and her twin sister, Nina Romano, as defendants. Jonah Shacknai was not named in the lawsuit. Dina Shacknai called the allegations made against her in the lawsuit a "disgraceful abuse of the legal system." She told ABC News, "To create this fantastical story and insert us in something like this was beyond the pale of humane." After hospital footage revealed that Dina Shacknai was at the hospital the night of Zahau's death, the attorney for the Zahau family dropped her and her sister from the lawsuit and publicly apologized. Adam Shacknai remained named in the family's lawsuit. On the night of Zahau's death, Adam Shacknai says he never left the guest house. Only Zahau's fingerprints and DNA were found at the scene, according to authorities, even though Adam Shacknai told them he had cut Zahau down from the rope, then performed chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in an effort to revive her. In his interview for 20/20, Jonah Shacknai said he believes that his brother is innocent of any wrongdoing and that the lawsuit is outrageous. "This is all about finding the truth," Zahau-Loehner said in March. "That people understand that my sister did not commit suicide." Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. 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 . 30% 2020 ., , ... Jiminy Jillikers! Big party in Longueuil this weekend! Free beer and munchies! 20,000 cases of it!---- CBC NewsBandits make off with $500K in beer, snacks from Longueuil warehouseIf you've noticed anyone with unusually large amounts of beer, dried beef or pepperoni, police in Longueuil, Que., may want to hear from you.Thieves stole 20,000 cases of beer, dried beef and Jack Link's brand pepperoni in an overnight heist last month, and police want any merchants noticing anything unusual to report it.The goods stolen March 12 from a warehouse in Boucherville on Montreal's South Shore are worth some $500,000."We know it's several suspects. We just don't have a number," said Cmdr. Jean-Pierre Voutsinos.The warehouse was broken into and the alarm and surveillance cameras were disabled before the goods and snacks were loaded into the three delivery trucks at the site."All we know is during the night, the suspects came a couple of time to this building using the trucks, and they emptied the warehouse that way," said Voutsinos.The stolen trucks were later found empty and abandoned in Montreal. This is a video from Highway 40 near Repentigny, Quebec, Canada of a tractor trailer dump truck with its load raised attempting to do battle with a pedestrian bridge. SPOILER: The pedestrian bridge wins. Thankfully, nobody were injured in the incident, but a tractor trailer dump truck Transformer named Shitspill did lose its life. What was all the stuff that came out though? Because I thought it was chocolate milk at first but apparently it was corn. And not corn dogs either or otherwise the news would have read, "Blogger eats 600 corn dogs from middle of highway, dies happy, really did have the world's super coolest penis." Keep going for the seven second video, then meet me in the utility closet for seven minutes in heaven. I love the smell of cleaning supplies. Thanks to Xavier LT, who agrees you have to pick and choose your battles carefully -- you can't just go fighting every bridge you come across. Ask Geotripper Is there something about geology that you are curious about? Do you have questions about the scientific aspects of political controversies? I can try to provide a scientist's perspective. Your questions and possible answers could be a springboard to a blog discussion, or they can be private. Anonymity is always assumed. Contact Geotripper at hayesg (at) mjc.edu. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wolf Wiese CEO of Golden Dawn Minerals Inc., (TSX-V:GOM) (FRANKFURT:3G8A) (OTC:GDMRF) (the Company or Golden Dawn) announces that the Company proposes to undertake a financing of $3,000,000 post the Consolidation (the Consolidation) of its share capital on the basis of two (2) old common shares for one (1) new common share. The Companys outstanding warrants and options will be consolidated as well. The proposed Consolidation is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Management has carefully considered the Consolidation and concluded that a 2:1 Consolidation is in the best interest of the Company and the Companys shareholders and will aid with future capital raises. The Company is steadily advancing its Greenwood Precious Metals Project, to commence trial mining at the Lexington Mine by the third quarter of 2018. As of the date hereof, the Company has 134,758,258 common shares issued and outstanding. After giving effect to the Consolidation, the Company would have approximately 67,379,129 common shares issued and outstanding. The Companys outstanding share purchase warrants and incentive stock options will also be consolidated. The Company does not propose to change the corporate name of the Company in conjunction with the Consolidation. The Company also announces that it intends to undertake an equity financing (the Offering) of Units (the Units) for up to $3,000,000. The price per Unit will be announced 5 days after the effective day of the Consolidation. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering to advance its Greenwood Precious Metals Project. The Company also announces that effective March 31, 2018 Diana Mark has resigned as Vice-President, Corporate Affairs. We have appreciated her leadership in the area of corporate governance. She will continue to provide the Company with consulting services. On behalf of the Board of Directors: GOLDEN DAWN MINERALS INC. Wolf Wiese, President & CEO For further information, please contact: Corporate Communications 604-221-8936 allinfo@goldendawnminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. The Company would like to clarify that its decision to proceed to extract mineralized material from the Golden Crown and Lexington deposits for processing at its facility located at the Greenwood Precious Metals Project is not based on a feasibility study. The Company cautions that, in such cases, there is increased uncertainty and higher economic and technical risks of failure. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements: Certain disclosure in this release constitutes forward-looking statements. In making the forward-looking statements in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company, including that the Company is able to procure personnel, equipment and supplies required for its exploration activities in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis and that actual results of exploration activities are consistent with management's expectations. Although the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among others, that actual results of the Company's exploration activities will be different than those expected by management and that the Company will be unable to obtain financing or will experience delays in obtaining any required government approvals or be unable to procure required equipment and supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We seek safe harbor. Sellbyville, Delaware, April 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Display Market share is poised to be valued USD 20 billion by 2024, as reported in the latest study by Global Market Insights, Inc. The industry is growing rapidly owing to the growing digitalization and adoption of systems, such as POS and digital kiosks, across applications. Countries including China, India, and Japan are replacing traditional systems by modern and technologically-advanced systems. The demand for touchscreens is also growing with the adoption of these systems, propelling the industry growth. Display market is characterized by continuous innovations to cater to the changing industrial requirements. Technologies such as Digital Light Processing (DLP), Thin Film Transistor (TFT), and low-temperature poly-silicon LCDs are adding newer features such as color filters to the screens, augmenting the industry growth. Growing demand for smart touchscreen devices, such as intelligent ATMs and smart kiosks, is driving the innovations in the industry. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2418 Display market is projected to increase rapidly due to the fast adoption of these components in POS applications. To remain competitive in the market, to meet rising demand from customers, and to penetrate untapped markets, vendors are adopting online sales channels for their businesses. Several companies are focusing on replacing their existing physical stores with digital payment systems, accelerating the adoption of POS terminals. Increasing penetration of POS terminals will augment the industry growth over the forecast timespan. 15 POS display market is anticipated to grow rapidly owing to the growing adoption of these systems in retail stores. POS systems are being widely adopted in retail applications for customer relationship management, inventory management, employee management, etc. 15 systems are suitable in several stores as they fit in small spaces and provide comfort to the users of these systems. Above 10 display market is projected to witness a rapid demand surge in ATM applications due to the high adoption of these components in the multifunction ATMs. The deployment of multifunction ATMs is increasing in countries including Brazil, India, and South Africa to replace bank branches with these systems. Browse key industry insights spread across 550 pages with 924 market data tables & 30 figures & charts from the report, Display Market Size By Application (ATM [By Display Size {7, 8, 10, Above 10}, By Resolution {700x340 pixels, 800x600 pixels}], POS Terminals [By Display Size {10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20}, By Resolution {1024x768 pixels, 1366x768 pixels, 1280x800 pixels}], Kiosks [By Display Size {15 17, 17 32, 32 65, Above 65}, By Resolution {1024x768 pixels, 1280x1024 pixels, 1920x1080 pixels}]), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UAE, And South Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017 2024 in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/display-market South Korea display market is projected to grow considerably over the next seven years owing to the increasing adoption of touch-screen systems in several applications including cinemas, fast-food restaurants, and convenience stores. Digital kiosks are popping up in the country following trends in North America and Europe. Service providers, such as McDonalds, are in the forefront of the digital wave in the South Korean industry. For instance, in 2015, the company launched the first digital interactive kiosk, followed by several international food chains, propelling the display market in the country. Key vendors in the display market include Displax S.A., Fujitsu Ltd., Legacy, Inc., Groupe Nexio Inc., Posiflex Technology, Inc., and Visiontek Products, LLC. Manufacturers face restrictions pertaining to the manufacturing of these components on regional and country levels. For instance, European Union has imposed regulations on the use of hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium in electronic components. This encourages the manufacturers to use environmentally-friendly and less-hazardous raw materials. Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2418 Browse Related Reports: Consumer Electronics Market Size By Product (Audio & Video Equipment [Personal, Professional], Major Household Appliance, Small Household Appliance, Digital Photo Equipment [Personal, Professional]), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Landscape & Forecast, 2017 2024 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/consumer-electronics-market Automotive Head-up Display (HUD) Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Application Development Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017 2024 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/automotive-head-up-display-hud-market About Global Market Insights Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology. WISeKey defines its ICO for the WISeCoin Cryptocurrency Geneva, Switzerland - April 5, 2018 - WISeKey International Holding Ltd ("WISeKey", SIX: WIHN), a leading cybersecurity and IoT company announced that it will launch its WISeCoin in Q4 2018. WISeCoin will be funded by an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) with forthcoming private pre-sales starting in Q3 2018. Demand for WISeCoin is expected to be high as WISeKey is a well-established cybersecurity IoT platform with over 4,000 large enterprises already using its technology and the OISTE Cryptographic RoT which has been actively used since 1999 by over 2.6 billion desktops, browsers, mobile devices, SSL certificates and IoT devices. To date, WISeKey has raised $4 million in convertible debt for the pre ICO of WISeCoin and is considering a potential total WISeCoin utility token in the range of between $50 million to $100 million, subject to demand and market conditions. The WISeCoin development team inherits WISeKey Semiconductors R&D and expertise with more than 25 years' experience delivering secure hardware modules, semiconductors, RoT, Crypto keys, crypto wallets and digital identities that protect sensitive data for governments and private corporations in 75 countries. Among other applications, WISeKey's chips are widely used by global telecommunication, manufacturing and healthcare organizations as well as by bank cards. The same certified technology is now available in WISeCoin embedded VaultIC lightweight hardware security modules. WISeCoin VaultIC chips' cryptographic security is a powerful anti-counterfeiting tool used to identify and authenticate any item online using a contactless Near Field Communication (NFC) technology through an Android or Apple iOS based smartphone. WISeCoin ICO will be based on a strict due diligence and admissions process, as well as a high-quality digital asset exchange. The WISeCoin technology and WISeCoin Hardware Wallet was introduced to the attendees of the Davos Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Gathering, who received a WISeCoin Wallet, a contactless hardware enabled wallet designed to offer security and ease of use for cryptocurrency users. WISekey Blockchain technology has triggered innovations in many countries since its introduction in 2016. Today, cryptocurrencies have become a global phenomenon, so much so that even central banks are trying to create their own cryptocurrency systems. To this end, WISeKey is helping private and public customers around the world to create their own cryptocurrency with WISeCoin, a cutting edge Blockchain identification platform for people and IoT objects, a revolutionary design and state-of-the-art cryptographic security system. To empower a seamless cryptocurrency enabled economy, WISeCoin is supplemented with highly secured solutions such as biometrics-driven hardware wallets, integrated exchange platforms, MicroChips Blockchain enabled semiconductors, and NFC-based contactless payment solutions. WISeKey's goal with WISeCoin is to become an emerging powerhouse in the global cryptocurrency market by supporting the development of economies built on Blockchain technology. WISeCoin can also be used to identify and protect objects against counterfeiting and allows Connected Objects to complete transaction using a first-of-its-kind IoT Cryptocurrency Smart Payment solution. WISeKey has already tested this technology on luxury products by integrating its Secure Element at the chip level, thus analog watches can execute secure cryptocurrency transactions and connected cars secured by WISeKey can pay for electricity, gas and parking. (http://www.the-blockchain.com/2018/04/02/wisekey-crypto-solution-lets-connected-objects-pay-with-wisecoin/ ) Each connected object is equipped with WISeKey's Secure Element, called VaultIC184, consisting of a tamper resistant, easy to integrate silicon chip, based on a state-of-the-art secure microcontroller, thus transferring the burden of device security to WISeKey's highly secure Personalization Center. WISeCoin can become a payment alternative for the new decentralized IoT ecosystem payment economy. The WISeCoin technology is currently being tested in several industries (such as connected cars, commodity trading, pharma, food security, and tobacco) and during the next 6 months will be used in selected case studies that are currently using the WISeKey PKI and Blockchain technology, and then will be gradually offered to the market globally. Providers of Digital Identities for people and objects, and members of the WISeKey Cryptographic Platform will be rewarded with WISeCoins for concluded transactions and will be able to use WISeCoins to acquire products and services from other members of the WISeKey platform creating a trusted ecosystem in accordance with countries' regulatory frameworks. WISeKey is the only vendor in the industry providing an integrated PKI Blockchain, Crypto currency solution that combines a back-end certificate and device management system with a hardware RoT, a Secure Element (highly secure crypto chip) that protects the digital identity and certificates, to bring trust to the transmitted data through secure authentication of the device and related encryption of the data channel. This mechanism which creates and deploys digital certificates, as well as a "Security Broker" that manages communications by verifying the security level of the messages and implementing security and business rules (such as renewing certificates, managing attributes and other key capabilities) make a real difference when deploying securely to large numbers of connected devices. WISeKey's Blockchain Digital Identity technology was selected by BBC as one of the Five African tech trends to look out for in 2018 - http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41899173. WISeKey's cryptographic RoT empowers IoT manufacturers and chipmakers to add digital identities certificates to their chips at the hardware level to encrypt communication and authenticate the devices on Blockchain. WISeKey has combined WISeCoin with its CertifyID (https://account.wisekey.com) integrating Digital Identity with Blockchain technology. CertifyID acts as a Digital Identity dual factor authentication based technology that sits on top of a Blockchain. The CertifyID Blockchain is constantly growing as new blocks are added to it with a new set of recordings. Each CertifyID node gets a copy of the CertifyID Blockchain and gets downloaded automatically upon joining the CertifyID network. The system is completely decentralized and can be operated on a national or local level by using a distributed identity ledger run by trusted parties and spread across the Blockchain. At the heart of the WISeCoin deployment is the OISTE Cryptographic Root of Trust which has been actively used since 1999 in over 2.6 billion desktops, browsers, mobile devices, SSL certificates and Internet of Things' devices. The OISTE WISeKey Cryptographic Root of Trust is ubiquitous and universal, and a pioneer in the creation of Digital Identities. See also: WISeKey Unveils its Digital Identity BlockChain Platform CertifyID in NYC; State-of-the-Art Technology is in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to Provide Every Person on the Planet with a Legal Digital Identity by 2030 About OISTE Foundation: The OISTE Foundation has been working with the UN and other governmental and non-governmental international organizations since 1998. Today, in line with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, target 16.9 - giving everyone a legal identity by 2030 - OISTE focuses on the challenge of harnessing digital identity for the global community. OISTE holds special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC) and is an accredited member of the Non-commercial Users Stakeholders Group (NCSG) of ICANN as part of the Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns (NPOC) constituency. The OISTE Foundation endorses the "Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development." oiste.org About WISeKey: WISeKey (SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN) is a leading global cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity ecosystems with a patented process. WISeKey's Swiss based cryptographic Root of Trust ("RoT") provides secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online transactions among objects and between objects and people. For more information, visit www.wisekey.com . To receive WISeKey's latest news, subscribe to our Newsletter or visit the WISeKey Investors Corner. Press and investor contacts: WISeKey International Holding Ltd Company Contact: Carlos Moreira Chairman & CEO Tel: +41 22 594 3000 info@wisekey.com WISeKey Investor Relations (US) Contact: Lena Cati The Equity Group Inc. Tel: +1 212 836-9611 lcati@equityny.com Disclaimer: This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey. English German Pratteln, Switzerland, April 5, 2018 - Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) reports the successful completion of the first clinical trial with omigapil in patients with two forms of congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) conducted in the US at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The ascending multiple dose cohort study (CALLISTO) met its primary objective to establish a favorable pharmacokinetic profile of omigapil and demonstrated that the study drug was safe and well tolerated in children and adolescents with CMD. Following further data analysis, the Company will discuss these results with clinical experts and regulatory authorities to prepare for a pivotal trial in patients with CMD. The single-center interventional trial to establish the pharmacokinetic profile and to evaluate the safety and tolerability of omigapil in pediatric and adolescent patients with CMD was conducted at the NIH's clinical center in Bethesda, Maryland (USA), and led by Carsten Bonnemann, MD, and A. Reghan Foley, MD, of the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Ambulant and non-ambulant patients aged 5-16 years with either of two of the most common forms of CMD resulting from collagen VI-deficiency (COL6-related dystrophies or COL6-RDs) or laminin alpha2-deficiency (LAMA2-related dystrophy or LAMA-RD) were eligible to participate in the trial. A total of 20 patients were enrolled in this ascending multiple dose cohort study. Participants were randomized to one of five groups and received omigapil at a once-daily dose ranging from 0.02 mg/kg to 0.08 mg/kg body weight as a liquid oral formulation for a period of 3 months. The trial met its primary objective and established that the pharmacokinetic profile of omigapil is suitable for further development in pediatric patients and demonstrated that omigapil was safe and well tolerated in this fragile population of CMD patients. "We are grateful to participating patients and their families for enrolling in this first interventional trial with a drug candidate for CMD and to the clinical researchers at the NIH for their dedication to this milestone trial for these forms of CMD," said Thomas Meier, PhD, CEO of Santhera. "This is an important step towards profiling the therapeutic potential of omigapil for the LAMA2 and COL6 related forms of CMD for which there is currently no treatment available. We will now collaborate with international experts and seek advice from regulators to further advance the clinical development of omigapil towards a pivotal trial." "This collaboration with Santhera and the patient community allowed us to test for the first time an investigational therapy in children with these more common types of CMD for which no other treatment options are currently available," said Carsten Bonnemann. "With the help of Ken Cheung, PhD at Columbia University, this clinical trial applied an innovative design by utilizing a novel adaptive dose-finding algorithm. Upon full analysis, we will share detailed data from the CALLISTO trial at upcoming scientific conferences and with the patient community. We look forward to continue working with Santhera, all stakeholders and regulators to define the fastest development path towards pivotal efficacy studies for this drug candidate." "Cure CMD and the CMD community are thrilled that this first-ever interventional trial for congenital muscular dystrophy has been successfully completed, in partnership with the NIH and Santhera Pharmaceuticals," added Rachel Alvarez, Director of Operations for Cure CMD, a leading non-profit organization focused on finding treatments and supporting the CMD community. "For the affected individuals and their families who enrolled in CALLISTO, trial participation represented a considerable burden, and we are forever grateful for their commitment to seeing this through to the end." About Omigapil and the CALLISTO study Omigapil is a deprenyl-analog with anti-apoptotic properties. Santhera obtained an exclusive license for omigapil from Novartis for the development in congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs). Nonclinical studies in a disease-relevant model showed that omigapil inhibits cell death and reduces body weight loss and skeletal deformation, while increasing locomotive activity and protecting from early mortality (Erb M et al., J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2009, 331:787-795). Omigapil has orphan drug designations for CMD in the US and Europe and was granted Fast Track Designation by the FDA. The preparation and conduct of the Phase I CALLISTO trial was supported financially by a public-private partnership including two patient organizations, the US-based Cure CMD and the Swiss Foundation for Research on Muscle Diseases (FRSMM), EndoStem, an EU 7th Framework program, and NIH clinical resources. In addition, the CALLISTO study was supported by an award from the Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). About Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs) are inherited neuromuscular conditions characterized by congenital-onset weakness and hypotonia and have associated dystrophic findings on muscle biopsy. Progressive muscle weakness, joint contractures and respiratory insufficiency characterize most CMDs. LAMA2-related and COL6-related dystrophies are the most common forms of CMD for which no pharmacological therapy is currently available or in advanced clinical development. About Santhera Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) is a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines for orphan and other diseases with high unmet medical needs. The portfolio comprises clinical stage and marketed treatments for neuro-ophthalmologic, neuromuscular and pulmonary diseases. The most advanced pipeline product, idebenone, is in clinical Phase III for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Santhera's Raxone (idebenone) is authorized in the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Israel for the treatment of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and currently commercialized in 20 countries. For further information, please visit www.santhera.com. Raxone is a trademark of Santhera Pharmaceuticals. For further information please contact: public-relations@santhera.com or Eva Kalias, Head External Communications Phone: +41 78 671 98 86 eva.kalias@santhera.com For Investors: investor-relations@santhera.com or Christoph Rentsch, Chief Financial Officer Hans Vitzthum, LifeSci Advisors Europe: +41 61 906 89 65 US: +1 212 915 2568 christoph.rentsch@santhera.com hans@lifesciadvisors.com Disclaimer / Forward-looking statements This communication does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities of Santhera Pharmaceuticals Holding AG. This publication may contain certain forward-looking statements concerning the Company and its business. Such statements involve certain risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Readers should therefore not place undue reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. # # # English Dutch PRESS RELEASE : REGULATED INFORMATION 5 April 2018, 07:00 CEST Biocartis announces publication of its 2017 annual report Mechelen, Belgium, 5 April 2018 - Biocartis Group NV (the 'Company' or 'Biocartis'), an innovative molecular diagnostics company (Euronext Brussels: BCART), today announces the publication of its 2017 annual report. The 2017 annual report provides an overview of the figures and performance of Biocartis for the financial year ended 31 December 2017 and can now be downloaded from the website of the Company (www.biocartis.com) as a PDF file. --- END --- More information: Renate Degrave Manager Corporate Communications & Investor Relations e-mail rdegrave@biocartis.com tel +32 15 631 729 mobile +32 471 53 60 64 About Biocartis Biocartis (Euronext Brussels: BCART) is an innovative molecular diagnostics (MDx) company providing next generation diagnostic solutions aimed at improving clinical practice for the benefit of patients, clinicians, payers and industry. Biocartis' proprietary MDx Idylla(TM) platform is a fully automated sample-to-result, real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) system that offers accurate, highly reliable molecular information from virtually any biological sample in virtually any setting. Biocartis launched the Idylla(TM) platform in September 2014. Biocartis is developing and marketing a rapidly expanding test menu addressing key unmet clinical needs in oncology and infectious diseases. These areas represent respectively the fastest growing and largest segments of the MDx market worldwide. Today, Biocartis offers fourteen oncology tests and two infectious disease tests in Europe. More information: www.biocartis.com. Press Photo Library available here. Follow us on Twitter: @Biocartis_. Biocartis and Idylla(TM) are registered trademarks in Europe, the United States and other countries. Biocartis trademark and logo and Idylla(TM) trademark and logo are used trademarks belonging to Biocartis. This press release is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in any jurisdiction where to do so would be unlawful. Any persons reading this press release should inform themselves of and observe any such restrictions. Biocartis takes no responsibility for any violation of any such restrictions by any person. Please refer to the product labeling for applicable intended uses for each individual Biocartis product. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities in any jurisdiction. No securities of Biocartis may be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Forward-looking statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Biocartis expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release, except if specifically required to do so by law or regulation. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO AUSTRALIA, CANADA, ITALY, DENMARK, JAPAN, THE UNITED STATES, OR TO ANY NATIONAL OF SUCH JURISDICTIONS NB Private Equity Partners Publishes 2017 Annual Financial Report 5 April 2018 NB Private Equity Partners Limited ("NBPE" or the "Company"), a closed-end private equity investment company, today releases its Annual Financial Report for 2017. Key highlights and commentary are below and the complete Annual Report can be found on the Company's website at www.nbprivateequitypartners.com. Key Highlights 31 December 2017 Net Asset Value ("NAV") per Share of $17.45 (12.91) increased $1.54 (0.02) from $15.91 (12.89) NAV per Share at 31 December 2016 NAV per Share total return of 13.2% 31 December 2017 NAV per Share of $17.45 is a 3.7% uplift relative to the previously issued 31 December 2017 monthly estimate of $16.82 per Share NAV per Share increase was driven by realised and unrealised investment gains and portfolio yield income, offset by dividends paid and expenses NBPE's NAV increase of $74.9 million during 2017 included: $89.4 million of realised gains, or $1.83 per Share, net of tax expense $29.3 million of unrealised gains, or $0.60 per Share, net of tax expense $16.5 million of yield income and dividends, or $0.34 per Share $5.8 million of interest and other financing costs, or ($0.12) per Share $24.6 million of management fees, operating expenses, and other expenses, or ($0.50) per Share $5.5 million of losses on foreign exchange related to ZDPs and investments, or ($0.11) per Share $24.4 million of dividends paid, or ($0.50) per Share NAV development during 2017 has been as follows: NAV Development (Returns based on USD) 31 Dec 2017 Total return NAV development per Share 13.2% NAV development per Share 9.7% Portfolio Commentary Strong cash flow: $252.8 million of realisations received during 2017 2017 Realisations: $112.9 million of proceeds received as a result of full sales of Evans, Deltek, Gabriel Brothers, Patheon, Ortholite, Capsugel and Oticas Carol, which in aggregate generated a 4.4x multiple (inclusive of prior distributions) New investments: 20 new equity investments and 12 new income investments completed in 2017 totalling $309.9 million Direct investment focus: 88% of fair value invested in direct equity and income investments at 31 December 2017 Portfolio Valuation The value of NBPE's private equity portfolio as at 31 December 2017 was based on the following information: 97% of the private equity fair value was valued as of 31 December 2017 87% in private direct investments and fund investments 8% in public securities 2% in credit-related fund investments 3% of the private equity fair value was valued as of 30 September 2017 Outlook NBPE continues to benefit from the full resources of the Manager's integrated private equity platform for superior deal flow, due diligence and execution capabilities. The Manager believes that while many segments of the market remain competitive, there are a number of near-term opportunities that may be attractive investments for the portfolio and that the current investment pipeline remains strong. Investor Call NBPE also announces that an investor conference call will be held on Monday 16 April 2018 in order to discuss the Company's recent financial performance and Company developments. The conference call will take place at 13.30 BST / 14.30 CEST / 8.30 EDT and can be accessed by dialing +1-866-453-9043 (U.S.) or +1-706-643-0379 (International) with the access code 9182407. Please ask for "the NBPE investor call." A playback facility will be available two hours after the conference call concludes. This facility can be accessed for the following two weeks by dialing +1-855-859-2056 (U.S.) or +1-404-537-3406 (International). The code to access the playback facility is 9182407. A recording of the investor call will also be available on NBPE's website within several days after the call. An updated investor presentation will be available prior to the call on NBPE's website at http://www.nbprivateequitypartners.com/. For further information, please contact: NBPE Investor Relations +1 214 647 9593 Neustria Partners +44 20 3021 2580 Nick Henderson Nick.Henderson@neustriapartners.com Robert Bailhache Robert.Bailhache@neustriapartners.com Charles Gorman Charles.Gorman@neustriapartners.com ABOUT NB PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS LIMITED NBPE is a closed-end private equity investment company with class A ordinary shares admitted to trading on the Premium Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Amsterdam. NBPE has 2022 ZDP Shares admitted to trading on the Specialist Fund Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. NBPE holds a diversified portfolio of direct equity investments, direct income investments and fund investments selected by the NB Alternatives group of Neuberger Berman, diversified across private equity asset class, geography, industry, vintage year, and sponsor. ABOUT NEUBERGER BERMAN Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategies-including equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity and hedge funds-on behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. With offices in 20 countries, Neuberger Berman's team is approximately 1,900 professionals. For five consecutive years, the company has been named to Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). Tenured, stable and long-term in focus, the firm fosters an investment culture of fundamental research and independent thinking. It manages $295 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2017. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com. This statement is made pursuant to article 5:25e of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht) which requirement stems from the EU Transparency Directive. Pursuant to article 5:25e and article 5:25m of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act this Interim Management Statement has been made generally available by means of a press release and by publication on NBPE's website (www.nbprivateequitypartners.com) and has been filed with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiele Markten). This press release appears as a matter of record only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any security. NBPE is established as a closed-end investment company domiciled in Guernsey. NBPE has received the necessary consent of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission and the States of Guernsey Policy Council. NBPE is registered with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets as a collective investment scheme which may offer participations in The Netherlands pursuant to article 2:66 of the Financial Markets Supervision Act (Wet op het financial toezicht). All investments are subject to risk. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. The value of investments may fluctuate. Results achieved in the past are no guarantee of future results. This document is not intended to constitute legal, tax or accounting advice or investment recommendations. Prospective investors are advised to seek expert legal, financial, tax and other professional advice before making any investment decision. Statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, estimates, projections, opinions and beliefs of NBPE's investment manager. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Additionally, this document contains "forward-looking statements." Actual events or results or the actual performance of NBPE may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such targets or forward-looking statements. Zaandam, the Netherlands, April 5, 2018 - Ahold Delhaize announced today that Dick Boer will step down as CEO as of July 1, 2018 and retire from the company. Frans Muller has been appointed as the new CEO, effective July 1, 2018. Mats Jansson, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, said: "We thank Dick for his leadership and dedication throughout his 20-year career at Ahold Delhaize and Ahold. Dick's accomplishments include the successful repositioning of Albert Heijn to market leadership, strategically building Ahold's portfolio into brands with number one and two positions in the markets they serve, and introducing digital, eCommerce and sustainability as integrated parts of the business. Dick has role-modelled the values of our Better Together strategy, with his passion for retail, customers, associates and health. Under Dick's leadership, two leading food retailers were brought together in an historic merger. With this merger now being substantially completed, Ahold Delhaize is now ready to move into its next phase." Mr. Jansson continued: "Together with Dick, Frans was instrumental in bringing together Ahold and Delhaize Group. During the past two years he has been driving the integration process in close collaboration with our great local brands and support offices. Frans brings a wealth of retail experience and a deep knowledge of our company, brands and U.S. and European markets, making him the natural choice as next CEO. Frans is committed to the brand-centric operating model which is key to our strategy and has the customer at its core. We are confident that Frans is the right person to lead the company into its next phase." Mr. Muller has more than 20 years of experience in retail and has served as Deputy CEO and Chief Integration Officer of Ahold Delhaize since July 24, 2016. He also led Delhaize America on an interim basis from October 2016 until January 2018. Prior to the merger between Ahold and Delhaize, Mr. Muller served as President and CEO of Delhaize Group from 2013. Before joining Delhaize Group, he served on the Management Board of German retailer Metro AG for seven years and was CEO of Metro Cash & Carry for five years. Mr. Muller said: "I'm honored to be given the opportunity to lead this company with such powerful brands, incredible talent and long-term growth potential - a combination that sets us apart globally. Our success will be based upon delivering a great and seamless shopping experience for our customers, both in stores and online. Building on the solid foundations established under Dick's leadership, we will continue to drive innovation and growth in stores and online as we execute our strategy and create value for all our stakeholders. My focus will be on delivering our promises to be a better place to shop, better place to work and better neighbor - every day." Mr. Boer said: "It has been a privilege to lead Ahold Delhaize and to work with so many talented colleagues, serving customers around the globe. Today, our company is well-positioned for long-term growth, creating a natural moment for me to step down. I am proud of what we achieved together and it is my absolute pleasure to be handing the helm to Frans, who I have come to know as a talented leader. I wish him, the executive team and everyone at the company all the best for the future." Mr. Boer will work closely with Mr. Muller to ensure a smooth transition on July 1, 2018 and he will remain available as advisor to the Company until mid 2019. Zaandam, the Netherlands, April 5, 2018 - Ahold Delhaize announces today that Mats Jansson will retire from the Supervisory Board after the AGM on April 11, 2018. Jan Hommen has been appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board as of the same date. Johnny Thijs and Patrick De Maeseneire will also step down after having indicated that they are unable to continue the membership of the Supervisory Board with their other commitments. Mats Jansson has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board since the merger between Ahold and Delhaize Group in July 2016. Prior to that, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Delhaize Group. Mr. Jansson said: "I leave Ahold Delhaize knowing that the company is well positioned for the future. I thank my colleagues in the Supervisory Board and especially Jan Hommen, with whom I have had the privilege of working closely, both before and after completing the merger of two leading food retail companies. It makes me proud to see what the teams at Ahold Delhaize have accomplished in two years, with the integration fully on track. For me this proves that we truly are Better Together. I also thank Johnny Thijs and Patrick De Maeseneire for their valuable contributions during their terms at Ahold Delhaize and Delhaize Group." Jan Hommen has been Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board since July 2016. Prior to the merger, Mr. Hommen served as Chairman of Ahold's Supervisory Board since 2013. Between 2003 and 2007, he was Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Ahold and Chairman of the Audit Committee. Mr. Hommen has an executive background as Vice Chairman of the board of management at Royal Philips Electronics and as CEO of ING Group and of KPMG the Netherlands. Mr. Hommen said: "The leadership of Mats has been instrumental in successfully bringing Ahold and Delhaize Group together and delivering on our promises to our stakeholders. As a Supervisory Board, we are grateful for his commitment and strong support to the leadership team in delivering a successful integration. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the board and with the new CEO Frans Muller and his team". The Supervisory Board has appointed Bill McEwan as Vice Chairman, succeeding Mr. Hommen. English Danish Company announcement Announcement No. 22/2018 Group Communications Holmens Kanal 2 12 DK-1092 Kbenhavn K Tel. +45 45 14 56 95 Date 5 April 2018 Lars Mrch resigns from Danske Bank Lars Mrch has today resigned from his position as member of the Executive Board of Danske Bank A/S. Lars Mrch has been employed with Danske Bank since 1999 and been responsible for Business Banking since 2012, including Danske Banks International Banking units and our Baltic operations. Danske Banks Chairman of the Board, Ole Andersen, takes notice of the resignation: I respect Lars Mrchs decision to resign. Although the ongoing investigations into the issues related to the Estonian non-resident portfolio have not been completed, it is now clear that the bank should have undertaken more thorough investigations at an earlier point. Such investigations would have led us to understand the full extent of the issues sooner and prompted swifter actions. We have discussed this situation with Lars Mrch over the last few weeks. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Lars Mrch for his contribution and commitment to Danske Bank over the years. Recently, he has been the driving force in the significant strengthening of Business Banking across the Nordic countries. The Board of Directors remain committed to getting to the bottom of the issues related to the closed Estonian non-resident portfolio and present the conclusions of the ongoing investigations when they are ready. Lars Mrch will be released from his ordinary work duties as soon as possible and will formally end his employment with Danske Bank at the end of October 2019. Thomas F. Borgen will temporarily assume Lars Mrchs responsibilities on the Executive Board. Danske Bank A/S SEATTLE, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, PayScale, Inc., the worlds leading provider of precise, on-demand compensation data and software, released The State of the Gender Pay Gap report which reveals new insights about both pay and career opportunity disparity between men and women. The report shows that when employees leave the workforce for one year or more, their pay upon returning to work is 7 percent less than an employee who is currently employed when seeking the same job. Since women leave the workforce more often than men, according to this new report, and their breaks tend to last longer, they are disproportionately penalized with lower pay due to career interruptions. The new report also shows that as employees progress through their careers, men are far more likely to find themselves in executive positions with bigger paychecks than their female counterparts. The current business climate has created a new focus, and even spurred new laws, aimed at achieving equal pay. However, its not enough to pay men and women the same amount for the same work if companies really want to address the gender pay gap, said Lydia Frank, Vice President at PayScale. Employers should go a step further and determine if women have the same opportunities as man for advancement at the organization. A disparity in representation of men and women on executive teams and boards has a huge impact on the overall pay gap.. Well never close the pay gap if we dont get serious about solving the opportunity gap. This also means evolving policies and work culture to balance the burden between the genders of caring for children and other family members to alleviate the current career and pay impact for women. The new PayScale research shows that men move into more senior positions at significantly higher rates, underscoring the opportunity gap problem. By mid-career, men are 70 percent more likely to be in executive positions than women and by late career, men are 142 percent more likely to be in vice president or C-suite roles which are typically the most highly compensated positions at a company. Here are some additional findings from The State of the Gender Pay Gap report: Gender Pay Gap Still Persists Overall, women earn 77.9 cents for every dollar earned by men across the entire labor market, defined as the uncontrolled pay gap by PayScale. However, when compensable factors such as experience, industry and job level are taken into account, women earn 97.8 cents for every dollar earned by their male peers for doing the same work (i.e. the controlled pay gap). Overall, women earn 77.9 cents for every dollar earned by men across the entire labor market, defined as the uncontrolled pay gap by PayScale. However, when compensable factors such as experience, industry and job level are taken into account, women earn 97.8 cents for every dollar earned by their male peers for doing the same work (i.e. the controlled pay gap). The Pay Gap Increases as Women Progress in Their Careers The typical 20 to 29 year-old woman earns 81.8 cents on the dollar compared to her male counterparts. The gap widens to 76.7 cents for women aged 30-44 and 69.1 cents for those 45 and older. The typical 20 to 29 year-old woman earns 81.8 cents on the dollar compared to her male counterparts. The gap widens to 76.7 cents for women aged 30-44 and 69.1 cents for those 45 and older. Womens Careers are Prone to Stagnate Men and women enter the job market at similar, junior levels. However, women over age 30 are more likely than men to remain in those individual contributor positions. In the age group over 45 years, 59 percent of women are in still individual contributor positions versus 43 percent of men. Men and women enter the job market at similar, junior levels. However, women over age 30 are more likely than men to remain in those individual contributor positions. In the age group over 45 years, 59 percent of women are in still individual contributor positions versus 43 percent of men. Career Disruptions Impact Earning Potential - Periods of unemployment have a negative impact on pay and the penalty increases as a person takes more time away from work. People who return to work after a period of unemployment make 4 percent less than someone who has not recently had a career disruption. Meanwhile, someone who has not worked in over a year experiences a 7.3 percent penalty in pay. Periods of unemployment have a negative impact on pay and the penalty increases as a person takes more time away from work. People who return to work after a period of unemployment make 4 percent less than someone who has not recently had a career disruption. Meanwhile, someone who has not worked in over a year experiences a 7.3 percent penalty in pay. Women Leave the Workforce at Higher Rates Than Men - Women are five times more likely than men to take breaks from working for child rearing, and since their breaks are more likely to last more than a year, they are particularly hurt by the unemployment penalty which is reflected in the gender pay gap. Women are five times more likely than men to take breaks from working for child rearing, and since their breaks are more likely to last more than a year, they are particularly hurt by the unemployment penalty which is reflected in the gender pay gap. The Pay Gap Varies Widely by State - The three states with the greatest controlled pay gap between men and women are Louisiana (7.4 percent), Alabama (7.1 percent) and West Virginia (6.5 percent). Meanwhile, women are actually paid slightly more than men for doing the same work in four states: Rhode Island (0.2 percent), District of Columbia (0.5 percent), Vermont (0.6 percent) and Connecticut (1.6 percent). - The three states with the greatest controlled pay gap between men and women are Louisiana (7.4 percent), Alabama (7.1 percent) and West Virginia (6.5 percent). Meanwhile, women are actually paid slightly more than men for doing the same work in four states: Rhode Island (0.2 percent), District of Columbia (0.5 percent), Vermont (0.6 percent) and Connecticut (1.6 percent). The Pay Gap Also Varies across Industries - The oil and gas industry has the largest controlled pay gap at 7.4 percent, followed by transportation and warehousing at 4.9 percent. In contrast, the technology and education industries have the lowest controlled pay gap at 0.8 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. To further the discussion about the gender pay and opportunity gaps, PayScale will host an event on Equal Pay Day, April 10, 2018 at the PayScale headquarters in Seattle, Washington. The event, called Equal Power Day, will focus on ways to close the opportunity gap - as well as the pay gap - that persists between men and women, including a session for gender pay allies. To view all the data and explore the entire The State of the Gender Pay Gap report, please visit: https://www.payscale.com/data-packages/gender-pay-gap About PayScale: PayScale offers modern compensation software and the most accurate, real-time, data-driven insights for employees and employers alike. More than 6,500 customers, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, use PayScale to power pay decisions for more than 16 million employees. These companies include T-Mobile, Macy's, Kayak, Sunsweet, UnitedHealth Group, Stihl, GoDaddy and Wendy's. For more information, please visit: www.payscale.com or follow PayScale on Twitter: https://twitter.com/payscale. Press Contact: Erica Beyer Email: erica@fireflycmns.com Tel: (206) 321-0727 English French LEUKOTAC takes next step in paediatric acute steroid-resistant GvHD ELSALYS BIOTECH plans to submit to the European Medicines Agency before summer 2018 a Paediatric Investigation Plan (PIP) proposing to conduct a prospective clinical study in the paediatric population The management of acute steroid-resistant graft versus host disease (SR-aGvHD0F), the indication for LEUKOTAC, is even more critical in paediatric patients than in adults since therapeutic options are worst limited Lyon, FRANCE, 05 April 2018, ELSALYS BIOTECH, a new player in immuno-oncology, met paediatric transplant physicians at the 44th EBMT congress that took place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 18 to 21 March. The Company presented the progress made on LEUKOTAC (inolimomab), its monoclonal antibody that has demonstrated promising clinical results in the treatment of SR-aGvHD and addressed in particular the objectives and challenges of the upcoming paediatric investigation plan. Retrospective analysis ongoing in about 150 children treated with LEUKOTAC In the context of the early access programme (Temporary Use Authorisation1F) granted by the French medicine agency (ANSM), over 250 children suffering from SR-aGvHD were treated with LEUKOTAC in compassionate use, mainly between 2005 and 2015. This antibody is well known by the French paediatric physicians specialised in bone marrow transplantation. Efficacy and safety data of LEUKOTAC were collected retrospectively among 147 patients and are being analysed. In a heterogeneous paediatric population - in terms of age and origin of the disease conducting to bone marrow transplantation - the main objectives of this analysis are to identify the optimal dosing, the rate of response as well as the duration of the response together with the overall impact on survival after treatment of this population with LEUKOTAC. The data may allow a more precise identification of the patient typologies who are most likely to benefit from treatment and will be used to design the prospective clinical study in the paediatric population that will later be conducted within the frame of a Paediatric Investigation Plan. Paediatric Investigation Plan to be filed before summer The planned study will be multicentric in Europe, even North America. It is expected to involve approximately 60 to 80 patients in a non-randomised study (without control arm, in other words all patients will receive LEUKOTAC). The medical need represented by steroid-resistant aGvHD among children under the age of 18 is major and critical. The therapeutic solutions in this population are very limited, also coming from clinical trials given that treatments are always validated in adults before in children. The paediatric physicians who used LEUKOTAC say that since the product has no longer been available they have had difficulties and they support making the product available again at the earliest opportunity, explains Dr. David LIENS, Chief Medical Officer, ELSALYS BIOTECH. We are preparing a paediatric investigation plan that proposes to conduct a prospective clinical study in children with the support of several French and European clinicians. This plan, which is an obligation under European regulation, will be submitted before summer to the European Medicines Agency that is expected to welcome this proposal since it is not common to propose studies in these populations. It is an ambitious timing but it is equal to the challenges faced by young patients in the absence of any therapeutic solution, adds Dr. Catherine MATHIS, Chief Operations Officer, ELSALYS BIOTECH. head of paediatric haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, Robert-Debre University Hospital, Paris, who presents the challenge of SR-aGvHD in paediatrics About LEUKOTAC LEUKOTAC (inolimomab) is an immunotherapy monoclonal antibody that targets the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2), a chemical molecule named cytokine that contributes to the development and proliferation of some white blood cells including T-cells responsible for aGvHD. By linking specifically to the chain of the receptor (CD25), LEUKOTAC prevents IL-2 from binding on the surface of the donor's over-active T-cells which blocks their multiplication. The efficacy of LEUKOTAC in steroid-resistant aGvHD lies mainly in its specificity and its preferential affinity to the CD25 receptor found on the surface of T-lymphocytes. About steroid-resistant aGvHD Formerly called bone marrow transplant, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) is the last therapeutic option for patients with certain blood cancers or severe immunodeficiency. In practice, the treatment is designed to replace the diseased blood cells of the patient with the hematopoietic stem cells of a matching donor (allograft). Once grafted, these stem cells will produce new healthy and functional blood cells, including white blood cells that will allow patients to bridge their immune deficiency or to eliminate surviving cancer cells. If this technique has made considerable progress in 60 years, half of transplant recipients are still victims of complications: side effects of conditioning pretreatment (that aims to prevent transplant rejection), long-term susceptibility to infections and GvHD. In the latter case, the donor's over-active T-cells turn against the patient's tissues: mucous membranes, skin, gastro-intestinal tract, liver and lungs. The acute form appears just after the transplant, the chronic form occurring several months later (preceded or not by an aGvHD). Affecting between 30 to 55% of patients, GvHD is the main complication of transplantation. To halt this "autoimmune disease", physicians combine corticosteroids with other immunosuppressive agents. The fact remains that some 30 to 50% of aGvHD gradually become resistant to these first-line treatments. To date clinicians do not have any standard of treatment for these patients for whom there is a strong unmet medical need. Thus in Europe, 4,000 children and adults die each year from their aGvHD. About ELSALYS BIOTECH ELSALYS BIOTECH is a clinical stage immuno-oncology company that designs and develops a new generation of therapeutic antibodies that target tumors and their immune and/or vascular microenvironment. By modulating the action of immune cells (immunomodulator antibodies) or by blocking the mechanisms that promote tumor growth (targeted antibodies), ELSALYS BIOTECH intends to offer new options to patients for whom therapy is no longer an option. To convert these novel targets into drug candidates, the Company relies on a world-class academic network, a team and an R&D platform that encompasses targets sourcing to clinical development and the commercialization of monoclonal antibodies derived from these targets. Today ELSALYS BIOTECH is conducting 5 proprietary development programs including LEUKOTAC (inolimomab), an immunotherapy antibody that has recently demonstrated its clinical superiority in Phase 3 in an orphan disease with very poor prognosis: steroid-resistant acute Graft-versus-Host Disease. Bringing LEUKOTAC to the market could lead ELSALYS BIOTECH to build, by acquisitions, a portfolio of commercial immunotherapy antibodies against rare diseases. Founded in 2013, ELSALYS BIOTECH is located in the heart of the European cluster LYON BIOPOLE. Its founding shareholders are TRANSGENE and SOFIMAC INNOVATION, joined in 2015 by the INSTITUT MERIEUX EUROPE and CREDIT AGRICOLE CREATION. Stay in touch with ElsaLys Biotech and receive directly our press releases by filling our contact form on www.elsalysbiotech.com And follow us on Twitter: @ElsalysBiotech Contacts ELSALYS BIOTECH Dr. Christine GUILLEN CEO and Co-founder +33(0)6 37 69 75 15 guillen@elsalysbiotech.com PRESSE ATCG PARTNERS Marie PUVIEUX (France) +33 (0)6 10 54 36 72 Celine VOISIN (UK/US) +33 (0)6 62 12 53 39 presse@atcg-partners.com NAIROBI, Kenya, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National carrier, Kenya Airways and WheelTug plc, the aircraft e-taxi innovator, have executed a slot agreement for the airlines fleet of Boeing 737NG aircraft. Under this agreement, the WheelTug system will enable Kenya Airways airplanes to taxi forward and backward, using small electric motors in their nosewheels rather than jet engines or a tow tug. This will benefit the Pride of Africa by reducing fuel consumption and emissions at airports, and save up to 20 minutes in ground time between flights. Additionally, WheelTug will enable Kenya Airways planes to parallel park at terminal gates; using two doors for narrowbody boarding and deplaning will allow for even more expedited travel. Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Sebastian Mikosz said: "WheelTug's innovative solution will be an excellent complement to our growing fleet and ultra-modern hub in Nairobi. It is the next stage in aviation innovation and vital for our operations." This is the second airline contract WheelTug has signed in 2018. WheelTug systems are now reserved for over 1,050 aircraft on more than 20 airlines worldwide. The WheelTug system uses high-performance electric motors, installed in the nose gear wheels of an aircraft, to provide full mobility and enhanced autonomy while on the ground. Pilots can use WheelTug to conduct pushback and taxi operations without needing to use tugs or the aircraft's jet engines. With WheelTug systems, Kenya Airways can improve the efficiency and reliability of its ground operations, leading to lower costs and increased fleet utilization. WheelTug CEO Isaiah Cox said: "We are pleased to welcome Kenya Airways to the WheelTug program, and look forward to simplifying their ground operations and bringing their passengers a more enjoyable journey." About Kenya Airways Kenya Airways, a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, is a leading African airline flying to 51 destinations worldwide, 42 of which are in Africa and carries over three million passengers annually. It continues to modernize its fleet with its 32 aircrafts being some of the youngest in Africa. This includes its flagship B787 Dreamliner aircrafts. The on-board service is renowned and the lie-flat business class seat on the wide-body aircraft is consistently voted among the worlds top 10. Kenya Airways takes pride for being in the forefront of connecting Africa to the World and the World to Africa through its hub at the new ultra-modern Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Kenya Airways celebrated 40 years of operations in January 2017 and was named Africa's Leading Airline 2017 by the World Travel Awards. For more information, please visit www.kenya-airways.com or call our 24HR Contact Center: +254 20 327 4747, Twitter: @KenyaAirways, Facebook: KenyaAirways, Instagram: OfficialKenyaAirways About WheelTug plc WheelTug plc is developing the WheelTug aircraft electric drive system, and is based in Gibraltar. A full listing of WheelTug partner companies and airline customers is on the company's website at http://www.wheeltug.gi. Forward-looking statement at http://www.wheeltug.gi/fls.shtml. For more information please contact: Jan Vana, Director w WheelTug plc; +420 724 276 506 w +1 410 419 0082 exec@wheeltug.gi www.wheeltug.gi The company's own capital now exceeds 50 million euros. In 2017, the number of clients has doubled. Such growth in business was prompted by rapid team expansion, launch of new cryptocurrency products and entry into new markets. Malta (April 5, 2018) Net growth Last year the total number of EXANTE clients increased by 121%, which, in absolute terms, became the most powerful boost since the company's inception. Based on the audited financial statements for the year aggregated AUM* grew by 80% as compared to 2016, marking a new record for the company. Stakeholder equity increased by 40%. New products During 2017 EXANTE launched a new line of financial products in the cryptocurrency market. Among them are XAI altcoin index fund as well as various other funds focused on popular cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Monero, Ripple, Zcash and Dash. Thanks to the dramatic growth of Bitcoin price in 2016-2017, the Bitcoin Fund launched back in 2012 again became one of the most popular products offered by the company. Another unique product launched by EXANTE in 2017 is a debit card linked to a client's brokerage account. With it investors are able to use profits gained by trading of over 100,000 financial instruments at lightning speed. Geographical expansion In addition to offices in Malta, Cyprus, Latvia and Russia, last year EXANTE opened six new offices (including partners working under EXANTE brand) - in London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kiev, Warsaw and Astana. On top of that, a Kazakh company First Qazaq launched a network of partnering offices to offer financial services under its own brand with EXANTE's support. Public & Government Relations In 2017 there were more publications featuring EXANTE than in all previous years combined. The total number of press pieces mentioning EXANTE and its experts approached 360, not including company press releases published by news agencies. In addition, the 100-year anniversary paper issue of Forbes Russia featured a page dedicated to EXANTE. The company's experts joined state workgroups on blockchain and cryptocurrencies in Malta and Kazakhstan. EXANTE supports the Il-Gardina charity project launched by the government of Malta. Through various channels and activities EXANTE has directly and indirectly supported Maltese local charities to the tune of 350,000 euros. Our experts addressed the TCDisrupt conference in Berlin, Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference in Malta, Baltic Honeybadger event in Riga and took part in other important international gatherings. EXANTE sponsored and judged the Warwick Investor League trading competition hosted by this top-tier British college. Venture investments To top it all off, in 2017, EXANTE has instituted its very own venture investment arm Exantech. The first startups backed by Exantech were Comino, that produces home GPU miners, and STASIS, that develops a technological platform used to create reserved cryptocurrencies. Both projects were successfully launched in the autumn of 2017. Comino miners got excellent reviews from Thenextweb, a leading European technological portal. Exantech's initial investment into Comino was $10,000,000. April 5, 2018: OSLO, NORWAY, PGS will release its first quarter 2018 results on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at approximately 8:00 am Central European Summer Time (CEST). The earnings release and a corresponding presentation will be posted on www.newsweb.no and on PGS' web site www.pgs.com. A presentation is scheduled the same day at 9:00 am CEST at PGS' headquarters at Lilleakerveien 4C, Oslo, Norway. A conference call of the event is scheduled for 9.00 am CEST - dial in to listen to the presentation and ask questions after management's remarks. An additional conference call is scheduled the same day at 3:00 pm CEST. To access the conference call scheduled at 9:00 am CEST, please dial-in at the number provided below, corresponding to your location. The conference ID is 1474456. Location Dial-In Number Norway (toll free) 800 51 084 Norway (toll) 21 00 26 10 International (toll) +44 (0)330 336 9105 or +1 323 701 0225 US (toll free) 888 394 8218 A digital replay will be available shortly after the conference call and until May 3, 2018. The access number for this service is 1474456. Please access the replay by dial-in at the number provided below. Location Dial-In Number Norway (toll free) 800 19 672 Norway (toll) +47 23 50 00 77 International (toll) +44(0)207 660 0134 or +1 719 457 0820 UK (toll free) 0 808 101 1153 US (toll free) 888 203 1112 To access the conference call scheduled at 3:00 pm CEST, please dial-in at the number provided below, corresponding to your location. The conference ID is 7615273. Location Dial-In Number Norway (toll free) 800 51 084 Norway (toll) 21 00 26 10 International (toll) +44 (0)330 336 9105 or +1 323 794 2094 US (toll free) 800 263 0877 The telephone will be open for questions at the conclusion of management's remarks. A digital replay will be available shortly after the conference call and until May 3, 2018. The access number for this service is 7615273. Please access the replay by dial-in at the number provided below. Location Dial-In Number Norway (toll free) 800 19 672 Norway (toll) +47 23 50 00 77 International (toll) +44(0) 207 660 0134 or +1 719 457 0820 UK (toll free) 0 808 101 1153 US (toll free) 888 203 1112 For details, contact: Bard Stenberg, SVP IR & Communication Mobile: +47 99 24 52 35 **** Petroleum Geo-Services is a focused marine geophysical company providing a broad range of seismic and reservoir services, including acquisition, processing, interpretation, and field evaluation. The company also possesses the world's most extensive MultiClient data library. PGS operates on a worldwide basis with headquarters at Lilleaker Oslo, Norway. For more information on Petroleum Geo-Services visit www.pgs.com . --END-- FORM 8.3 PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code") 1. KEY INFORMATION (a) Full name of discloser: Jupiter Asset Management Ltd (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/ offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree CME Group Inc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held /dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 4th April 2018 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" YES NEX Group PLC 2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security. (a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any) Class of relevant security: USD 0.01 Class A common stock Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 225,302 0.066 (2) Cash-settled derivatives: (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: TOTAL: 225,302 0.066 All interests and all short positions should be disclosed. Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions). (b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options) Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: None Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages: None 3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in. The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated. (a) Purchases and sales Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit USD 0.01 Class A common stock Sale 4,015 158.02 (b) Cash-settled derivative transactions Class of relevant security Product description e.g. CFD Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit NONE (c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options) (i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit NONE (ii) Exercise Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit NONE (d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities) Class of relevant security Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable) NONE 4. OTHER INFORMATION (a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" NONE (b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to: (i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" NONE (c) Attachments Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO Date of disclosure: 5th April 2018 Contact name: Nabeel Ashraf Telephone number: 0203 817 1407 Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129. The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk. Cavotec SA is pleased to announce today that Sebastien Cluzel-Ewe has been appointed Group Vice President, Project and Program Management of the Cavotec Group. Mr. Cluzel-Ewe will join Cavotec on July 1st, 2018, based at the companys headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland. Mr. Cluzel-Ewe will report to Cavotec Group COO, Mr Martin Riegger and will be a member of the Group Executive Management Team. As Cavotec is increasingly being asked to undertake larger and more complex and mission critical system deliveries, the group has identified the need to improve internal structures and processes in this field. Mr. Cluzel-Ewe will be responsible for those initiatives as well as the successful execution of Cavotec's portfolio of projects across all regions. With over 20 years' experience working across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe, Mr. Cluzel-Ewe has held a variety of leadership roles and has a strong track record in successfully executing large-scale, complex projects. Mr. Cluzel-Ewe is currently Head of Project Management, EPC Substations, Europe, Middle East and Africa in the Power Grid division at ABB. Previously, he served as Head of Project Execution at Koch Engineering and Construction, responsible for large turnkey projects to customers around the world. Prior to this, he was leading the execution and turnkey delivery of Combined Cycle Power Plants at Siemens Power Generation division. Sebastien Cluzel-Ewe, 42, is a French national and holds a degree in Thermal-Energy Engineering from Institut Universitaire Technologique in Montlucon, France and in European Engineering Studies from Coventry University in the UK. ENDS For further details please contact: Johan Hahnel Investor Relations Manager Telephone: +46 70 605 63 34 - Email: investor@cavotec.com About Cavotec Cavotec is a leading engineering group that designs and manufactures automated connection and electrification systems for ports, airports and industrial applications worldwide. Cavotec innovative technologies ensure safe, efficient and sustainable operations. To find out more about Cavotec, visit our website at cavotec.com. The information in this release is subject to the disclosure requirements of Cavotec SA under the Swedish Securities Market Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. This information was publicly communicated on 5 April 2018, 12:00 CEST. HOUSTON, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Catena Resources, LLC (Catena or the Company) is pleased to announce the closing of an equity commitment from Carnelian Energy Capital II, L.P., a fund managed by Carnelian Energy Capital Management, L.P. (Carnelian). Catena, an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in San Antonio, was co-founded by Jason Edwards and Vince Smith to pursue an acquisition and development strategy in select unconventional resource plays across North America. Edwards and Smith bring a proven track record to Catena, having most recently worked together as key members at Forge Energy, LLC prior to its sale to Oasis Petroleum Inc. Edwards, Catenas Chief Executive Officer, commented: Vince and I have built our careers and reputations on being tireless and nimble. We could not imagine a better partner than Carnelian given their culture of being value additive and responsive in the same manner. Carnelian Principal Preston Powell added: Jason and Vinces operational capabilities and extensive industry network are top tier. We are excited that they have chosen to partner with Carnelian, and we look forward to their continued success. About Catena Resources, LLC Catena is an independent oil and natural gas company based in San Antonio, Texas. Catena focuses on acquiring, developing and operating unconventional properties across North America. For more information, please visit www.catenares.com. About Carnelian Energy Capital Management, L.P. Carnelian is an energy investment firm based in Houston, Texas. With $1 billion of cumulative equity commitments, Carnelian focuses on lower-to-middle market equity investments in the North American upstream, midstream and oilfield services sectors. For more information, please contact Carnelian at info@carnelianec.com or visit www.carnelianenergy.com. LONDON, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Islamic finance sector surprised market players around the globe with an incredibly successful 2017. Sukuk bonds, which generate returns without breaching Islamic law, came into high demand, with issuance surging by a phenomenal 45 percent to $97.9bn last year alone. As a result, the sector has seen excellent liquidity conditions in the Gulf states, throughout which most sukuk assets are held. New markets have also opened up, allowing ambitious firms dealing in Islamic finance to expand and grow at impressive rates. World Finance magazine celebrates such institutions in the latest edition of its annual Islamic Finance Awards. Despite the success of 2017, growth in sukuk issuance is slowing in 2018 as governments in the Gulf region moderate their budgets. The complex legal structure of sukuk products may also prove to be an ongoing challenge for foreign investors to enter the market. There is, however, still much scope for growth. The appeal of the Islamic finance model continues to attract attention worldwide. The UK, for example, has been issuing sukuks since 2014, while the ICD, the worlds largest Sharia-compliant development bank, pushes ahead with plans to make Islamic financing models in Africa possible. It perhaps comes as little surprise then that the Islamic finance sector is expected to be worth a whopping $3.8trn by 2022. As such, the coming years will be filled with both promises and challenges. Stubbornly low oil prices, together with ongoing geopolitical instability, will make long-term success a difficult goal that only the strongest Islamic banks will attain. Although the Islamic finance sector faces turbulent times ahead, the winners of the World Finance Islamic Finance Awards 2018 are a testament that the ethical finance model can thrive, even under the most testing conditions. To see the full list of winners, pick up the latest issue of World Finance, available online, on mobile and in print now. www.worldfinance.com World News Media is a leading publisher of quality financial and business magazines, which enjoys a global distribution network that includes subscriber lists of prominent decision-makers around the world. CONTACT INFORMATION World News Media Elizabeth Matsangou Editorial Department +44 (0) 20 7553 4162 elizabeth.matsangou@wnmedia.com SHANGHAI, China, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WABCO Holdings Inc. (NYSE:WBC) (www.wabco-auto.com), a leading global supplier of technologies and services that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, today announced that it has extended its strategic cooperation agreement with Sinotruk (Hong Kong) Limited, a leading heavy duty truck manufacturer in China. Building on more than 30 years of close cooperation, this agreement will leverage WABCOs global capabilities to further support Sinotruks China and international market development. Sinotruk will adopt a wide range of WABCOs industry-leading technologies. This includes Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), Electronic Braking Systems (EBS), and Electronically Controlled Air Suspension Systems (ECAS). WABCOs unrivalled global technology leadership in the commercial vehicle industry has provided a strong foundation for it to become a trusted strategic partner of Sinotruk for more than three decades, so we are delighted to extend our strategic cooperation to take advantage of WABCOs advanced driver assistance systems, said Dong Cai, President, Sinotruk. Our focus is to continuously improve the sophistication of the technology and performance of our trucks to provide enhanced safety and efficiency for our fleet customers and their drivers. WABCOs industry-leading safety, efficiency and connectivity solutions continue to deliver this technology advantage, enabling us to further differentiate and fortify our market leading position. This agreement powerfully demonstrates the success of over thirty years of partnership with Sinotruk, a leading manufacturer in Chinas dynamic and competitive commercial vehicle industry, said Sujie Yu, WABCO President, Asia-Pacific and Business Leader, China. Signifying the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our relationship, we are honored that Sinotruk continues to place its faith in WABCO's technology and local market intimacy. This partnership will ensure that Sinotruks commercial vehicles manufactured in China are equipped with the most advanced safety and efficiency technologies. The agreement also demonstrates how we continue to build on WABCOs three pillar strategy of technology leadership, globalization and excellence in execution to sustain value creation for our customers. The cooperation between WABCO and Sinotruk dates back to 1983. In 2009, the two parties entered into a multi-year strategic cooperation agreement for WABCO to supply a broad range of products from traditional valves to sophisticated automated manual transmission systems. In 2017, Sinotruk delivered its first batch of 20 intelligent, connected trucks to customers equipped with WABCOs advanced safety and efficiency technologies, including Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), and AMT. About WABCO WABCO (NYSE:WBC) is a leading global supplier of technologies and services that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles. Originating from the Westinghouse Air Brake Company founded nearly 150 years ago, WABCO continues to pioneer breakthrough innovations to enable autonomous driving in the commercial vehicle industry. Today, leading truck, bus and trailer brands worldwide rely on WABCOs differentiating technologies, including advanced driver assistance, braking, steering and stability control systems. Powered by its vision for accident-free driving and greener transportation solutions, WABCO is also at the forefront of advanced fleet management systems that contribute to commercial fleet efficiency. In 2017, WABCO reported sales of $3.3 billion and has nearly 15,000 employees in 40 countries. For more information, visit www.wabco-auto.com. WABCO China media contact Ling He, +86 2133 3821 65, ling.he@wabco-auto.com WABCO global media contact Nina Friedmann, +49 69 719 168 171, wabco@klenkhoursch.de WABCO investors and analysts contact Sean Deason, +1 248 270 9287, investorrelations@wabco-auto.com Highlights: Increases Measured and Indicated resource by approximately 80% from the 2016 resource estimate establishing Lithium Nevada as the largest and highest-grade known claystone lithium resource in the United States. Updates the Measured and Indicated resource to 6.0 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) at 2,917 ppm Li and the Inferred resource to 2.3 million tonnes of LCE at 2,932 ppm Li. Identifies extension of high grade (average 3,998 ppm Li) and near-surface lithium mineralization adjacent and northwest of the proposed 2012 pit boundary. Successfully completed process test work to confirm the production of high-value lithium products using acid leaching on lithium-bearing claystone. On track to release results of NI 43-101 Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) by the end of Q2 2018. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX:LAC) (NYSE:LAC) ("Lithium Americas" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an updated mineral resource estimate (the Resource Estimate) on the Thacker Pass deposit (previously Zone 1) (Thacker Pass) of the Lithium Nevada Project (the Lithium Nevada Project or the Project) located in the McDermitt Caldera, Nevada, USA. The Resource Estimate was prepared pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). At a cut-off of 2,000 parts per million lithium (ppm Li), the updated Resource Estimate consists of a Measured and Indicated Resource of 385 million tonnes grading 2,917 ppm Li for 6.0 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) and an Inferred Resource of 147 million tonnes grading 2,932 ppm Li for 2.3 million tonnes of LCE (Table 1). The updated Resource Estimate will be incorporated into a Preliminary Feasibility Study (the PFS) on the Lithium Nevada Project with results on track to be released by the end of Q2 2018. For more information on the Lithium Nevada Project and team, please refer to the press release dated October 23, 2017. Exploration work in 2017 has successfully expanded the lithium resource at the Lithium Nevada Project. More specifically, the results reveal additional high-grade and near surface lithium mineralization northwest of the original pit area that was proposed in 2012, commented Alexi Zawadzki, Lithium Americas President of North American Operations. We are pleased that the 2017 Exploration Program has achieved the goal of demonstrating scalability of the Project in an area we believe minimizes permitting and schedule risks. Table 1: Mineral Resource Statement for Lithium Nevada - Thacker Pass Deposit(1)(2)(3) June 2016 April 2018 Category Tonnage Avg. Li (ppm) LCE Tonnage Avg. Li (ppm) LCE (000 t) (000 t) (000 t) (000 t) Measured 50,753 3,120 843 242,150 2,948 3,800 Indicated 164,046 2,850 2,489 143,110 2,864 2,182 Measured and Indicated 214,799 2,914 3,332 385,260 2,917 5,982 Inferred 124,890 2,940 1,954 147,440 2,932 2,301 Notes: 1. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of the mineral resource will be converted into mineral reserves. 2. Resources presented at a 2,000 ppm Li cut-off grade. 3. The conversion factor for lithium metal (100%) to LCE is 5.323. A new geologic and grade block model was created using the historical and 2017 drilling information. Calculation of the updated Resource Estimate was performed using a cut-off of 2,000 ppm Li, the same cut-off used in the June 2016 Independent Technical Report for the Lithium Nevada Property, Nevada, USA. 2017 Exploration Program The intent of the 2017 Exploration Program was to identify a resource of scale in the Thacker Pass area (formerly Zone 1) of the Lithium Nevada Project, where habitat quality is substantially lower than in the Montana Mountains to the north (Figure 1a). In Thacker Pass, 77 exploration holes totaling 6,653 meters were drilled, a seismic survey was conducted and the surface geology of the project was remapped. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/dcdb3373-6484-43ce-b0a0-24165e6061ef The drilling data is presented in Table 2 and the locations of the exploration holes are presented in Figures 3a and 3b. 13 holes were drilled in the newly defined northwest expansion area (Figure 1b and Figure 4). This area is located northwest of the mine pit that was proposed in a 2012 mine plan. The assay data from all these holes averages 3,998 ppm Li, higher than the assay data from the infill drilling. The ore zone averages 46 m thick in this area (Figure 2). The 2017 Exploration Program also resulted in the discovery of an area identified as the Southwest Basin (Figure 1b) with high concentrations of Li and minimal overburden. Seven of the exploration holes intersected lithium mineralization. The 2017 Exploration Program did not intersect the western boundary limit of lithium mineralization in the northwest expansion area. Additional drilling is planned in this area as part of the proposed 2018 Exploration Program (Figure 2). New drilling in 2018 will further explore the lateral extent, thickness and depth of lithium mineralization in unexplored areas east of Thacker Pass. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/2b6d978a-55d0-4267-bc13-61ff0910b0f6 Preliminary Feasibility Study Update Lithium Nevada is advancing a PFS, which is being prepared pursuant to NI 43-101, in order to demonstrate the economic potential of producing high-value lithium products from claystone. The Company has successfully completed process test work to validate a conceptual process flowsheet. The process employs low-risk commercially-proven acid leaching, purification and crystallization technologies to efficiently produce lithium products for the battery industry. Lithium Nevada is advancing the engineering design and costing work and is on track to provide the results of the PFS on schedule by the end Q2 2018. Lithium Nevada Project Timeline Q2 2018 advance additional baseline environmental survey Q2 2018 release results of PFS H2 2018 initiate major mine plan permitting H2 2018 commence detailed engineering Table 2: Lithium Nevada - Thacker Pass 2017 Drilling Data Hole (LNC-) TD (m) Overburden Length (m) >2000 ppm Li Li ppm Avg Li ppm Max 001 186.54 20.48 60.32 3311 6100 002 60.96 - - 178 273 003 97.44 - - 271 2480 004 46.36 - - 351 1450 005 60.96 - - 212 990 006 60.96 - - 179 379 007 83.06 - - 129 411 008 76.20 - - 310 1470 009 154.72 218 25.62 2950 4050 010 212.48 - - 481 2550 011 71.84 6.10 25.12 2692 3950 012 54.13 - - 102 690 013 121.92 39.41 29.60 2910 6170 014 76.29 - - 183 1340 015 122.41 3.17 50.44 3221 6340 016 95.28 17.68 35.14 3226 5350 017 45.81 6.58 11.31 3321 5800 018 122.71 3.63 49.40 3005 5820 019 82.75 3.05 58.30 3553 6420 020 78.46 10.52 47.58 3706 6920 021 80.10 6.04 53.59 4083 7660 022 46.51 - - 399 1790 023 46.57 - - 487 2750 024 54.86 17.13 19.38 2926 4980 025 76.99 - - 402 1350 026 95.10 20.63 56.75 3369 5550 027 106.68 6.28 61.14 3555 5870 028 89.18 14.51 58.28 3613 7230 029 107.47 15.85 59.44 3454 5480 030 76.20 8.41 55.87 3310 6880 031 90.74 13.23 59.25 3663 7540 032 80.04 11.06 54.89 3749 7210 033 89.18 9.33 57.76 3729 7620 034 61.75 6.25 46.88 4031 8040 035 40.42 3.54 30.42 4136 7720 036 92.29 3.84 70.71 3377 7440 037 92.23 15.73 56.14 3486 6990 038 95.28 13.81 57.64 3586 6940 039 89.18 12.89 60.29 3545 7500 040 87.69 13.93 61.08 3874 7950 041 45.72 2.53 34.84 3805 7040 042 95.28 15.25 69.24 3453 6990 043 91.01 16.28 61.08 3505 7180 044 89.25 11.46 62.27 3789 6960 045 84.61 16.00 54.53 3841 6910 046 66.54 17.37 39.96 3655 7320 047 88.67 14.54 54.41 3860 7390 048 92.29 16.70 60.44 3587 6900 057 92.29 14.20 61.33 3658 7370 058 95.10 16.00 57.09 3445 7950 059 113.69 6.10 68.67 3352 6170 060 95.34 0 63.67 3363 6620 061 112.07 37.25 56.97 3429 5670 062 96.99 14.87 61.36 3487 6700 063 90.77 22.19 54.86 3655 6450 064 54.19 6.95 33.65 3965 6780 065 95.34 23.44 56.88 3663 6460 066 87.72 13.05 60.81 3741 6640 067 58.77 17.41 22.80 4797 6770 068 92.29 13.26 59.22 3721 6740 069 54.19 11.77 26.46 4445 8440 070 84.67 14.57 57.33 3531 7160 071 101.44 16.18 59.13 3886 7530 072 101.44 21.00 44.99 3741 7920 073 77.05 10.24 29.96 4309 7770 074 90.77 21.37 46.39 3819 6840 075 69.43 8.81 40.36 4199 7690 076 98.33 16.76 55.26 3892 8100 077 74.01 11.58 47.55 3947 7220 078 87.97 13.41 54.25 3869 6770 079 63.61 4.02 40.25 4950 6970 080 94.34 20.03 58.52 3829 7130 081 98.69 - - 30 60 082 90.74 18.41 56.66 3843 7430 083 37.43 0 19.02 3963 5180 084 67.76 6.77 43.83 3777 7540 085 113.63 31.33 63.12 3474 6220 Notes: Holes 049 through 056 which were drilled to target shallow industrial clay resources for Lithium Americas subsidiary, RheoMinerals Inc, were not tested for lithium, and therefore are not presented in this table. All holes are vertical (90o) except for hole LNC-083 (Az: 180o Dip -60o). A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/655b66d3-41b8-4802-b661-7bb9918195c0 Figure Notes: Figure 3a has the same approximate location of the inset box in Figure 1a. The location of Figure 3b is shown by the inset box in Figure 3a. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/9303f71b-58d8-40c8-a447-cf8c8ed7822d Quality Assurance and Quality Control The data collection and analysis procedures employed to develop the information presented in this disclosure use industry-standard quality techniques and procedures. Sampling procedure and assaying methods were as follows: Drilled core was brought from the field to the Companys core shed located in Orovada, Nevada. The boxes of core were logged, photographed, cut and sampled by Company employees and consultants. The geologist determined the length of the assay samples by lithology and averaged 1.73 m. The core was cut in half with diamond blade saws, using fresh water, and half bagged for sampling. For duplicate samples, one half of the core is cut in half again and the two halves are bagged and sampled separately to test sampling and assay precision. Each sample was assigned a unique identification number to ensure security and anonymity. Randomly inserted in the sample stream were QA/QC samples, which represent 10.1% of the total assays. The QA/QC samples include blanks to test for contamination, high and low-grade lithium standards to test for accuracy and duplicates to test for precision. Drilled core samples were collected from the core shed by ALS Minerals ( ALS ) and transported to their lab in Sparks, Nevada. At ALS, the samples were dried at a maximum temperature of 60 degrees Celsius and the entire sample was then crushed with a jaw crusher to 90% passing a ten-mesh screen. Nominal 250 gram splits were taken for each sample using a rifle splitter. This split is pulverized using a ring mill to 90% passing a 150-mesh screen. ) and transported to their lab in Sparks, Nevada. At ALS, the samples were dried at a maximum temperature of 60 degrees Celsius and the entire sample was then crushed with a jaw crusher to 90% passing a ten-mesh screen. Nominal 250 gram splits were taken for each sample using a rifle splitter. This split is pulverized using a ring mill to 90% passing a 150-mesh screen. ALS analysis included four-acid digestion and inductively coupled atomic emission plasma spectroscopy to ensure that elevated metal concentrations were not present, which would interfere with inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy analyses. QA/QC protocols included: High, low and blank standards were inserted in random sampling intervals. These samples were also assigned a blinded sample identification number. Duplicate samples were taken every 30.48 meters. Each was assigned a blinded identification number. QA/QC statistical evaluations and results: Three low grade samples out of 63 assays fell outside the certified two standard deviation. All three were within 20ppm of falling within the two standard deviation criteria. All high-grade samples were within the certified two standard deviations. All blank standards reported less than 65ppm Lithium. All assay standards showed minimal bias drift with time. 178 duplicate core samples, 356 assays, returned a R2 correlation value of 0.9915. The scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release relating to the Resource Estimate has been prepared and approved by Louis Fourie, P. Geo., Pri. Sci. Nat., of WorleyParsons Canada Inc., a Qualified Person" under NI 43-101, and an independent consultant to the Company. Mr. Fourie reviewed or developed the following types of information for the resource calculation: Geological maps and cross sections; Block model methods, parameters, tabulations, and model results; Estimated mining and process costs; and Resource determination procedures and results to assure reasonable expectation of economic extraction. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. All other scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Randal Burns, Senior Project Geologist at Lithium Nevada, and a "Qualified Person" as defined in NI 43-101. Mr. Burns has verified the data disclosed in this news release and no limitations were imposed on the verification process. In the course of data verification, and for purposes of QA/QC, Mr. Burns, among other things, reviewed or developed the following types of information for the deposit: Geologic maps and cross sections Block model methods, parameters, tabulations, and model results Estimated mining and process costs Resource determination procedures and results to assure reasonable expectation of economic extraction Sampling procedure and assaying methods QA/QC protocols and results, including: Analysis of inserted standards Analysis of inserted blanks Confirmation of assays from a check lab Reverse Circulation versus Diamond Drilling core sampling and assay versus core sampling and assay Spot checks of the data base against original certificates of assay Statistical evaluations and studies Analysis of inserted standards Analysis of inserted blanks Confirmation of assays from a check lab Reverse Circulation versus Diamond Drilling core sampling and assay versus core sampling and assay Spot checks of the data base against original certificates of assay Statistical evaluations and studies Checked reliability of historic information and established protocol for acceptance or rejection of legacy data Other than as described in the Company's annual filings (which are available at www.sedar.com), there are no known legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resources at this point of time. About Lithium Americas Lithium Americas, together with SQM, is developing the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project, located in Jujuy, Argentina, through its 50% interest in Minera Exar. In addition, Lithium Americas owns 100% of the Lithium Nevada project, and RheoMinerals Inc., a supplier of rheology modifiers for oil-based drilling fluids, coatings, and specialty chemicals. The Company trades on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol LAC. Forward-looking statements Statements in this release that are forward-looking information are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the timing and completion of PFS, baseline environmental surveys, the 2018 drill program, major mine plan permitting and detailed engineering work. When used in this document, the words such as intent, target, expect, estimated and scheduled and similar expressions represent forward-looking information. Information provided in this document is necessarily summarized and may not contain all available material information. All such forward-looking information and statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Lithium Americas management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information or statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements include those described under the heading "Risks Factors" in the Lithium Americas most recently filed Annual Information Form and other continuous disclosure filings. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Fornebu, Norway - April 5, 2018: Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of REC Silicon ASA (REC) will be held at Hyres Hus, Stortingsgaten 20, Oslo, Norway on April 26, 2018 at 16.00 CET. Please find attached Notice of the General Meeting and the Recommendation of the Nomination Committee. The documents are also available at http://www.recsilicon.com/investors/agm You may register your attendance and submit advance voting prior to the meeting by accessing the website. For further information, please contact: Chris Bowes, Investor Relations REC Silicon ASA Phone: +1 509 793 8127 Email: chris.bowes@recsilicon.com Nils O. Kjerstad IR Contact Europe Phone: +47 9135 6659 Email: nils.kjerstad@crux.no About REC Silicon REC Silicon is a leading producer of advanced silicon materials, delivering high-purity polysilicon and silicon gas to the solar and electronics industries worldwide. We combine 30 years of experience and proprietary technology with the needs of our customers, with annual production capacity of more than 20,000 MT of polysilicon from our two US-based manufacturing plants. Listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: REC), the Company is headquartered in Fornebu, Norway. For more information, go to: www.recsilicon.com This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif., April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Eastern Europe Tech Tour 2018 (EETT) will bring tech innovators and investors together for a first-of-its-kind set of events June 11-12 in Warsaw, Poland and June 12-13 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The EETT 2018 is organized by Tech Tour, with initial support from Almaz Capital and the Bulgarian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA). The main goal is to introduce entrepreneurs and investors and pave the way for a full journey of innovation, from initial concept all the way through to valuation. Eastern Europe is the focal point this year. The region is producing one of the highest economic growth rates and has generated $5 billion in liquidity back to investors in the past few years. The EETT 2018 will feature 30 of the most promising high tech companies 15 from Central Eastern Europe: Poland (as a host country), Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine; and 15 from South Eastern Europe: Bulgaria (as a host country), Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia (FYROM), Moldova and Montenegro. Over 200 entrepreneur-led companies will go through a rigorous review process and be assessed based on the uniqueness of their technology, the strength of their business model, vision, capability to execute on the business plan, and the quality and track record of their management. The selected companies will present to an invited delegation of 40 international investors active in the region as well as 40 local investors and regional key players. EETT 2018 is led by: Alexander Galitsky , EETT President and co-founder and managing partner of Almaz Capital; , EETT President and co-founder and managing partner of Almaz Capital; Marcin Hejka , Head of Selection Committee for the Central Eastern Europe and co-founder and founding partner at OTBVentures; , Head of for the Central Eastern Europe and co-founder and founding partner at OTBVentures; Evgeny Angelov, Head of Selection Committee for the Southern Eastern Europe and chairman of BVCA and partner of PostScriptum Ventures. The Tour is a great chance for entrepreneurs to present their businesses to venture capitalists and spend several days with investors as one team, taking part in interactive sessions, dinners and special events. The event will bring many opportunities for networking and further cooperation between participating parties, companies and investors, as well as for sharing comprehensive information about the investment process. The official language of the Eastern Europe Tech Tour 2018 is English. All startups can participate in the Eastern Europe Tech Tour 2018 free of charge. The application deadline for interested companies is April 13, 2018. The early-bird registration deadline for event passes is April 12, 2018. All media representatives can attend free of charge. For registration via email, please contact hhristov@techtour.com or Irina@almazcapital.com by June 11, 2018 for Warsaw and by June 12 for Sofia. Partnership packages are also available. About Tech Tour Founded in 1998, Tech Tour is a community with strong positions in the venture capital market. We promote innovative companies and their projects through our online community platform and in person at 25 networking events that we organize each year. We have 20-years of experience across Europe and the Middle East and present a unique cross-border platform for growing and emerging innovative tech companies on their way to investment and funding from the idea to the success story. For more information please see: www.techtour.com. About Almaz Capital Almaz Capital is an international Venture Capital firm investing in early stage, capital efficient technology companies. A unique bridge fund headquartered in Silicon Valley, Almaz Capital connects Eastern European/former Soviet engineering and entrepreneurial talent to the U.S. market and helps build global businesses. The firm invests in high-growth sectors such as artificial intelligence and blockchain applications, data engineering, cybersecurity, industrial IoT, networking architecture and infrastructure. Almaz investors include Cisco, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. Founded in 2008, Almaz Capital has invested in over 30 portfolio companies and has had nine exits to date. For more information please visit: www.almazcapital.com. About Bulgarian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) The Bulgarian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association is a focal point of private investors, venture capital funds and the entrepreneurial community in Bulgaria. BVCA works alongside its members to improve the business environment and to drive innovation and growth in the country and the CEE region. The Association is committed to popularizing the role of private investment as a reliable and sustainable source of funding for growing and established companies. For more information, please visit: http://bvca.bg/en/. Connect with us https://twitter.com/TechTourHQ https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-tour https://www.facebook.com/TechTourHQ/ https://www.youtube.com/c/TechTourEurope Europe Unlimited is now Tech Tour! For more information on our upcoming events please visit www.techtour.com/events. Media Contact: Irina Goryacheva, Irina@almazcapital.com; 650-644-4530 A graphic accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/2e6a2bf6-69c6-41ce-b659-a5bd6f2874d3 English Norwegian Data Respons has signed a contract of SEK 10 million with a customer within Telecom & Media. The contract includes software development supporting the customer's next generation platform-independent payment solutions. - The digitalisation trend changes the normal way of doing business. New digital payment solutions must be developed in order to facilitate new business models, and I am glad that a specialist team from Data Respons has been selected to support this important work, says Kenneth Ragnvaldsen, CEO of Data Respons ASA. For further information: Kenneth Ragnvaldsen, CEO, Data Respons ASA, tel. +47 913 90 918. Rune Wahl, CFO, Data Respons ASA, tel. + 47 950 36 046 About Data Respons Data Respons is a full-service, independent technology company and a leading player in the IoT, Industrial digitalisation and the embedded solutions market. We provide R&D services and embedded solutions to OEM companies, system integrators and vertical product suppliers in a range of market segments such as Transport & Automotive, Industrial Automation, Telecom & Media, Space, Defence & Security, Medtech, Energy & Maritime, and Finance & Public Sector. Data Respons ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (Ticker: DAT), and is part of the information technology index. The company has offices in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Taiwan. www.datarespons.com This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. PHOENIX, AZ and NIPTON, CA, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Green, Inc. (ERBB:OTC) is pleased to announce that American Green has received certificates representing 160,000 shares of Delta International Oil and Gas (OTCQB:DLTZ) Series A Secured Convertible Preferred Stock. Furthermore, American Green will deliver certificates representing 1,000,000 shares of Nipton, Inc. (100% of the equity of Nipton, Inc.) to Delta today, and as a result Delta holds title to all of the properties in Nipton acquired by American Green in 2017. American Green now holds more than 82% of the equity/voting power of Delta. Delta will be operated as a subsidiary of American Green and we will be consolidating Deltas earnings on our financial statements. As a fully reporting public company, Delta can access a different investor tier to raise capital utilizing registered offerings, as well as the private placement structures that American Green has utilized in the past. This hybrid of capital-raising is expected to result in less costly capital and less overall dilution for American Green shareholders. By raising capital through the sale of equity, Deltas assets will grow and eventually be able to qualify for exchange listing, opening additional opportunities for capital, and, as a consolidated subsidiary, American Greens book value will grow concurrently with Deltas, increasing shareholder value. Delta intends to register up to $5,000,000 of non-voting preferred stock on Form S-1 in order to fund future development in Nipton, and other projects, including, first and foremost, the consolidation of any properties, mostly already under contract, of any real value in the Ivanpah Valley in which Nipton is located. Expanding from there, Delta plans to capitalize on any opportunities for projects that present themselves. Some of these may include the National Preserve, the Bureau of Land Management and, potentially, San Bernardino County, in order to ensure that our consolidated interests in Nipton are protected, and enhanced, while establishing and maintaining strong relationships with the relevant authorities, as well as any other interested parties that desire to see the area improved and the areas natural beauty preserved. Beyond the real estate already in the queue, most anticipated infrastructure projects will fall under Deltas purview, with a strong focus on those projects that can provide the largest increase in shareholder value. While both American Green and Delta strongly believe that cannabis and industrial hemp represent a better future, both for Nipton and the Nation, being located within a short distance of two very large metropolitan areas, Nipton can support myriad other legal uses beyond cannabis and hemp. Those uses can include solar energy, transportation infrastructure, manufacturing and data storage. Nothing is off the table, and many projects remain on the drawing board, all of which will, of course, comply with all State and County requirements. Until a prospectus can be completed, registered and approved for sale by the SEC, Delta plans to offer accredited investors the opportunity to purchase up to $1,500,000 convertible debt, having already secured commitments for no less than $500,000. Shareholders and interest holders may also stay current with American Green Updates: Twitter: @American__Green (two underscores), or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americangreenusa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americangreenusa/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magicalnipton/ NOTES ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Except for any historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports and filings. Certain statements contained in this release that are not historical facts constitute forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by that Act. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Forward-looking statements mayidentified by words such as estimates, anticipates, projects, plans, expects, intends, believes, be should and similar expressions and by the context in which they are used. Such statements are based upon current expectations of the Company and speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which they are made. About American Green, Inc. American Green, Inc., became, in 2009, one of the first publicly traded technology companies in the cannabis industry. Now, with over 50,000 individual shareholders, more than any other company in the cannabis sector, American Green's mission is to lead the cannabis industry. Leveraging our team of professionals in cultivation, manufacturing, extraction, wholesale, retail, and community outreach, we strive to develop sustainable initiatives, while increasing shareholder value and company profit. About Delta International On April 2, 2018, in exchange for shares of our common stock, Delta International Oil and Gas purchased from American Green its subsidiary Nipton, Inc., a California corporation, the assets of which are comprised of all of the real estate properties included in the unincorporated township of Nipton, California (Nipton). Nipton is located near the Nevada border a short distance from Rte. 15, the principal highway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. American Green, Inc., now our controlling stockholder, is the second oldest publicly-traded cannabis company in America and has participated in nearly all facets of the cannabis market. Deltas managements intentions are for Deltas Nipton, Inc. subsidiary to act solely as a property developer and lessor for companies in the medical or recreational cannabis sectors in the State of California, including such initiatives as the transformation of nearly-abandoned towns (such as Nipton) into "cannabis-friendly" destinations. It has been American Greens vision (and now, Deltas vision) to use Nipton, California as a revitalization model for other near-deserted small towns across America while retaining as much of the towns and regions natural charm, a directive that is paramount to American Green. American Green will remain under contract with Delta to manage the Nipton Asset and Project for 10 years. PALO ALTO, Calif., April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE) today announced that the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Board of Directors has declared a regular cash dividend of $0.1125 per share on the company's common stock. This is an increase of approximately 50% from the prior dividend. This dividend, the third in Hewlett Packard Enterprise's fiscal year 2018, is payable on or about July 4, 2018, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on June 13, 2018. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has approximately 1.553 billion shares of common stock outstanding. About Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hewlett Packard Enterprise is a global technology leader focused on developing intelligent solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze and act upon data seamlessly from edge to core to cloud. HPE enables customers to accelerate business outcomes by driving new business models, creating new customer and employee experiences, and increasing operational efficiency today and into the future. Forward-looking statements This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of Hewlett Packard Enterprise could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of Hewlett Packard Enterprise for future operations; other statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that expected benefits may not materialize as expected and other risks that are described in Hewlett Packard Enterprise's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risks described in Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Hewlett Packard Enterprise assumes no obligation and does not intend to update any forward-looking statements. Editorial contact Kate Holderness corpmediarelations@hpe.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ashanti Gold Corp. (Ashanti or the Company) - (TSXV:AGZ) is pleased to announce it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of up to 15,000,000 units (the Units) at a price of $0.15 per Unit (the Offering) for gross proceeds of up to $2,250,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a Share) and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional share of the Company for a period of two years from the date of issuance at a price of $0.26 per share. In the event that the Companys shares trade at a closing price of greater than $0.85 per share for a period of 10 consecutive days at any time after the closing of the Offering, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by providing notice to the shareholders thereof and in such case the Warrants will expire on the 30th day after the date on which such notice is given by the Company. Finder's fees may be payable to arms length parties that have introduced the Company to certain subscribers participating in the Offering. All securities issued in the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period, during which time the securities may not be traded. Closing of the Offering is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The net proceeds from the Offering are intended to be used to fund exploration costs on the Kossanto East property in Mali, fund earn-in agreements on the Companys projects in Ghana, as well as for general corporate purposes. This press release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the foregoing securities in the United States. None of the foregoing securities have been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act) or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. ABOUT ASHANTI GOLD Ashanti is a gold-focused, exploration and development company that targets projects where it has a competitive advantage due to past work experience of the team and specific project know-how. The Company is driving forward its 100%-owned Kossanto East project in Mali on the prolific Kenieba Belt of Mali, which hosts such deposits as Loulo, Fekola and Sadiola. Ashanti is also working to advance, together with its earn-in partners, the Anumso project and the Ashanti Belt project in Ghana, which are near-adjacent to the Akyem deposit. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of ASHANTI GOLD CORP. "Tim McCutcheon" Tim McCutcheon CEO For further information, please contact: Ashanti Gold Corp. 2300 1177 West Hastings Street Vancouver BC, V6E 2K3 Phone: 604-638-3847 Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the commodity markets generally, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance, for its planned activities, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. Solar plus energy storage system estimated to save over $250,000 a year on utility bills SAN DIEGO, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sharp Electronics Corporations Energy Systems and Services Group (Sharp ESSG) announced today that its SmartStorage behind-the-meter energy storage solution has been selected by NW Photon Energy and Paradise Village Retirement Community, a senior Independent Assisted and Memory Care Community in San Diego, California. A 240 kW/324 kWh SmartStorage system will be installed in six buildings on the communitys grounds and integrated with 516 kW of solar PV. A detailed analysis of Paradise Villages energy usage revealed that the hybrid solar plus SmartStorage system is expected to yield an estimated $90,000 in demand savings annually. Additionally, when factoring in the solar PV system coupled with the SmartStorage system, Paradise Village can expect to save over $250,000 a year on its utility bills (this includes both energy and demand savings). The significant savings unlocked by addressing peak demand may have a positive impact on the quality of life for the seniors in Paradise Villages care, so were very proud to be involved in this project, said Carl Mansfield, General Manager and Founder of Sharps U.S. based Energy Systems and Services Group. In addition to this retirement home, weve now had SmartStorage systems installed at a wide variety of facilities such as lumber yards, non-profits, service stations, school campuses, manufacturing plants, and more. This demonstrates how economically impactful our energy storage system can be for virtually any commercial and industrial building that is struggling with high utility bills that are punctuated by expensive demand charges. Paradise Village is a resort-style Independent, Assisted Living and Memory Care Community located in San Diego Gas & Electrics (SDG&E) utility territory. The multi-building community consumes a significant amount of energy from HVAC, refrigeration and a variety of medical equipment that can have a significant startup load, which in turn increases demand request peaks with SDG&E. In some parts of California, up to 50 percent of commercial utility customers bills are a result of demand charges, making them ideal candidates for solar plus SmartStorage systems. It is estimated that Paradise Villages system will reduce demand by over 2,000 kW annually. Paradise Villages SmartStorage system installation is backed by Sharps innovative 10-year Asset Management Service Agreement, which provides routine and unscheduled maintenance coupled with a 10-year demand reduction performance guarantee. If guaranteed demand reductions are not met within the terms of the agreement, Sharp will compensate for the deficit in promised peak demand reductions. About Sharp Electronics Corporations Energy Systems and Services Group Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) is the U.S. division of Sharp Corporation, a worldwide developer and manufacturer of one-of-a-kind premium technology products. SECs Energy Systems and Services Group (ESSG) focuses on developing innovative energy management products for the U.S. market. ESSG introduced the SmartStorage behind-the-meter energy storage system, an energy storage solution designed to reduce peak demand usage for commercial and industrial buildings. Sharps industry-first 10-year performance guarantee is included with their 10-year operations and maintenance service agreement, an option available for all SmartStorage system installations. Sharps integrated SmartStorage solar hybrid solution is available with no money down financing options. For more information, visit: https://www.sharpsmartstorage.com/. About NW Photon Energy NW Photon Energy (NWPE) of Lake Oswego, Oregon, is an active provider, designer and installer of turnkey photovoltaic (PV) solar systems in the Pacific Northwest, California and New Mexico. They offer a full range of services in connection with the planning, development, implementation, operations and financing of commercial and utility scale solar applications. NWPE is an approved Energy Trust Trade Ally. For more information about NW Photon Energy and its services, please contact: Kirk Cameron, President (503) 697-4482 www.nwphotonenergy.com Media Contact: Wendy Prabhu Mercom Communications, a division of Mercom Capital Group Tel: 1.512.215.4452 sharp@mercomcapital.com English Lithuanian Draft agenda and draft resolutions for the Annual General Meeting of APB APRANGA (hereinafter Company) shareholders to be held on April 27th, 2018 proposed by the Board of the Company: 1. Consolidated annual report on the activities of the Company in 2017. Draft resolution: Taken for the information consolidated annual report of the Company for the year 2017, prepared by the Company, assessed by the auditors and approved by the Board. 2. Auditor's report on the Company's financial statements and annual report. Draft resolution: Taken for the information. 3. Approval of the Consolidated and Company's financial statements for the year 2017. Draft resolution: Approve the annual Consolidated and Company's financial statements for the year 2017. 4. Company's profit (loss) allocation for the year 2017. Draft resolution: Allocate the Company's profit (loss) for the year 2017 according to the draft of profit (loss) allocation presented for the Annual General Meeting of shareholders (Annex 3). 5. Election of firm of auditors and establishment of the terms of remuneration for audit services. Draft resolution: Elect UAB ERNST & YOUNG BALTIC as APB APRANGA firm of auditors for the year 2018. Set the amount of the fee payable for audit services for the year 2018 - not more than EUR 23 000 (twenty-three thousand euros) plus VAT. Authorize the Company's General Director to sign the audit services agreement with firm of auditors. 6. Election of board members. Draft resolution: Elect members of the board of the Company for new 4-year term from the candidates nominated by Companys main shareholder (UAB MG Baltic Investment, which has more than 50% of votes): 6.1. Darius Juozas Mockus; 6.2. Vidas Lazickas; 6.3. Marijus Stroncikas; 6.4. Rimantas Perveneckas; 6.5. Ilona Simkuniene; 6.6. Ramunas Gaidamavicius. 7. Amendment of the Companys Articles of Association. Draft resolution: 7.1. To amend Article 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3 of the Companys Articles of Association and word it as follows: 10.1 The Companys notice of convocation of the General Meeting shall be published by Manager of the company in the manner defined in the Law on Securities of the Republic of Lithuania. 10.2. The periodical and current information defined in the Law on Securities of the Republic of Lithuania (including disclosure of inside information) which the Company should disclose shall be announced in the manner defined in the mentioned law. 10.3. Other information and notices not indicated in Clause 10.1 and 10.2 which the Company should announce publicly shall be announced in the electronic publication published by the registrar of legal entities for announcement of public notices. In cases when notices cannot be announced in such publication due to technical obstacles, such notices shall be announced in the daily Lietuvos rytas. 7.2. To approve to new edition of Companys Articles of Association according to amendments listed above (Annex 4). 7.3. To authorize the Director General of the Company Rimantas Perveneckas to sign the new edition of Companys Articles of Association, granting the right to delegate. 8. Change of Companys residence address. Draft resolution: 8.1. To change Companys residence address and register new address at Ukmerges street 362, Vilnius City, Vilnius City Municipality. 8.2. Authorize the Company's Director General to register change of residence address according to applicable laws, granting the right to delegate. 9. Amendment of Charter of Audit Committee. Draft resolution: 9.1. To amend Clause 2.8. of the Charter of Audit Committee and word it as follows: 2.8. Remuneration may be set for Committee members for their activity in the Committee. The amount of remuneration and payment procedure is set by Board. ENCLOSED: Annex No. 1. Consolidated and Company's annual report, annual financial statements of the year 2017 and the Auditor's conclusion on the financial statements; Annex No. 2. Confirmation of persons responsible for the financial statements; Annex No. 3. Draft of profit (loss) allocation for the year 2017; Annex No. 4. Draft Articles of Association of the Company; Annex No. 5. General voting ballot. Rimantas Perveneckas Apranga Group Director General +370 5 2390801 Attachments DENVER, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Silicon Legal Strategy has launched its third office location in Denver, Colorado. The Denver office is the first in Colorado and will join the firms headquarters in San Francisco and office in Los Angeles. To celebrate its launch, Silicon Legal will host the reception of the Silicon Flatirons Center at the University of Colorado Law Schools Crash Course In Virtual Reality And Augmented Reality Event at 5:30 p.m. on April 12, 2018 in Boulder. Silicon Legal has represented several of our portfolio companies, including Chewse, June Oven and Triggit. The firm has a strong reputation in the entrepreneurial and venture capital communities for providing practical, business-minded advice to its clients, said Jason Mendelson, Managing Director at Foundry Group. We are thrilled to expand into the Colorado market and to continue our growth into 2018, said Andre Gharakhanian, Founder and Partner of Silicon Legal, who is based in San Francisco. Sarah Boulden, Head of the Denver office, holds a JD and an MBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After spending time in the San Francisco startup world, I am excited to reintegrate into Colorados robust startup community, and I look forward to expanding Silicon Legals entrepreneurial legal work here, says Boulden. About Silicon Legal Strategy Silicon Legal Strategy is the premier boutique law firm providing targeted, bottom-line-oriented advice to technology startups, innovative entrepreneurs and seasoned investors. Trained at the top firms in Silicon Valley, our attorneys and staff are incredibly passionate about technology and have extensive experience representing early stage companies and investors. We are a known quantity in Silicon Valley, and work with or sit across the table from every major law firm in the area. Perhaps most importantly, we ourselves are entrepreneurs. We truly understand the challenges of a startup -- like building and motivating a team, creating repeatable processes to ensure continued customer satisfaction at scale and dealing with infrastructure issues. We face these challenges every day -- and as a result, are able to deliver more relevant, bottom-line-oriented advice. Put simply, we actually "get" what entrepreneurs are going through. For more information, visit us online at www.siliconlegal.com. Contact: Jaime Madden 415-230-0870 info@siliconlegal.com SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PAC Machinery, a leader in the heat sealing and flexible packaging industry, announced today that it has partnered with Domino Printing Sciences, PLC to develop printing capabilities that deliver consistent, quality serialized codes on medical device packaging that will meet strict Food and Drug Administration standards for Unique Device Identification. A pioneer in the packaging industry, PAC Machinery was one of the first companies in the world to provide machinery that could do validated packaging for the medical device industry. Validation ensures that all aspects of the sealing process that influence package integrity must be monitored, measured, and controlled. Our focus has always been to provide innovative solutions that are tailored to the users unique needs," said PAC Machinery Chief Operating Officer Mark Goldman. We performed extensive testing, and found that Domino printers had the capability to deliver the results we required for printing directly on DuPontTM Tyvek, Goldman added. By integrating the Domino V320i high-speed thermal transfer overprinter on PAC Machinerys Clamco Rollbag Magnum HS Med medical pouch sealer bagger, medical device manufacturers can now print on the Tyvek side of poly/Tyvek rollstock material, eliminating the time required to apply an additional label on the clear side of the film. Tyvek is a durable spunbonded olefin material that is composed of embedded fibers. This material can be an especially challenging surface on which to print. A common choice for medical device packaging, Tyvek provides tear resistance, durability, breathability and a superior microbial barrier for packaging which helps ensure devices remain sterile. The Rollbag Magnum HS Med configured with the Dominos V320i printer, is a repeatable, dependable solution that will now set the standard for meeting governmental requirements for UDI. About PAC Machinery PAC Machinery is a privately held company headquartered in San Rafael, California. The company manufactures equipment and materials that are used in the flexible packaging industry. Products include bag sealers, vacuum sealers, shrink packaging systems, medical packaging solutions, automatic baggers, and pre-opened bags on a roll. The company has had its roots in the packaging industry since the early 1950s, and now designs, manufactures and markets products through its family of companies and brands: Packaging Aids, Vertrod, Clamco, Rollbag Systems, and Converting Technology. PAC Machinery is the exclusive, North American distributor for Audion Elektro bag sealers. Manufacturing facilities are located in San Rafael, CA; Berea, OH; and Milwaukee, WI. Contact PAC Machinery at 25 Tiburon Street, San Rafael, CA 94901. Telephone 1 (234) 222-1000 x125. http://www.pacmachinery.com About Domino Printing Domino Printing is a leading manufacturer and distributor of coding, marking and digital printing solutions. Celebrating over 35 years in business, Domino is a global organization headquartered in the UK, with 25 subsidiaries, more than 200 distributors, representation in over 120 countries, and over 2,000 employees worldwide. U.S. headquarters are located in Gurnee, IL. For more information, visit us at: http://www.domino-na.com For more information on the Rollbag Magnum HS Med: https://www.pacmachinery.com/clamcopackaging/product/magnum-hs-med-validatable-automatic-medical-pouch-sealer-bagger/ Media contact: Robert Goldberg Marketing Director 1 (234) 222-1000 x125 bobg@pacmachinery.com www.pacmachinery.com All products denoted with or are trademarks or registered trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ec40e746-5945-4b79-aa06-c2418e54321e A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/3bb50447-7642-45a1-bc78-f79b01fdca3e VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Namaste Technologies Inc. (Namaste or the Company) (CSE:N) (FRANKFURT:M5BQ) (OTCMKTS:NXTTF) is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) with 2624078 Ontario Inc., whereby Namaste would acquire 51% of the share capital of 2624078 Ontario Inc., which will undertake an application to become a Licensed Dealer (LD) of medical cannabis, in accordance with Health Canada regulations. Licensed dealers are authorized to perform research and development, analytical testing and conducting clinical studies with medical cannabis as well as importing medical cannabis for research purposes. The location for the LD facility is at 7 Canso Road in Etobicoke, Ontario and directly across the street from Namastes wholly owned subsidiary, Cannmart Inc.s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes (ACMPR) facility. The purpose of Namastes investment and partnership with 2624078 Ontario Inc. is to facilitate research and development of medical cannabis extracts as well as for testing of imported medical cannabis products in accordance with ACMPR guidelines. Namastes partnership with 2624078 Ontario Inc. reinforces Namastes position as a leader in the medical cannabis industry and helps ensure that it will be a first-mover in the research and production of cannabis concentrates as it anticipates a growing demand for extracts in the future. Key LOI Terms: Namaste will acquire 51% of the share capital of 2624078 Ontario Inc. Namaste and will provide debt financing of up to $750,000 CAD to complete construction of the LD facility. 2624078 Ontario Inc.s existing management team will sign 3-year management agreements to provide operational oversight of the facility. Both parties will have 30 days from the date of execution of the LOI to negotiate terms of definitive documentation which will include a share purchase agreement and management agreements. The facility at 7 Canso Road will be constructed to meet ACMPR standards The LOI and proposed share purchase agreement represent a significant milestone for Namaste in securing a facility that will facilitate the importation of unique strains of medical cannabis for testing purposes, as well as research and production of high potency cannabis extracts. If an LD license is obtained, Namaste will be able to import medical cannabis from international partners for the purpose of testing the product against ACMPR standards. In addition to providing the ability to import medical cannabis for research purposes, the LD license would also allow Namaste to begin research and development of medical cannabis extracts. Currently, the Company estimates that cannabis extract sales in the US represent over 50% of all dispensary sales. As Namaste anticipates further expansion of Canadas legal medical cannabis platform, it expects to see significant industry trends towards these higher potency products. This LOI and the implications of obtaining an LD license for Namaste would ensure the Companys position in what it expects to become a strong segment of the Canadian medical cannabis industry in the future. Management Commentary Daniel Stern, President and CEO of 2624078 Ontario Inc. comments; We are very excited to be working with Namaste on this project. We believe that our experience in cannabis extraction technology and many years of experience in the general cannabis industry will facilitate the success of this partnership with Namaste, who we believe is a leading innovator in the Canadian medical cannabis community. Sean Dollinger, President and CEO of Namaste comments; We are very pleased to have signed this LOI as we feel confident in the future of medical cannabis extracts in the Canadian marketplace. Although high potency concentrates are not yet approved under ACMPR regulations, the LD license will provide Namaste with the opportunity to take the first steps towards not only researching and producing extracts but also engage in the process of importing medical cannabis for testing purposes. The management team of 2624078 Ontario Inc. has shown confidence in Namastes leadership abilities as demonstrated through our success in the industry to date. The launch of NamasteMD and our pending ACMPR sales license coupled with this LOI and the application for an LD license are important building blocks to solidify Namastes position as a leader in the Canadian medical cannabis industry. About Namaste Technologies Inc. Namaste is the largest online retailer for medical cannabis delivery systems globally. Namaste distributes vaporizers and smoking accessories through 24 e-commerce sites in 20 countries and with distribution hubs located around the world. Namaste has majority market share in Europe and Australia, with operations in the UK, Canada and Germany and has opened new supply channels into emerging markets including Brazil, Mexico and Chile. Namaste, through its acquisition of Cannmart Inc., is pursuing a new revenue vertical in online retail of medical cannabis in the Canadian market. Namaste intends to leverage its existing database of Canadian cannabis consumers, along with its expertise in e-commerce to create an online marketplace for medical cannabis patients, offering a larger variety of product and a better user experience. On behalf of the Board of Directors Sean Dollinger Chief Executive Officer Direct: +1 (786) 389 9771 Email: info@namastetechnologies.com Further information on the Company and its products can be accessed through the links below: NamasteTechnologies.com NamasteMD.com NamasteVapes.ca Everyonedoesit.ca FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, Namaste assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The CSE has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this press release. AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellium N.V. (NYSE:CSTM) will host a conference call and webcast on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) to announce its first quarter 2018 results. The press release will be sent before market opening. The conference call will be hosted by Jean-Marc Germain, Chief Executive Officer, and Peter Matt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Details of the conference call, webcast and accompanying presentation will be available on the Constellium Investor Relations page at: https://www.constellium.com/investors The webcast can be accessed live at: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/4xdd2wgn To participate by telephone, please dial the following number and enter access code 5986713 to be connected to the Constellium earnings call: USA: 1 866 394 7514 France: 0 805 081 488 Germany: 0 800 181 5287 Switzerland: 0 800 836 508 United Kingdom: 0 800 028 8438 Other: 1 409 350 3597 An archived recording of the conference call will also be available at www.constellium.com for three weeks. About Constellium Constellium (NYSE:CSTM) is a global sector leader that develops innovative, value added aluminium products for a broad scope of markets and applications, including aerospace, automotive and packaging. Constellium generated 5.2 billion of revenue in 2017. www.constellium.com Ryan Wentling Investor Relations Phone: +1 (212) 675-5450 Investor-relations@constellium.com Delphine Dahan-Kocher Communications Phone: +1 (212) 858 9963 delphine.dahan-kocher@constellium.com Minneapolis, MN, USA, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Karrie Willis has been named United Language Groups (ULGs) Chief Operating Officer after serving as the companys Chief Financial Officer since 2016. ULG made the announcement in early March, and Willis assumed the position immediately. Willis has been an integral part of ULGs team since its inception in 2016, utilizing her entrepreneurial and management skills to assist in the companys extensive growth and acquisitions. Karrie is an invaluable asset to this organization and has shown her ability as a natural leader over the past two years at ULG, said ULG President Kristen Giovanis. I am extremely pleased to announce her new position as COO. Willis has vast experience in operational management, spending 12 years as the CFO and COO of Popp Communications, a Minneapolis-based internet and telecom service provider. She also has held financial and operational management positions at Summit Fire Protection, Andersen Windows and Carlson Companies. As we continue to excel as a global leader in the language solutions industry, Im delighted to expand my responsibilities to the role of COO, said Willis. I am incredibly excited to help lead the company to its next phase of growth while ensuring operational excellence in the delivery of our solutions. As Willis has made the transition from CFO to COO, Senior Director of Finance and Accounting Tim Kubicek has taken over Willis previous responsibilities, allowing her to successfully move into her new role. Willis was recently recognized as a 2018 (Real) Power 50 honoree by Minnesota Business Magazine. The award is given out to those with a dynamic presence in the Twin Cities business community and non-profit sector. About United Language Group: United Language Group (ULG) is one of the largest Language Solutions Providers in the world, providing smart, seamless and secure language solutions that help businesses win in the global marketplace. ULG envisions a world in which language is no longer a barrier, and helps global clients turn language translation and interpreting into a competitive advantage. English Lithuanian By the initiative and decision of the Board of the company the Annual General Meeting of Vilniaus Degtine AB (company code 120057287) to be held on April 26th, 2018 at 10.00 a.m. at the company's premises in Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius is convened. Registration of shareholders starts at 9.00 a.m. The shareholders attending the meeting must provide an identification document. The representatives of the shareholders must additionally posses a proxy approved by the procedure prescribed by law. A shareholder may, by means of electronic communications, authorize a natural or legal person to participate and vote in his name at the General Meeting of Shareholders. Such a power of attorney of the shareholder need not be certified by a notary. The power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels must be confirmed by the shareholder by a safe electronic signature developed by safe signature equipment and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the company on the power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels by e-mail vd@degtine.lt no later than last business day before the meeting at 4 p.m. The power of attorney and notification shall be issued in writing. The power of attorney and notification to the company shall be signed with the Electronic Signature but not the letters sent via the e-mail. By submitting the notification to the company the shareholder shall include the Internet address from which it would be possible to download the software to verify an Electronics Signature of the shareholder. The Meeting's accounting day April 19th, 2018. The persons who are shareholders of the company at the end of accounting day of the General Meeting of Shareholders shall have the right to attend and vote at the General Meeting of Shareholders. The rights accounting day May 11th, 2018. The shareholders will use property rights arising from the resolutions accepted during the General Meeting of Shareholders on a ratio basis of number of shares at the end of the rights accounting day. On the Agenda: 1. Auditor's opinion on the set of company's financial statements and on the company's yearly report. 2. Proposals and comments of the Supervisory Board. 3. Approval of the company's yearly report for the year 2017. 4. Approval of the set of company's financial statements for the year 2017. 5. Appropriation of the years 2017 profit of the Company 6. Election of the firm of auditors and establishment of terms of remuneration for audit services. 7. Revocation of chairman of Supervisory Board and election of new member of Supervisory Board. 8. Other questions. The agenda of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders may be supplemented by initiative of shareholders who own shares no less than 1/20 of all the votes. Proposals to the agenda of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders may be submitted by e-mail vd@degtine.lt or delivered to the Company's office at Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius, no later than the April 12th, 2018. Please be informed that along with a proposal to supplement the agenda of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders must be submitted the drafts of proposed decisions, or if the decisions shall not be adopted, explanations on each of the proposed issue. Shareholders who own shares no less than 1/20 of all votes own the right at any time before the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders or during the meeting in writing (delivering proposals to the company at Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius) or by e-mail vd@degtine.lt propose new draft decisions related to the questions included into agenda, additional candidates of the companys organs, propose an audit company. Shareholders own the right to ask the questions concerning the agenda of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. Questions may be submitted by e-mail vd@degtine.lt or delivered directly to the Company's office at Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius, not later than 3 working days till General Meeting. The Company may refuse to answer to shareholder's questions if they are concerned to the commercial (industrial) secrets or other confidential information. If it is possible to set the shareholder's identity, the Company shall inform the shareholder on the refusal to provide asked information. Each shareholder or representative thereof shall have the right to cast his/her vote in advance in writing by filling in a general ballot paper. The general ballot paper form shall be announced in the company's website http://www.degtine.lt . no later than 21 days before the Meeting. Upon the shareholders request in writing, the company no later than 10 days before the Meeting shall send a general ballot paper by registered mail free of charge or hand it in person against signature. The general ballot paper filled shall be signed by the shareholder or his/her representative. In case the ballot paper is signed by the shareholders authorized representative, such person along with the filled ballot paper shall submit the document to confirm the voting right corresponding to the requirements set by the laws. The ballot paper filled and the document confirming the voting right (if required) shall be submitted in a written form to the company's head office Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius, by registered mail or by handing against signature no later than on the last business day before the Meeting. The following information and documents during the whole period are available on the website of the company http://www.degtine.lt starting no later than 21 days before the Meeting: - report on the convening of the Meeting; - the total number of the company's shares and the number of shares with voting rights on the convening day of the Meeting; - draft resolutions on each agenda issue and other documents to be submitted to the Meeting; - general ballot paper form. Attachments: Draft Resolutions of the General Shareholder Meeting; Set of company's financial statements for the year 2017; Ballot Paper. Authorized to provide additional information General Manager Raimonda Pilke 8 5 233 0819 Raimonda Pilke General Manager 8 5 233 0819 Attachments DEER PARK, Ill., April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Double-checking your home insurance probably isnt on many spring to-do lists. But it should be. Thats the advice from David Miller, Vice President and risk management expert at Plexus Private Client Solutions, a suburban Chicagoland personal insurance agency protecting the lifes work of successful families and individuals with tailored home, auto, and umbrella coverage solutions. In his recent article, Eight Things That Might Surprise You About Your Home Insurance Policy, Miller highlights some hot-button issues for homeowners, including: Your home may be underinsured. Via Consumer Reports, which cited data from analytics firm CoreLogic, three out of every five homes are underinsured by 20 percent on average. In the case of a total rebuild, this could leave homeowners left to pick up the pieces while also picking up the check. Take a look at your deductible, because it may have changed. Miller, who has more than two decades of insurance experience, cautions homeowners to be aware of wind and hail deductibles. These have been on the rise, with an uptick in roof-related claims particularly an issue. An insurance company can only change your coverage at renewal; make sure to read the fine print. Your agent can help. Do not assume you have sump pump failure coverage. Most insurance companies will exclude this damage as a cause of loss. However, you can usually buy back a limited amount of coverage. Writes Miller: Even if you have an unfinished basement, you might be surprised at the costs associated with a sump pump/sewer claim. For more information on the home and personal insurance expertise offered by Plexus Private Client Solutions, contact David Miller at 847-307-6100, or visit plexusgroupe.com. The firm is located at 21805 W. Field Parkway, Suite 300, in Deer Park, Illinois. ABOUT PLEXUS PRIVATE CLIENT SOLUTIONS The personal insurance practice of national insurance brokerage The Plexus Groupe LLC, Plexus Private Client Solutions delivers a superior client experience and comprehensive personal insurance for successful individuals and families, including auto, home, and umbrella coverage. Our experienced, dedicated team takes a consultative approach to your personal risk management needs. For more information on Plexus Private Client Solutions, contact the firm at 847.307.6100, or visit plexusgroupe.com. SMITHFIELD, Va., April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Anuvia Plant Nutrients are pleased to announce a new partnership to create sustainable fertilizer from renewable biological materials collected from manure treatment systems at Smithfields hog farms. This project is part of Smithfield Renewables, the companys new platform dedicated to unifying and accelerating its carbon reduction and renewable energy efforts. The project reuses organic matter found in hog manure to create a commercial-grade fertilizer that is higher in nutrient concentration than the original organic materials. Farmers are able to better manage nutrient ratios while using less fertilizer by applying precisely the amount they need for optimal plant growth. Because Anuvias products contain organic matter, nutrient release is more controlled, resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and a smaller environmental footprint. Anuvia will utilize remnant solids from Smithfield that accumulate over time at the bottom of the anaerobic lagoons, basins designed and certified to treat and store the manure on hog farms. Anuvia, which specializes in the transformation of organic materials into enhanced efficiency fertilizer products, will manufacture and sell these commercial-grade fertilizer products to farmers nationwide. Through Smithfield Renewables, we are aggressively pursuing opportunities to reduce our environmental footprint while creating value, said Kraig Westerbeek, senior director of Smithfield Renewables. Along with projects that transform biogas into renewable natural gas, this is another example of how we are tackling this goal on our hog farms. This is the beginning of a partnership based on a shared vision that will positively impact livestock and crop production, says Amy Yoder, Anuvia Plant Nutrients CEO. Our proprietary manufacturing process, which converts organic waste into novel bio-based plant nutrients, is both environmentally friendly and sustainable. Our products reduce leaching and put organic matter back in the soil. Our process is a prototype for a circular economy, as we reclaim organic waste, convert it and reuse it on cropland. This relationship provides a new sustainable way for Smithfield to return its remnant solids back to the land for use on the crops grown to feed the hogs. The impact of this is extremely significant for hog production and the livestock industry. We look forward to helping achieve both Smithfields and Anuvias environmental goals. Company-owned and contract hog farms in North Carolina will participate in this project. Smithfield will begin the process by collecting and de-watering the waste solids before providing the remnants to Anuvia. Once acquired, Anuvia will pick up and transport the material to its processing plant to create the fertilizer. About Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan's Famous, Farmland, Armour, Farmer John, Kretschmar, John Morrell, Cook's, Gwaltney, Carando, Margherita, Curly's, Healthy Ones, Morliny, Krakus and Berlinki. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com. About Anuvia Anuvia Plant Nutrients, headquartered in Zellwood, Fla., is a company focused on a new innovative and patented way of manufacturing an enhanced efficiency fertilizer (EEF) for the turf and agricultural industries. Anuvia addresses the three pillars of sustainability social, environmental and economic simultaneously by providing an avenue for organic materials to be used in a resource efficient and environmentally friendly manner that helps people, plants and the environment thrive. Contact: Diana Souder Smithfield Foods, Inc. (757) 357-1675 dsouder@smithfield.com Sybil Jones Anuvia (609) 903-0376 sjones@sybiljonesandco.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/d189a82c-f315-4d5b-8263-eff4b28c2bd6 NEW YORK, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ad:tech New York 2018 , the original industry authority for marketing and media technology practitioners and digitally savvy brand marketers, announces the October 2018 agenda and for its signature New York City event including the return of three popular series inside the show. The Next Big Thing Startup Competition, Rising Stars and the Women in Tech Breakfast all return, as the regional community convenes to tackle the industrys most pressing issues, with full details to be announced in the coming weeks. Get Tickets Now Sponsorship Opportunities Press Inquiries The 2018 show, Purpose. Experience. Impact. reflects the vital identity of our thriving industry made up of long-time industry originals and pioneers as well as those steadfast digital practitioners with their hands on the work, said Steve Corrick, Chief Executive Officer, North America for Comexposium. Our return to the heart of this community last season, to the Metropolitan Pavilion, allowed us also to take popular and new community favorites to the next level. We are excited for our startup competition, our Rising Stars program and for the Women in Tech Breakfast to once again ignite the agenda for those assembled. Key Thematic Tracks for ad:tech NY 2018 Include: Connection: Examine revolutionary ways to create powerful conversations and communities Connectivity doesnt happen merely through data points aligning. Meaningful messaging or content that sparks engagement and attracts rather than interrupts leads to authentic, fruitful connection. What does that mean in advertising? How do you fuel community? In this track, well explore the best partners for deriving those connections, and how advertisers can strategize and operate in an era defined by a quest for connectivity. Experience: Provide powerful connections through seamless customer experiences The most powerful brand experiences ride the coattails of cultural moments to create a feeling an emotional hook that naturally drives action, and hence engagement. The payoff for these emotionally charged experiences is brand loyalty and brand advocacy. What are real experiences that yield powerful, connective outcomes? This track is a deep dive into what the modern day consumer experience look like in the post-platform era. Activation: Drive action in a competitive digital ecosystem Well explore how brands are utilizing evolving madtech and taking advantage of the latest technologies to become more deeply relevant to their consumers and drive activation. Are brands beginning to use new customer metrics, outcome based metrics, or are they simply forcing old ROI approaches to a new world of data driven and customer led engagement? Join sessions on this track to dig deep. Believe the Hype: Explore emerging technologies, ideas, and innovative marketing strategies Breakthrough technologies are adding value and moving the industry forward at lightning speed. From AI to blockchain, from VR/AR to Biohacking -- enablement over disruption is the new way of influence. On this track, well hear how top brands are using new tools to take their marketing to the next level. Ad technology at its best continues to push boundaries and transcends the tactics of programmatic, data and typical, standard-issue media activation, said Rebecca Everts, General Manager, Digital, for Comexposium. With the industrys rising focus on consumer experience and content, we are excited to reflect this new reality at this show. Our program will merge the more experiential and content driven sides of the business with ad technology within every session and touchpoint. For example, at the pavilion youll experience how brands are activating with these new technologies and creating valuable connections through traditional ad:tech partnerships. ad:tech will bring more than 3,000 marketing pioneers, innovators and brand trailblazers to The Metropolitan Pavilion, while stirring deeper engagement with the New York media and marketing community itself. The 2018 program showcases the brightest marketing innovations of today and tomorrow across the marketer's journey, with a focus on content, experience, ROI and emerging technology. More Information: About ad:tech ad:tech is the original industry authority for marketing and media technology, where marketing, technology and media communities assemble to share new ways of thinking, build strong partnerships, and define new strategies to compete in an ever-changing marketplace. Several annual events around the world deliver immersive education through keynote speakers, timely topic-driven panels and hands-on workshops as well as showcase the latest products and solutions to help deepen understanding and create new ideas that will drive innovation. Attendees leave ad:tech inspired by what's new and what's next, armed with the tools and techniques they need to shift and re-imagine their own businesses. For more information, visit www.ad-tech.com . Follow @adtech on Twitter About Comexposium: The COMEXPOSIUM Group, one of the world's leading event organizers, is involved in more than 170 B2C and B2B events across 11 different sectors, including IT, security, digital, high-tech, food, agriculture, fashion, construction, optics and transport. Comexposium hosts more than 3 million visitors and 45,000 exhibitors around the world. Comexposium operates across 30+ global economic growth zones, such as: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA. CONTACT INFORMATION Contacts For ad:tech WIT Strategy Kendall Allen kallen@witstrategy.com Phoenix, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable released its new Education Dashboards report, which profiles the estimated lifetime economic losses that result from high school non-completion and youth disconnection in 15 cities and towns across Arizona. The prosperity of Arizonas cities and towns is dependent, in large part, on youth receiving the education and supports they need to contribute to their communities, says Paul Koehler, director of the Policy Center at WestEd, a national nonprofit education research, development, and service agency that convenes the Roundtable. Unfortunately, Koehler adds, many youth face diminished prospects for their futures as a result of their academic outcomes. This hurts them as well as the state. The report, drawing on input from each mayor in the Roundtable and on data from the Arizona Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey, uses high-school non-completion and youth disconnection rates to highlight the economic importance of ensuring that young people remain engaged in school and the workforce. The dashboards non-completion rates show the percentage of students in a school cohort who did not graduate on time (that is, within four years). Each young person who does not complete high school represents a potential $498,920 estimated lifetime loss for Arizona due to a combination of effects such as lost earnings, higher rates of criminal activity, increased reliance on government assistance, poorer health outcomes, and lost productivity. Based on the 18,460 non-completers in the class of 2015, the total estimated loss to the state would amount to $9.2 billion. Disconnected youthyoung people aged 16-24 who are neither in school nor workingalso have a stark economic impact on their communities. In 2015, there were 830,000 youth aged 16-24 in Arizona. Data suggest that 14.6 percentor 125,850of youth in this population were disconnected. At this rate, youth disconnection would result in an estimated lifetime economic loss of $96.4 billion to Arizona. School and work are both central to our youth attaining the skills and resources they need to be successful in their lives, said Koehler. This report highlights the need for Arizonas cities and towns to provide all of our young people with those opportunities to brighten their own futures and, in so doing, strengthen the economic development of the state. Helios Education Foundation is proud to partner with WestEd on the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable, said Paul J. Luna, President and CEO, Helios Education Foundation. The Roundtable is providing opportunities for increased collaboration and partnership among the cities and helping to elevate important educational issues that impact our state. About the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable The Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable, an initiative of Helios Education Foundation and WestEd, brings together mayors of Arizonas larger cities, district superintendents, and their key staff to share data, evidence-based and promising practices, and programmatic strategies that can help address local challenges affecting students educational and career choices. The Roundtable is convened by WestEd, with primary funding from Helios Education Foundation and additional support from Pearson, Americas Promise Alliance, and the Arizona Community Foundation. About WestEd WestEd is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research, development, and service agency that works with education and other communities throughout the United States and abroad to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults. Agency headquarters are in San Francisco. About Helios Education Foundation Helios Education Foundation is dedicated to creating opportunities for individuals in Arizona and Florida to achieve a postsecondary education. The Foundations work is driven by four fundamental beliefs in Community, Investment, Equity, and Partnership. Helios invests in programs and initiatives across the full education continuum from early grade success through postsecondary education. In Arizona, where Latino students comprise the largest percentage of the K-12 public school population, the Foundation is implementing its Arizona Latino Student Success initiative focused on preparing all students - especially students in high poverty, underserved Latino communities - for success. Through Helios Florida Regional Student Success Initiative, the Foundation is helping underserved, minority, first-generation students from the state's large population centers in of Miami, Orlando and Tampa achieve a postsecondary education. Since 2006, the Foundation has invested more than $200 million in education programs and initiatives in both states. To learn more about Helios, visit www.helios.org. ### New York, NY, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BankMobile, a division of Customers Bank, and Americas largest and fastest growing mobile-first bank, today announced that its Co-Founder, President and Chief Strategy Officer Luvleen Sidhu will participate in a keynote fireside chat at LendIt Fintech USA 2018, the worlds leading event in financial services innovation. Sidhu will be interviewed by Laurent Nizri, Founder and CEO of the Paris Fintech Forum, during her session: Customers for Life: Digital Competition and Customer Retention on Tuesday, April 10 at 2:50pm PDT. The conference will take place from April 9-11 at Moscone West in San Francisco. I am proud that BankMobile has grown to be the largest digital bank in the country serving millennials and low and middle-income Americans with affordable and convenient banking, stated Sidhu. During my fireside chat, I will have the opportunity to speak with Laurent about BankMobiles vision and how we plan to continue to disrupt the banking space through innovative technology and unique customer acquisition channels. Sidhus session will focus on the establishment of BankMobile, the products and services it offers customers, and its customer acquisition strategy. She will also discuss the challenges and opportunities of being a female banking executive. BankMobile has also been named a finalist in the Most Innovative Bank category for the LendIt Fintech Industry Awards. The category recognizes banks that are leading the way in embracing fintech and new means of doing business. BankMobile will compete for top honors within its award category at the LendIt Fintech Industry Awards Show and Dinner on April 10 at the conference. With 1.8 million customers, BankMobile is the largest and fastest mobile-first bank in the country. It is also in the Top 15 banks in the U.S. in terms of number of consumer checking accounts serviced. For more information about BankMobile, visit www.bankmobile.com. # # # About BankMobile Established in 2015, BankMobile, a division of Customers Bank, is Americas largest mobile-first bank, offering fee-free checking and savings accounts. It provides target customersmillennials, the underbanked and middle-income householdswith a digital, effortless, and financially empowering experience. In addition to fee-free checking and savings accounts, BankMobile offers lines of credit, joint accounts and access to over 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide (BankMobile VIP customers have free access to every ATM in the country, which is more than 400,000 ATMs), a guaranteed higher savings rate than the top four banks in the nation, a personal banker for all customers, and a free financial advisor for VIP customers. BankMobile is operating as the digital banking division of Customers Bank, which is a Federal Reserve regulated and FDIC-insured commercial bank. For more information, please visit www.bankmobile.com. About LendIt Fintech LendIt Fintech is a recognized global internet finance industry leader, founded in New York in 2013. Its aim is to gather industry elites to discuss and explore latest trends in the development of international financial technology. LendIt Fintech has become the largest event in financial services innovation as it hosts three annual conferences, LendIt Fintech USA, LendIt Fintech Europe, and Lang Di Fintech, and dozens of complementary online and in-person industry events. LendIt Fintech also owns and operates one of the worlds leading industry educational channels, Lend Academy. Attachment SALT LAKE CITY, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The MLS Grid is thrilled to announce its official launch within its first market. The MLS Grid platform removes barriers related to accessing multiple listing service data for real estate brokers and their vendors by providing a consolidated source of IDX and VOW information with a single, universal license agreement. The MLS Grid selected Chicago as the launch market for the platform, with other markets to follow as part of a nationwide effort to make MLS listing data more readily available. The MLS Grid was founded in 2016 as a cooperative venture between eight MLS organizations. Today, this network has grown to include 10 large MLSs, providing service to more than 200,000 real estate practitioners throughout the country. The current MLS Grid network includes Austin MLS (Texas), Carolina MLS (North and South Carolina), Heartland MLS (Kansas City), MARIS (St. Louis), MIBOR (Indianapolis), MRED (Chicagoland), MyFloridaRegional MLS (Northern Florida), Northstar MLS (Minnesota), Northwest MLS (Seattle), and Realtracs (Tennessee). Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), which serves the Chicagoland area, is one of the founding members of the MLS Grid and is proud to be the first MLS to launch the platform, according to MRED President/CEO Rebecca Jensen, who also serves as chair of the MLS Grid Board of Managers. Based on the latest RESO Standards, the MLS Grid not only modernizes the way technologists access MLS data, but it also provides a single license agreement to govern the use of brokers data, said Jensen. The first major milestone of this project has finished on time, on budget, and on spec. We couldnt be happier with where were heading; this is a giant step forward for real estate technology. The MLS Grid compiles data directly from MLSs to create the single data feed, unifying compliance, display, and usage standards to ease the distribution process for all involved. This is an immensely exciting day for the real estate industry, said MLS Grid CEO Joseph Szurgyi. Were tearing down all the roadblocks that once stood in the way of data access and efficiency. About MLS Grid The MLS Grid is an MLS-owned company that provides a unified data platform based on RESO Standards as well as a single license agreement, all for the benefit of brokers. The MLS Grid is currently comprised of 10 large MLSs across the USA that jointly represent more than 200,000 subscribers. Members include Austin MLS (Texas), Carolina MLS (North and South Carolina), Heartland MLS (Kansas City), MARIS (St. Louis), MIBOR (Indianapolis), MRED (Chicagoland), MyFloridaRegional MLS (Northern Florida), Northstar MLS (Minnesota), Northwest MLS (Seattle), and Realtracs (Tennessee). For more information visit MLSGrid.com. About MRED Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to more than 43,000 brokers and appraisers and over 7,300 offices. MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding "collar" counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana. MRED has been honored with The Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association award by Inman News. For nine consecutive years the MRED Help Desk has been identified as one of the best small business centers in North America by BenchmarkPortal. For more information please visit MREDLLC.com. Attachments MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. and SAN FRANCISCO, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recognizing that calendar spam is a growing exploitation channel, CalConnect and the global anti-abuse association M3AAWG have joined forces to develop new methods to protect end-users from unsolicited and malicious event notices. The new liaison between the scheduling developers organization and the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group will accelerate industry efforts to develop techniques that block invites to fake events and other malicious notices on popular calendaring platforms. Calendar spam is a new form of abuse that takes advantage of the application layer across multiple technologies, including scheduling, calendaring and messaging systems. For example, users have received fraudulent emails impersonating well-known brands that include calendar invites to special discount events. As is the case with email spam, calendar spam can be used for malicious purposes such as phishing or to deliver malware payloads. CalConnect (The Calendaring and Scheduling Consortium) also has established a new technical committee, TC CALSPAM, to better protect users from calendar system abuse. The committee aims to understand the current and potential use of calendar systems as a vector for delivering undesired information and will provide current information and guidelines on the topic to CalConnect and M3AAWG participants. "Calendaring is an intimate part of everyones lives. Calendar spam is particularly unsettling because the abuse directly pops up on a persons calendar. Its personally disruptive and especially disturbing," said Thomas Schafer, 1&1s Head of Technical Site Management who chairs TC CALSPAM. Differs from Other Abuse Schemes CalConnect and M3AAWG will develop the measures and best practices for developers and system operators to ensure legitimate usage of their platforms. The collaborative effort is important because calendar spam is unique as an abuse vector in a number of ways: Calendar spam, unlike email, can be placed chronologically anywhere in a calendar in the past or the future, not just the present making it difficult to detect at the time of delivery. Spam meeting invitations can be automatically added to calendars without the users consent with notifications sent to all their devices. These invitations are not only difficult to find but, in some cases, there is no way for the user to remove these events short of deleting the entire calendar. Calendar events and meeting invitations do not yet carry the rich provenance, i.e., the detailed header information that is included in email, making it difficult to ascertain where and when events originated and where they were delivered. Calendar events often contain notifications or alarms that are propagated across a users many desktop and mobile calendaring clients, exacerbating the problem. M3AAWG Executive Director Jerry Upton said, Calendar spam has shown itself to be a new but rapidly maturing vector for spammers. As weve seen in addressing other abuse issues in M3AAWG, cross-domain problems like this require input from experts in multiple disciplines and collaborating with CalConnect and their subject matter is the most direct route to combatting this evolving threat." Call for Industry Participation The reciprocal membership agreement between the two organizations became effective in February and allows the calendaring and scheduling developers, vendors and service providers in CalConnect and the messaging and email authentication experts in M3AAWG to share information and work. CalConnect members participated in the M3AAWG 42nd General Meeting in San Francisco in February, kicking off the joint work on applicable anti-abuse methodologies. The 43rd M3AAWG General Meeting will be held June 4-7 in Munich, Germany. CalConnect President Rutger Geelen said, We recognize that calendar spam is a real threat and a growing problem. First and foremost, we endeavor to protect users against such abuse. Since event and meeting invitations are often delivered via email, it makes sense to collaborate with the messaging identity and authentication experts at M3AAWG in our effort to return full control of collaboration and communications to the end users themselves." Organizations interested in joining the CalConnect calendar spam committee should contact CalConnect Executive Director Dave Thewlis at dave.thewlis@calconnect.org or CalConnect Director of External Relations Ronald Tse at ronald.tse@calconnect.org. About The Calendaring and Scheduling Consortium (CalConnect) CalConnect, The Calendaring and Scheduling Consortium, CalConnect, is a not-for-profit organization advancing the state of interoperable calendaring, scheduling and digital contacts. Founded in 2004 as a partnership between vendors and users of calendaring and scheduling tools and technologies, its membership includes some of the worlds largest software companies as well as small startups. Virtually every important calendaring-related standard since 2004 has been authored, edited, and/or co-edited by members of a CalConnect Technical Committee. http://www.calconnect.org. About the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) is where the industry comes together to work against bots, malware, spam, viruses, denial-of-service attacks and other online exploitation. M3AAWG (www.m3aawg.org) members represent more than one billion mailboxes from some of the largest network operators worldwide. It leverages the depth and experience of its global membership to tackle abuse on existing networks and new emerging services through technology, collaboration and public policy, and works to educate global policy makers on the technical and operational issues related to online abuse and messaging. Media Contacts: Ronald Tse, Director, External Relations, ronald.tse@calconnect.org CalConnect (The Calendaring and Scheduling Consortium), https://www.calconnect.org Linda Marcus, APR, Astra Communications, +1-714-974-6356 (U.S. Pacific), LMarcus@Astra.cc M3AAWG (Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group), https://www.m3aawg.org SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AdQuick, the easiest way to purchase and measure outdoor advertising, announced today that it has added Brooke Partelow to its executive leadership team as Vice President, Sales. Partelow has a proven track record in media and tech, with deep experience in the Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising segment. AdQuick hired her to help it capitalize on the strong interest in its solutions from brands and agencies across the U.S. Founded by Instacart veterans, AdQuick was born out of frustrations with traditional outdoor advertising. Finding and booking space is challenging as there hasnt been one place to go to find inventory. Once buyers find inventory, the process to actually book is slow and tedious, and must be repeated over and over with different media owners. Worse, the campaigns are not typically measurable, leaving advertisers unclear on the impact and value. AdQuick saw an opportunity to give customers a better way to buy, and give media companies better tools to show the value of campaigns. AdQuick launched its basic self-service platform for finding and booking space in early 2017, and quickly landed clients of all sizes, from small businesses up to large companies and chains such as Lyft and H&R Block. In late 2017, it added new analytics tools to help clients - for the first time - measure the impact of their outdoor campaigns. Brooke Partelow: experienced tech and media sales pro With a strong background in sales, business development and technology, Brooke has founded and developed the sales departments at a number of very successful SaaS companies including SteelHouse, BounceExchange, DataScience and now, AdQuick. Brooke's extraordinary knowledge of the tech and online marketing spaces make her an amazing asset and advocate for her clients and sales teams, said Matt OConnor, founder and CEO at AdQuick. Her mix of experience is perfect for AdQuick, and I think Brooke will have a big impact on our growth. AdQuick has come along at just the right time in the market, said Partelow. Cord cutting, click fraud and fake news have brands wary of traditional TV and social media advertising, and they are looking for alternatives. AdQuick combines the targeted location of OOH with precise measurability something that has not been available before. Im excited to help AdQuick expand its reach among brands. To learn more about AdQuick, visit www.adquick.com. About AdQuick AdQuick is the easiest way to purchase and measure outdoor advertising, and is the first company to allow anyone to complete the full cycle of booking outdoor ads online, from searching available inventory, to vetting locations, approving assets and analyzing results. The company was born out of two frustrations with outdoor advertising: a slow, low-tech buying process and the inability to quantify the impact of campaigns. AdQuick solves both problems it aggregates the widest variety of inventory nationwide, allows advertisers to book online, and helps close the loop on campaigns with hard metrics on impact and results. Founded by former Instacart executives, the company is based in Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.adquick.com or follow @adquick. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/8044e8e3-d115-407f-b730-ff9feb377dae Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- April 5, 2018 (Winnipeg, MB) Richardson International Limited is pleased to announce the acquisition of Eagle Agro Services Ltd., a full-service, retail crop inputs location in the community of Veteran, AB. The Veteran area was identified as a gap within the Richardson Pioneer crop inputs network in Western Canada. The transaction closed on April 4, 2018. We are excited to expand our business into a new geography as Veteran is a new marketplace for us, says Tom Hamilton, Vice-President, Agribusiness Operations. We look forward to building relationships with producers in the area and providing them with leading seed, fertilizer and crop protection technologies in addition to year-round support with our CropWatchTM agronomy team supported by our leading-edge CropMatrixTM platform. Eagle Agro Services Ltd. was a family-owned business that was established in Veteran in 2002. All of the employees are now part of the Richardson Pioneer team. This family-owned business is a great addition to our network and we are pleased to welcome the employees to our team, says Hamilton. Producers can be assured that they will be dealing with the same people at the location and we will build on the trust and level of service to which they have been accustomed. Richardson Pioneer is a division of Richardson International Limited, Canadas leading agribusiness. A global leader in agriculture and food processing, Richardson is a worldwide handler and merchandiser of Canadian-grown grains and oilseeds and a vertically-integrated processor and manufacturer of oats and canola-based products. Richardson is one of Canadas Best Managed Companies with over 2,600 employees across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. -30- PLEASANTON, CA, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Northern California will be hosting Learn to Lead a Successful Community interactive webinar for existing, new and potential board members on Monday, April 16, 2018 from 6:00 - 7:00PM PDT. The presentation will feature Associa Northern Californias Sonia Lopez, community director, and attorney, John Gill, from Hughes Gill Cochrane Tinetti P.C. They will discuss board member responsibilities, essential board member skills and answer all vital board related questions. Specific discussion topics will include: Association management Enforcement of governing documents Contracting services, goods and insurance Preparation of annual budget and financials Assessment collection Maintenance and repair Rule violations, fines and abatement CHICAGO, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In honor of its 40th anniversary this year, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN), is making a special donation of $140,000 to the Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association (FNSNA). The check was presented to FNSNA by NCSBN Board of Directors President Katherine Thomas, MN, RN, FAAN, executive director, Texas Board of Nursing, during National Student Nurses Associations Annual Convention in Nashville, Tenn. April 4-8, 2018. NCSBN is celebrating its anniversary year by not only reflecting on its many past accomplishments but by investing in the future of the nursing workforce, which is why we are delighted to be able to make this contribution to provide scholarships to qualified undergraduate nursing students, states Thomas. NCSBN is a gold level sponsor of the Forever Nursing... The Endowment Campaign for the FNSNA and is a long-term supporter of the foundation and its mission. FNSNA President Carol Toussie Weingarten, PhD, RN, commented, NCSBNs awesome contribution again shows the deep commitment to nursing students. We are truly grateful for their continued support to the future of the nursing profession! About FNSNA FNSNA was created in 1969 and honors Frances Tompkins, the first executive director of the National Student Nurses' Association. Organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, the Foundation awards scholarships to qualified nursing students annually. More than $4.5 million dollars in scholarships to undergraduate nursing students, and over $3.9 million in Promise of Nursing Undergraduate Scholarships have been awarded. About NCSBN NCSBN marks its 40th anniversary milestone in 2018 with the inspiring theme of Regulatory Excellence Surging Toward the Future. Founded March 15, 1978, as an independent not-for-profit organization, NCSBN was initially created to lessen the burdens of state governments and bring together boards of nursing (BONs) to act and counsel together on matters of common interest. It has evolved into one of the leading voices of regulation across the world. NCSBNs membership is comprised of the BONs in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. There are also 30 associate members that are either nursing regulatory bodies or empowered regulatory authorities from other countries or territories. NCSBN Member Boards protect the public by ensuring that safe and competent nursing care is provided by licensed nurses. These BONs regulate more than 4.8 million licensed nurses. Mission: NCSBN provides education, service and research through collaborative leadership to promote evidence-based regulatory excellence for patient safety and public protection. The statements and opinions expressed are those of NCSBN and not the individual member state or territorial boards of nursing. Contact: Dawn M. Kappel Director, Marketing and Communications 312.525.3667 direct 312.279.1034 fax dkappel@ncsbn.org English Danish The Annual General Meeting of Monberg & Thorsen A/S was held today, with agenda as dated and sent to the Companys registered shareholders on 13 March 2018. Referring to the Companys annual report for 2017, Anders Heine Jensen, Chairman of the Board of Directors, presented a verbal report on the development in the 2017 financial year, the main highlights for Monberg & Thorsen and the outlook for 2018. The Board of Directors outlook for 2018 as set out in the published annual report for 2017 is reaffirmed. Under items 2 and 3 of the agenda, the Chairman presented the financial statements for 2017 and the Board of Directors proposal for the application of the result for the year. The Board of Directors recommended to the shareholders that dividend of DKK 2 per DKK 20 share be paid to the shareholders. The shareholders at the Annual General Meeting then adopted the report and the annual report as well as the Board of Directors proposal for the application of the result. No proposals were considered under item 4 of the agenda. Under item 5 of the agenda, the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting re-elected Ander Heine Jensen, Christine Thorsen and Henriette Holmgreen Thorsen. Ernst & Young Godkendt Revisionspartnerselskab were re-appointed as the Companys auditors. After the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors appointed Anders Heine Jensen as Chairman. Questions relating to this announcement should be directed to Anders Heine Jensen, Chairman, on telephone +45 2048 8563. The quarterly announcement is also available at www.monthor.com This announcement is available in Danish and English. In case of doubt, the Danish version shall prevail. MONBERG & THORSEN A/S CVR 12 61 79 17 LEI 529900NA1V21KR5S7498 Ringager 4C, 2nd Floor, Right DK - 2605 Brndby Attachment Forward-Looking Information: Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as anticipate, plan, estimate, expect, may, will, intend, should, and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. The Companys actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Companys expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation. CLEARWATER, Fla., April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boy Scout Troop 313, based out of Clearwater, Florida, has found a new home for its weekly meetings - the brand new Clearwater Community Volunteers (CCV) Center, supported by the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization. Now in its 22nd year, this Troop has made well over 30 Eagle Scouts. With increased demand by youth for Scouting, the Troop needed a meeting place that would provide them with the necessary facilities. The CCV Center was the logical choice. With the multi-purpose room and plenty of sitting space, they can plan for future activities. Osceola Courtyard is located right across the street, which the Troop took advantage of by practicing setting up tents for an upcoming camping trip. Troop 313 is open to boys of any faith, as is any troop. Boys in the Scouting program are encouraged to be faithful and loyal, as laid out in the Scout Oath and Law. The Church of Scientology cut the ribbon for the CCV Center on March 24th, opening the center to Tampa Bay non-profit organizations and charitable groups. The Center provides spaces for group meetings, seminars and events, said Clemence Chevrot, Director of the Clearwater Community Volunteer Center. Since the opening, community groups have used the Center for their meetings; one of those groups being Clearwaters Boy Scout Troop 313 and we are very honored to have them. About the Church of Scientology: The Scientology religion was founded by humanitarian and philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has expanded to more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 nations. Based on L. Ron Hubbard's words, "A community that pulls together can make a better society for all," the Church of Scientology regularly engages in many humanitarian programs and community events. To learn more, visit www.scientology-fso.org. Dylan Pires (727) 467-6860 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/b79334c8-ad55-493e-99b7-520e8107e114 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ceylon Graphite Corp. (Ceylon Graphite or the Company) (TSXV:CYL) (OTC:CYLYF) (FSE:CCY) is pleased to announce that the Company was named the Asia Pacific Exploration Mining Company of the Year for 2018 by Mines and Money at their conference in Hong Kong. The Company owns the majority of the known graphite deposits in Sri Lanka, the home of the purest graphite in the world. Graphite is the largest mineral component in lithium-ion batteries. The annual awards recognize only the most accomplished mining companies in the region. There were many contenders for the Exploration Mining Company of the Year and six that were short-listed for the award. More information can be found at https://asia.minesandmoney.com. This is excellent news, said Bharat Parashar, Chief Executive Officer. The Company considers it a great honor to be named the Asia Pacific Exploration Mining Company of the Year by its peers in the Asian mining community and a panel of expert judges. This award speaks directly to the quality of the extensive exploration work the Company has carried out in Sri Lanka over the past year and the hard work of all our great employees, he added. It is recognition by the mining community of the Companys efforts to develop our mining properties at an accelerated pace and with the lowest cost. Ceylons founders have a proven track-record of success in South Asia and specifically Sri Lanka in previous businesses. We have new and exciting developments on a daily basis and are close to being able to bring significant new quantities of high purity Sri Lankan graphite to the market, said Parashar. About Ceylon Graphite Corp. Ceylon Graphite Corp is a public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (CYL:TSX-V), that is in the business of exploring for and development of graphite mines in Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka has granted the company exploration rights in a land package of over 120km. These exploration grids (each one square kilometer in area) cover areas of historic graphite production from the early twentieth century and represent a majority of the known graphite occurrences in Sri Lanka. Graphite mined in Sri Lanka is known to be some of the purest in the world, and currently accounts for less than 1% of the world graphite production. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking information as such term is defined in applicable securities laws, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. The forward-looking information includes statements about Ceylon Graphites grids, Ceylon Graphites plans to undertake additional drilling and to develop a mine plan, Ceylon Graphites intention to apply for a Mining License and to commence establishing mining operations. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to Ceylon Graphite, including the assumption that, the drilling exercises will confirm the presence of high quality graphite, sufficient financial resources will be available, the records from the drilling exercises prove to be accurate, there will be no unanticipated delays or costs materially affecting Ceylon Graphites exploration, development and production, there will be no material adverse change in metal prices, all necessary consents, licenses, permits and approvals will be obtained, including various Local Government Licenses and the market. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking information include, among other things, an inability to reach a final acquisition agreement, inaccurate results from the drilling exercises, a failure to obtain or delays in obtaining the required regulatory licenses, permits, approvals and consents, an inability to access financing as needed, a general economic downturn, a volatile stock price, labour strikes, political unrest, changes in the mining regulatory regime governing Ceylon Graphite, a failure to comply with environmental regulations and a weakening of market and industry reliance on high quality graphite. Ceylon Graphite cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, Ceylon Graphite does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). Further information regarding the Company is available at www.ceylongraphite.com. Bharat Parashar, Chairman and & Chief Executive Officer Chairman & Chief Executive Officer info@ceylongraphite.com Corporate Communications (604) 559-8051 Inferred Resource at 0.5g/t gold cut-off grade 17Mt @ 1.15g/t gold for 629,000 ounces Mineralization remains open for expansion VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Velocity Minerals Ltd. (TSXV:VLC) (Velocity or the Company) announces that it has filed a NI 43-101 Technical Report on SEDAR (the Report) entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report; Mineral Resource Estimation for the Rozino Gold Deposit, Republic of Bulgaria, dated 5 April 2018 (effective date March 21, 2018). The Technical Report was written by an independent Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure. The Report is available on SEDAR under the Companys profile and is also available on the Companys web site. Inferred Mineral Resource estimates for the Rozino gold deposit (Rozino or the Project), based on 2m down-hole composited gold assay grades, are reported for a range of cut off grades (Table 1). Highlights include: 17Mt @ 1.15g/t gold for 629,000 ounces at 0.5g/t cut-off grade; and 8.2Mt @ 1.68g/t gold for 443,000 ounces at 0.8g/t cut-off grade; Estimated resources extend to the base of mineralized drilling at around 190m depth, with around 90% of estimates from depths of less than 110m and less than 1% from below 150m; and The mineralized system remains open for expansion and drill testing is ongoing. Table 1: Inferred Mineral Resource estimates at selected cut-offs, effective date March 1, 2018(1) Cut Off Grade Tonnes Gold Gold gold g/t million g/t ,000 ounces 0.2 45 0.62 897 0.5 17 1.15 629 0.8 8.2 1.68 443 1.0 5.7 2.03 372 1.2 4.2 2.37 320 (1) Mineral resources were estimated by Jonathon Abbott, a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and employee of MPR Geological Consultants Pty Ltd of Perth, Australia. Mr. Abbott is a Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The Company plans to publish a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) in the second half of 2018, which will include an updated Mineral Resource estimate. Resource Estimate Methodology Recoverable resources were estimated for Rozino using Multiple Indicator Kriging (MIK) with block support adjustment, a method that has been demonstrated to provide reliable estimates of recoverable open pit resources in gold deposits of diverse geological styles. The Rozino sampling database includes 186 diamond holes for 29,924m of drilling, of which 86 drill holes (14,289m) completed by Asenovgrad Geoengineering EAD are not included in the resource estimation dataset due to insufficient quality control data. Drilling used in resource estimation total 78 (12,009m) drill holes and comprise 44 drill holes (7,475m) completed by Velocity, 28 drill holes (3,794m) completed by Hereward Ventures Ltd. (Hereward), and 6 drill holes (740m) completed by Asia Gold Inc. (Asia Gold). The remaining angled drill holes from the database are located outside the mineralized envelope and did not inform the resource estimation. Samples from Velocitys diamond drilling provide 63% of the estimation dataset, with angled diamond holes drilled by Hereward and Asia Gold contributing 32% and 5%, respectively. Estimated resources are constrained within a mineralized envelope interpreted from 2m down-hole composited gold grades and geological logging from diamond drilling and surface trenches. The envelope captures intervals of greater than 0.1 g/t, with the lower boundary reflecting the contact between variably mineralized sedimentary rocks and un-mineralized basement. It covers an area of approximately 780m by 600m. Estimated resources extend to the base of mineralized drilling at around 190m depth, with around 90% of estimates from depths of less than 110m and less than 1% from below 150m. Bulk densities of 2.2, 2.4 and 2.6 tonnes per cubic metre were assigned to completely weathered, transitional and fresh material, respectively, using surfaces representing the base of complete oxidation (BOCO) and top of fresh rock (TOFR) interpreted by Velocity. Within the resource area the depth to BOCO averages around 7m, with fresh rock occurring at an average depth of around 18m. Quality Assurance / Quality Control The work program at Rozino was designed and is supervised by Stuart A. Mills, CGeol, the Company's Vice-President Exploration, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project rigorously collect and track samples which are then security sealed and shipped to ALS Global laboratory in Romania. Samples were prepared and analyzed by fire assay using a 30-gram charge in compliance with industry standards. Field duplicate samples, blanks and independent controlled reference material (standards) are included in every batch. Hereward and Asia Golds diamond core from angled drilling was sampled and analyzed by industry standard methods. The core was generally halved for analysis with a diamond saw over generally 1m intervals, and samples were analyzed for gold by fire assay by commercial laboratories. Information available to demonstrate the reliability of these results includes duplicates and blanks for both data sets and certified reference standards for Asia Golds drill results. General Notes with Respect to Technical Information The mineral resource disclosed herein has been estimated in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (CIM, 2014). Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Any known legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the Mineral Reserves are detailed below in the section entitled Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been approved for disclosure by Jonathon Abbott, a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and employee of MPR Geological Consultants Pty Ltd. Mr. Abbott is a Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Abbott is independent of the Company. About the Rozino Gold Project Velocity has been exploring and drilling at Rozino since August 2017, completing 7,300m of diamond drilling in 2017 and publishing a maiden Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate in Q1 2018; 17Mt @ 1.15g/t gold for 629,000 ounces at 0.5g/t cut-off grade with 8.2Mt @ 1.68g/t gold for 443,000 ounces at 0.8g/t cut-off grade. Approximately 90% of estimated resources at depths of less than 110m from surface and less than 1% below 150m from surface. Mineralization remains open for expansion. The Company continues to drill in 2018 with a view to publishing an updated mineral resource estimate and preliminary economic assessment (PEA) in Q3 2018, approximately one year after initiating exploration. On completion of the PEA, the Company will exercise its option for a 70% interest in the project and will move forward in joint venture with its Bulgarian partner. About the Balkan Gold Project Velocity formed an Exploration and Mining Alliance (Alliance) with Bulgarian operating partner Gorubso Kardzhali A.D. (Gorubso) in February 2018. The Alliance is the cornerstone of the Balkan Gold Project. Within the Balkan Gold Project, the Companys portfolio of assets in Bulgaria includes exclusive access to a modern, centrally located CIL plant for processing of material from gold projects in the surrounding area. The Company has negotiated an option to earn a 70% interest in any or all of seven advanced gold projects, including the Rozino Project where drilling is ongoing. In addition, the Company has negotiated an option to earn a 50% interest in the operating Chala Gold Mine. The Alliance area covers all existing and future Gorubso and Velocity projects within an area of 10,400km2 covering the prospective Eastern Rhodope Gold Mining District in southeastern Bulgaria. The Agreement contemplates the exploration, development, and mining of the various projects within the Alliance area and provides for an option/joint venture mechanism by which Velocity and Gorubso will partner to maximize value for both companies. About Velocity Minerals Ltd. Velocity is a gold exploration and development company focused on eastern Europe. The Companys management and board includes mining industry professionals with over 100 years of combined experience spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas as employees of major mining companies as well as founders and senior executives of junior to mid-tier public companies. The team's experience includes all aspects of mineral exploration, resource definition, feasibility, finance, mine construction and mine operation as well as a track record in managing publicly listed companies. About Bulgaria Bulgaria is a member of NATO (2004) and a member of the European Union (2007). The local currency (BGN) has been tied to the Euro since 1999 (1.956 BGN/EUR). The country is served by modern European infrastructure including an extensive network of paved roads. Bulgaria boasts an exceptionally low corporate tax rate of only 10%. The countrys education system is excellent with good availability of experienced mining professionals in a favourable cost environment. Foreign mining companies are successfully operating in Bulgaria. The countrys mining law was established in 1999 and updated in 2011. Mining royalties are low and compare favourably with more established mining countries. On Behalf of the Board of Directors "Keith Henderson" President & CEO For further information, please contact: Keith Henderson Phone: +1-604-484-1233 E-mail: info@velocityminerals.com Web: www.velocityminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the above-mentioned securities in the United States. None of the foregoing securities have been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: statements related to proposed exploration and development programs at Rozino, grade and tonnage of material and resource estimates and the Alliance. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained gold demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of Rozino in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of Rozino, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities for Rozino, including the geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs for the project, the fact that the Companys interests in Rozino (Tintyava property) is only an option and there is no guarantee that the interest, if earned, will be certain, actual results of exploration activities, variations to the geological and metallurgical assumptions (including with respect to the size, grade and recoverability of mineral reserves and mineral resources), the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital to fund the Company's business plan, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the TSX Venture Exchange), permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual management's discussion and analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Information concerning mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates also may be considered forward-looking statements, as such information constitutes a prediction of what mineralization might be found to be present if and when a project is actually developed and / or is in production. The actual results or performance by the Company could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, any forward-looking statements relating to those matters. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. Cincinnati, OH, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As technology and automation reshape the economy, schools continue to feel the pressure to prepare all students for their future in a rapidly changing world. To be ready for the future, students must not only master academics but be able to develop and effectively apply social-emotional skills. To meet these demands, educators and leaders across the country are considering how personalized, competency-based learning might provide the environment needed to set every student up for success well beyond their tenure in our schools.KnowledgeWorks newest publication, From Vision to Reality: Personalized, Competency-Based Learning for All Kids serves as a resource for education leaders who have a desire to personalize learning in their district or school. The publication provides in-depth insights on how leaders can identify and communicate why they are making the shift to personalized, competency-based learning, how to create and implement the vision for personalized opportunities in schools, and how to understand and navigate state education policy. Leaders need to think beyond their current school walls and get ready to educate the next generation of learners for the future, said Virgel Hammonds, chief learning officer for KnowledgeWorks. Personalized learning provides educators and students with a flexible environment that helps students achieve academic and social skills development, ensuring that all kids are ready for the ever-changing demands of college and career. Hammonds, a former superintendent and principal in personalized learning environments, authored the paper with Jesse Moyer, senior director of school development for KnowledgeWorks and personalized learning policy and practice researcher. From Vision to Reality: Personalized, Competency-Based Learning for All Kids highlights the opportunity for leaders and educators to transform the education system by putting students at the center. The resource is specifically designed to help school districts take steps toward implementing personalized, competency-based learning, and equip leaders with the following support to do this critical work: Information to help make the case for personalized, competency-based, learning, including what it means for students and teachers and resources to support community conversations Guidance on crafting a future-focused vision and tools to get started Essential areas to consider when implementing personalized, competency-based learning, including impact for students, educators and supporting systems Resources on how flexible state and federal education policies can support personalized learning Our current system isnt designed to deliver the results we need in todays rapidly changing society, said Moyer. This paper provides leaders with practical information to consider when trying to move from a traditional education model to personalized competency-based learning. About KnowledgeWorks KnowledgeWorks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing personalized learning that empowers every child to take ownership of their success. With nearly 20 years of experience exploring the future of learning and partnering with schools and state and federal policymakers, our passionate team believes in working together to create a system-wide approach to grow and sustain student-centered practices. Through customized professional development, in-depth research such as the Future of Learning Forecast and federal education policy guidance and state-level ESSA implementation support, KnowledgeWorks has created opportunities for more than 135,000 students in 20 states through competency-based learning and early college. www.knowledgeworks.org Attachment Miami, Florida, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Photo Link: Nobu Matsuhisa MASTER CHEF NOBU MATSUHISA TO HOST CULINARY EXPERIENCES ABOARD CRYSTALS SERENITY BALTIC VOYAGE MIAMI, April 5, 2018 Crystal Cruises announced today that renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa will join Crystal Serenitys June 19, 2018 Baltic Bliss sailing from Stockholm to London. Planned for the sailing are special dinners, curated menus, book signings and other celebrations hosted by the master chef, whose Silk Road and The Sushi Bar (on Crystal Serenity) and Umi Uma (on Crystal Symphony) are the only Nobu restaurants at sea. During the sailing, guests will have several opportunities to personally mingle with Nobu, and of course, indulge in his signature cuisine. Two Omakase (meaning chefs choice) dinners will showcase Nobus specialties, with one hosted in Silk Road prepared by Nobu and his personally trained chefs, including a signed copy of his cookbook. The other, an intimate Ultimate Omakase Sushi Bar and Connoisseurs Vintage Dinner, will feature multiple courses prepared by Nobu, paired with rare sake and wines selected by Sake Master Hazu and Crystals own head sommelier. The special dinner will accommodate just nine guests at The Sushi Bar. It is always a pleasure to have Nobu join our guests at sea, as he is nearly as famous for his engaging personality as for his masterful cuisine, said Toni Neumeister, senior vice president of hotel operations. Travelers can always enjoy Nobus specialties when sailing on Crystal Cruises, but the opportunity to learn from such a master and dine at his side is truly unique. In addition to these exclusive dining experiences, Nobu will host cooking demos, book signing sessions, and sake tastings with Sake Master Hazu. Special programming will also include special flower design classes with Nicolai Bergmann of the Flower & Design Studio in Tokyo. Nobus Japanese-Peruvian fusion has been served complimentary aboard every Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity sailing since 2003 and 2008, respectively. The Silk Road and The Sushi Bar restaurant was rebranded as Umi Uma during Crystal Symphonys recent dry dock and will debut likewise aboard Crystal Serenity during her fall 2018 redesign, as well as aboard Crystals upcoming expedition yacht, Crystal Endeavor. Nobu personally trains all chefs, designs all menus, and frequently visits the ships for ongoing refinement. The Baltic Bliss voyage departs Stockholm for London on June 19, 2018, calling in Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Berlin/Warnemunde, Germany; and Copenhagen, Denmark. Fares start at $4,785 per person, double occupancy. The Silk Road Omakase dinner including a signed copy of Nobus cookbook is $200 per person. The Ultimate Omakase Sushi Bar and Connoisseurs Vintage Dinner is $1,000 per person. About Crystal The world-renowned Crystal Experience featuring global journeys with Crystal Cruises, Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises, Crystal AirCruises and Crystal Luxury Air continues to entice the worlds most discerning travelers with incomparable luxury and unparalleled personal service. Crystal will expand its fleet with the upcoming Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel river ships, the Crystal Endeavor expedition yacht and an entirely new class of ocean ships over the next five years. Celebrating 27 years of excellence, Crystal Cruises is the Worlds Most Awarded Luxury Cruise Line, having earned Worlds Best Cruise Ship in Conde Nast Travelers Reader Choice Awards for 24 years; been voted Worlds Best Large Ship Cruise Line by Travel + Leisure readers for 20 years; and the Best Luxury Cruise Line by travel professional organization Virtuoso for three consecutive years (2014, 2015 & 2016). The readers of Travel + Leisure also voted Crystal River Cruises the Worlds Best River Cruise Line and Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises the Worlds Best Small-Ship Cruise Line in 2017. Crystal is proud to be a platinum partner of ASTA. For more information and Crystal reservations, contact a travel professional, call 888.799.2437, or visit www.crystalcruises.com. Join the hundreds of thousands who subscribe to the Crystal Insider blog, follow Crystal Cruises Facebook page and @crystalcruises on Twitter and Instagram, and engage in the conversation with #crystalcruises. ### Attachment Minneapolis Police Department(MINNEAPOLIS) -- Minneapolis police issued new body camera regulations in the wake of a controversial case in which they were not activated -- when a woman was fatally shot by a police officer in July 2017. The new rules allow the department to discipline officers who do not comply, which was not done in the case of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. But John Elder, the department's public information officer, denied that the policy change was a "knee-jerk" reaction to the Damond case. "I won't say that it's a coincidence" that the policy changes are coming after the public scrutiny over the officer-involved shooting, Elder told ABC News. "What I can say is, in fact, we've learned a lot over the totality of the use of body cameras and we made changes and we may continue to make changes to better serve everybody the policy is intended to serve." The city's police department has been using body cameras for a little over a year, Elder said, and the new policies reflect some changes they believe are needed. "We knew as any new policy starts there's going to be tweaks to it and there are going to be different and better ways to serve," he said. Under the new rules, after receiving a 911 call or a call for service, officers are required to activate their body cameras within two blocks of the destination. If the call comes within two blocks of the destination, they must activate it immediately. Elder said that by shortening the activation period to within two blocks of the destination as opposed to when the call is received, the department will save money on storage of the footage. "The fact of the matter is we're spending a great deal of money in storage of this data and we're able to accomplish the same outcome if we have the officers activate it at the minimum two blocks away," he told ABC News. The potential disciplinary actions under the rules range from a 40-hour suspension to termination, according to The Star Tribune. "For the first time, we're going to give it teeth," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a news conference Wednesday, according to The Star Tribune. The Damond shooting put a spotlight on the use of body cameras. Damond had called 911 to report a possible assault behind her house and she ended up being fatally shot by one of the responding officers. Neither of the officers had activated their body cameras. The officer who fired the fatal shots, Mohamed Noor, was charged with murder. He was released on bail last month and it was not clear if he entered a plea. Noor's lawyer, Tom Plunkett, said his client "should not have been charged with any crime." Two months after the Damond shooting, a city audit detailed how Minneapolis police officers frequently failed to activate their body cameras when responding to calls, The Star Tribune reported at the time. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. KELOWNA, British Columbia , April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Ridge Resources Ltd. (Golden Ridge or the Company) (TSX-V:GLDN) is pleased to announce the results of a petrographic study from the newly discovered Williams Zone Cu-Au porphyry prospect at its Hank Property (the Property) in northwest British Columbia. The Williams Zone was discovered by geologists in 2017 after following up on a Cu-Au soil anomaly in a heavily forested area of the Property. The petrographic study was carried out by Craig H.B. Leitch, Ph.D., P. Eng of Vancouver Petrographics Ltd. Dr. Leitch reported that the samples display evidence of a well-developed alkalic porphyry copper system with strong potassic alteration (K-Feldspar, Biotite, Hematite-after-Magnetite) and copper mineralization (Chalcopyrite-Bornite-Covellite-Digenite). Two rock types were defined by petrographic analysis; a potassic altered monzonite intrusive (Fig.1) and an intrusive/hydrothermal breccia (Fig. 2). Based on a previous ground magnetic survey completed in 2017, the circular breccia body is interpreted to be approximately 400 meters in diameter and field relations suggest the monzonite cross-cuts the breccia pipe. A drill pad was constructed in the center of the magnetic anomaly and a winterized drill rig was left on the pad which will allow the Company to test to target early in the 2018 season. A minimum of 1500 meters of drilling is planned for the Williams Zone, with additional drilling contingent on results. Please see Golden Ridges news release dated November 22, 2017 for more information on the Williams Zone. Issuance of Options: The Company further announces the granting, effective April 5th, 2018, of 2,000,000 options to directors, officers, employees, investor relation consultants and consultants of the Company in accordance with the terms of the Companys 10% rolling Stock Option Plan approved by shareholders on October 26, 2016. Each option is exercisable to purchase one common share of the Company at $0.125 per share for a period of five years from the date of issuance. Qualified Person: C. Mark Rebagliati, P.Eng., a consultant to the Company, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. About Golden Ridge Resources: Golden Ridge is a TSX-V listed exploration company engaged in acquiring and advancing mineral properties located in British Columbia. Golden Ridge currently has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the 1,700-hectare Hank gold-silver-lead-zinc property located in the Golden Triangle district, approximately 140 kilometres north of Stewart, British Columbia. Golden Ridge may earn the 100% interest by performing $1.7M of exploration work by the end of 2018. For more information please contact: Golden Ridge Resources Ltd. Mike Blady Chief Executive Officer Tel: (250) 768-1168 Website: www.goldenridgeresources.com Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at http://www.sedar.com/ for further information. Fig. 1 is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/68f31848-20c6-4b8a-a024-2484ae66adb2 Fig. 2 is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/6a5784b3-da49-4238-a502-fbaa7a77c064 PHILADELPHIA, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From the first quarter Phoenix Management Lending Climate in America Survey, results shows a positive outlook for the U.S. economy and modest growth for the U.S. equity markets. Lenders confidence on how they expect the U.S. economy to perform during the next six months continues to remain at an overall B grade. While lenders are still optimistic about the U.S. economy in the near term, the grade point average for the U.S. economy saw a slight decrease of 5 percentage points, with a GPA of 2.74 in Q1 2018 from 2.79 in Q4 2017. On the contrary, the GPA for the U.S. economy beyond the next six months saw a slight increase of 5 percentage points to 2.47 from the Q4 2017 results of 2.42. Furthermore, lenders were surveyed on how they expect the U.S. equity markets to perform in 2018 after such impressive, double-digit growth in 2017. Of the lenders surveyed, sixty-seven percent expect modest, single digit growth, while twenty-one percent of lenders expect markets to remain flat in 2018. In addition, lenders were surveyed regarding their customers' future plans and growth expectations over the next six to twelve months. Eighty-one percent of respondents expect their customers to make capital improvements, while sixty-two percent of lenders surveyed expect their customer to make an acquisition. While most of the lenders, 68%, expect moderate growth from their customers, 32% expect strong growth from their customers over the next six to twelve months. Lenders were also surveyed this quarter on what they expect to be the biggest driver of new loans in Q2 2018. Thirty-three percent of lenders expect M&A activity to be the biggest driver of new loans, while twenty-nine percent of lenders expect working capital to support organic growth and expansion to be the driver of new loans in Q2 2018. Lenders' confidence in the health of the U.S. economy continues to remain at an overall B grade which is a positive indication for continued growth and momentum throughout 2018, says Michael Jacoby, Senior Managing Director and Shareholder of Phoenix. To see the full results of Phoenixs Lending Climate in America Survey, please visit http://www.phoenixmanagement.com/survey/ About Phoenix: For over 30 years, Phoenix has provided smarter, operationally focused solutions for middle market companies in transition. Phoenix Management Services provides turnaround, crisis and interim management, specialized advisory and operational implementation services for both distressed and growth oriented companies. Phoenix Transaction Advisory Services provides quality of earnings, management/organizational review, business integration, sell-side business preparation and other transaction related support. Phoenix Capital Resources provides seamless investment banking solutions including M&A advisory, complex restructurings and capital placements. Phoenix Capital Resources is a U.S. registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Proven. Results. If you would like to learn more about Phoenix, please visit http://www.phoenixmanagement.com/ or http://www.phoenixcapitalresources.com/ Buellton, Calif., April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This Sunday, April 8, the Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting in Portland to debate the fate of the West Coast sardine fishery, after the 2018 sardine stock assessment estimated the biomass has declined by 97 percent since 2006. According to the California Wetfish Producers Association, the only problem with that finding is it belies reality. Fishermen are seeing more sardines, not less, especially in nearshore waters. And theyve been seeing this population spike for several years now, said Diane Pleschner-Steele, executive director of the California Wetfish Producers Association (CWPA). This stock assessment was an update that was not allowed to include any new methods and was based primarily on a single acoustic survey that reached only as far south as Morro Bay and totally missed the nearshore coastwide. The 2018 update assessment of 52,000 tons, down from 86,586 tons in 2017 and 106,100 tons the year before, is based on a change in methods and assumptions in estimating population size developed during an independent stock assessment review in 2017. Scientists acknowledged that assuming the acoustic survey sees all the fish leads to lower biomass estimates. But its obvious to fishermen that the survey missed a lot of fish. In fact, with different assumptions, the 2017 biomass estimate would have increased from 86,586 tons to 153,020 tons. The thorny problem the Council faces in April is what to do with a flawed assessment that is perilously close to the 50,000-ton minimum stock size threshold that would trigger an overfished condition and curtail virtually all sardine fishing. (The directed fishery has been closed since 2015, but incidental harvest in other fisheries, as well as Tribal take and live bait fishing have been allowed under a precautionary annual catch limit of 8,000 tons for all uses.) Oceana has already signaled its intent to lobby for the Council to declare sardines overfished. Despite ample evidence to the contrary most scientists agree that environmental factors play the primary role in sardine populations swings Oceana claims that overfishing is the cause of the sardine fishery decline, said Pleschner-Steele. But the absolute opposite is true: fishing is a non-issue and more importantly, the sardine stock is not declining. The NOAA acoustic survey was based mainly on the 2017 summer acoustic trawl cruise that ran from British Columbia to Morro Bay, CA, but did not include the area south to Pt. Conception and Southern California where fishermen have reported large schools of sardines for the past three years. Whats more, this stock assessment update was based on a model that the chair of the 2017 Stock Assessment Review panel termed the least worst option. In part, the problem is that acoustic trawl surveys conducted by large research vessels cannot gather data in nearshore waters inside about 50 meters depth 27 fathoms. But 70 to 80 percent of Californias sardine catch comes from nearshore waters inside the 20-fathom curve. Acoustic trawl survey methods also underwent review in January 2018, and independent scientists criticized current survey methods and assumptions, noting that the current ATM trawl procedure seems to focus on precision at the expense of accuracy, and the protocol is repeatable but not necessarily objective. To document the missing fish, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and CWPA conducted a cooperative aerial survey in the Monterey / Half Moon Bay area last summer at the same time the acoustic trawl cruise was surveying outside waters and saw a significant body of both sardine and anchovy inside the acoustic survey nearshore limit. Here is the map illustrating the thousands of tons of sardine that the NOAA acoustic survey missed, an estimated 18,118 mt of sardine and 67,684 mt of anchovy. And here is a video from fisherman Corbin Hanson who was out fishing for squid last November and saw large schools of sardines in Southern CA. He commented that, this is just one school. Last week we drove by the biggest school of sardines I have ever witnessed in my career driving boats. It was out in front of Ventura Harbor and we saw countless other schools along with it. The problem is this evidence has not yet been qualified for use in stock assessments. However, at the upcoming meeting, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will present the data from our nearshore aerial surveys in 2016-17. CWPA will also request that the Council approve our experimental fishery permit to help us qualify our aerial surveys as an index of nearshore abundance for future assessments. The bottom line is its vital for proper management of our fisheries that we use all available scientific data. Thats why the Council needs to take into consideration these nearshore findings when recommending sardine management measures in 2018, said Pleschner-Steele. CWPA along with sardine fishermen contest the 52,000-ton stock assessment and will request a new stock assessment review as soon as possible, including other indices of abundance in addition to acoustic trawl. If the Council closes the sardine fishery entirely, Californias historic wetfish industry which until recent years produced 80 percent or more of the volume of seafood landed statewide will suffer unnecessarily, along with the states entire fishing economy. About the California Wetfish Producers Association The California Wetfish Producers Association is a nonprofit dedicated to research and to promote sustainable Wetfish resources. More info at www.californiawetfish.org. Attachment TORONTO, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lydian International Limited (TSX:LYD) (Lydian or the Company) announced today that the Company will participate at the European Gold Forum to be held April 17 19, 2018 in Zurich, Switzerland. Howard Stevenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lydian, will host one-on-one meetings during the conference and present to attendees on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 at 4:10 pm CET. The presentation will provide an update on construction and upcoming activities at the Companys Amulsar Gold Project in Armenia. The presentation will be available on Lydians website at www.lydianinternational.co.uk. About Lydian International Limited Lydian is a gold developer focusing on construction at its 100%-owned Amulsar Gold Project, located in south-central Armenia. Amulsar will be a large-scale, low-cost operation with production expected to begin in 2018. Gold production is targeted to average approximately 225,000 ounces annually over an initial 10-year mine life, making Lydian one of the largest gold producers to emerge during 2018. Open pit mining and conventional heap leach processing contribute to excellent scale and economic potential. Estimated mineral resources contain 3.5 million measured and indicated gold ounces and 1.3 million inferred gold ounces as outlined in the Q1 2017 Technical Report. Existing mineral resources beyond current reserves and open extensions provide opportunities to improve average annual production and extend the mine life. Lydian is committed to good international industry practices in all aspects of its operations including production, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility. For more information and to directly contact us, please visit www.lydianinternational.co.uk. For further information, please contact: Doug Tobler, CFO +1 720-307-5087 (d) or +1 303-905-4442 (m) Pamela Solly, Vice President of Investor Relations +1 720-464-5649 (d) or +1 303-810-4863 (m) Or: moreinfo@Lydianinternational.co.uk Caution regarding forward-looking information Certain information contained in this news release is forward looking. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects, is expected, intends, anticipates or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, will, would, should, or occur or the negative or other variations of such terms. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements with respect to: the realization of mineral resource estimates and the timing of development of the Amulsar Gold Project, including the expected start date of gold production; the expected and estimated cost of operations and capital costs at the Amulsar Gold Project; the current Amulsar Gold Project construction schedule, including the Companys plan to begin and advance various on-site construction activities; current expectations regarding forthcoming operational objectives and the timing and satisfaction of such objectives, including earthworks; the fabrication, delivery, and assembly of certain equipment; results of future exploration and drilling; the commitment to and implementation of good international industry practices; the expected gold production from, and life of mine of, the Amulsar Gold Project; and the expected mining methods at the Amulsar Gold Project. Statements concerning mineral resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking information to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered when the property is developed. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, without limitation: changes in gold and silver prices; adverse general economic, market or business conditions; failure to achieve the objectives of the future exploration and drilling programs; regulatory changes; as well as "Risk Factors" included in the disclosure documents filed on and available at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results and future events could materially differ from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All of the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. SAN DIEGO, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) (the Company) will announce its first quarter 2018 earnings in a press release to be issued after the market closes on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Senior management will hold a conference call for its first quarter 2018 earnings on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT). Conference call access information is as follows: Toll Free Number: 1 (877) 868-5513 Pass Code: 2799824 A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available beginning at 2:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 through Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Replay access information is as follows: Toll Free Number: 1 (855) 859-2056 Pass Code: 2799824 A live on-demand audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of the Companys website at www.americanassetstrust.com. About American Assets Trust, Inc. American Assets Trust, Inc. is a full service, vertically integrated and self-administered real estate investment trust, or REIT, headquartered in San Diego, California. The Company has over 50 years of acquiring, improving, developing and managing premier retail, office and residential properties throughout the United States in some of the nations most dynamic, high-barrier-to-entry markets primarily in Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. The Company's retail portfolio comprises approximately 3.2 million rentable square feet, and its office portfolio comprises approximately 2.7 million square feet. In addition, the Company owns one mixed-use property (including approximately 97,000 rentable square feet of retail space and a 369-room all-suite hotel) and over 2,112 multifamily units. In 2011, the Company was formed to succeed to the real estate business of American Assets, Inc., a privately held corporation founded in 1967 and, as such, has significant experience, long-standing relationships and extensive knowledge of its core markets, submarkets and asset classes. For additional information, please visit www.americanassetstrust.com. Forward Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," or "potential" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. While forward-looking statements reflect the Company's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, they are not guarantees of future performance. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements, see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K filed on February 16, 2018 and other risks described in documents subsequently filed by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, of new information, data or methods, future events or other changes. Source: American Assets Trust, Inc. Investor and Media Contact: American Assets Trust Robert F. Barton Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 858-350-2607 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colonial Coal International Corp. (TSX-V:CAD) (the Corporation or Colonial Coal) is pleased to announce that it has granted stock options (each, a Stock Option) to acquire an aggregate of up to 7,325,000 common shares of the Company to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company in accordance with the provisions of the Companys previously approved share option plan. The Stock Options are fully vested and are exercisable at a price of $0.31 per common share for a period of 10 years from the date of grant. Following the issuance of these Options the Company has a total of 11,570,000 options outstanding pursuant to its share option plan, which represent approximately 7.78% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. This grant of Options is subject to regulatory approval. About Colonial Coal International Corp. Colonial Coal is a publicly traded coal corporation in British Columbia that focuses primarily on coking coal projects. The northeast Coal Block of British Columbia, within which our Corporations projects are located, hosts a number of proven deposits and has been the subject of M&A activities by Xstrata, Anglo-American and others. Additional information can be found on the Corporations website www.ccoal.ca or by viewing the Corporations filings at www.sedar.com. For further information please contact: Colonial Coal International Corp. David Austin, President and CEO 604.568.4962 daustin@ccoal.ca www.ccoal.ca Forward-Looking Information Information set forth in this news release involves forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the Corporations potential sale of an interest in its Flatbed Property. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address a Corporations expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as anticipate, believe, plan, estimate, expect, and intend, statements that an action or event may, might, could, should, or will be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: risks associated with marketing and sale of securities; the need for additional financing; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain officers or directors with certain other projects; and the volatility of common share price and volume. Forward-looking statements are made based on managements beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and except as required by law, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE CORPORATION AS OF THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE CORPORATION MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE SECURITIES LEGISLATION. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. MALVERN, Pa., April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Liberty Property Trust will host its first quarter results conference call on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, at 1:00 P.M., ET. The call can be accessed by dialing (855) 277-7530 and entering the passcode 4092806. The conference call will also be available live at www.libertyproperty.com in the Investor Relations section of the site. Liberty will issue a press release detailing results the same day before the market opens. If you are unable to join the conference call, you may access the archived webcast, also in the Investor Relations section of the web site. In addition, a recording will be available telephonically until May 24, 2018 by dialing (855) 859-2056 and using the passcode 4092806. About Liberty Property Trust Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LPT) is a leader in commercial real estate, serving customers in the United States and United Kingdom through the development, acquisition, ownership and management of superior industrial and office properties. Liberty's 100 million square foot portfolio provides productive work environments for 1,200 tenants. Inquiries: Jeanne Leonard, Liberty Property Trust, 610.648.1704 Global Britain Is Already on Its Own Mark Malloch-Brown LONDON British Prime Minister Theresa May has finally had a good crisis. Responding to the nerve-agent attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the placid market town of Salisbury, England, May projected strength including to her fellow European leaders by demanding that the Kremlin answer for the crime. As a former home secretary, security is clearly her strong suit, and she has now gone a long way toward repairing her tattered authority in Parliament. Moreover, May also managed to reach an agreement with European Union negotiators on a 21-month transition period for the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the bloc. And yet, despite Mays personal successes, this week might well be remembered as the moment when the foreign-policy costs of Brexit became clear. Until now, the British foreign-policy grandees and former ambassadors warning that Brexit will severely damage the UKs standing in the world have been dismissed by much of the public as discredited elites and fear-mongers. Understandably, Brexit supporters have taken little notice of various straws in the wind heralding the direction their country will take. They are unmoved, for example, by the fact that, after losing a United Nations vote, their candidate pulled out of the race and the UK now has no judges seated at the International Court of Justice for the first time in 71 years. Still, if that wasnt enough to reveal Britains new loneliness, the use of a Soviet-era nerve agent on British soil certainly is. Though EU members have expressed their support for Britain and made assurances that Brexit will not disrupt solidarity or security, there are signs that this united front may, in fact, be just a front. The European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his election to a fourth term a move that rankled the UK. Greece and others also expressed some skepticism about the relationship with the UK as they arrived in Brussels for the European Council summit. Across the Atlantic, US President Donald Trump also congratulated Putin. While he also condemned Russia for the Salisbury incident a rare departure from the Putin-loving corner he has painted himself into support for Britain on this occasion seems to have been motivated more by his political calculus than a deep sense of solidarity. After several days of deafening silence, Trump was under growing pressure to speak out. And on the whole, his unpredictability and transactional approach to alliances has already called into question Britains most important relationship outside Europe. Beneath the surface, the international response to the Salisbury attack reveals alarming cracks in the UKs position on the world stage. It is widely assumed that the UKs weak response to similar incidents, not least the 2006 murder of the Russian defector and former spy Alexander Litvinenko, has convinced Putin that he can get away with such provocations. But Putin may also have anticipated the public outrage over the attack on the Skripals and calculated that EU member states with pro-Russian governments namely, Hungary, Greece, and, soon, Italy would veto any strong EU response. By this reasoning, Putin could drive an even larger wedge between Britain and Europe, thus advancing his longstanding goal of undermining European solidarity. In any case, the UKs isolation and vulnerability are now abundantly obvious. In its efforts to apply pressure on Europe, the Kremlin has identified Britain as a weak link. And those efforts go well beyond attempted murder on British territory. It seems increasingly likely that Russia also interfered in the Brexit referendum, as it did in the 2016 US election; and that Russian criminal elements have penetrated Londons financial and services sectors. Britain is a beachhead in Russias strategy to undermine European security. Unfortunately, the territorial defense guarantee that comes with NATO membership does little good in a conflict conducted in the shadows through assassinations, cyber warfare, and criminal subterfuge. Nor does NATO membership help in responding to the Kremlins exploitation of European dependence on Russian energy, such as when it uses natural-gas supplies as a geopolitical weapon. The decision by a slim majority of UK voters to leave the EU may have been motivated mostly by domestic issues such as political dysfunction and immigration, but the Skripal episode has made it clear that the costs of departure will be felt first on the foreign-policy front. The rest of Europe will sink or swim together in confronting Russian aggression. But the UK, having singled itself out, is a prime target for a dunking. In recent years, Russian officials had already become increasingly derisive toward Britains presumptions about its international status and power. Like many observers around the world since the Brexit vote, the Kremlin does not look at the UK and see a country able to wield anything approaching global influence. Rather, it sees a country mired in nostalgia easy pickings for destabilization. In a sense, Leave voters were right that the EU is out of touch with the times, but not for the reasons they thought. One can debate whether the EU is a stale champion of the rules-based liberal international order. But what is now clear is that it is not ready for the emerging post-liberal order. In the new order, strong states will throw their weight around with little care for the rules-based system that the EU has long epitomized. But at least the EU will have numbers on its side. Putins Russia will be just the start of post-Brexit Britains worries. The UK will also have to contend with China, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and even its most important ally the US. Just as Britain negotiates its exit from the EU, the consensus-based multilateralism of the post-war era is being supplanted by muscular nationalism. In this new schoolyard, only those with committed friends will be able to stand up to the bullies. Others will have no other choice than to cower and hope for the best. Mark Malloch-Brown, a former UN Deputy Secretary-General and British cabinet minister, is Chair of the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, and of Best for Britain, an organization fighting to keep the United Kingdom in the European Union. I love being a Texan and all that goes with it. Everything is bigger and better here, at least that is my humble opinion. I have always had an interest in ... 11 years ago This San Francisco purveyor of graffiti has it right.When times are bleak -- when country and planet sink under the barely restrained sway of greed, raw power, and fear -- it's time to restate what matters. I write here to preserve and kindle hope for a national and global turn toward multi-racial, economically egalitarian, gender non-constricting, woman affirming, and peace choosing democracy that preserves the habitability of earth for all. There's a big order -- but what else is there to do but struggle for this? Not much.Topics range from the minuscule to the transcendent to the global, from dire to delightful. I am not an optimist, but I refuse to allow myself to wallow within the easy bias that everything is going to always be awful. Good also happens; love lives too.I've been yammering here about activism, politics, history, racism and other occasional horrors and pleasures since 2005.I intend to continue as long as the opportunity exists. In this time, that means activism and chronicling resistance. Perhaps it always has, one way and another.My other internet project: 596 Precincts-Walking San Francisco The Armenian government today exempted Alex Textile, a company owned by the Astghik Aleksanyan, daughter of Armenian businessman and member of parliament Samvel Aleksanyan, from paying import tax on AMD 706 million (US$1.475 million) worth of equipment to be shipped from Turkey and Uzbekistan. The company has promised to create eighty new jobs with an average monthly wage of 70,000 drams. In December of last year, the government allocated AMD 96 million worth of property (building and land at Public School 7 in Artik) to Chekh-Arm-Invest, another company owned by Astghik Alexsanyan, for a usage period of twenty years. Below is the official transcript of the press release issued by the presidents public affairs department President Serzh Sargsyans official visit to the Holy See started with a private meeting with His Holiness Pope Francis this morning. The president of Armenia thanked the Supreme Pontiff for his dedication and sustained attention to bilateral relations and for entertaining a sincere and warm dialogue between Armenia and the Vatican. Serzh Sargsyan stressed that this is the fifth meeting with His Holiness for the past few years, which speaks for itself. Noting that it is always a great honor for him to meet with Pope Francis, the Armenian president remembered warmly the Popes 2016 visit to Armenia, which was held under the motto of Pilgrimage to the First Christian Country, as well as his 2015 visit to the Vatican and the participation in the Divine Liturgy at St. Peters Cathedral, which became a historical event, since the genius child of the Armenian nation, St. Gregory of Narek was conferred upon the title of Doctor of the Ecumenical Church and was recognized as one of 36 greatest thinkers of the Catholic Church. Noting that the statue of St. Gregory of Narek stands among the statues of other great saints in the heart of the Catholic world - the Vatican - Serzh Sargsyan expressed profound gratitude to the Pope for making a decision to that effect and went on to advise that a copy of the statue will be placed in Etchmiadzin, the spiritual center of the Armenian Church. Thus, St. Gregory of Narek and his legacy shall become an eternal symbol of solidarity between the two Christian communities. During their private talk, the President Sargsyan and the Pope expressed readiness to further develop and deepen the Armenia-Vatican interstate relations, strengthen the spiritual and cultural ties between the two countries. At the end of the meeting, the parties exchanged gifts. President Sargsyan presented the silver scale-model of St. Gayaneh Church to the Pope. His Holiness Pope Francis handed to the President a marble copy of the sculpture depicting the Holy Family, kept in one of Vaticans museums, as well as copies of the last three books authored by the Pope. Nikol Pashinyan, who heads the Civil Contract political party in Armenia, is calling on residents to fund a movement called My Step (Im Kayl) that seeks to prevent outgoing Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan from becoming the countrys next prime minister. Pashinyan and his supporters are marching across Armenia to recruit additional members to the My Step movement. They headed out from Gyumri on March 31and will end up in Yerevans Liberty Square on April 13. Pashinyan made the appeal on his Facebook page, listing those people who have already donated. Pashinyan has donated US$700 himself, and the others listed are mainly affiliated with the Civil Contract party. The My Step movement has already spent 887,000 drams on the march itself, advertising, and recording a promotional song. The goal of the march is to encircle the National Assembly in Yerevan with enough people so as to force MPs inside from voting for Sargsyan as the next prime minister. Armenian president-elect Armen Sarkissian today traveled to the offices of Tierras de Armenia and met with company owner Eduardo Eurnekian. The two toured the facility, which produces the Karas line of wines, and discussed investment prospects in those sectors of the Armenian economy that have been singled out as having vital significance for the country. Ichabod explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, with an emphasis on UOJ, Church Growth, and Emergent Church heresies. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the mainline denominations. On Friday, April 6, from 5-7 p.m., join Illinois Times for a gallery reception honoring the winners of the 2018 Capital City Visitor cover art contest. The reception is your opportunity to view this years submissions, congratulate contest winners, enjoy light appetizers and refreshments, and take home your complimentary copy of the 2018 Capital City Visitor guide to Springfield. The cover art show will be on display at Springfield Art Association from April 5-7, featuring artworks showcasing historical representations of Abraham Lincoln. Both the reception and the gallery exhibition are free to the public. Capital City Visitor Cover Art Contest Reception Friday, April 6, 5-7pm Springfield Art Association 700 N. Fourth St. 523-2631 Free Illinois Times has provided readers with independent journalism for more than 40 years, from news and politics to arts and culture. Now more than ever, were asking for your support to continue providing our community with real news that everyone can access, free of charge. Were also offering a home delivery option as an added convenience for friends of the paper. Click here to subscribe, or simply show your support for Illinois Times. Rosanna Pulido Rosanna Pulido was nearly unknown in Springfield until last fall when she emerged as the strongest citizen voice opposing the city council resolution to make Springfield a Welcoming City. The resolution is positive, progressive and innocuous, with phrases like, the City of Springfield is committed to continue building a neighborly and welcoming atmosphere in our community, where all are welcome, accepted and appreciated. But to Pulido, there is nothing innocuous about opening the citys doors to immigrants and refugees, who she equates with illegal aliens. Her arguments that the resolution would be a foot in the door leading to all kinds of harm, from increased crime to increased costs for public services, helped persuade aldermen to table the resolution on a 7-3 vote, with Mayor Jim Langfelder, the son of an immigrant, announcing his opposition as well. She is well known nationally for her past anti-immigrant activism in Chicago. Pulido has only recently become vocal in Springfield, where she moved three years ago. She had spent several years caring for her parents in their final years first her mother until her death, then her father. After the death of her father, who lived in Texas, she accepted the offer of a friend for whom she had been maid of honor to stay at her home in LaSalle County while she was deciding what to do next. Pulido found peace and quiet there, then moved to Springfield. She speaks of wanting to retire, perhaps from activism, but still has some fight left, now that the national mood seems headed in her direction. I love Donald Trump, she says. Hes with me on immigration. Ive been battling that since 2003 fighting, fighting, fighting. Now I see a ray of hope. In 2001 a friend who was police chief helped her land a job as police dispatcher in Northfield, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago. She was appalled when a police detective brought in four different fake IDs, each one slightly different, from a crime suspect who had been arrested. That opened my eyes to what was going on, she said. Soon there was a movement to give drivers licenses to illegal aliens and she became active in the fight against that. In 2005 she joined the national group the Minuteman Project in its gathering of some 1,200 volunteers on the Arizona-Mexico border for a citizens patrol to prevent Mexicans from illegally crossing into the U.S. Upon her return she organized an Illinois chapter of the Minutemen. The Minuteman Project has been called a hate group for its zeal in the fight against undocumented immigrants. Is it a hate group? Were all just regular people, Pulido says. Over the years shes associated with other groups accused of being hate groups, including the Federation for American Immigration Reform, for which she is now state adviser. Labeling groups as hate groups is the way they do things now, she says. Everything is blown out of proportion. Im not going to worry about it. She then names several left-leaning groups that oppose her point of view. Theyre hate groups. Theyre anti-American. They want to change America and our way of life. Much of Pulidos public record of controversial statements comes from her 2009 run for Congress as the Republican nominee in the special election to fill the seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel, a race she lost to Democrat Mike Quigley. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has listed her statements on two fact sheets titled, The Real Hate in the Debate. They hate me, she says of ICIRR. But she doesnt deny the statements the group attributes to her, one of which is an off-color joke about gays she had posted on the internet before she began her political campaign. I made a joke about gays, she tells me in our interview. Im not perfect. Im going to screw up. I make mistakes. She says her joke was brought up at a campaign appearance at a gay bar. I told them I did it, and if I offended anybody Im sorry. The whole gay bar stood up and gave me a standing ovation. In Chicago she accused the Catholic church of deliberately luring illegal immigrants to support Catholic social programs. If the church succeeds in their mission, they will destroy the United States of America, she said in testimony to an Illinois House committee. Thats absolutely true, she says now, while insisting she is not anti-Catholic, having attended a Catholic grade school and an all-girls Catholic high school. No longer Catholic, she is now an evangelical Christian, but she admires her father for remaining a staunch Catholic to the end. She also had posted a comment about Muslims praying. It reminds me of my dog, smelling butts, she wrote in 2003. She apologized for that also during the campaign. Because Im human. I make mistakes. She said conservatives make jokes among themselves that may not be appropriate for a wider audience. If I were with other Hispanics, I could make jokes about Hispanics, she told me. I asked her if she is a bigot. Im a Mexican, she replies. I cant be bigoted. Pulido often refers to her Mexican heritage, though she was born in Chicago and her parents were both born in Texas. When I asked in an email how far back are her Mexican roots, her reply said in part, Were all immigrants from somewhere, with a clip of President Bill Clinton in 1995 saying it is wrong for a nation of immigrants to permit abuse of immigration laws. In Springfield, Pulido may get her second wind. Im not afraid to speak out, she says. I am not afraid. Fletcher Farrar is editor and CEO of Illinois Times. Contact him at editor@illinoistimes.com. click to enlarge PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE Jim Hightower Betsy DeVos is Donald Trumps multi-billionaire education secretary who hates the very idea of public education and loves the plutocratic idea of corporate rule over democracy. DeVos presently holds first place in the contest for worst member of Donald Trumps cabinet. Her claim to be first among the worst has been buttressed by her bizarre eagerness to shill for one of the ugliest parts of the financial services industry the Wall Street-backed corporations that lure people into high-interest, financially-ruinous student loans to attend rip-off for-profit colleges. All across the country, 5 million students have defaulted on their student loan debt and have had their credit ratings and job improvement prospects destroyed by the profiteering private education system that DeVos carelessly promotes. Her latest favor for them is an insidious new policy she issued unilaterally asserting that her agency can pre-empt any state laws designed to stop the blatant lies and abuses of these loan-servicing corporations. In her shriveled world laissez-fairy values, you see, program efficiency trumps such basic human values as economic fairness and social justice. Just in fiscal terms, our nations student loan debt has ballooned to $1.4 trillion, threatening to blow another big hole in our democracy. We need an education secretary whos smart enough work with state officials, students and responsible lenders, rather than conspiring and cavorting in her departments back rooms with fast-buck educational exploiters. DeVos is bad, but the bankers she serves are even worse. Greed is good, proclaimed Gordon Gekko, lead character in a 1987 film lampooning the low ethics of Wall Streets barons of high finance. You might think that, surely, this Hollywood portrayal of big banker mentality is a gross exaggeration, but check out an egregious example of Gekko-level greed being pushed by todays finance industry. Big banks like Capital One, Citi, Bank of America and Wells Fargo through their lobbying front, the Financial Services Roundtable have been going all out to kill a sensible labor department rule meant to protect peoples retirement accounts from the self-serving guile of financial manipulators. The rule simply requires firms that manage these accounts to put our money in investments expected to produce the best returns for us, rather than in investments that pay the highest interest fees to them. Its hardly harsh to require these massive financial institutions to treat us common customers with basic honesty, applying a fiduciary duty that amounts to a golden rule for bankers. To defend their right to be dishonest, the greed-fueled bankers resorted to more dishonesty, claiming that the fiduciary rule would hurt smaller investors. Huh? Well, they prevaricated; only by misdirecting small retirement savers into high-fee investments can we make enough profit to give affordable financial advice to workaday folks. These banks are wallowing in unconscionable levels of profits, but the only affordable advice they want to offer to us is blatantly bad advice, funneling our retirement stash into deals that benefit them at our expense. Bankers claiming that they have a legal right to profit by deceiving and cheating their own customers is a level of gluttony so gross that it would even gag Gordon Gekko. To fight their absurd claim, connect with Consumer Federation of America. SUBHEAD: Elizabeth Warren agreed with Trump on China, now Bernie Sanders agrees with him about Amazon. By Raul Illargi Meijer on 5 April 2018 for the Automatic Earth - Image above: Kivas squat orange robots, which pick and move merchandise for Amazon could prove essential to helping Amazon return to profitability. From ( https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/12/01/will-amazon-owned-robot-maker-sell-tailer-rivals/FON7bVNKvfzS2sHnBHzfLM/story.html ). Independent Vermont senator and 2016 presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders echoed President Donald Trump in expressing concern about retail giant Amazon. Sanders said that he felt Amazon had gotten too big on CNNs State of the Union Sunday, and added that Amazons place in society should be examined. And I think this is, look, this is an issue that has got to be looked at. What we are seeing all over this country is the decline in retail. Were seeing this incredibly large company getting involved in almost every area of commerce. And I think it is important to take a look at the power and influence that Amazon has, said Sanders. It is said that even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn, and so it goes with the Donald. Banging on his Twitter keyboard in the morning darkness, he drilled Jeff Bezos a new one or at least thats what most people would call having their net worth lightened by about $2 billion: I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the Election. Unlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state & local governments, use our Postal System as their Delivery Boy (causing tremendous loss to the U.S.), and are putting many thousands of retailers out of business! You cant get more accurate than that. Amazon is a monstrous predator enabled by the state, but Amazons outrageous postal subsidy a $1.46 gift card from the USPS stabled on each box isnt the half of it. The real crime here is that Amazon has been exempted from making a profit, and the culprit is the Federal Reserves malignant regime of Bubble Finance. The latter has destroyed financial discipline entirely and turned the stock market into the greatest den of speculation in human history. Thats why Bezos can kill established businesses with impunity. The casino allows him to run a pernicious business model based on price to destroy, rather than price for profit and a return on capital. Needless to say, under a regime of sound money and honest capital markets Amazon would be a far more benign economic creature. Thats because no real investors would value AMZNs money-loosing e-Commerce business at $540 billion nor even a small fraction of that after 25-years of profitless growth. Apple Mr. Cook, who has long sought to differentiate Apple on privacy matters, contrasted its focus on selling devices with Facebook and Googles ad-based businesses that are built on user data. Asked what he would do if he were Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Mr. Cook replied: I wouldnt be in this situation. Facebooks newsfeed, he wrote, manipulates your worldview and seeks to maximally waste your time.[..] Days earlier, Francois Chollet, an artificial intelligence engineer at Google, sought to draw a line between his company and Facebook. He tweeted that Google products like search and Gmail help users to do more, to know more. [..] In January, Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff, whose company sells business software services, said that the addictive nature of social media means it should be regulated like a health issue.I think that you do it exactly the same way that you regulated the cigarette industry, Mr. Benioff told CNBC when asked how Facebook should be regulated. Some of the most cutting rebukes have come from people who know Facebook well. In November, Sean Parker, the founding president of Facebook, said that Facebook executives, including himself, were exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology by designing a platform built on social validation. Mr. Parker didnt respond to a request for comment. Facebook generally hasnt responded to the criticism, but it did after sharp comments from its former vice president of growth, Chamath Palihapitiya. The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works, Mr. Palihapitiya said at a talk at Stanford University in November. Amazon Facebook Google Tesla Uber & Airbn Monsanto . Something must be terribly wrong with the world. A few days ago Elizabeth Warren agreed with Trump on China, now Bernie Sanders agrees with him about Amazon. Whats happening?A backlash against Facebook, a backlash against Amazon. Are these things connected? Actually, yes, they are connected. But not in a way that either Trump or Sanders has clued in to. Someone who has, a for now lone voice, is David Stockman. Heres what he wrote last week.The bubble economy, the everything bubble, that we have been forced into, with QE, ultra-low rates, central banks buying trillions in what at least used to be assets, and massive buybacks that allow companies to raise their value into the stratosphere, has enabled a company like Amazon to kill off its competition, which consists of many thousands of retailers, that do have to run a profit.Its a money scheme that allows many of the most valuable tech companies to elbow their way into our lives, in ways that may seem beneficial to us at first, but in reality will only leave us behind with much less choice, far less competition, and many, many fewer jobs. Once its done someone will mention scorched earth. But for now they are everybodys darlings; they are, dont you know, the tech giants, the brainchildren of the best that the best among us have to offer.They dont all work the exact same way, which may make it harder to recognize what they have in common. For some its easier to see than for others. Its also difficult to list them all. Heres a few: Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google (Alphabet), Tesla, Uber, Airbnb, Monsanto. Lets go through the list.Yes, Apple too. But they make real things! Yes, but just as Apple CEO Tim Cook seeks to distance his company from the likes of Facebook on morals and ethics, he cant deny that Apple sells a zillion phones to a large extent because everybody uses them to look at Facebook and Alphabet apps until their faces are blue. If data ethics are the only problem Cook sees, hes in trouble.Silicon Valley infighting shows that the industry does have an idea what is going wrong, in ways that should have already led to many more pronounced worries and investigations.I would expect to hear a lot more of that sort of thing. Big Tech is changing the world in more ways than one. And spying on people Facebook-style is merely one of a long list of them. So yes, Apple certainly also belongs in that list. Facebook doesnt build the devices people use to see what their friends had for breakfast, Apple does that. Moreover, Apple profits hugely from stock buybacks, so it fits in Stockmans bubble finance definition of Amazon, too.The failure of politics to investigate, and act against, those dopamine-driven feedback loops which exploit a vulnerability in human psychology in order to maximally waste your time and sell you product after product that you never (knew you) wanted is downright bizarre. Politicians only started talking about Facebook when a topic connected to Trump and Russia was linked to it.Trump cant act fast enough on the tax situation and the US Postal deal. Not that that will solve the issue. Amazon, like all the companies on my list, can only be cut down to size if and when the everything bubble is. They are, after all, its children.The most pernicious aspect of the Amazon business model, which all these firms share, and all are able to live by thanks to the central banks and the greatest den of speculation in human history they have created, is the prospect of world domination in their respective fields. They all hold in front of speculators the promise that they can crush all competition, or nearly all. Scorched earth, flat earth.Their place in the list is obvious. What is it, 2.5 billion users? And what they dont have is divvied up between them and Google when they buy up apps like Instagram. Officially competitors, but they have the exact same goals. And, like me, you may think: whats the problem, just ban them from collecting all that data. Facebook has no reason to know, at least not one that serves us, where you were last Friday, and with whom. And just in case you missed that bit, they do.But there their connection to the intelligence world comes in. Their platforms are better than anything the NSA has ever been able to develop. So we can say we dont want Zuckerberg and Alphabet spying on us, but our own spies do want to do just that. That makes any kind of backlash much harder to succeed. And it doesnt matter if you delete your Facebook account, theyll find you anyway. Friend of a friend. We all have friends who are on Facebook, rinse and repeat.The only hope there is, with Facebook as with the other companies, is for investors and speculators to dump their holdings in massive numbers. And that will only happen when the central bank Ponzi collapses. And it will, but by then we have a whole new set of problems.Largely the same set of issues that Facebook has. Its tentacles are everywhere. Former CEO Eric Schmidts connections to the Pentagon should be really all you need to know. The EU may have issued all sorts of complaints and fines on competition grounds, but that makes no difference.The one country with an effective response to Google and Facebook is China, that has largely banned both and built its own versions of their products. Which allows Beijing to ban people from boarding planes, buying homes etc., if their social credit is deemed too low. If you want to be scared about where Big Techs powers can lead, look no further.Elon Musk has built a fantasy (and maybe I should put Paypal in this list too) on what everyone thinks must be done to save the planet (yeah, build cars) by grossly overstating the number of cars he can build, and financing his growth on not only speculation, but also on spectacular amounts of government subsidies (politicians want to save the planet, too).And now he needs additional financing again. He will probably get it, again, but the Amazon backlash might have people take another look. One fine day Fits David Stockmans complaint to a t(ee), doesnt have to make a profit. Musk has perfected that model.Why anyone anywhere would want to send money generated in their community, by renting out cars and apartments in that same community, to a bunch of people in Silicon Valley, is beyond me. Someone should set this up as an international effort that makes it easy for a community, a city etc., to provide this kind of service and make the profits benefit their own cities.But like Amazon, they are free to run any competition into the ground because no profits are required until they have conquered the world. And then they can go nuts. It may look like a business model, but it isnt. Its a soon to be orphaned bubble child..Less obvious perhaps as an entry in the Big Tech list, but very much warranting a spot. And of course it stands for the entire chemical-seeds field. From Agent Orange to your childrens dinner plate. Monsanto has more lawyers and lobbyists on its payroll than it has scientists, but then its lofty goals outdo even those of Google or Amazon.Facebook may focus on your addiction to human contact, but Bayer, DuPont, Syngenta et al have decided to make your food so addicted to their chemicals that they will in the future profit from every bite served on your table. How they will grow that food long term without any insects, bees or birds left is unclear, but they dont seem to care much. As for profits? Monsanto seeks to rule the world, and for now care as little about profits as they do about insects.Zuckerberg may claim that he only wants to improve Facebooks service, but when that is done through for instance the 2012 so-called Transmission of Anger experiment in which the company tried to alter their users emotional states -and succeeded-, by manipulating their friends postings, that claim becomes pure ridicule. Selling off user data to scores of developers doesnt help either. But do you see Congress tackling him in any serious way next week? Neither do I.Because theres one huge catch to the scenario that David Stockman -and I- painted, of the whole tech bubble collapsing when the financial bubble does. It is the links tech companies have built to intelligence. A group of Google employees wrote a letter to their CEO Sundar Pichai to protest the companys involvement in weaponized AI, in the shape of Project Maven, a military surveillance engine to-be.These people undoubtedly mean well, but theyre far too late. They will have to leave the dont be evil company to actually not be evil. Because its not a big step from weaponized AI to killer robots. Microsoft is also part of the project, and Amazon is. If you work there and dont want to be evil, you know what to do.Yeah, its about our safety, and security, and political and military and economic power. But its also about spying on people, in even worse ways than Facebook does. So even as the central bank bubble, and the tech bubble, go poof, some of these companies may be saved by their military ties.That sound you hear is George Orwell turning in his grave. ESpanix has tapped Coriant (News - Alert) to provide it with technology to connect its data centers in Madrid. The Spanish neutral internet exchange will be employing Coriant Groove. The Coriant Groove G30 Network Disaggregation Platform will help power the companys optical backbone network. It will be used initially to enable resilient 100G services between the exchanges Intersion PAR and NODO data centers. As high-bandwidth end-user applications continue to drive higher and higher volumes of exchange traffic, we remain committed to enhancing our peering infrastructure to meet the evolving resiliency, security, and scalability needs of our members, said Cristobal Lopez Canas, ESpanix Manager. As we looked to scale our backbone to support higher capacity services, the Coriant Groove G30 proved an ideal solution that consistently demonstrated a superior level of flexibility, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness over comparable offerings. The company says the Coriant installation will enable it to deliver 100G interconnect services cost efficiently. It will allow for that by improving the companys DWDM transmission efficiencies and spectral utilization. That, in turn, will reduce ESpanixs leased fiber costs. "We are excited to bring our best-in-class Groove G30 solution to ESpanix, which ranks among Europes largest internet exchange points measured by traffic volume, said Ronald Van der Kraan, Managing Director, Europe, Coriant. "This new IXP deployment underscores the critical role that the Groove G30 platform is playing in the global internet infrastructure as transmission backbone networks scale to 100G, 400G, and beyond. Coriant and ESpanix will be at the ESNOG conference next week in Barcelona showcasing Groove G30. This solution features a plug-and-play modular architecture. It now includes Coherent Multiservice Sled, supporting 400G client side and 600G line side transmission. Edited by Mandi Nowitz Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Thank you for your support! Thursday, April 05, 2018 Paul Moya: Mystery Candidate For The ABQ Congressional Seat, Plus: Haaland's Cash Surge And Some Political Odds And Ends Sometimes mystery candidates pop up out of nowhere for high political office. Here's an example. He has an impressive background but so far thirtysomething Paul Moya has gained absolutely no traction in his race for the Democratic nomination for the ABQ US House seat. You may not even know he is running, as he has flown well below the radar. However, he did surface this week with a newspaper His In the past he has marketed himself as HAALAND CASH SURGE It appears Deb Haaland, the frontrunner for the ABQ congressional nomination, has blown the doors off when it comes to first quarter fund-raising. And she wasted no time getting the word out. The reports for the January-March period are not officially due until the middle of the month, but Haaland's campaign wants it known that it has apparently set a new quarterly record for the seat by raising $296,000. And Haaland has improved her cash position, reporting $345,000 on hand. She had taken some hits about the "burn rate" of her campaign but she appears to have shored things up and will be able to finance a major TV buy. The campaign says it raised $192,000 in March alone. That's the month she won a solid, if not overwhelming victory, at the preprimary convention, and was also featured in a New York Times article about her quest to become the first Native American woman to win a US House seat. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez has been chasing Haaland and has been the fund-raising leader, reporting at Former US Attorney Damon Martinez is the third major player. He reported $322,000 in cash at the end of the year and will probably increase that number when we see his report. But Haaland says her internal polling has Martinez back in the pack, with Sedillo Lopez in second place. What it all means is that this trio will be the candidates whose faces are in front of the public via paid media in the final weeks leading up to the June 5 primary. GUV STANDING In the Dem race for Governor, the insider numbers making the rounds have Michelle Lujan Grisham getting over half the vote in the June 5 primary. She scored 67 percent at the preprimary. Jeff Apodaca is running second, as he did at the preprimary, and Joe Cervantes is third. SAM'S BLOG We knew former ABC newsman Sam Donaldson had retired to New Mexico but we didn't know he was also blogging. He is and his blog is THE BOTTOM LINES Retired Las Cruces District Court Judge and U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe H. Galvan, 84, Did you know that 1 out of 40 New Mexicans is now This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. ( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018 Sometimes mystery candidates pop up out of nowhere for high political office. Here's an example.He has an impressive background but so far thirtysomething Paul Moya has gained absolutely no traction in his race for the Democratic nomination for the ABQ US House seat. You may not even know he is running, as he has flown well below the radar. However, he did surface this week with a newspaper op-ed in which he supported banning assault weapons.His website describes him as "a 4th-generation agriculturalist who grew up in this District on his familys alfalfa farm" in Valencia County. It further states he is a grad of Notre Dame and Harvard and "is also a small-business owner and CEO of Millennial Labs--a full-service consulting firm that has impacted leaders from organizations ranging from Acura to the US Department of Defense."In the past he has marketed himself as a motivational speaker and charged for his appearances but he has had trouble motivating his party. At the March Dem preprimary convention Moya finished last in a field of six candidates. There does seem to be some potential there--if voters knew about him.It appears Deb Haaland, the frontrunner for the ABQ congressional nomination, has blown the doors off when it comes to first quarter fund-raising. And she wasted no time getting the word out.The reports for the January-March period are not officially due until the middle of the month, but Haaland's campaign wants it known that it has apparently set a new quarterly record for the seat by raising $296,000. And Haaland has improved her cash position, reporting $345,000 on hand. She had taken some hits about the "burn rate" of her campaign but she appears to have shored things up and will be able to finance a major TV buy.The campaign says it raised $192,000 in March alone. That's the month she won a solid, if not overwhelming victory, at the preprimary convention, and was also featured in a New York Times article about her quest to become the first Native American woman to win a US House seat.Antoinette Sedillo Lopez has been chasing Haaland and has been the fund-raising leader, reporting at the end of the year that she had $347,000 in cash on hand. For now Haaland has nearly caught her in cash on hand, but Sedillo Lopez may widen the gap a bit when she files her report.Former US Attorney Damon Martinez is the third major player. He reported $322,000 in cash at the end of the year and will probably increase that number when we see his report. But Haaland says her internal polling has Martinez back in the pack, with Sedillo Lopez in second place.What it all means is that this trio will be the candidates whose faces are in front of the public via paid media in the final weeks leading up to the June 5 primary.In the Dem race for Governor, the insider numbers making the rounds have Michelle Lujan Grisham getting over half the vote in the June 5 primary. She scored 67 percent at the preprimary. Jeff Apodaca is running second, as he did at the preprimary, and Joe Cervantes is third.We knew former ABC newsman Sam Donaldson had retired to New Mexico but we didn't know he was also blogging. He is and his blog is here . However, don't look for coverage of NM. He concentrates on the national scene he is so well acquainted with. And there's no blog shilling for Dem Guv candidate Jeff Apodaca who Sam has endorsed and also narrated some campaign ads for.Retired Las Cruces District Court Judge and U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe H. Galvan, 84, died on March 25 in Corrales, his family members announced this week. . .Did you know that 1 out of 40 New Mexicans is now using medical marijuana . That's 50,000 to be precise. About half of them get the cannabis prescription to cope with post traumatic stress disorder. Many of you who have followed New Mexico politics for more than ten years may have PTSD. Let us know if your medical marijuana app is approved.This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) iStock/Thinkstock(LAS VEGAS) -- An Air Force F-16 fighter jet from Nellis Air Force Base crashed outside of Las Vegas, Nevada at approximately 10:30 am local time Wednesday during a routine training on the Nevada Test and Training Range, the Air Force confirmed. The condition of the pilot is unknown at this time, but emergency responders are on the scene, a press release from Nellis Air Force Base said. This is the third aviation incident for the U.S. military in the last 48 hours. On Tuesday, a Marine Corps Harrier jet crashed shortly after takeoff near the runway at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. The pilot ejected and is safe. Also on Tuesday, a Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed near El Centro, California. All four crew members on board were presumed dead pending positive identification, the Marine Corps said. This latest crash follows a string of incidents for Nellis Air Force Base. In January, an aircraft was required to abort its take-off and subsequently caught fire, but all personnel were safe. In September, a pilot was killed during a crash at the Nevada Test and Training Range outside of the base. The type of aircraft was classified, but Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein told Military.com that it was not the new F-35 fighter jet. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Memo to Gun Ban Movement - Infringement Is Illegal! By Alan Korwin. April 2nd, 2018 Article Original Alan Korwin, visit his website GunLaws.com. Calls to outlaw guns, gun possession, accessories and similar wild-eyed notions now percolating through a portion of our youth and culture are illegal. So called news media, involved in whipping up the public and unsuspecting youngsters into a frenzy to ban gun types, gun parts, all guns, and places where people can have guns for all legal purposes like defense against murderers are an affront to our society and our Constitution. When did teachers lose their right to keep and bear arms exactly? The guarantees of The U.S. Bill of Rights can just be lost? People are saying the horrific events of the recent past could never have happened if our rights werent somehow squelched in the first place. Unless you decide to give up on the rule of law, and simply enact anything by mob rule, guns cant simply be banned, as television is campaigning for. People could begin a new country based on utopian socialist rule with no leadership, no charter, and the will of the people simply expressed day-to-day by vote, thats conceivable. But America cannot legitimately ban guns already in the publics hands by passing laws, to appease loud children. We get that the kids are scared, and should be, theyve been let down. That doesnt erase the rule of law. If stopping crazed, psychotic mass murderers who take it on themselves to spree murder their classmates is the goal, thats a good goal. Loud youngsters who think disarming the public will somehow accomplish that goal are not mature enough to understand that first, it wont work, and second, the adults egging them on in the media and politics are manipulative SOBs worse than their worst parents. SEE ALSO: Korwin: So Why Not Register Guns? Heres Why Not! Those adults are using what amounts to a national tantrum to accomplish the adults goal not the childrens goal. The so-called news media has disguised or totally hidden this revealing truth. Journalists have become virtually as much an enemy of the nations health as the murderers themselves. Thats a hard thing to say, as a journalist myself. Heres a secret. Everyone wants to stop sociopathic students from murdering their classmates at school. It shouldnt be a secret. The hated NRA wants to stop that. Do you really think theyre devils who want their own kids at that kind of risk? If you do, youve been sold a bill of goods. Remember the secret Everyone wants to stop sociopathic students from murdering their classmates at school. Heres the bottom line. Banning a firearm a person already owns is infringement, simply by definition. Doing that is banned in America, its why were the linchpin of freedom on the planet. Its why oppressed masses flock here, and always have, though schools no longer teach this. They used to, when America was at its peak. Attempting to take such a firearm away government confiscation of the publics guns is aggravated infringement, felony-level criminal activity. It is exactly what government cannot legitimately do. Its where peaceful rule of law ends and tyranny begins: gun-taking. Gun-taking kindles revolts, around the world, and if it goes too far, it could happen here. Disarming the innocent doesnt set well with the innocent. The reverse is true too you cant arm slaves and expect them to remain slaves. SEE ALSO: Korwin: Disarm Annoying People - Enacted! State by state, we are going to see an effort to put aggravated infringement into statute so offending officials can be charged and imprisoned if they attempt to infringe on this fundamental constitutional right. Banning guns is on the same par as banning gays, blacks, speech, Bibles you just cant do that here. Infringement is illegal. Someone should tell these kids. (Photo: CNN) It doesnt matter how many votes you can manipulate or cajole with phony logic. Majority rules, minority protected, you remember that, right? It means you cant strip the Bill of Rights with a legislative vote. People who do so or attempt to do so need to be subject to defined penalties. Like any other civil and human rights violation. We actually have 18 USC 241, and 18 USC 242 for this, they just need some backup, and enforcement (q.v., denial of constitutional or statutory rights is a crime). Read those short, crystalline statutes. The noise level is rising to a dangerous pitch. Attempting to disarm the public is what has, throughout history, led to either revolution or genocide. Americans want neither. The loud children want neither either, they just dont know it. They know not what they do, and their handlers are keeping them quietly in the dark. The Andersons and Wolves are incomprehensibly keeping them ignorant, and maybe they are themselves. Im reluctant to join my colleagues who see it for an evil agenda, and the markings could easily be read that way. At the least the mass media culprits should lose their licenses to broadcast. Oh, thats rightthey are unlicensed operators. Banning guns already in the publics hands is infringement. Attempting to take an infringed item is aggravated infringement. Attempting to take an infringed item is where chilling phrases like, Bullets first! and From my cold dead fingers! arise. This country does not want to go there. Someone tell the kids. Back to Top Srinagar:College students hold protests in Srinagar against south Kashmir killingsCollege students hold protests in Srinagar against south Kashmir killings. Photo: Mubashir Khan/GKThe students of various colleges in Srinagar on Thursday held protests soon after they re-opened after three-day closure over Shopian civilian and militant killings.Reports said that dozens of students assembled at the Bemina Degree College and tried to take out a protest rally against the recent killings in south Kashmir districts. Similarly, the students of Amar Singh College in summer capital Srinagar took out a protest demonstration outside the college premises. However, police swung into action and tried to chase away the protesting students. Also, the students of Islamia College of Science and Commerce at Hawal also tried to take out a protest rally. However, forces personnel fired tear gas to disperse the protesting students. Srinagar, April 05: Students hit streets in Srinagar, Bandipora, Kupwara and other parts of the Kashmir, today, to condemn the killing of 19 youth by the Indian troops in South Kashmir. The students of Central University of Kashmir, Kashmir University and different colleges held protests in many parts of the Kashmir and raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. The agitating students offered funeral prayers in absentia for the martyred youths. They carried banners reading slogans like, Stop Genocide, Free Kashmir and Stop killings in Kashmir. [the_ad id=24879] The students of Government Degree College Bemina and Amar Singh College Srinagar, Government Degree College Sumbal Bandipora, Degree College Kupwara and Degree Handwara took to streets to mourn the brutal killings. The traffic was halted for many hours due to the protests. The troops resorted to force and fired teargas shells against the students. The students of Amar Singh College Srinagar set an Indian forces picket ablaze amid intense clashes with the troops. The protesting students pelted rocks on the men in uniform. The troops were also pelted with stones by protesters in Tral and Palhalan areas of Pulwama and Baramulla districts. Shopkeepers lowered their shutters while traffic was off the roads. (KGN) Activists, academia probe spate of rapes Rape is a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear, American feminist Susan Brownmiller wrote in her 1975 book Against Our Will: Women, Men and Rape, that was acclaimed and criticised. Bhairahawa auto village fails to start operation An auto village established in Bhairahawa of Rupandehi district to sell spare parts and components of automobiles and provide vehicle repair and maintenance services from under a single roof has failed to launch commercial operation due to lack of electricity supply. Cabinet extends education offices' term The government has extended the term of District Education Offices to ensure smooth transition of education oversight authority to local bodies. Co-ops urged to devise new business policies Cooperatives should devise new business policies besides switching to production and job oriented activities instead of sticking to financial and distribution related businesses, stakeholders said. Drawing the line Law prohibiting establishment of new medical colleges in Kathmandu for 10 years is positive Environment dept to set up unit to control air pollution The Department of Environment (DoE) is set to establish a separate unit to deal with air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley. Ex-PMs urge Oli to mend India ties Former prime ministers have advised Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to focus on mending ties with India instead of signing new agreements. FinMin entity to direct US-funded projects The Cabinet on Tuesday passed an order facilitating the establishment of an entity to oversee the implementation of US government-funded projects worth $630 million. First year law admissions halt as union locks office A students union locked the Deans Office of Tribhuvan University Law Faculty on Wednesday and disrupted enrollment of students for the first year bachelors degree programme. Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years. Hydro projects expected to improve living standards in Karnali Karnali province in western Nepal comes last in electricity generation among the seven states despite its potential of 18,000 MW as per government statistics. However, that status will change drastically once the projects that have been planned to be built here roar into life. Iron will Ruling parties have the power to send out a message of zero tolerance against gender- and caste-based discrimination Nembang is UMLs deputy PP leader Subash Chandra Nembang has been appointed deputy leader of the CPN-UMLs Parliamentary Party on Wednesday. A joint meeting of UMLs federal parliament and National Assembly members at the prime ministers official residence in Baluwatar made the decision. Elderly man dies after being hit by bus in Jumla An elderly man died after being hit by a bus at Julma Buspark on Wednesday. Police arrest two with red sandalwood Police arrested two persons on Tuesday on the charge of smuggling red sandalwood in a tourist bus coming from New Delhi. Respect Nepal, says Indian opposition Leaders of opposition parties in India have suggested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to interfere in the internal affairs of Nepal by acknowledging it as a sovereign country. They also urged Modi to have a big heart towards visiting Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Thapa suggests PM Oli to review 1950 treaty during his India visit Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chairman Kamal Thapa has suggested Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to discuss reviewing the 1950 Nepal-India Peace and Friendship Treaty during his visit to the southern neighbor. Tourism Ministry to buy Nijgadh airport report The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has decided to own the detailed feasibility study report on construction of long-planned international airport in Nijgadh, Bara prepared by a Korean company. A decision in this regard was taken by newly-appointed Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari on Wednesday. Two stolen idols returned to Kathmandu after 30 years Two ancient idols that were stolen from the country more than 30 years ago before turning up in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York were returned on Wednesday. iStock/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) -- A University of Chicago student who was shot and wounded by campus police has been charged with aggravated assault against the officer. University police responded to calls of a burglary on Tuesday in the 5300 block of South Kimbark Avenue. According to the university, witnesses said the student, Charles Thomas, was yelling and smashing windows and cars. The University of Chicago released video Wednesday of the body camera worn by the officer who shot Thomas and dash cam from his vehicle. In the body camera video, Thomas appears to be wearing some kind of mask on his face and holding a long metal bar. He was also wearing yellow gloves. The officer is heard telling Thomas to drop the bar, but Thomas did not comply. He is heard cursing as he continues to walk closer to the officer, who was backing up. "Sir, I need you to drop that weapon," the officer yells at Thomas. Thomas allegedly charges the officer, who fired one round and struck him. Thomas, 21, screams and continues to curse at the officers as they tend to him. Thomas was taken to a local hospital for a shoulder wound; he was treated and released. Authorities charged Thomas with aggravated assault, two counts of criminal damage and two misdemeanor counts of criminal damage, police said. He was arraigned today. The Chicago Police Department, which is conducting its own investigation on the shooting, said he was in Cook County custody. Attempts by ABC News to reach an attorney for Thomas were not successful. According to the university, the officer who fired the shot has been on the university police force for two years. The officer, who has not been identified, has undergone 40 hours of crisis training and mental health training, the school said. It was unclear, however, if Thomas suffers from mental illness. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave as the university is conducting an internal investigation into the shooting. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.